My Four Favorite Hair Products (including the $4 game changer)
I get complimented a lot on my hair which kind of blows my mind because my hair has always been my least favorite. It doesn't "wash and wear" well. It's wavy and a little wiry and needs some heat to get it to behave. But with a few tricks over the past year or so I've grown to really love it. I like the undone look that can be created a curling wand and ability to wear it for a few days and I get questioned a good bit about what products I use.
I give most of the credit to my friend Marie at Salon Van De for helping me get the golden blonde color I like best and a cut that works well my wavy style. I have a lot of hair and long layers help weigh down the puffiness. My hair likes to go big if left on it's own! I would have rocked the dallas look in the 80's. My hair color is naturally very dark brown and I tried to go back to that natural color for a few years but never loved it. I'm also going grey and white. Not just a few stray hairs like many women in their 30's get, I'm talking full on white hair in the front and salt and pepper in the back. Thankfully the blonde hides that much better. In fact when I tried to maintain a more light brown the front looked super platinum streaked because of the white strands and that wasn't a look I liked. Yes, I have full on white roots in the front of my head. In fact, you can sometimes notice my hair looking lighter in pictures on instagram and that's usually because I'm due for a touch up for my white roots! My mom and grandmother both danced right over gray hair and went white early so I should have seen this coming I guess!
As for the style, there are two cheap drugstore products I use every day. Every single day. NOT YOUR MOTHER'S CLEAN FREAK REFRESHING DRY SHAMPOO ($4 at Target) and L'OREAL Elnett Satin extra strong hold hairspray ($12ish at Target). These two are total game changers for me. If I want to go a few days without washing my hair I just spray it right before bed and again right when I wake up. It absorbs any oil on the roots and helps bring back the curl.
I don't use any specific kind of shampoo. I've tried them all and love some more than others but typically I just pick up something from Target when I run out and forget to stop by a salon for something nicer. While my hair is wet I use a quarter size dollop of Aveda Smooth Infusion. It's like lotion for your hair and does a tremendous job of keeping my hair from drying out. After that I spray on Aveda Brilliant protectant spray and comb out the tangles. This helps against heat damage from the blow dryer and curling wand.
I try to let it air dry as long as possible and then use the hair dryer on medium to get it completely dry. Then I straighten it with my hair straightener. I'm not trying to get it completely straight but rather take the pouf down a notch. My hair expands when it dries and gets really big. Then I curl it with a curling wand and spray each curl with hairspray. Next I brush it out and begin to hand curl each piece back together with my hands. Basically I just twist to redefine the curl and then spray with hair spray. I think the brushing it out and then re-twisting by hand is what gives it a more natural look. It feels a little bit too done when I skip that part.
The whole thing takes a good thirty or forty minutes or so which is why it's really awesome to get a few days out of it. And, if anything, I prefer it the next day so I'm happily able to shower and style at night instead of rushing in the mornings.
Any tips or tricks you have to get a few days out of your hair style? I'd love to hear them!