Amanda Burnett

Lifestyle & Beauty

Hair

Moving + Starting A New Business

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Hey all! It’s been a while since I posted on my blog and it’s so good to be back. So let me catch you up to what I’ve been doing!

New Apartment!

In the past couple of months, I’ve been preparing to move. That whole process is just a headache. But I finally moved into my new place last week and the unpacking has had my undivided attention. I also was so stressed, I totally forgot to call my internet company BEFORE moving so I had no internet at my new place for 5 days. That was rough.

Moving tip: This might be a no brainer but call your internet company a week before moving to schedule your hook-up for the day of. Waiting sucks.

Well anyway, I just finished decorating and putting up my wall decor. My apartment is really starting to feel like home. I even put up my Christmas tree! I think I’m going to be really happy here. Another bonus, I’m walking distance to my day job and the neighbors are really friendly. Okay, now I’m just babbling but I’m just really happy. I’m also on my third cup of coffee because I’m still so busy. Enjoy.

Come stop by my Instagram! I’ll be posting pics of the apartment soon.

Hello, I’m Your New Shampoo Dealer.

In the midst of moving, I also started a new business with Monat! If you haven’t heard of Monat, it’s a haircare and skincare brand that is completely vegan and cruelty-free! That alone piqued my interest. My mentor Elizebeth, slid into my DMs on Instagram a few months ago wanting to send me free samples. I’m not one to turn down free samples so of course, I said yes. When I tried the products, I started seeing results in a couple of washes. It was shiny, soft, and my curl pattern started coming back to life! My hair is honestly becoming healthier than ever so I wanted to be able to share these products as well.

Because I’m so passionate about these products, I am diving into the business headfirst. When I’m not at my day job and I’m not organizing my new apartment, I’m studying the business, the products, and sending free samples to my prospects! Honestly, I’ve never been so inspired to work a business like this. I’m also debating connecting my business with this blog or if I should just create a whole different blog for it. But since my audience is here, I’ll experiment with it. Let me know your opinion! Would you like to see more posts about Monat or should I keep it separate?

Alright you guys, that’s it for this blog. It’s short and sweet but I just wanted to fill you in on my life update and to say hi! I hope you all are doing well. xx

10 Tips To Grow Your Hair Long and Healthy

     itsamandaburnett      22 Comments

My Hair Background

Whenever I get compliments on my hair, people always want to know how it’s so thick, long, and healthy. To be honest, it was a process and I had to make a lot of changes. I wasn’t always so lucky. I did make a blog post on my hair journey if you’d like to get more of a backstory on how I struggled with my hair a couple of years ago. Now, I do have naturally thick hair but the things I did to my hair years ago really damaged it. Today, I can honestly say my hair is in the best condition it’s ever been and I’m so excited to share some tips that I’ve been doing so I could hopefully help some of you! 

There aren’t any miracle cures that will help your hair grow drastically overnight but these are the things I personally do that definitely have my hair growing at a steady rate every month. I want you to keep in mind that if your hair is extremely damaged, your main focus should be getting it healthy again before expecting to see huge growth difference. 

10 Tips To Grow Your Hair

Keep the hair dying and use of hot hair tools to a minimum.

I’m going to be honest and tell you guys that I used to dye my hair almost every month and I used to straighten my hair every single day. Those were my bad hair habits and they had my hair falling out! Today, I only use a straightener or curler maybe two times a month. I’ve been embracing my natural wavy mess! 

Use a hot oil treatment (once a week) before washing your hair.

I usually warm up some Viva coconut oil and distribute it all over my hair the night before my “wash day.” You could totally do this an hour before your shower in the morning, but I like doing the overnight treatments. If you do this at night before you go to sleep, just make sure you use a hair cap or put a towel over your pillow so you don’t get the oil all over. I’ve seen an amazing improvement in my hair ever since doing this step. You can also buy some great hot oil treatments at the store, I just prefer to use coconut oil! 

