• My hair care routine

    I’m rubbish at doing hair. I do not style it nor know how to. So making sure it’s healthy and nourished is the best I can do. Through a lot of testing, I have now found the right products to manage my hair.

    First, let’s talk about my hair type: I have dry hair (only the lengths, I would say, because my scalp is normal). It’s also thick, wavy and I have a lot of it (I feel it’s time to bring out my Armenian heritage so you can get a better picture…). Although I haven’t colored it for around five years now, I have tried everything in the past from highlights (that turned out into full blonde hair with time; doesn’t it always?) to dark hair. Well, that didn’t work out with my hair texture. It was straw-like and full of split-ends.

    At the time, my hair was soaking up everything I was putting on it, even thick oils (to the point where a few hours later you couldn’t tell I had used a nourishing treatment). I once tested this by applying a thick cream – I think it was one from Lush- on my lengths and reapplying as soon as it was absorbed. I never saw the end of it! I had to stop this little experiment because – quite frankly – I was bored. Now, since I don’t traumatize my hair, it’s a lot more healthy. Although I’d reckon that I still can use more moisturizing products than most people (I say that as if it’s an incredible feat worth taking pride in!).

    One of the best thing you can do for healthier hair has actually to do with choosing the right shampoo. Akin to skincare, if you strip your hair during the washing process, using heavy-duty conditioners or masks as a second step won’t repair the damage in a satisfactory manner.

    I saw a great difference in my hair when I started to opt for sulfates and silicones-free shampoos. And to give you a bit of context, I used to use, amongst others, the L’oreal total repair 5 line. If you choose to do the same, know that it’s going to take some time for your hair to regain its luster but- believe me – the results are amazing. I’ll make a dedicated post on my favorite shampoos, conditioners and masks later on.

    For my hair care products, I mainly look for effectiveness and good ingredients. Also, I want them to be uncomplicated and smell nice (sometimes you can only hope for a not-awful scent because, with natural options, you’re not always sure of what you’ll encounter, as you’ll see). In particular, I’m looking for moisturizing and nourishing treatments to manage my hair texture and “style” it (yes, I do think using hair oil is styling my hair). Another tip is to take into account the difference between scalp and hair length conditions: you should choose a shampoo suited to your scalp type and a conditioner adapted to your hair texture.

    Here are the products I’m using at the moment:

    After washing and wrapping my hair in a towel (to let it soak up most of the water), I like to use a nourishing treatment. I massage it through damp hair and let my hair air-dry (I only use a blow dryer in the winter, and on my scalp, not to get pneumonia). I discovered the curl cream recently (before that, I was using the Nuxe Huile prodigieuse).  I like that it has a nice composition (no silicones, sulfates, mineral oils…) and that it’s full of nourishing and hydrating ingredients such as coconut oil, glycerin and shea butter.

    The texture is creamy, as you would expect, but not too thick: it penetrates quite quickly. It keeps my hair soft and healthy and helps to enhance my curls. Also, I think it will last me a long time because I’ve been using it for a few months now and I’m only halfway through. I’m not sure that I’ll repurchase it though because of its fragrance. It’s not in anyway off-putting (or I wouldn’t keep using it) and it does disappear after some time. It just has a grassy smell that’s not to my taste. It reminds me of rosemary steam baths that you use when you have a cold, to clear a stuffy nose (not the best picture to have).

    That’s actually a true styling product. It helps with hair texture and defines waves. I was previously using the Ouai wave spray (it’s such a brilliant product that works without leaving your hair feeling crunchy and it has a great scent). The fact that this sea salt mist is formulated in a moisturizing base (coconut oil, glycerin and aloe vera juice) makes it stand out from its counterparts because it doesn’t severely dry out your hair (it just gives a nice matte finish). I use it after applying the curl cream. Again, I’m not a fan of the orange blossom scent (a personal preference). It has the same fragrance as freshly baked navettes, a french pastry that I hate. Thankfully, it doesn’t linger.

    I usually use hair oils as a treatment before air-drying my hair but since I’ve been trying the Bouclème curl cream, I’ve been using them to revive my hair on the second or third-day hair. This Caudalie dry oil is excellent for my hair texture because it tames the crazy volume, gives me incredible shine and redefines my curls. Love it!

    A spritz of dry shampoo helps to delay washing time and gives hair a boost in the volume department. In short, it’s great at tackling greasiness and flat hair; two of the main problems associated with dirty hair (nice…). I like Ruth Crilly’s (amodelrecommends) Colab line. It’s affordable, effective and offers a variety of fragrances to suit different tastes (plus, look at that packaging!). Most importantly, the mist is transparent which means that you don’t have to spend ages brushing it out of your hair to take down the white cast.

    I’m quite happy with this routine for the moment. I’ll update it when/if I find better alternatives or completely change the routine.

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