Trying New Hair Care Products

Hair products are something I don’t try out extremely often because I find that it takes SO long to use them up. I don’t do a lot of styling unless I’m going out, so my routine usually just consists of shampoo, conditioner, leave in stuff of some kind, and dry shampoo as the week goes on. However, recently I have picked up some great new products that I will be incorporating step up my hair care routine for spring and summer.

Ion Volume Reboost / I tried new products from Sally’s, one of my favorite stores EVER.  I’m always looking for a good dry shampoo that smells nice, doesn’t leave a white cast, and refreshes my hair when it gets oily. I like to extend my time between washing my hair as much as possible, and since I work out most days, finding a good one that I can use before heading into work but not getting too much product build up is tough! Batiste is usually my go to, but it is really white.

I picked up this Ion spray because the concept reminded me of Drybar’s Triple Sec, which gives volume, texture, and soaks up oil.  The Ion one has three claims as well- volume, style retention, and absorbs oil.  This is definitely comparable to the Drybar version, but with a bit more shine.  It smells great and gives that freshly clean feeling, but it didn’t soak up as much oil as I would have liked. It was more of a refresher than anything, and I will definitely be repurchasing this more often than the Drybar one because the price is much better at $6.50. This works very well to spray all over hair after curling for more grit and volume.

Biotera Sheer Illuminator Copper Tinted Moisture Treatment / I picked up this bright orange color depositing conditioner at Sally’s as well. Glosses by hair color brands have always appealed me because I want that just- colored shine that you get from dyeing your hair, but without the dyeing process. This gave me that feeling. I applied it while I was in the shower mixed with my usual conditioner because I didn’t want to use up the whole tube on the first application. My color looked brighter and shinier. It wasn’t a crazy difference, but made me happy enough to incorporate this into my typical conditioning routine.  They come in a range of colors if you are interested in this product.

Finesse /I have wanted to try this shampoo since reading an article about Kendall Jenner loving it a few months back.  The company sent me this shampoo (thanks Finesse!) and I jumped on the chance to test it out for myself. If something is good enough for the Kardashians/ Jenners, it’s good enough for me. I won’t deny that I’m a major fangirl.

I go for higher end shampoos and conditioners typically because I wash my hair so little that I can get my money’s worth out of a bottle.  I have absolutely nothing against affordable versions though other than that most contain sulfates that end up stripping out my red color.  Sometimes you need that sudsy feeling though!

I tried the conditioner two ways – The first time I did it normally after using the shampoo. My first impression was that the smell was like a christmas candle in a grandma’s house. Not a fan. I wasn’t going to discredit it just from that though, because sometimes old lady products know what they’re doing. My hair was quite dirty, so I did the whole rinse-and-repeat routine with the shampoo to get it to suds up. It felt normal, nothing crazy moisturizing or drying. The conditioner had a pretty thin consistency compared to the Matrix brand that I usually use, so I had to get a lot on to coat my hair.  I weirdly noticed that my hair immediately felt smaller. That is a horrible way to describe it but I have a lot of hair and it’s usually heavy and crazy in the shower. I feel like this conditioner made it all stick together and slick back nicely while it had the product on.  When I let my hair air dry, it looked nice and felt extra manageable.  Nothing crazy special, and I put It’s a 10 Leave In conditioner throughout it which could be the reason my hair felt good.  That stuff is amazing.

The second way I tried Finesse was as a hair mask.  Before I showered I put the conditioner all over and did a face mask/ folded laundry. My hair felt great when I got in the shower and rinsed it out before shampooing. I wanted to try it like this because I prefer a thicker consistency conditioner.  They feel more powerful and buttery, and my long dry hair needs that. I also don’t like the smell of Finesse so I wanted to get other products on there.

Overall, I wouldn’t replace my current shampoo and conditioner with this one.  Finesse is the kind that would be good to bring while traveling- it does the job, and kept my hair from getting oily on top or dried out at the ends, plus my hair stayed manageable throughout the week. I don’t want to knock it too hard because of my personal picky shampoo preferences, because it’s not bad.  I definitely prefer the shampoo. I included photos of how my hair looked the second time I tried it.  This was the morning after I had let it air dry over night and slept with my hair in a high pony with just some Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum when it was wet. Sorry for the ultra sleepy morning face lol.

Drybar Bay Breeze/  The last product I have recently tried are these hydrating hair shots.  These come in a set of four small bottles for $38, which I think is super weird, but oh well. You just spray it on after applying conditioner and let it sit while you shave/ scrub up/ whatever. It smells fabulous and my hair felt extremely soft and moisturized. I will be purchasing the set for sure. I love this brand!  I kind of wish it came in one large mister bottle instead for storage purposes. I made this little bottle last three showers just from focusing it on the ends of my hair and really milking the empty bottle.

I’m always on the hunt for fabulous hair masks and I don’t think anything beats good old fashioned coconut oil most of the time. Let me know your recommendations if you know some great ones!

-Kim