My "Extra" Shower Routine Pt. 2
PT 2: HAIR
I never used to care that much about hair products, but when I got balayage a year ago before my wedding, the process dried out and damaged my hair so much I had to pay attention to it. No more herbal essences for me for awhile. Since then, I've learned a thing or two about what I should be avoiding in hair products. Below are the ones I've been using/finished up more recently. This post is not exactly entirely part of a shower routine btw...oops. And if you haven't read part 1 (face+body) just gon' be right here.
I've heard so many influencers rave about this brand's hair products so when this was offered through add ons, I instantly snagged this shampoo+conditioner duo ($19!). Now that I've finished the bottle, I can confidently say I love it so so much! Too many shampoos out there contain sulfates (helps formulations to lather up, but strips your hair of natural oils) and silicones (coats & weighs hair down preventing moisture from penetrating hair shaft). So I appreciate that Livingproof excludes these ingredients, but still was able to formulate a satisfying, lathering shampoo that didn't strip hair follicles of all natural oils. I love that it suds up so that I can give my hair/scalp a good cleaning.
Honestly, I only very recently starting using this product. I've never tried anything like this before, and while it does smell strongly of apple cider vinegar, I do use it every once in awhile to give my scalp a good deep cleaning. This thick paste of salt granules are big enough where it won't dissolve too easily, which gives you more time to work it in. I will say that it is harder to use if you have long hair, since you have to make several parts in your hair to expose & scrub the scalp. If you use a lot of hair product (dry shampoo/hairspray/salt sprays...etc), it's probably a good idea to manually get rid of that buildup with a scrub. Just like how we exfoliate our face, using your hands only just isn't the same.
Livingproof No Frizz Conditioner *
Now I know I said very good things about the shampoo, but this...didn't impress me at all. I have lots of hair, not to mention it's also very thick, so I breezed through a bottle of this quite fast. The consistency is sort of thin, and I felt like after rinsing it out my hair didn't feel all that soft/smooth compared to a drugstore brand. However, I still appreciate that this is silicone & sulfate free. Now that I've finished the bottle, I'm moving on to test another brand of conditioner.
"Hair truth #1: your hair is never so vulnerable and damage prone as when it is wet." I've always known the friction from rubbing your wet, fragile hair in a towel causes breakage but honestly for the longest time, I didn't care! I had too much hair, and it doesn't air dry easily. So I gave this a shot, and ohhh my goodness. This hair towel is SO effective at absorbing water it cuts down the drying time dramatically! This one is pricey, but there are deals (comment below if you'd like me to include deals on these kind of posts) and dupes out there. Highly, highly recommend. I gave one to a friend, and now she's a fan as well. :)
Briogeo Rosarco Heat Protectant Creme *
Too many youtubers talk about Briogeo products, so I was surprised to receive it for free in the Winter FabFitFun box. The ingredients are natural, clean, and 95% naturally derived. I usually use this after the shower, before blowdrying my hair to provide extra protection. I enjoy that it's not heavy or leave your hair feeling greasy! I'm definitely looking to try other products from their brand.
This oil was given to me as a sample at the ISSE trade show. The ingredient list is short, but the first two ingredients are silicones, which I'm trying to actually avoid. It does feel very smoothing (well, I guess duh. Silicones), but after two uses, I've decided to discontinue use of this one. What I don't understand is why 1.7 oz of this stuff is $34.
Amika Power Cloud Repair Plus Smooth Hair Dryer
This hair dryer is probably up there as one of the worth-it steals I've ever gotten. Retailed around $150, I snagged this for around $40 at Marshalls. It's definitely on the heavier side, but the motor is so powerful+ the negative ions dry your hair so quickly without drying it out. After use, it provides noticeable softness and shine which is uncomparable with other drugstore hair dryers (even with negative ions) that I've tried. Even my husband loves this hair dryer using it everyday; I think we'll be using this for a long time since it's so durable!
*Bought super discounted from FabFitFun's add-ons.