Think I've finally found the golden ticket!?

Hello Friends, 

This this is my birthday weekend I decided I didn't want to deal with straightening my hair and that I deserved a little treat. I went to the salon today and got HOOKED UP. *happy dance* 

This was the first time in a while that I've gone and haven't gotten burned, tugged on, or just felt uncomfortable with the way she treated my hair. She was completely gentle and I loved it. 

I mainly came into the salon, which I'll do my wash day update here soon, to get a trim again and after washing and straightening it I wasn't do for on, she told me to come in in about a month. First time a hair dresser hasn't said that because by looking at my ends before coming in I knew I wasn't due for a trim yet, so +1 in her court. 

I began asking her questions on how to achieve a nice sleekly look because I was trying to grow out my hair to allow my natural hair get healthy as I trim off my hair and she said the less products the better, and I understood that much. So here are the tips that I gained from this hair trip. 

1. Get a good shampoo on the days that you do and really focus on in the roots and then bring it down depending on your hair type because that's where the most product buildup. (she uses the shampoo I typically use)
2. Condition the ends of your hair first and before you wash it out get another pump and work it into the roots, because my hair tends to lose moisture as you travel from tip to nape. 
3. The less products you use the better. 
4. When blow-drying/  flat ironing only use a little bit of oil before hand, section into small pieces and then go about one or the other or both. 
5. Once you are done with the above you can add a little more oil, but no bigger then half a pump full. 

I think my main problem and why I was feeling like my hair was weighed down and why it was falling out, there was not a lot of fall out when she did my hair, no hair on my shoulders in the brushes or combs she used. Is the amount of product I personally used, I feel like I was trying to do my hair as if it was waist length and it's not and I need to calm down with the products. 

Something else I learned, my hair LOVES water believe it or not, this was something I actually picked up on last summer and I have no idea why I stopped because that was when my hair was in it's thickest state. I think I need to up the amount of wash days I do a week again. 

Although my nape is still trucking along, I think with these tips it could really flourish. Especially when I stop putting direct heat on that area and get over the fact that it isn't going to be as soft as the rest of my hair.