A Few Great Hair Products Worth Mentioning!

This post is a bit random, but I thought I'd share with you some products I've been using and enjoying lately that I haven't talked about before.

I have naturally thick, naturally curly (but not coarse) hair that is prone to dryness and breakage. Since I heat style my hair regularly, I like to use deep conditioners weekly to keep my hair moisturized and looking healthy. Each time I run out of conditioner, I always purchase a different one. I can't really say that any of them have been drastically different from one another. One deep conditioner I'm almost finished with is Kera Minerals by Silk Elements Smoothing Deep Conditioner - this conditioner strengthens the hair by restoring the lost keratin in damaged hair that causes breakage, dullness and frizz. It also combines silk protein that aids in making the hair feel soft and silky and rosehip oil to moisturize. After use, your hair should feel much softer with less frizz and lots of shine.

I've been using this conditioner at least once a week for a month or so and it really does all that it says. My hair feels really soft and silky, but not so light that it won't hold a curl. I notice less breakage when brushing my hair, which is one of my main concerns and frizz is definitely reduced. It smells really good too which is always a plus.

The other conditioner I've been using is Silk Elements MegaSilk Intense Conditioning Mayonnaise. It contains loads of moisturizing ingredients such as olive oil, lanolin oil, keratin, collagen, silk proteins, plant extracts and cholesterol. I think it's a great treatment if your hair is very dry and damaged or after chemically processing your hair.

Although this product is no doubt conditioning, it's more of a treatment for your hair rather a deep conditioner. After rinsing the product from my hair, it didn't feel silky at all like it would with a conditioner. It felt much more like I used a protein treatment. My hair felt slightly coarse, yet smooth at the same time. I was definitely able to tell the difference in texture; when I lightly tugged my hair, it felt a lot stronger. After my hair dried, it felt soft enough (not silky) where using an additional conditioner wouldn't have been necessary.

The only downside is that I felt my hair was slightly weighed down - similar to the feeling I'd get from using too much finishing balm/wax on my hair. Not greasy, just a bit heavier, so I needed to use a little extra hairspray to hold my style. On the plus side, it retained moisture well until my next washing, which is great for my hair type. It was also very manageable.

I avoid products that weigh my hair down, but I think the positives of this treatment outweigh the negatives. The next time I use it, I might just leave it in my hair for a long time with a cap and then shampoo.

As far as Leave-in Conditioners go, It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In + Keratin is one of my all-time favorites.   As with most conditioners, it really increases my hair manageability and helps keep my hair from drying out. It's a little expensive though, and I go through a bottle very quickly, so I've been recently looking for a cheaper alternative. I came across Miracle 7 Leave-In Mist and have been using it a few times a week after I get out of the shower for added protection for my hair. It detangles, adds shine, stops hair breakage and prevents split ends. It also helps control frizz and makes my hair (especially my ends which tend to be dry) feel silkier. Is it an exact dupe for It's a 10? No, not really. They're similar, but I think It's a 10 does a better job strengthening my hair. Miracle 7 seems to do a better job conditioning my hair and making it look and feel silkier. I also love the fact that it doesn't weigh down my hair or leave a coating on my hair like some leave-ins tend to do. I highly recommend this leave-in, especially if you have unruly, frizzy, dry or damaged hair.

Onto heat protection! I've tried many heat protectors, and although I love TRESemme Heat Tamer because it doesn't make my hair feel greasy or weigh it down, I sometimes want something that will make my ends feel silkier (usually on my dirty hair days when my ends feel dry). On those days, I've been applying Silk Elements Megasilk Olive Heat Protection Spray to my ends and curl my hair as usual. It protects my hair from the heat and makes my hair feel ultra silky, lightweight, tangle-free and provides shine. It's great for my straight hair days. You only need they tiniest bit and you want to keep it away from your roots to avoid any greasiness.

Lastly, a fab product I stumbled upon is the Ion Color Brilliance Pre-Color Treatment. It's basically a treatment that you apply to your hair before dying or lightening your hair to even out the porosity of your hair so that when you chemically process your hair, you'll achieve even color results. My hair always comes out lighter on top and darker at the bottom so I gave this product a try and it made my hair color super even when dying. I'll never dye my hair without applying this first!

All products mentioned can be purchased at Sally Beauty Supply.

What hair products have you been loving?