Isabel Bennett

My curls went brittle after repeated dye sessions and daily washing and so I honestly switched the approach rather than chasing a fancy label. I use a gentle low poo on days I need a real clean, then on in between days I massage the scalp with water and add conditioner to the ends so they get slip and protection. If daily shampoo is a must, pick one that says moisturizing and color safe and make sure it has things like glycerin, panthenol, and fatty alcohols. Skip strong clarifiers for now. A trick that helped is to coat the last few inches with a little conditioner before you wash so the shampoo does not hit the driest parts full force, then rinse and condition again. Use lukewarm water rather than hot. Hair usually feels softer within two weeks.

I keep it dead simple because I misplace my phone every other day. Ten minutes chord changes, ten minutes strum drill on muted strings, ten minutes on one song, done. I use a kitchen timer because it cannot vanish into the couch. Each week I pick one new thing like a chord pair or a pattern and I keep it all week. Progress lives on a sticky note on the guitar with date and tempo scribbles. If the neighbors glare, I drape a towel over the bridge and sing into a pillow.