Hair Favourites

Today I’m going to cover my hair and my all-time favourite products that I will never abandon (unless they are discontinued). I also plan on doing some follow up hair tutorials and how I use the following. It’s a long (pun intended) known fact that I have an awkward relationship with my hair and I often coin it as being my security blanket. I had a perfect bowl cut until I was in grade 1 (why do parents do that to their kids?)  and have been growing it out since then.

Hair Profile
As for hair texture, I would say my hair is thin/medium thickness, but I have a lot of it. It’s also PIN straight, which drives me nuts a lot of the time. I would love to have curly hair. Instead I have to fake it ;) I usually wash my hair every other day. I know it’s not the greatest and I admire a person who can go 3+ days…but that’s just not me. Perhaps I will eventually try training myself to go for longer because the natural oils are super amazing for your tresses. My hair is naturally dark brown and I do a semi-permanent colour every 3 – 4 months to make it a richer darker hue – nothing dramatic though. I’ve never experimented with adventurous colours, other than a stint back in 2004 with a blonde phase…I don’t know how that happened, but one day I woke up about 2 weeks before my wedding day and snapped out of it. Definitely wasn’t a good look for me :)

Cut & Colour
My last “trim” was in November of 2011 at which time I was traumatized by trying out a new salon my friend recommended and was cursed with a chatty stylist who didn’t realize how much he was cutting off. I’ve been growing it back since then and plan on doing a trim in January as long as I can find someone who understands the word – ‘MICRO-TRIM’. Thankfully my hair grows quickly and is back to its original length. My colour technician on the other hand is a MAGICIAN. She is so knowledgeable, trendy (but still super classy) and just all around amazing. For anyone in the GTA, it’s worth a drive to Oakville to see Erinn at Raincry Salon. As mentioned, I get a semi-permanent colour about every 4 months with toner that makes it SUPER shiny. I am pretty sure all products used on me in my salon are Schwarzkopf. BONUS: If you mention me and this blog with Raincry, you will get 20% off your first colour and/or cut.

Shampoo and Conditioner (S&C)
I use the BC Bonacure S&C by Schwarzkopf. This line has a full product range specific for your hair needs. I usually use the “Moisture Kick” line. The Shampoo gives a superior clean without needing a ton of product. The Moisture Recharger makes it more silky and weightless than silk itself. I am also going to coin the Spray Conditioner as a Holy Grail product. I will not go anywhere without this and recommend it to anyone that will listen. My salon sells this whole line in a cute makeup case every Christmas for a fraction of the cost. Last year I bought 5 of them and gave a couple away as gifts and kept the rest to take me through the year. When I’m travelling and have forgotten to bring my own S&C, I have found much satisfaction in the Herbal Essence Hydralicious S&C. It’s strange because I never would have imagined liking this brand/line. While I would recommend spending a bit extra on a good S&C to help protect and not strip your hair, I’ve found this one to be a great product if you’re looking to save some money or in a bind and need a drugstore brand.

Root Volume Mousse
While I don’t use a ton of product on my hair, I am in LOVE with this root pump mousse. I have an obsession with volume and just love how glam it looks to have bouncy big hair. Charles Worthington – Big Hair uplifting mousse is my favourite to accomplish a sky-high style. I spray it at the roots of my hair and gently massage it in to spread itself throughout. While drying your hair with this product in it, it may seem sticky, keep drying it and eventually the stickiness goes away and you don’t even feel any residue once it’s all dry. Truly an amazing product for plumping hair, preventing static, and creating natural body.

Hairspray
As for hairspray, I am one of those people who has tried them all. My favourite hairspray is ‘TRESemmé ‘Tres Two Extra Hold Hair Spray’. This brand has given me the best/longest hold without ever feeling as though I have hairspray in my hair. It’s not sticky or flaky (and I use a lot of it). I use this product almost every day for creating volume and/or curling. I also use ‘Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray Strong Flexible Hold’ as a finishing spray…but to be perfectly honest with you, I only use this product as a ‘hair perfume’, because it smells INCREDIBLE. As for the formula, I’m not sure it really does anything spectacular. When I curl my hair, I also like to spray a bit of ‘KMS CurlUp Hot Spiral Spray’ on each section before I curl it. This product enhances curls while protecting it from thermal damage. I can genuinely see the difference in the bounce of my curls when I remember to use this. The bonus is that it smells fantastic too. 

Miracle Oil for Dry Ends
As mentioned, I haven’t cut my hair in a long time and when I do, I only get tiny trims, meaning that I do tend to have pretty dry ends. However, I completely mask potential dryness with ‘Swarzkopf BC Oil Miracle’. When my hair is wet and I’ve combed through it, I apply the tiniest amount to the palms of my hands and run my fingers through the ends of my hair. It never makes my hair feel greasy or heavy like most oils and completely masks any split ends!

Tools
As mentioned above, my hair is PIN straight. When I want to wear it straight, I wouldn’t even have to run a flat iron through it at all. Some days I do dig it out of my drawer and use it to reduce frizziness caused by humidity, but that’s about it. As for curling irons, I prefer to use a wand as opposed to a traditional curling iron. They allow me to really have control over the direction of each curl and I can leave the ends away from the heat which saves  them from over-drying – this approach also creates a beach waves look (more on this in a later tutorial). The brand I use is called ‘Cortex – 4 in 1 Curling Iron Set’. It comes with 4 interchangeable wands which is nice, but I usually use the 1 ¼” wand to get big, bouncy, beachy waves. Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t love a good curling iron by any means! My favourite one on the market also happens to be very affordable. It’s a ‘Hot Tools – 1/4″  barrel curling iron’. As for my hair dryer, it’s the best I’ve ever had (I’ve awkwardly gone through A LOT of dryers in my time, no idea why). It’s the ‘T3 Featherweight Luxe Dryer‘. At first I thought it was a huge waste of money because it didn’t feel powerful, but don’t be fooled, it’s amazing. Next up I want to stress the importance of a good hair brush! You can’t take any chances or cheap out when it comes to combing through wet hair. It is so easy for your hair to break when it’s wet and get severely damaged over time. For my hair type, I am prone to breakage because it isn’t very thick. The leave in conditioner helps with it, but so does my ‘Raincry – Detangler Hair Brush’. The Detangling model of brushes can be used to gently remove tangles while decreasing the likelihood of tearing your hair. The soft cushion design helps to massage and exfoliate your scalp, increasing vital blood flow, while comfortably contouring the bristles to the shape of your head. If you’re looking for a round brush or anything, this brand has the full line available and they’re all made in Italy. When it comes to teasing, my secret weapon is a ‘Spornette Teasing Brush’. It is perfection to get the tiniest bit of volume or the biggest poof – it all depends on what look you’re going for.

Those are my favourite products and tools. Do any of you share in my choices or have other favourites that work great for you? Leave your comments below – I love reading your feedback.

Before I go, I’d like to wish all my fellow Canadians out there a VERY happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend – there is so much to be thankful for. Don’t forget to take a moment to get outside this weekend, enjoy the fresh air and beautiful fall colours while getting some exercise ;)

xxxo