I've spent part of my summer working quite vigorously at rehabilitating my hair. My stylist taught me that healthy hair needs three things: protein, moisture, and oil. I have employed all of these components in my trial of a magnitude of products. I went on a spending spree and decided to simply try any and every product with which I came into contact. Here is my (unsolicited) review of each of those products.
Here are the products in the first picture:
I used the Aveda Hang Straight before I started bleaching my hair and I loved it. It smoothed out my fly-aways, made my hair look super sleek with a straightener, and smelled like only Aveda products can (they use marshmallow root in this product. However, this product made my already dry hair feel kind of gooey. So, in short, great for natural or color treated hair, but not so much for bleach.
The other product on the left of the Aveda is a HAIRepair Polisher with Aloe Vera made by Organic Root Stimulator. I purchased this product at Target. This product was not my favorite. It left my hair feeling oily at the ends (where I need the most repair).
The product on the left of Aveda is Kenra Silkening Gloss. This stuff smells amazing, but I had the same problem with it as I did with the HAIRepair. It's synthetic, so the sheen and oiliness was a bit much.
The products in the second photo are some of my favorites. The Redken product on the far left is an Extreme Cat Protein Reconstructing treatment for distressed hair. I spray into my hair in the shower and leave it in for no more than fifteen minutes and wash it out completely. Then, I use the Redken Extreme Rescue Force as a deep conditioner, put a shower cap on, and walk around looking like an old lady for 45 minutes, if I have that much time. I do that twice a week. On the days that I'm not using the Redken, I use the Olive & Avocado Deep Conditioning Masque by EarthScience. Again, I put it on and comb through my hair with a wide-tooth comb, then put a shower cap on and let it "stew" for as long as I can stand it. The last product on the far right is Giovanni Leave-in Hair Treatment. Essentially, it's a leave-in conditioner that I spray in my hair after towel drying, but before it is completely dry. I substituted it once for a regular conditioner when I forgot it at home, and that's the only time I didn't like this product. It makes my hair feel very smooth and moisturized.
The fourth photo are products from the same brand. Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise instructs the user to use in hair that has been shampooed. I did not like it for that. My hair felt really goopy and I was not fond of it at all. However, I am going to try it
before showering my hair.
The other product is the Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil. I had the same problem with the instructions for this product. It says to use it after you've dried your hair and massage it through the roots and ends. It was pasty and I felt a strong desire to wash my hair the entire time I had it in my hair. Also, it has a pretty strong Olive oil odor that was not tremendously pleasing. I do, however, use it to saturate my hair before going swimming and then shampoo it out. This makes my hair really silky, so I found a positive use for the product after all.
The final picture is my rave review for this post. Moroccan Oil is evidentally world-renowned, and a well-known secret of the rich and famous. It is an exceptional product, and it should be, considering that it costs a pretty penny. The Moroccan Oil smells warm, like amber, and since it's natural, any excess oil that your hair doesn't need evaporates if you put it in your hair while it's damp. If you don't, it doesn't work the same. I hear that this is called Moroccan oil because it's an tried and try practice to use this oil in dry, desert ravaged hair in Africa. I don't know if it's true, but it's a great story. Anyway, I tried the regular Moroccan Oil first (the one on the left). The only problem I ran into is that it's natural amber color actually tinted my platinum hair and made it a more yellowy blonde. I had to wait a few months for the Moroccan Oil Light to come out, but this was their answer to all those platinum blondes who loved the product but didn't like how it tinted their white tresses. The product is only slightly different from the Traditional Moroccan Oil. It's a little thinner, more water-like, and the color is lighter. It is
essential that you use the Moroccan Oil Light on damp hair, because it does not evaporate as well as the traditional Moroccan Oil.
This entire review comes down to just a few products:
Both of the Redken products are phenomenal at rebuilding hair, the EarthScience deep conditioning masque makes my hair feel moist and refreshed, the Giovani Leave-in Hair Treatment along with the Moroccan Oil round out my magnum opus of hair care everyday.
Honestly, the regiment isn't that long. It just sounds long.