Give yourself a scalp massage. 

Every day, I flip my head over for a few minutes and give my scalp a good massage. It can feel silly to do this but flipping your head over gets the blood flowing to your scalp which helps promote hair growth! There is also a nice handheld scalp massager you can use if you dont want to use your own hands. I’m not 100% sure if my hairs been growing because of this technique but I will say that it feels really good so I continue to do it anyway. 

Daily Vitamins + Biotin.

A lot of people will tell you that you just need to always eat healthily but if I’m being honest, I don’t always eat super healthy. Guilty. So every morning, I take a daily vitamin and a biotin supplement. Most daily vitamins do have some Biotin in them but I take a separate Biotin supplement for an extra boost. Biotin is great for healthy hair!

Invest in a nice hairbrush.

Brushing your hair, especially when it’s oily, can really benefit your hair. Remember when I said natural oil from your scalp is good for your hair? If you’re brushing that oil throughout your hair, it’s benefiting more than just your scalp. Also if you’re using a really old worn out plastic hairbrush, it might be doing more bad than good. A hairbrush made with boar bristles is highly recommended because it protects the hair, adds shine, and improves the texture!

Never skip heat protectant.

On the rare occasion that I do use heat on my hair, the first thing I do is grab my heat protectant. You need to take the extra time to evenly distribute it through your hair so you can prevent damage. I currently use the It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In. It’s absolutely my favorite hair product right now. No more crazy split ends! 

Invest in a satin pillowcase.

If you want to be kind to your hair and feel like royalty, a satin pillowcase is a way to go! I remember getting my first satin pillowcase way before I even cared about taking care of my hair just because I love the way it felt.

Benefits of a satin pillowcase:

  • Less hair damage
  • Soothes frizzy hair
  • Shiny hair
  • Improves your skin too!

Trim, trim, trim.

I’m not the biggest fan of this tip but I do know that it’s actually beneficial and works. I trim my own hair at home because I know I won’t be getting too much cut off and it’s free! I’m not saying you should do this though, especially if the thought makes you uncomfortable. It’s just what I do. Cutting off any split ends every couple of months actually makes my hair look healthier right away and it continues to grow after. 

Patience, my friend.

I use to try these tips and be mad when my hair didn’t grow down to my waist overnight. Getting your hair healthy and growing again is a process. My hair was severely damaged two years ago, and now its the healthiest it’s ever been. It might take a year or two but long and healthy hair is definitely possible! 

If you’re currently going through it with your hair, I want you to remain positive and start implementing these tips. Your hair will be healthy again soon.

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My May Ipsy Bag | A Full Review

     itsamandaburnett      5 Comments

Welcome back to my blog! This week has been crazy. I was hoping to have this post up last week but long story short, my computer was stolen. I will most likely make a YouTube video better explaining everything that happened. I’m just happy to be blogging again. Now let’s look at this month’s Ipsy bag!

On May 11th, I opened my mailbox to reveal my favorite pink package from Ipsy. This was more exciting than usual because it was a day before my birthday so it kind of felt like a birthday present!

The Bag:

Glitter heaven! This bag is my favorite bag I’ve received so far! I’m obsessed with all things sparkly so this bag is a dream. I usually put my collection of Ipsy bags under the sink for when I need a travel bag but this is way too pretty to just put aside. This will be sitting pretty on my counter full of my everyday products!

The 5 Products:

Nature Cartel Multi-Purpose Stick in GlowBal Awakening

When I first tried this product, I wasn’t too impressed. It’s a very subtle highlight with not too much pigment and I guess I was hoping for it to be more dramatic. If you’re wanting a subtle highlight, it is actually pretty. I also thought the tone would be pink because the product itself looks pink. Surprisingly, it’s a golden tone!

