Favorite Products Part 1: Hair Care

Growing up, I never felt like I had a good handle on my hair type. The texture is thick and wavy, and always craving moisture. Yet, somehow, it is heavy enough to get greasy if not washed every day. (Specifically in the lowest layer around the nape of my neck.) I envied my friends’ hair, because it always seemed straighter, shinier, and less damaged than mine.

I feel like it’s super common to feel this way about one’s own hair, because we always want what we don’t have. I wanted straight, fine hair, and bought products marketed towards it because that was the look I was going for. At the end of the day, though, we are ALL perfect and we ALL have beautiful hair - sometimes you just need to recognize the specific needs that your hair has in order to bring all of that beauty out.

Today I will be going over some of my favorite hair care products, which have brought a sense of life to my hair that I didn’t even know was possible!

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Prep Rally Prime & Prep Detangler - Dry Bar ($24)

I use a lot of heat products, so I really love the way that this product does double duty for my hair. I spray it on to damp, towel dried hair before blow drying and styling it, and it makes such a difference in the shine and health of my hair. It has detangling effects when you first spray it on to damp hair, which I am always thankful for. (I have definitely broken hair brushes trying to get them through my wet hair in the past. If you have thick hair, you know the pain.) I also love knowing that I can be at ease while applying heat treatments because Dry Bar has my back. I would 100% recommend it!

”Damage Remedy” Leave-In Treatment - Aveda ($31)

Pretty, curling wand waves always come at a price. I love the way that I look, but my chronically dry hair has had a hard time in the past keeping up with the amount of heat that I apply to my hair. I was constantly experiencing breakage and drab, tired-looking hair. Damage Remedy was the first leave-in treatment that I ever tried, and I’ll never go back. It provides just the right amount of moisture to my ends, and keeps it looking lively even with daily heat treatment. I have always liked Aveda products, and I will forever stand behind this one.

“Urban Anti-Dotes” Shampoo and Conditioner, Level 2 - Bed Head ($31 for Both)

As I mentioned at the start of this post, my hair has interesting, somewhat contradictory needs. It is dry, but simultaneously runs greasy. Most normal (and even some kind of expensive) shampoo and conditioner combinations would meet one need, but not the other. Some would handle the greasiness, but I wouldn’t be able to get a brush through it. Conversely, some would allow for easy brushing but my hair would look wet even after it had dried. I used products that didn’t work for my hair (and subjected it to unnecessary dryness and damage) for years because I just didn’t think that there was an affordable combination that would meet my needs. The Urban Anti-Dotes combo that I have linked is PERFECT for me. It’s relatively affordable, smells amazing, and my hair has never looked better. They have three levels of damage repair, so there are differing versions for others with differing levels of damage in their hair.

Salt + Sea Texturizing Spray - L’Ange ($20)

I have always had wavy hair, but not the kind that you see when you scroll through Pinterest. My air-dried hair has texture, but some areas are wavier than others and it is an overall frizzy mess. Sometimes when the humidity is high it looks alright, but I generally don’t like to leave it up to chance if I can avoid it. That is, until I tried the Salt + Sea spray. It gives my hair that “just walked out of the ocean”, effortless, wavy look. I’m so excited to finally have a product that makes my waves manageable, and allows me the option of embracing my natural hair whenever I want to.

After Party Smoothing Cream - Bed Head ($15)

This is a product that I have used for years. Since I have always struggled with dryness, I have always struggled with flyaway baby hairs that I simply couldn’t tame. This product smells so good, and does a great job of calming down my stray hairs. It should be used in small quantities if you trend greasy, though, because adding too much can make it look like your hair is in need of a wash.

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I have recently been getting subscription boxes from companies like FabFitFun and BoxyCharm, and I have been loving the products that they have been sending. Since they give you a quiz about your hair type and allow you to give feedback about the products that you did and didn’t like, I have found that my boxes are providing me with the perfect products for my needs that I may not have necessarily chosen for myself. If you feel like you’re always looking for something new to try, I would give a subscription box a shot! (This is in no way sponsored; I have just had a really good experience!)

If you struggle with hair issues similar to mine, you should definitely give these products a try. Your hair will be more manageable and look better than you ever thought it could! Do you have any recommendations or go-to products! Leave them in the comments below!