Favorite Hair Care Products
If there’s one topic I don’t joke around about, it’s hair care. My obsession started 6 ½ years ago when I carelessly decided to dye my naturally light blonde locks dark. And when I say dark, I mean black.
Ironically, I didn’t go back to blonde because I wanted to, I actually prefer the way darker hair looks with my complexion. But the maintenance. Oh the maintenance of a natural blonde going dark is way too much. Within 2-3 weeks of a dye job, my blonde roots would start to grow causing me to resemble a skunk. And I’m honest-to-God not exaggerating.
So back to blonde I went, and that’s when I learned it: going from dark to light when you’re naturally light is SO.DAMAGING. Apparently the only way to do it is to strip the dark out, which is so damaging that you have to do it in phases. After phase two, my once strong, long hair was so weak I could barely take a comb through it without it all breaking.
Long story long, that’s when I started to learn about strengthening my hair, re-nourishing it and getting it back to the healthy state it’s now in.
Well…ish.
On top of the dry, brutally cold winter we’re having up north here, I’m also losing all that post-baby hair (<--things they tell you but you can’t really understand the extremity of until you experience it thing), so I’m trying to be extra gentle with it. Oddly enough it seems like so many people I run in to have been commenting on how long my hair is and have been asking how I keep it so healthy, so I thought it would be beneficial to post about it. To all those who have made those comments to me…thank you! With every handful that comes out it feels so far from what it used to be so hearing that it looks good is encouraging!
This was recommended to me YEARS ago by my girlfriend who worked for Alta Resources, a company who sells beauty supplies to salons, and it has made such a difference on my hair. It blatantly improved the strength and thickness. Here and there I’ll make the mistake of trying a different salon-recommended brand that’s on promo and every time I do that I live in regret.
Leave-in conditioners and heat protectant sprays are far inferior to this product. It’s a lotion/serum, which means it’s non-alcohol based. Any of those heat sprays you see out there? Stupid. To make a product into a spray version alcohol has to be added, which in turn actually aids in drying your hair. I’ve tried a number of serums and I always come back to this one.
This.Stuff.Is.AMAZING. No words can describe how amazing it is. You used to only be able to get a treatment using this stuff by going to a salon. Again, my girlfriend hooked me up with two 1-liter bottles when she worked for Alta, and as my current supply is nearing its end, I’ve finally found a place to buy them online! Although they don’t always carry a stock for the public so if you want some, act fast. The key to this product is that there is an A and B bottle you have to mix together for it to work. These treatments leave my hair so soft and silky it’s unbelievable. I usually put it in my hair on a weekend after showering and throw my hair on top of my head while I clean or do stuff around the house, then wash it out a few hours later. A.MAZ.ING.
If you don’t use these yet, they’re great because they don’t leave those obnoxious hair tie creases you get from regular elastics. I bought mine off Etsy (search for soft hair ties) because I like to support small businesses. You can get just about every color or design you want; the pack I ordered had three solid colors and two chevron. These are super nice so I can wear my hair up when I sleep so I can get another day out of my style since I don’t wash my hair every day.
I referenced this dry shampoo in my Beauty Travel Must-Haves post, but I have to reiterate how much I use it. This stuff has made me a 2 or 3 day hair per wash gal because it helps keep my hair looking and feeling fresh. I pretty much hated all dry shampoos until I finding this one. It poofs out so you never get too much, eliminating the chance of white powder patches in your hair. Because seriously, who wants that?
I'm brand new to this stuff and I only started trying it because I see the rave in practically every beauty post I look at. I don’t have an explanation for it, but this stuff just works. It leaves my hair shiny, supple, soft and perfect. Like I said, I just started using it, but I put it in when my hair is wet, then a little again after I style sometimes to seal the deal. It’s also great to massage into wet locks then sit in for 30 minutes while doing other things. Rinse again after the 30 minutes is up and you’ll feel like you have a new head of hair!
Am I missing anything good? Let me know if there’s something you seriously swear by because I’m ALWAYS looking for good hair suggestions!
