Full Hair Routine & Products

Hey there! So it's been a while since I had written about my haircare products and routine. The previous post was actually more or less about products that can get your healthy hair, but I realized that my process had changed quite a bit and wanted to share it with you!

I broke this post down into a couple sections, since as we know, haircare products range so drastically in terms of when to use them and what they do for your hair.

Please also keep in mind that my hair is kind of unique...I have a dry scalp (which Denorex is great for when flakes appear!) with a massive quantity of long, fine hair. I do color my hair from a dark dirty blonde to a light neutral blonde color, which definitely has compromised the health and texture of my hair. It tends to be very dry and falls into wavy, dreadlocky strands if I don't brush it out, which I usually don't when I plan on air-drying it.

As a result of coloring my hair for 10+ years now, I definitely do whatever I can to try to infuse my hair with as much moisture as I can with decent yet affordable products. Yeah, Kerastase rocks, but $35-$50 per product is just extremely unrealistic to shell out for me. So, if you want decent hair on a budget, read on! :]

IN THE SHOWER

1. I first shampoo with Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo. I lather up twice usually, since I try to limit my hair washing to 2 or 3 times per week. I should probably use sulfate-free shampoo, which doesn't sud up and is healthier for my hair, but I think this one is great too.

2. Next I put on a dollop of GVP Reconstrucing Conditioner. This is a great alternative to the popular JOICO K-Pak version, as it was identically formulated by Sally Beauty Supply at a much more affordable price point. Their whole line of General Value Products (GVP) are made to be practically identical substitutes for popular products in higher end lines. I just run this along my hair, trying not to use too much, and let it sit for a few minutes while I wash my face.

3. After I rinse the GVP conditioner out, I squeeze a generous amount of Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deeeeep Conditioner into my palm and apply throughout my hair. Typically people don't condition the tops of their heads, but I do since from coloring my hair it can use some love as well as my dryyyy ends. I let this sit the longest, usually while I shave my legs, before I rinse it out. Immediately after one use, you can feel that your hair is softer, shinier, and smells amazingggg. The only downfall is that I run out of it pretty quickly; if you have seen this in a bigger economy size, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! :]

ON TOWEL-DRIED HAIR

4. After drying my hair in a towel, turban-style on my head, I apply a quarter-size amount of GVP Concentrated Leave-In Treatment. This is such an important step, whether I plan on straightening my hair or not, because it makes such a difference for me! It makes my hair dry like "my hair but better." It's still wavy, just not frizzy or gummy like it usually is, and dries faster in my opinion. No stickyness or product residue is detected in my hair, but without this stuff, I am one blonde frizzball! LOVE!

5. Next, just to treat my ends a bit, I put a couple pumps of Herbal Essences Long-Term Relationship Leave-In Split End Protector For Long Hair. I warm this up in my palms first then gently rub my ends between them, making sure not to apply too much product that makes my ends greasy and heavy. This smells great as well and can only be found at Target in my search for it.

6. I then spritz a few pumps of Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner into my mane. This is just to help comb it out and keep it smooth. Not a necessary step really but a product I do enjoy a lot.

7./8. The next step varies depending on if I plan on leaving my hair wavy or straightening it with my CHI flat iron. For wavy locks, I skip Step 6 and just put in some Rusk Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Leave-In Texturizing Conditioner. This works with my waves and helps smooth them out and give them shine. But if it's a straightening day, I just follow up my Aussie leave-in conditioner with got2b Crazy Sleek Hot Smooth Flat Iron & Blow Dry Lotion. I spray several pumps into my palms, since it tends to spray out streaky and dispenses too much product into one spot. I try to coat all of my hair evenly so that it isn't too thick on any particular spot.

ON DRY HAIR

9. After my hair is totally dry, I rub a tiny bit of Dr. Miracle's "Feel It" Formula Intensive Spot Serum Hair & Scalp Treatment onto my ends and some dry spots from breakage I have at the back of my head. This helps to transform it into shiny, silky-feeling hair. I included a photo of the box in the picture for you so you know what to look for at the drugstore if you choose to try this.

10. If straightening my hair, I section my hair up and apply a few sprays of Biosilk Style Thermal Shield to each section as I go. This helps to protect my hair from the heat damage caused my styling products and helps my hair to straighten better.

11. Straight or not, I smooth down flyaways and any remaining frizz with Biosilk Silk Silk Therapy (not a typo, lol, that's what the bottle says). Be stingy with this stuff, or it'll weigh your hair down and make it greasy, too. But it smells fab and enhances shine! Yum!

SUPPLEMENTAL HELPFUL PRODUCTS

These products don't really fall into my "everyday" hair routine (even though I only do my hair a few days a week as it is), but do get brought out on occasion.

--Batiste Dry Shampoo, Blush scent: This is a great product to soak up greasies on day old (or older :/) hair so that it smells and looks cleaner, while providing a tiny boost of volume. This also comes in an unscented version, but I think the blush scent is pleasant and helps to hide that stale hair smell. I just do a few sprays of this stuff on top of my head and all around my hairline, and it works so much better than any other dry shampoo I've ever tried.

--Queen Helene's Professional Formula Cholestrol Hair Conditioning Creme: About every two months, I will slather this alllll over my hair and read a book in the sun or even sleep on it overnight (with a shower cap on top) to really let it penetrate into my hair to make it healthy. Heat will help it work better, but if not, having loooots of time on your hands to let it sit is an okay alternative. That's why I don't do it often, as I rarely have hours to invest.

--Matrix PrizmsPlus Semi-Permanent Hypershine Conditioning Color Gloss: My sister's friend, who is a hairdresser, gets this for me from one of those professionals-only salon stores, but every so often I'll apply this to my hair to enhance its shine and appearance. You use it like you would any other haircoloring product: apply to dry hair, let it sit for 20-30 minutes, and rinse out (do not shampoo!). Again, this isn't that necessary, but I do notice a subtle difference after a few months of not using it.

Is there anything here you think you might try? What do you do to keep your hair shampoo commercial gorgeous?