Products lately...

For some reason, I decided that August was going to be the month I would focus on my hair. This ended up being a complete joke because #1 It's 90-95 degrees out on any given day and, #2 I would rather sleep or eat or browse the internet or do basically anything else in my small window of getting-ready time than focus on my hair. 

This means that 99% of days, I go to school with damp hair in a braid and try to make it look serviceable with a bit of product and a barrette before the students arrive at school. 

When I see all the other teachers with their 7am blowouts, I really wonder what else in the world that I don't understand how to do. 

When winter comes around, I will start adding heat again, but it seems like a ridiculous waste of time right now.

Also, worth mentioning: I vowed (VOWED) I would stop washing my hair every day. However, if it's 90+ degrees outside, I don't think that's an option. You literally just want to exfoliate the sweat and grossness from every part of your body in the shower and that includes hair. Sorry. Maybe this winter I'll experiment with that. 

So, I did invest in a few hair products last month and figured I'd tell you about them because I actually did a shocking amount of research to find out very little information. Might as well pass it along. 

Olaplex Shampoo and Conditioner

I bit the bullet and tried it. The lady who did my lowlights last month recommended it. Everyone recommends it. She told me she doesn't like it for her because she has thin hair and it can weigh hair down. I have thicker hair so it was supposed to be a good fit.

Well....truly, it's fine. I don't dislike it. It has a pleasant non-smell to it. Great lather. Doesn't really weigh my hair down. 

It's just 100% not worth the price. It's just not. There's no world in which that makes sense. That was my grown-up purchase for the summer (usually I buy $5-6 shampoo/conditioner) and there is nothing magical about Olaplex. Sorry. Especially if you have thin hair, according to the expert, don't bother. I'm at least glad it didn't have a negative affect on my hair. So I'll definitely use it, but just won't buy it again.

Beauty Counter Cleansing Scrub

I ended up buying this because I love it. I've used it for years and ran out a few months ago. I subbed in the La Roche cleansing scrub, in an effort to save money. I really liked that too, but it came in a shockingly small tube. Meaning, I wasn't actually saving money by avoiding BC. The BC would've been the better buy! I really have used this since, at least, 2017 and highly recommend it, even for sensitive skin. 

Deva Curl set

I can't find the exact kit I bought on the website so I'm just linking to all of the kits. I do have naturally wavy hair and, if I let it go in a certain way, it will have a curl. The travel kit with shampoo, conditioner, styling mousse, and styling cream was only $8 (originally over $30) so it seemed like a good deal and way to try out something new. I am not used to using curly hair-exclusive products so I have nothing to compare it to, but I do like it. It's not a product you would want to add heat to; I definitely only use this shampoo/conditioner if I'm air-drying my hair. 

Olaplex Iconic Styling Duo (Heat treatment/protectant)

So the salon I went to this summer was actually transferring management, so all of their products were on super sale as they tried to get rid of all of their inventory. That led me to this... the stylist used it on my hair and I liked it a lot and the Duo set was only $20. Regular price is $56. I couldn't pass it up. Especially because she said how it will last me well over a year, even if I use it almost every day. It seemed like a good deal because I don't, by nature, stockpile different products so I was almost out of the heat spray I bought two years ago. I haven't used it much on my own (see: haven't been using heat much), but I really liked it on my hair when she did it so I think it'll be a great option for this winter. 

Schwarzkopf Dry Conditioner

I do not use dry shampoo. It doesn't do it for me. If anything, I've only every used it to "dirty up" my hair before curling or styling because I wash my hair every day and it's too clean. 

But when I saw this in action, I thought it'd be worth a try. You really just spray it onto the ends after styling. It smooths and gives a bit of shape. Totally worth it if you can't wash your hair and just need to make it look more polished (in a ponytail...because if my hair isn't clean, it's going to be up for sure). 

The bottle is pretty too, but it's an aerosol so there are shipping limitations in the U.S. if you're ordering direct from the website. I had to grab it from Amazon*.

*I was told that buying shampoo/conditioner from Amazon is never a great idea. Better to buy from an actual retailer, like a salon or Sephora or Ulta or Sally's Beauty. Third-party sellers will put filler into products to save money. This isn't really possible with sealed up aerosols, so that's why I got the dry conditioner from Amazon. Just fyi. 

I'm genuinely curious: what shampoo/conditioner do you use? I feel like I've rotated through them all in the last few years.