I think we can all agree that mornings are rough. I’ve never been a morning person, and I used relish waking up at the very last minute for school growing up (I lived across the street for a few years and I was still late!) or for work. Now that I’m on that morning commute grind to the suburbs, my wakeup time is usually around 5:45 (quite the difference from that 8:30 alarm I was used to!)

To say that it’s been an adjustment would be an understatement, but slowly I’m starting to become more of a morning person out of necessity. Even on the weekends I find myself waking up before 8AM most days, even if I happened to go out with girlfriends late the night before. Slowly but surely, I might be becoming an adult…emphasis on the slowly part 😉

Most days, my morning routine is brunch my teeth, make sure my hair looks somewhat presentable, and pop on some makeup before heading out the day. But on the weekends or days I work from the city, my morning routine is a little more exciting (and definitely slowed down!) So today, I thought I’d share what my ideal morning routine usually looks like, and some of my favorite products that help me make the most of my morning before heading out the door. 

Keeping my Hair in Check: On mornings when I have time to take a shower (hallelujah!), I always makes sure to lather my hair with deep, moisturizing conditioners, especially when the weather outside is so cold and dry in Chicago. I typically get all my salon quality products from my neighborhood Hair Cuttery, and I love that they carry top salon brands and also their own Cibu haircare products that I absolutely love. If you aren’t familiar with Hair Cuttery, they’re a family owned and operated chain of hair salons in the country, with over 800 company-owned locations on the East Coast, and in New England and the Midwest. The offer styling, coloring, waxing and texturizing services, on top of selling some of my favorite salon brands and products!

For deep moisturizing, I  try to use my It’s a 10 Miracle Hair Mask at least once a week, and I’ve seen a noticeable difference in how my hair looks and feels.  To help with flyaways and keep my hair smooth between moisturizing treatments, I use Cibu’s Argan Oil Treatment every day when I get out of the shower. Not only does it smell so good, but it works like a charm and lasts for months! It’s officially become one of my haircare staples that I try to use every single day. 

Getting that Just Came From the Salon Feeling: I usually don’t have time to blow dry my hair on weekdays, so I get excited whenever I get a chance to use my hairdryer on the weekends (don’t judge, it’s the little things!). I picked up my Eva NYC hairdryer at Target and I love the design and the fact that it’s made so that the heat doesn’t damage my hair – which is especially important when you have fine hair like mine! I like to use Cibu’s Dynamic Blow Dry Accelerator whenever I blow dry my hair at home to make sure my hair’s protected and cut down on the amount of time it takes to dry my hair. It’s basically magic! 

Beauty from the Inside Out: I’ve recently been on a vitamin/supplement kick (blame it on the new year…), and I’ve been starting every day with Moon Juice’s Beauty and Brain dust. I usually mix it in my morning coffee or a smoothie, and while I’ve only been using it for a few weeks, my skin seems to be a lot more glowy than it was before. Not sure how much the Brain Dust is combatting my exhaustion (it was worth a try…), but I’m a big fan of starting out the day with a little beauty kick in my drink!

Giving my Skin a Little TLC:  On the weekends, I try to give my skincare routine a little more TLC than usual. I’ll usually wake up and do a mask if I have extra time (I love One Love Organic’s new Love + Charcoal mask!). My skin has been so dry this winter, so I’ll usually lather on a lot of extra moisturizer (I’ve been loving Tata Haper lately!) and then Ren’s Perfect Canvas serum before my morning makeup routine. I’ll try to post a follow up of my go-to makeup products and routine later this month because that post alone could take quite awhile to write 🙂  And just like that, I’m magically good to go to conquer the day (well, as much as I can be). What’s not included here is the fact that I need a giant latte in order to get my brain to start cooperating…but that goes without saying, right?

I’m always interested in seeing what other people’s morning routine’s look like, so if you have any tips or secrets, I’d love to know! If there’s anything that gets you out of bed quicker, makes you more motivated, or simplifies your life, please share with the class 🙂

A special thank to Hair Cuttery for sponsoring this post! Thanks for supporting the brands that make Charmingly Styled possible.