So here's the deal... I haven't dyed my hair since September 2012, and I have neither the desire, nor plan, to dye it any time in the near future. After being a bottle redhead for several years, my hair was in a not so great state pre-wedding. I opted to try and balance it out with some ashe brunette dye before the wedding, and then I vowed to let my natural color grow out. This of course has left me with some ombre (I know, it's ~soo 2011!), and I probably should chop off the ends, but luckily a year and a half later, my hair is healthier than it has been in quite some time. I'm so glad my natural color is finally mostly in, even though it brought along with it a plethora of grays (How old am I?!). The only drawback to having really dark, naturally oily hair? It looks greasy 24/7. I've used argan oil products in the past to help with the "dryness" of my dyeing routine, but stopped after a while because I felt like they just weighed my hair down more after going back dark. I would feel like I was a bucket of grease as soon as my hair dried post-shower, then I'd try and neutralize that with dry shampoo... but that left my hair feeling dry and "flat" in color. It's like I couldn't win. Agadir sent over a big ol' box of goodies for me to play with, and even though I'm not obligated to post about them in any way (and I was not compensated), I thought I'd share my experience with some of the products. I'm always on the hunt for new things to work into my routine so I figured it couldn't hurt! Maybe you'll find something you like, too. (Was this giant paragraph as "all over the place" for you as it was for me? Sorry...)
I'm not normally a hair product kind of girl. I feel like I may have single-handedly put a hole in the ozone layer with the amount of hairspray I used to use. I haven't touched the stuff in nearly a year and a half, and I hate feeling like any of my routines are too time-consuming. That being said, I love me some good conditioners and hair masques. Since I wear my hair curly, I get some super fun dreads going after a couple of days. And by super fun I obviously mean annoying and sometimes painful. The items that make it onto my shower rack get put through the wringer realllll good. Here are my personal experiences with some of these items:
1. Volumizing Hair Spray: Again, I'm not a hairspray user. However, I did get a chance to use this on my little cousin's hair when I did her hair and makeup for her dance photos a couple of weekends ago. I used the hair spray when teasing her hair into a pompadour and it held up really well. I also used it to sort of "seal in" the curl from some hot sticks (Hello 1992!). It was nice and light, which was nice since I used to use cheap, heavy hair spray myself. Even after a few hours of dancing around for photos in the heat and humidity, she didn't have any fly-aways or frizz, so I guess that means good things!
2. Heat Protectant: I don't use this often, but I have worked it into my hair a couple of times when I knew I'd be curling my hair on the same day. Normally I wash my hair at least a full day before I want to curl it because my hair prefers to be slightly dirty to hold shape. I noticed that this stuff helped "dirty" it up just enough to hold some curl, but one day I made the mistake of doing it too close to curl time and it just made it limp and wet. No bueno!
3. Styling Spritz: I used a little bit of this on Kaylie while doing her hair. I didn't notice much difference in it and the hairspray, except of course the application. I couldn't say whether or not it made a huge difference honestly.
4. Styling Gel: I never got around to using this stuff, sorry!
5. Daily Shampoo: I really liked this shampoo. It smells amazing and never left any greasy residue behind. Like the other Agadir products, I appreciated that it was sulfate free.
6. Daily Conditioner: I feel like the conditioner took the silver medal in this whole batch. My hair felt super soft after using it. The only qualm I had with it: It claims to be a great detangler and I just didn't find that to be true on my hair. Like I said before, I wear my hair curly and it tangles fast... It takes a really great product to help me comb it out (and you know, not have bald spots at the end of my shower...) I tried on multiple occasions to use the conditioner as my only detangling agent and I was left frustrated and tender-headed. (Biolage detangling conditioner all the way!) Despite it not being the best for my almost-dreads, my hair felt great after each shower. And like the shampoo, the conditioner smelled amazing!
7. Moisture Masque: This was hands down my favorite product in this whole batch! The masque feels sort of weird on your fingers, but it makes a world of difference. I can't say for sure if the super soft, buttery hair came from just the conditioner or the masque, or if it was the combination of the two, but boy oh boy, I'm a fan! Not only did my hair feel super smooth at the end of my shower, but I noticed that I had way less frizz after using this combo a couple of times. I don't use the masque every time, but the benefits definitely last several washes. Now I'll be honest and say my hair did feel a bit "heavier" when I would style it (heavy, but not "wet" or "greasy," if that makes sense). My curls just managed to feel more dense overall. Normally I'm battling a bit of frizz at the top of my curls regardless of what I do or how often I wash my hair, so this was a pleasant surprise. The trade off was worth it to me. The frizz-free period lasted a full 3 days after washing with this combination and that's unheard of with my hair.
8. Spray Treatment: Agadir claims this spray is great for using for extra "shine" during the day, or as a heat protectant with your blow dryer or flat iron. The only heating tool I ever use on my hair is my curling iron, but I did give this a whirl before one curling session. I noticed that it was a lighter coverage than the heat protectant in the pump bottle, and I greatly preferred it. It didn't feel like it weighed my curls down as much. I probably wouldn't buy it myself since my hair seems to hold up just fine on it's own, but I'll definitely use the rest of what's in here.
9. Styling Mousse: Mousse totally evades me... I just don't get it. Maybe I've just never had the right hair style to make the most of a mousse, who knows? I used this on Kaylie's hair at one point and never really noticed any great benefit.
Overall there were several "take it or leave it" type products that I'll probably use up and enjoy (or give to a friend), but not necessarily purchase again. However the total stars are my usual favorites: the shampoo, conditioner and hair masque combo. I really do believe they are the reason I'm currently able to wear curly hair without an insane amount of frizz up top. I also loved that they didn't weigh my hair down with extra grease or oil.
Normally I keep it simple with my hair routine in the shower, but I've always sworn by It's a 10 Keratin deep conditioner and Biolage detangling conditioner. If you've got any favorite hair products that will aide in naturally oily + frizzy hair, I'm all ears!
* I was provided these products free of charge and for promotional consideration, but was not compensated or obligated to post a "review." All opinions are 100% my own!
This stuff looks great! I've been using Healthy Sexy Hair and I do really like the shampoo. I'm not sure how I feel about the conditioner though. It isn't moisturizing enough, which is a lot coming from me because I have suuuper oily skin.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on loving a good shampoo, conditioner, and deep conditioner! I always have 3 or 4 shampoo and conditioner sets I rotate through during the month because I feel like it helps my hair (might totally be in my head though hahaha) and I swear by this deep conditioner - L'Oreal Natures Therapy Mega Moisture Nurturing Creme. It leaves my hair feeling soooo good and, like you, I get knots and dreads because I don't brush my curly frizzy hair ever and it helps me get the tangles out in the shower.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried reverse shampooing, yanno, where you condition first and then shampoo after? I do it all the time now. I have naturally dark (and grey, humph) hair and it was ALWAYS looking greasy no matter what shampoo and conditioner I used on it. I tried reverse shampooing once and was a convert - my hair is bigger, fluffier and goes a whole extra day before it needs a wash. It sorted out my perma-greasy look because no one but Danny Zuko looks good greasy. :)
ReplyDeleteHey! So I'm a really new follower of your blog but I really love it. I'm curious if you've done a post that shows how you style your hair? I like how you have curls but they look super loose and 'casual' (jf that makes sense?). Anyway, I'd love to know your secrets lol. Or let me know if you have done a post that I could reference?
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