Hey girl. Do you struggle to find good hair products that actually do the things they promise to do? Does your hair not like anything you try? Is your hair always dry, dull, unmanageable, or just looking unhealthy? Is your hair too porous? Not porous enough?
I get it. This was me too, until I found these amazing products that finally held up their end of the deal.
Let’s be honest, we’re all trying to budget and save money but if there is one thing in my life that I’m glad I began splurging on, it is my hair. I finally made the decision to spend a little more on my hair products after struggling for years and trying EVERY product in my local drug stores and I’ll NEVER go back.
I’ve always had super long hair but the last few inches always seemed to be dry and unmanageable no matter how often I got a trim. No matter how much conditioner I used. No matter how much oil I tried.
I finally got tired of dealing with it and trying new drug store products so one day I made the decision to go to Ulta and spend more than I normally would on my hair products and I’ll never regret that decision.
So let me tell you about my hair enlightenment journey and which products changed my hair’s life. These are not STAPLES in my hair care routine and my hair has never thanked me more.
REDKEN’s Acidic Bonding Line
The first products that changed my hair for the better were REDKEN’s acidic bonding line. I went to Ulta and decided I had heard enough good things about REDKEN’s products. They had this new line called Acidic Bonding and I figured if I’m going to try their brand and spend some money I may as well try their newest invention, right?
I went all in. I bought their Acidic Bonding Shampoo, Conditioner, the Pre-poo Intensive Treatment, and the Leave-In Treatment.
I followed the instructions and started with the Intensive treatment. Per the instructions, you apply this treatment to wet hair and leave in for 5-10 minutes and then follow with the Shampoo and Conditioner. When using this, I would often leave it on for 15 minutes.
I have noticed that if you use the Shampoo and Conditioner with this treatment it is much more effective than using this Shampoo and Conditioner without the treatment.
After shampooing and conditioning, I used the leave-in treatment once I was out of the shower and just applied it from about the mid-shaft of my hair all throughout the ends.
Let me tell you. WOW! I was in shock after the first use. No kidding. I have tried MANY, MANY products that I had high hopes for just to be let down so honestly, when I bought this I was hopeful but I was prepared for disappointment. What I got was the total opposite of disappointment. I was amazed. Truly.
The first thing I noticed was that the ends of my hair were not dry at 5 minutes after getting out of the shower. They actually dried at pretty much the same rate as the rest of my hair which is something that never happened to me before.
The next thing was that once my hair was completely dry (I did let it air dry), it felt so smooth from the root down. Not to mention I hadn’t had a trim in probably 5 months.
This product truly gave me hope that there are really products in the world that would work for my hair. I continue to use this product and bought the huge bottles REDKEN offers, used the whole entire bottle of each product with consistent results.
**If you are someone who gets bored with the same shampoo and conditioner, I would HIGHLY recommend trying REDKEN’s all soft mega shampoo and conditioner or REDKEN’s extreme or extreme length shampoo and conditioner. These have become my favorite and smell AMAZING.
$25-$62 at Ulta for the shampoos and conditioners depending on size
$32 for the acidic bonding intensive treatment and leave in treatment
OLAPLEX
When I finally decided to go get a trim at a local salon, the hairdresser I had that day offered an OLAPLEX treatment with my trim and color. I accepted as I have heard tremendous things about OLAPLEX but have never wanted to spend the money because I always felt it was overly priced.
This decision was just as great as deciding to buy the REDKEN system. OMG! After that treatment, which was OLAPLEX No. 2, I was just flabbergasted. My hair had literally NEVER IN MY LIFE looked so amazing. I truly understand the price of OLAPLEX now because let me tell you my friend… truly priceless.
When I got back home that day, I decided to look up OLAPLEX No. 2 and see if I could get my hands on it to use in my routine at home but after some research I found that it is not available to buy anywhere. I think this is for professionals only. But I did come across a treatment system that was offered at Ulta for at home use. This treatment consisted of OLAPLEX No. 0 and OLAPLEX No. 3.