Alterna Haircare Bond Repair Leave-In Hair Protection Spray

I explained in my previous hair blog post that I don’t like to use heat on my hair so I thought I wouldn’t have a use for this product. Although, it’s getting warmer outside which could dry out our hair so I spray this when I’m going to be outside for long periods of time. It smells so good and makes my hair feel soft! It’s also vitamin-enriched so you can feel good about spraying this all over.

F.A.R.A.H Brush in 22E Shade & Blend

Brushes are always good to have and I’m loving the double ended brushes! As you can tell, I’ve been using this brush a lot already! I always end up packing these when I’m going on a trip. Two brushes in one – very convenient! The bristles are extremely soft and apply product beautifully.

Pixi by Petra H20 Skindrink

When I saw this product in my bag, I squealed. I absolutely love Pixi beauty, I even made a blog post about my Pixi collection. I’ve heard great things about this H20 Skindrink so I applied it and was pretty impressed! This contains aloe vera, green tea, and rosemary extract. It smells amazing and it made my face so smooth and soft. It felt truly hydrated! I can’t wait to order the full sized.

INMO Velveteen Dream Eyeshadow in Super Bass

I’ve been wearing this eyeshadow almost every day since I opened it up! It’s such a pretty sheer pink. It’s great for everyday wear. The texture is very silky and stays on the lids without creasing.

That’s my May Ipsy bag review! Overall, I’m very happy with everything that I got in my bag this month. Especially the bag itself! Again, I’m sorry this post is up so late. Things are starting to fall back into place. Thank you for your patience!

If you’re interested in getting Ipsy, I have a referral link just for you! Check it out.

The Journey From Damaged to Healthy Hair

     itsamandaburnett      12 Comments

hairtransformation

The Damage I Caused

Three years ago, my hair (left picture) was in the worst condition it has ever been in. It was beyond damaged, constantly falling out, and the color was awful from dying it so much. You can clearly see the hair damage in this picture. I was in a dark place around this time so whenever I was sad, I would cope by changing up my hair. It got to the point where I was box dying my hair about once a month. Are you cringing? Ugh, I know I am. I would also take the scissors and chop away even though I didn’t know what the heck I was doing and I would straighten it almost every single day.

Finally, I decided I needed to stop doing all of this damage to my hair because now, I was regularly breaking down over the damage I’ve caused. That’s why I took the picture on the left. I told myself that from that day forward, I wouldn’t dye my hair anymore, I wouldn’t cut my own hair especially when I’m upset, and I’d try to go without any heat products. We were going back to our natural roots. Literally.

Did I go through with all of that? Yes, for the most part. I did end up going to the salon and getting some highlights after a few months because my hair was in this awkward color phase from fading and the grow out. I also let them fix my hair cut. It was kind of embarrassing but I guess taking your emotions out on your hair is more common than I thought. I just promised to let the professionals take care of it next time.

My Hair Today

Two years later, my hair is so much healthier! (Right picture) You can see the shine, the thickness, and the length improvement. Those are my natural waves too! My hair was so damaged three years ago that those waves barely even existed. I’ve learned to love my natural waves so I don’t even feel the need to use any heat products on it anymore. If you’d like to see current pictures of what my hair looks like, head on over to my Instagram! I get many compliments on my hair lately and it means so much to me because little do most people know, getting it to this point was a true struggle.

If you’re currently in the situation I was three years ago and you want to fix your damaged hair, here are a few tips:

  • Take a break from dying your hair if that’s what you do often.
  • Step away from curling irons and straighteners or at least minimize the usage.
  • Heat protectant is an absolute must when using heat tools.
  • Use a deep conditioning mask once or twice a week. I use coconut oil and that has helped greatly.
  • Do not pick up the scissors when you’re upset. Find something else to distract yourself with.
  • Don’t give up. Even if you don’t see your hair getting any healthier right away. It’s a process, you’ll see results soon!

Want some more secrets on how to grow your hair long and healthy? I recently created a post with in-depth tips and tricks! Check it out here.

Xoxo,

Amanda Burnett