Our hair.
Short hair, long hair, little-to-no hair. It's important.
Blonde hair, brown hair, red hair, green hair (and ham!). We're all different.
But we do have one thing in common; our steadfast battle against the limp, the dull, the brittle, the balding. We all fight for it. It's volume. It's softness. It's shine.
And whilst some pay less attention to theirs than others, we all do like a nice head of hair, whether that be on ourselves or on someone else.
Let's face it, there's really nothing nicer than a good hair of head, that looks nice, feels nice and is in tip-top condition.
Which finally leads me to the point of this entry; HAIR CARE.
I'm currently using a cheap supermarket brand of shampoo & conditioner, because I'm on a budget. If I wasn't on a budget, I'd probably be using one of the two below:
I have to say this stuff looks pretty awesome. Wen products are designed in a way that they won't strip your hair of it's natural oils, something that regular shampoo and conditioners tend to do. It doesn't contain any harsh chemicals and doesn't lather like regular shampoo - such a bonus since my hair turns into a knotted bitchy mess with most regular shampoos.
You've probably all seen the infomercials by now or have read the raves in magazines. Everybody is saying good things about Wen, I even have a couple of friends that use this stuff and as they tell me, it totally lives up to the hype.
If you check out the website, as linked above, you can find out more information about Wen, how it works, how to use it (there are special instructions!) and even some before and after photos which I think are pretty amazing. There's even a special offer on the website, with some free gifts. Now if only I was in America..
I've been wanting to try SexyHair for a while, but haven't managed to get my hands on anything as of yet. SexyHair have a fairly large product range, with products catering for those that need more volume, more curl, more straight, health, strength, and of course, for those that colour their hair. They also have products for silky hair, short hair, and those of us that use only organic products. And it's not just one set per type, it's at least two or three per type! Their range is massive!
A good friend of mine actually uses SexyHair, and sings it's praises, so it's not just another supposedly good product, but one that I know from a reliable source to be a winner. The set in the photo is the Healthy Pumpkin line, which looks absolutely divine!
I'm fortunate enough that if I do feel like splurging on a set of SexyHair products, I can get them reasonably priced on Trade Me, but that will have to wait until the budget allows.
John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Straight Ahead Shampoo & Conditioner
This stuff is fantastic, and if you're lucky enough to live in a large countr y, it shouldn't actually work out to be too harsh on the wallet. I found this really worked with my straightening regime. If only NZ has this stuff for a reasonable price!
Oh lord this stuff smells so good you could eat it! But it's not just the smell that makes this stuff so good. My hair really laps up the conditioning and care these products produce, leaving my hair soft and silky. There's also a conditioning treatment, which is fantastic, and a lovely leave-in conditioner (my favourite leave-in!).
Surprisingly good for a supermarket brand! I'm currently using this set in the Sunsilk range, and it really does exceed supermarket standards. At $4 (sometimes cheaper!) a bottle, you can't really complain. Doesn't strip my hair like most cheaper brands (like Pantene), and really does add a good amount of volume to my otherwise limp hair.
I blow-dry and straighten my hair on a daily basis - ok, so some days I'm lazy and leave it to run wild, but those days are few and far between. Since I heat-style my hair, I really do need to use good products in order to keep my hair in good condition.
I'm guilty of sometimes not doing this. I know, my bad. Here are a few good products that I've either used over the years, or have heard some exceptional things about:
I looooove this stuff, but I've recently heard through the hair grapevine that it's being discontinued! WHAT! Say it ain't so! I always thought it strange that the GHD range was a tad hard to come by, considering how good it is. You really have to hunt for this stuff in NZ, which is a shame really, since it's something I'd definitely use if I could get my hands on it more often. I run this spray through my wet hair, then use where needed when styling with my straighteners. This way my hair gets double the protection!
Chi Silk Infusion
I've heard a lot of good things about the Chi hair range, specifically the Silk Infusion. I haven't managed to track this product down yet tho, to try it out on my hair.
Frizz-Ease Thermal Protection Serum
I used to use the Frizz-Ease range when I lived in London, and it was d a bomb, seriously. You don't need a lot of this serum, and it's very light and non-sticky, which is a must with my mane. I'd happily still be using this product if it weren't so expensive in NZ! Yo u could use this serum in conjunction with the straightening balm in the Frizz-Ease range (tho if you had to choose between the two, then definitely go with the serum).
Redken Satinwear 02 Ultimate Blow-Dry Lotion
Redken, ah what can I say? This product has had some terrific reviews, and it's actually fairly reasonably priced for something that's suppose to work wonders on you hair. I think I might try this one out next when the budget allows :)
Joico Silk Result Thermal Smoother
This is the product I currently use. I apply this to my hair when damp, blow dry, then apply where needed when straightening. It works pretty well, but it does seem to have it's good and bad days (or maybe that's just my hair..) It seems to be doing the job as specified, but you do need to use a leave-in conditioner to follow up, because the end result of just using this product means you hair isn't silky soft, as the name may suggest.