There is actually a kit at Ulta where you can buy these two products together, which is what I did. Those are a little smaller sized bottles but they lasted my 3 treatments and costed $30. My hair is waist-length and moderately thick so if you have thinner hair or shorter hair, it could last for more than 3 treatments.
I think that is actually a steal.
These products did not disappoint. They are not quite as effective as the No. 2 treatment I received at the salon, but for some at home treatment products they do get the job done. My hair just continued to look and feel healthier after I began using this treatment. I believe the best practice would be to use this treatment at home and then continue to go to the salon periodically to get the No. 2 treatment.
I truly cannot say enough about OLAPLEX products. I also recommend trying OLAPLEX No.7 bonding oil.
$30-60 for No. 3 depending on size and $30 for No.3 and No.7 at Ulta
LANZA Keratin Healing Oil Hair Treatment
Although the REDKEN leave-in treatments are amazing. I always crave hair oil and love to have oil treatments in my routine. It is a common misconception that hair oil should only be used for certain hair types, but trust me when I say hair oiling is beneficial to EVERYONE.
This hair oil treatment is another staple in my routine.
At first I was using this as a leave in oil. The directions state to distribute a small amount throughout damp or dry hair, then blow dry or style as desired.
Honestly, this was doing okay but it was not working as well as I thought it could that way. I LOVED the consistency and smell of this oil and how smooth my hair felt while it was wet when using this so I thought maybe if I try a different method I’ll get even better results.
Reminder: my hair is dry and porous. So it absorbs products well but with that being said, it also loses the product quickly.
So what I decided to do was to SOAK my hair with this product from middle to end. And I really mean soak. After covering my hair in this oil, I would split my hair in half and take a huge clip for each side and clip it up and then I would leave it on for a couple hours or overnight and then wash it out.
If you use this method, I would recommend waiting the day you’re going to wash your hair or sleep on it and then wash out in the morning.
After washing it out, I would then style as I normally would. This seemed to work so much better for my hair. I still use this treatment about 2-3 times a month.
$32-49 at Ulta depending on size
LANZA Healing Strength Need Plant Silk Serum
After I began using the Keratin Healing oil as a wash out treatment instead of a leave in, I was still in search for a leave in oil. My sister is the one who actually put me on this product. She said she had been using this product for a few months and it was giving her the results she desired so I figure “I love the keratin healing treatment so why not”.
I went back to Ulta and got this Neem Plant Silk Serum.
……for lack of better words, WOW again.
This is honestly the best hair journey I’ve ever been on because in my 25 years of life, I had never found a single product that gave me amazing results, and now I had found a few products that were working. Literal tears.
I began adding this product into my routine and I use this as a leave in after every hair wash. I use this whether I use the keratin healing oil or not.
This oil gives my hair so much shine and leaves it very smooth and manageable.
For me, this leave in oil works best in combination with good quality shampoo and conditioner. I tried this before with drug store shampoo and conditioner and it did not give me as good of results.
Keep in mind, we all have different hair so if drug store shampoo and conditioner works for you, just consider adding this leave in oil to your routine and see how it works for your hair.
$43 at Ulta
Silk Elements MegaSilk Heat Protectant
This is one I started using years and years ago. I have probably been using this product for a good 8 years. I no longer use a lot of heat on my hair but I used to use heat often whether it was blow drying, straightening, or curling.
I never could find a good heat protectant. They all were either too oily for my hair or didn’t smell good or didn’t feel like they were actually protecting my hair.
I came across this product on YouTube actually. It is a very cost effective product and works on ANY hair type.
I do recommend starting with a little and adding more if needed. I only need about two sprays on each side of my hair. This comes in the options of Olive or Coconut. I have tried both but I’m more fond of the scent of Olive and my hair has also always reacted better to olive oil rather than coconut oil.
I use this every time I use heat on my hair and sometimes even when I don’t. If my hair needs some extra shine and I’m done with styling I’ll add a spray or two to each side and run my fingers through if possible.
This product is definitely worth more than the price.
$10 at Sally Beauty Supply
If you have dull, dry hair like me, I truly hope these products help you as they have helped me. Please give them a try and let me know how they work for you.
Happy hair days!