Shampoo & Conditioner

I never ever ever thought I would find an over-the-counter drugstore brand shampoo that would work for me. Seriously ever...I cannot stress this enough. Until within the last year when I came across Suave Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner. I knew from receiving Keratin treatments that it can really work wonders on the health of hair so I figured it was worth a shot. I use this practically everyday now. It leaves my hair more healthy and moisturized than any other drugstore brand I have ever tried...even long-term. The fact that it is only $5 is an added bonus.

Before finding Suave, my go-to was Aveda Color Conserve Shampoo & Conditioner. It is still and always will be one of my absolute favorite choices. First of all, it is plant-infused and the scent is 100% organic. I can truly see my hair color last longer (which is a miracle with my crappy chlorine infused town water) and it is much softer & shinier. As a side note, if you are allergic to eucalyptus this is not a product for you (my mother is and she cannot stand the smell of it; I absolutely love it). It is obviously pricier than a drugstore brand, but I think it does run about average (maybe even a couple dollars cheaper) than other salon brands. Plus, Aveda offers free shipping on orders of $50 or more which can easily be achieved by looking in the styling section.

If I use the same product over and over again for long periods of time, I tend to experience buildup in my hair. One of the only products I have found [that is still manufactured, anyway] that resolves this issue is Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo & Conditioner. I never even knew about this product until my hair stylist first used it on me and I feel in love immediately. Why? Because it smells like mint & makes my scalp tingle! It is so amazing. Ulta usually has the best deals on these--buy two get one free, or $22 liters.

Lastly, if my hair is feeling extra dry or brittle, I break out the Biolage Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner. It really helps to control frizz and I can instantly feel the difference in my hair. I just love how smooth and polished it leaves my hair.

Styling Products

Can you believe that I did not use my first styling product (outside of a little gel) until after college!? Yeah, me either. I cannot go a day without one now. I want to start out by saying that I do not use each of these products each day (I probably should have mentioned this with the shampoo as well, but I guess you figured it out at this point), but I do use all of them at varying times throughout any given month.

The first true styling product I ever purchased was Tigi Bed Head After-Party. A former stylist of mine turned me on to it, luring me to love it's anti-frizz mentality and I have been using it ever since. Seriously, I never knew I could have a day without frizz until I used this. That said, I want to stress that you do not need a lot of this product to see results. I don't even use a full pump, probably about a half. Anymore and you will feel like a total grease ball. 

The one product that I am 100% guaranteed to use each and everyday is Nevo Intense Therapy Leave-In Treatment. No joke--every day, no exceptions. Let me just start out by saying that it is vegan, gluten free, paraben free...basically amazing. Now, are you ready for all of the things it does? Detangles, hydrates, protects from thermal styling, repairs split ends, fights against static electricity, lessens the effects of chlorine (refer back to my mini-rant about my disgusting town water), and de-frizzes. Yeah...all of that. Hence my everyday use.

When I am feeling extra frizzy, I always reach for the Paul Mitchell Smoothing Gloss Drops. I use this in one of two ways--1) if it is crazy humid, I mix one pump with a half pump of After-Party in my hand and apply to wet hair immediately after getting out of the shower or 2) add a half pump to my recently styled hair just before hairspray. It can really make the difference between showing up at work looking like I put the time and effort into my hair that I actually did or looking like a hot mess who didn't even attempt to look decent.

Ok, so one more mini-rant about gross town water. Well, it's awful. And if yours is anything like mine [and I truly hope it is not], you can probably tell when they just altered the level of chlorine and possibly cancer-causing chemicals (I can't even think about it) by scent alone when you turn on the faucet. When this happens, I feel extra guilty about further damaging my hair with heat tools so I use Paul Mitchell Ultimate Color Repair Triple Rescue (phew, that's a mouthful). All I have to say is remember to shake well before use or hold your breath.

The other product that I use each day is Beyond the Zone Frozen Stiff Ultimate Hold Hairspray. I have never had any spray that holds as well as this one. Aside from the phenomenal holding capability, it smells absolutely amazing. Just keep in mind that it says frozen stiff right in the product name so if stiff holding hairspray is not for you, I would say skip it. Alternatively, I have also used their anti-humidity hairspray and while I am not as happy with it's hold (or it's ability to protect my hair from humidity), it smells nice and is not super stiff.

My two "I use them sometimes" products are Garnier Curl Shaping Spray Gel and Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Mousse. The gel is a necessity anytime I plan to scrunch my hair. The hold is decent, but I always use hairspray in addition. I wish I would have known about this mousse when I had my perm because it would have definitely been an everyday use. I actually received it in my Ipsy bag a few months ago and have been loving it ever since. I generally only use it to help keep my hair in place when I wear it up, but I am still incredibly pleased with it.

Style Tools

I cannot stress enough how much good, solid, quality tools make a difference when it comes to styling. I wish I would have learned this lesson years earlier so I would have stopped 1) throwing money away on crappy drugstore brands and 2) hating my hair much sooner. 

The best investment I have ever made for my hair has been on the Aveda Wooden Paddle Brush. I know it sounds crazy, but it is the most amazing tool possibly on the planet. Two words: scalp massage. Let's go even further and talk about how my hair tangles if I simply turn my head...and this detangles basically painlessly. It never snags or pulls your hair out, cuts down on breakage and gives excellent control while blowdrying. If you ignore everything else in this post, don't ignore this...go buy it and you will not regret it!

A few years ago, after significant begging, I received the Jose Eber Infrared Blow Dryer. In hindsight, I don't even know what made me want it so bad other than the infrared light (because it looked cool, of course). Now that I have had it for a few years, I don't think I could go back. Basically the point in the infrared light is to dry your hair from the inside out, cutting down on thermal damage and also allowing you to cut drying time in half. Anyone with thick hair like mine understands the desire (the need, really) to cut down on drying time...and it has! An added bonus is that it has also cutdown on buildup and leaves my hair much smoother & shinier (which ends up making styling so much easier as well).

About a month ago I purchased a new hair straightener. I had my old one for about six years and I could tell it was getting ready to kick the bucket...it took forever to heat up and barely got up to the max temperature (if it did at all). I had a hard time finding the same brand again so I took that as a sign to try something new. One night I was scrolling through Instagram when I came across one of the bloggers I follow raving about a hair straightener and posting a coupon code to get it for an amazing deal...so I went for it. I purchased the NuMe Silhouette Ceramic Flat Iron and never looked back. It heats up extremely fast and straightens so well. I can actually see it smoothing my hair as it glides--amazing! They always have really great deals so keep an eye out and you are sure to find one you cannot resist.

I know this is a ton of information all rolled into one so take your time going through it and if you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to email me or comment below.

What are some of your favorite hair products or tools? I am always looking to try new things!