QuoteReplyTopic: who knows the best products? Posted: December 20 2006 at 9:25pm
I am in search of Great products worthy to be mentioned. Can anyone recommend shampoos, conditioners/ leave in treatments and thermal/ styling products?
i have heard great stuff about Redken all soft heavy cream treatment, potions 9 by sebastian, and currently i am using the amazing nanoworks pureology $$$!!!
also what is your routine/ beauty regimine that you swear by!! some people have mentioned, protein packs (kpaxx, emergencee,etc.) 1-2 times a week and then a rich conditioner and at the end using a leave in treatment. and using a clarifying shampoo conditioner once a week. does anyone have recommendations?
Edited by JBuiLtsJuicyGrl - December 20 2006 at 9:30pm
Products are often very personal choices, not only because people
prefer their hair different ways, but because different hair types like
different things. You may want to check out the Product Review
section here at hairboutique for specific products.
I do something similar to your last paragraph. I use heavy
conditioners with silicones in them (like Dove or Pantene) and use a
clarifying shampoo to remove the buildup from them about every 2
weeks. This way I get the benefit of soft hair that doesn't
tangle, and I don't get the buildup that makes hair go dry, dull and
split. I also have hard well water with lots of calcium in it, so
I use a dilute vinegar rinse after every wash and it makes a big
difference in making my hair softer (anyone with soft water may not
notice a difference).
For shampoo, I use anything, mostly going for something with only one
sodium laureth sulfate in it, instead of a bunch of the harsher
detergents. Even then, I dilute my shampoo to make it even less
harsh. It still foams and cleans well because shampoo tends to be
very concentrated and overdrying.
I have not tried the Redken stuff personally, but you may find some reviews in that product section.
Making metal barettes/concord clips hair safe, long hair style how to: http://alonghair.wordpress.com
Sharyg11
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REDKEN, REDKEN, REDKEN for me. Like Susan said, not everything works the same for everyone, but Redken does wonders for me. I am however going to try switching to an organic shampoo (like kiss my face, which babycheeks recommeded). It is totaly sulfate free (sulfates are bad for you hair and skin) and paraben free. I know the importance of sulfate free shampoo and body wash, so I am going to try those. However I will keep Redken conditioners, leave ins, heat protectans etc. I've tried almost everything and Redkens just works great for me. I also love Sebastian Potion 9. It is a great leave in, but use only a small amount, or your hair will feel crunchy. Salerm 21 with silk proteins is a great leave in, if you blow dry your hair. Makes it soft, shiny, and gets it super straight.
For protein treatments, I like Redken Cat, Redken deep fuel, Nexxus emergencee, Joico deep penetration reconstructor, Sebastian 2+1 (specially for chemical damage, it works great, but it is really expensive) or Sebastian Penetraitt (very, very good). The last one is also expensive, but I get it from this lady on ebay that sells it for $14.99 (it costs $38) She doesn't have it all the time, so when she does, I get two bottles (it lasts forever but at that price I like to stock up, plus I always end up giving one to my sister).
Do not do protein treatments once a week. It will cause breakage (too much protein does that). For severly damaged hair, you do protein once a week for the first 4 weeks, and once a month after that. For normal, color treated or machanically treated (but healthy), hair is once a month.
Protein treatments will leave your hair feeling horrible. Like straw. So you have to deep condition after protein treatments.
It is very important to get good quality protein treatments. Cheap ones do not have the right molecular weight and just sit on top of the hair (which defeats the purpose).
Other great hair products are Alfaparf (well most italian hair products are great) but they are expensive, so I limit myselft to the ampules when I want (and can) splurge. The Semi de lino ampules are great (the blue ones and the pink ones).
There is also a new line of italian products, made by the same people who make Alter Ego (also great products) that is made for the Dominican Republic, but is now being brought to the U.S. (right now I think you can only find them in New York, but they are working on distributing it everywhere). It is called KUZ. I just tried it when I was over in the Dominican Republic and OMG! it is great. If anyone happens to come across it, by all means give it a try.
The hair routine depends on what you are trying to acomplish. I like straight hair, so my routine is designed for that. I use Redken Smooth Down Butter treat which is for really curly hair. The only problem with it is, your hair will either love it or hate it. There is no middle grown. If it doesn't work for you, the go with All soft heavy cream. Once a week I deep condition with it, using a heat cap for 15 minutes. As a leave in I use Sebastian Potion 9 mix with either Salerm 21 or Tigi Catwalk Fashionista smooth and shine (a pea size is enough for me) I then blow dry my hair straight. I apply 1 or 2 pumps of Smooth down heat glide (depending on how long my hair is, it is super concentrated). I rub it between my hands and distribute, starting with the ends first. I divide my hair in sections an quickly flat iron with my Sedu. My hair will stay perfectly straight, smooth, shine and frizz free until my next wash, no matter what.
I am thinking of buying the new Conair Infinity dryer, since I heard great things about it. People who have tried it, say you don't need to flat iron after drying with it. So I'm thinking of giving it a go. If it doesn't work I can always return it (I love Walmart!! lol).
As far as protein treatments, same as deep conditioning. Apply, put on a shower cap and go under a heat cap, head dryer or just use your blow dryer to apply heat for 15-20 minutes. Do it once a month and deep condition afterwards. You will have glorious hair.
As far as OTC hair products, I stoped using them, after doing some reseach on the ingredients and long term effects on hair and skin. I used to love Pantene, but it turns out, it is one of the worst ones. So no more.
Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck and great hair.
Shary
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I agree about Redken. That stuff is expensive, but it works wonders.
I don't particularly enjoy pitting a billion products in my hair after I wash it. I like to keep my hair clean and flowy because I only wash it every four days. My hair is too long and vulnerable for constant washing and drying. If I wash it too frequently, all the nautral oils get stripped and I end up with a giant ball of frizzy straw on my head.
I've tried almost every single cheap shampoo out there, and most of them worked pretty well but that was when my hair was in good condition.
After dyeing it with all sorts of different permanent dyes, it naturally got weaker. I didn't notice for a long time because I mainly washed my hair with silicone shampoos which make it look great at first, of course.
So eventually once that stopped working my hair turned into the ugliest mess ever. I tried switching to salon products, but NOTHING worked at all. So I eventually had to cut off about 4 inches, and even after that my hair would split and break off all over the place despite the fact that I didn't do anything except blowdry it.
After a few people suggested Redken Deep Fuel Treatment, I went out and bought it along with the Extreme shampoo/conditioner.
I've only used the treatment once so far, and I can honestly say that it saved my hair. Since I used it that one time I haven't got any new split ends of breakage. My hair looks great. That could also be because I stopped blowdrying it.
I haven't used the Extreme shampoo/conditioner yet (except that one time), but I'm sure they're great.
I use Nexxus at the moment mainly because I'm trying to get rid of it. It was expensive and I don't want to just throw it away... plus it works okay.
The Nexxus Aloe Rid clarifying shampoo is great if you're looking for one. I use it once a month and love that is strips off all the old color from my hair (I'm trying to bring it back to natural), and it also washes away all other impurities.
I don't think a ton of products are unnecessary if you have healthy hair.
The cheap stuff works just fine... in fact some even better than the salon stuff. I've tried Matrix Sleek.Look products and they left my hair so greasy and heavy (YUK!)
Yet, the Garnier Fructis leave-in conditioners and serum work wonders... so long as you use them sparingly, otherwise they will leave hair looking greasy as well.
Just remember to experiment (not too much though) with different products that will work well for you. Remember that just because something costs a lot doesn't mean it's great.
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