Everyone wants healthy and beautiful hair. But how do we achieve both while saving our wallets and knowing what’s best for our hair? With the updating trends in the hair world, it’s not always easy to achieve your hair goals without compromising the integrity of your hair. So how do we reverse normal damage from heat, the sun, water, styling, coloring, etc.?
The answer: quality hair products.
Spotting Good Products
I’m not talking about drugstore, grocery, Target, etc. Products sold from the unauthorized retailers are significantly drying and damaging to your hair. Cheapo shampoos and conditioners will not only contribute to hair damage but can fade your color and other chemical services substantially. Cheap products will reverse and compromise the process of achieving beautiful/healthy hair. Even if you go to a convenient drugstore to look for higher quality shampoos that you see are also sold in salons, you’ll find that it can be more expensive than if you bought it from a salon. Not only are you not saving money, but you could be buying a fake or diluted product.
If you look closely on the back of your professional hair care products, you may notice in bold words ‘Guaranteed only when sold in salons.’ This statement means that you are not guaranteed to receive the full benefits of the product you buy from an unauthorized retailer. Vikki Bresnahan, director of product distribution control for Paul Mitchell, explains "It's definitely a buyer-beware situation". The reality of thinking you’re getting a great deal at the drug store is that you are most likely buying counterfeit, stolen, diluted, outdated or expired goods.
Shampoo and Conditioner
Let’s start with the basics of hair care: Shampoo and conditioner. Everyone should be washing their hair at least once or twice a week. That makes this product so much more essential, especially for those who wash their hair more often. Many professional shampoos and conditioners are curated to everyone's different hair types and needs so there's one for everyone.
One of my favorites is B3 Color Care Shampoo ($30.00) and Conditioner. This will lock in the color of your hair while cleansing it of impurities to avoid buildup.
Another one of my favorites is Pureology: Strength Cure Shampoo and Conditioner which is another alternative for color treated or micro-scarred hair. This brand includes antioxidants in their formula to improve the feel and light reflection your hair.
Thermal Protectant
Next on the list of essential hair care products is a thermal protectant. Heat is never good for the hair’s cuticle, thermal protectants add moisture to your hair and add a protective barrier that reduces moisture loss. Use before anything that uses heat on your head.
The heat protectant that has worked the best for my clients and me is Brazilian Blowout Ionic Bonding Spray. This is a fantastic color safe spray that fortifies weakened fibers with a network of amino acids. It also surrounds the cuticle with a hydrophobic barrier to dry faster, avoid frizz and protect against heat and environmental damage without buildup. There is no better product I have used yet, and it also works as a great leave-in conditioner.
Color-Lock
An additional product I love to show my clients is the B3 Ionic Color Lock from Brazilian Bond Builder.
I love this product for my color clients. Ionic Color Lock locks in pigments, prevents color washout, reduces color fade from UV deterioration, repels dirt and pollution, and is silicone-free. As I like to say it, it’s as if I’m taking your color and locking your first-week results in a closet. This won’t cause buildup or alter your color, and it is for use on all shades, fashion colors, highlights, and blonde tones.
Oil
Acai Brazilian Dry Oil from Brazilian Blowout is one of my favorite finishing products to use on hairstyles. This is a fast-absorbing, lightweight oil that can be used daily to smooth, reconstruct and improve the health of all hair types. It adds brilliant shine and reduces drying time without residue, buildup or altering hair color.
I’ve done many tests on oils to find my favorite one, and this is by far the best. Other oils I’ve used in the past will dry, cause buildup, won’t absorb or can make you feel greasy.
One of my favorite things to do on clients who want curls is cock-tailing this product with a fingernail-sized amount of the Acai Restorative Sculpt and Define Polish. This product adds texture, separation, and definition with UVA/UVB protection. These two products used together create beautiful curled pieces and separation.
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