Marian is K18’s SoCal-based Senior Director of Visual Brand Experience and mom to her five-month-old son, Max. You’ve probably seen Marian’s gorgeous design work in Sephora or SalonCentric, at K18 events or tradeshows, and in our marketing campaigns. Or, as she puts it, “all that fun stuff.” 

This Mother's Day, she’s sharing her personal hair journey including how her routines have changed since becoming a mom, top hair tips for getting the most out of every step, and what she hopes to pass down to her children about beauty.

let’s talk about your personal hair journey—how would you describe your relationship with your hair over the years?

My hair has always been really important to me and I've always looked after my hair health, especially through the years of changing my color often.  My stylist, Tina Kelly, has been with me through this journey. When I started going to her, she transformed my hair into how I wanted it to look. But it took so much time! 

In the summertime, we’d go really blonde. Taking my hair from black to bleached was never an easy feat. During those sessions, I’d be in her chair for six to eight hours. Basically, it was an all-day experience and we’d use a lot bleach which can be damaging to hair. When I introduced her to the K18REPAIR™service, I felt more empowered to change it up whenever I wanted without worrying about damage.

during pregnancy, what products did you swap in or remove? 

I mainly just used shampoo and conditioner—K18 detox shampoo and DAMAGE SHIELD shampoo and conditioner more specifically. I didn't want to dye my hair too much throughout pregnancy, because I've heard different things about how it could affect your body. 

After pregnancy, I definitely wanted to get my hair done! Right before I started work again I went in to have it refreshed and feel like myself again.

have you noticed any changes in your hair since becoming a mother?

Now that I'm a mom, I notice my hair has changed. I'm struggling with a lot of hair falling out postpartum, which is normal, but still shocking!

During pregnancy, I didn't lose a strand of hair. My head held onto all of them and they got so dense, I could barely wrap a ponytail elastic around my hair without snapping it! Even claw clips wouldn’t work, it was just so much. 

Usually three months after you deliver, your hair starts to shed and so that's happening to me full force. I'm not losing all my hair, but it's significantly less dense. I guess it’s just going back to the way it was before but it feels different since it's all happening very quickly, all at once. Our vacuum is truly working overtime!

what have you been doing to take care of yourself during this time? 

I've been using every K18 product to take good care of the hair still on my head!

nice! do you have any favorites? 

Less has truly been more for me in this stage of life, so I’ve been able to get rid of a ton of beauty products and stick to a few simple steps to maintain my hair health. I love that with K18 everything is so quick. These days I just shower, shampoo, use my Aquis towel, apply the leave-in molecular repair hair mask, and then after 4 minutes I’m good to go for the rest of the day! Sometimes I’ll add the molecular repair hair oil to smooth frizz.

any other any self-care routines?

My last week of maternity leave I booked myself a massage, went to the gym, and got my nails and hair done. After so many months of not taking care of myself and only focusing on my son, I needed a little bit of time to reset before I started working again.

what’s your beauty philosophy?

With motherhood, simplicity is key. Anything that serves a dual purpose is going into my bag. 

I’ve worked in the beauty industry for years, so I've always had a ton of skin, hair, and makeup products in my life. I’d usually do a full face of makeup before I went out and a multi-step skincare routine at night. 

After I had my son, I’ve had to shorten every step, especially makeup and hair. These days, I’m washing my face in the shower when I shampoo and using an SPF with actives and tinted moisturizer in one. 

how do you wind down at night (if it’s even possible with a baby)?

We got very lucky and Max is a really good sleeper! He has been since the beginning. I mean, of course, there were a lot of crazy nights where we were getting up multiple times, but now he's five months old and he goes to bed at seven and gets up around seven the next morning.

That means after we put him down, my husband and I get the next couple of hours to ourselves before we go to bed. We'll catch up on our TV shows and cook dinner—we really enjoy being in the kitchen together. We always cherish this time.

love that! what are some unexpected things that you’ve learned about motherhood so far?

I was surprised to learn how difficult breastfeeding can be. It seems like something that should come naturally and easily, but it was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done! From low supply to latching issues and the stress and tears that come with the struggles…it’s definitely something I didn’t expect to be so difficult.

On the flip side, a wonderful and unexpected surprise was the feeling of being a part of a new community. The first few months postpartum can be isolating and nerve-wracking, but I feel fortunate to be surrounded by a community of moms who have been through the same things and are all supportive and helpful through it all.