How This Wedding Inspired Me to Take Better Care Of My Hair

What follows is a story about a Big Fat Greek Wedding, a youthful head of hair, and the fear of being discovered to be a fake youth. But the takeaway is that you can have healthier hair even if you’re not Greek, have Greek ancestors, or have been to Greece.

I promise it will all make sense at the end.

Last summer, we were guests at a real, honest-to-goodness, Big Fat Greek Wedding in Rhodes, Greece.

To make a very long story still long but not quite as long, let me start off by saying that the only reason we were invited to this wedding in the first place, having only known the bride-to-be for a couple of hours, is because of our youthful (immature?) spirit and being at the right place at the right time with just the right amount of alcohol in us. (We were doing tequila shots on a European beach with a motley crew of young people.)

Honestly, this woman, as well as every one of her friends, and Greek people, in general, are among the friendliest and warmest people on the planet. And we were very honored to be invited to such a special event. We were also invited to the bachelor-bachelorette party a couple of nights before the wedding too — at a Villa overlooking the Aegean.

When you get invited to a Greek wedding in actual Greece, a scenario that may never repeat itself because your window for being invited to young things is closing, you accept. Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to hone my looking-younger skills.

Back home before the trip, I was very strategic in my packing. My long-standing desire to look younger provided the right amount of motivation and knowing I’d be in for a few nights of partying with young, super hot Greeks, I chose wisely, ticking off the young pool-party essentials: bikini, cute coverup to cover up the bits that don’t look so young, sexy-make-my-legs-look-longer-and-toned wedges, and the perfect accessories to top off the “I belong here” look.

Having been to many pool parties of all kinds in my life — kids pool parties, adult pool parties, and in the last several years since my rejuvenation (since I started pretending to be younger) — the Miami Beach pool party scene, I was confident in my selection.

One essential that was, well, essential was my set of clip-on hair extensions that I call my party hair. This was to be full of young Greek women after all — also known as the most beautiful heads of hair on the planet — so I had to make sure my locks, fake or not, were up to par.

I thought of every detail.

Except for one.

You know that saying, People plan and God laughs?

My well-thought-out-I’m-gonna-look-like-I-have-young-Greek-hair plan didn’t actually turn out the way I planned; I did not plan on being thrown in the pool. But it was God’s plan…or possibly Poseidon’s.

And here’s a cultural lesson for anyone who plans on going to a Greek pool party. Being thrown in the pool at a pool party in Greece is apparently a thing. And one must prepare for it.

I was not prepared.

In fact, I saw it happening around me but didn’t think I’d be thrown in too. I didn’t have time to react. I didn’t have time to run or hide. I was distracted by the hot, Greek dude that was approaching me. And I was taken unawares when that same hot, Greek dude picked me up and threw me in…while still wearing my cover-up, my sexy-make-my-legs-look-longer-and-toned wedges, and my party hair.

As I was going under there was only one thought going through my hair head: Oh, shit.

You can avoid a lot of drama in your life by simply accepting your age, aging gracefully, or looking cute with short hair. But that’s not who I am.

For a few seconds, a cold rush of panic flooded me along with the water. I was certain that my hair extension pieces would come loose and find their way to the surface, floating around me like dead, furry animals and that the hot, young Greeks would stare at the foreign, youth-imposter and laugh at me in Greek.

To my surprise and great relief, these hair extensions are resistant little fuckers. They stayed put even after several more unfortunate dunks in the pool. In fact, they were still faithfully on my head the next morning when I awoke with a makeup-free face (I ALWAYS take off my makeup before bed, no matter how drunk tired I am) and a serious hangover.

I love these hair extensions, but this experience taught me that I can’t risk looking like a fool, or worse, looking like a middle-aged fool. So after getting back from Greece, I put as much focus on my hair as I do my skin. In other words, I became obsessed.

It’s been about eight months since that wedding and there’s a noticeable improvement in the thickness and health of my hair. So much so that I’ve temporarily retired my party hair. I’m sure I will wear them again in the event of another special occasion where I have to pretend to be younger (or a mermaid) but until then, all you will see in my photos is my own, heavily nourished hair.

So in the spirit of caring as a way to demonstrate my caring, and because I figured they’d be some of you out there who would love to have fuller, longer, younger, Greek goddess looking hair, I thought I’d pass along this useful bit of information.

This is what I did and continue to do:

Food

♥ Eggs:  a great source of protein and biotin, which are important for hair health and growth. A deficiency in either of these nutrients has been linked to hair loss.

♥ Salmon: at least once a week, usually twice. It’s an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to hair growth and hair health as well a being great for the skin. It’s also a great source of protein, selenium, vitamin D3 and B vitamins that may help strengthen hair.

♥ Berries: antioxidants not only the skin from harmful free radicals but hair follicles too.

♥ Spinach: I eat spinach just about every day because it’s loaded with beneficial nutrients for my skin anyway. Folate, iron, and vitamins A and C, all of which are found in spinach promote hair growth.

♥ Avocado: I love avocados so it’s easy for me to eat them often  – at least three times a week. They are a great source of vitamin E, which protects areas the skin and the scalp, from oxidative stress and damage. It’s so important to take care of the scalp.  Damaged skin on the scalp can have a negative effect on the quality and quantity.

♥ Nuts: I eat a ton of nuts every day — especially walnuts. They are packed with vitamin E, B vitamins, zinc, and essential fatty acids, all of which are great for the skin and the hair.

♥ Flaxseed: I put ground flaxseeds in my smoothies, oatmeal, and salads. They are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Supplements

Just in case I don’t get enough nutrients from my food, I take the following…

♥ Collagen Powder: I’m a fan of Collagen powders. I’ve read the clinical trials and I’ve seen the results on my own skin and my hair. I put some in my coffee every day. I swear by it and no one is going to convince me otherwise.

♥ 5,000 mcg Extra Strength Biotin – I have seen the biggest improvement in hair growth after I started taking this.

♥ Ionicell For Women – This is a new one for me but it’s got great reviews and is great for the skin and nails too.

♥ Vitamin E – Again, just in case and because it’s good for women, like myself, with fibrocystic breasts.

Products

♥ Sulfate-free shampoo: I’m using this one from L’oreal at the moment. It’s not very expensive and leaves my hair super hydrated. I have used more expensive shampoos in the past, and I if I find one I really like, I may switch. But this one seems to do the job.

♥ Olaplex Hair Perfector: Have you heard of this? Now, this is expensive but worth it. You use this before shampooing on damp hair once a week. This is supposed to strengthen hair from within using their bonding technology. It works that’s all I know. I’ve tried their conditioner and it’s just okay, in my opinion — not worth the money. But this treatment is worth every penny.

♥ Oils: I love oils — for my skin and my hair — I finally caved and bought Moroccan Oil. It had me at the smell. I haven’t been using it for long, but I have a feeling it’s working. I’ll report back.

I’m also trying a trio of oils recommended to me by an Indian woman (Are they competing with the Greeks for best hair?). And I just ordered a couple of other products that have gotten rave reviews. Will report back on that as well.

So essentially we need to pay as much attention to our hair as our skin. And our bodies. Especially as we get older and all the youth nutrients get depleted and replaced by fat (whiner!).

We do what we can, Chickies.

Do you have any hair recommendations you’d like to share with the rest of us? Share the youth.

xoxo