My hair and I have not always been the best of friends. Despite never going peroxide blonde (love) or to-within-an-inch-of-my-life short (not so much love), I’ve been through a lot of styles over the years. I’ve gone from plaited “tangle-fairy” long hair as a girl, to a mushroom bob aged 15, then a reddish brunette style with a big straight fringe, and back to a air-whippingly-sharp French plait during my Paris days… It’s been fun. But my latest style, and the products I put in it, feel like I’ve finally found hair nirvana.
Hairdressers
Firstly, a moment of gratefulness to my hairdressers, Natural Colour Works. Having originally gone when my friend and fellow blogger Sara worked there, I still return to get my hair done there as they use some high-quality, natural products that make every visit feel like a true pamper session. They also do a great job in styling my thick mop – last time I went I asked for a daring cut, getting rid of all the excess weight in my hair and bringing it up to my neckline. I walked out with bouncy hair, voluminous roots, and a real weight off my shoulders.
Shampoo
On to the products that are winter-proofing my locks. For shampoo, I’ve been flitting between Duck + Dry’s Up Up and Away Shampoo* and Avalon Organic’s Volumising Rosemary Shampoo. Can I just say, while the rosemary shampoo smells good, the Duck + Dry one smells amazing. I seriously want that scent as a perfume. On top of that, both are SLS-free, so they don’t strip away all the oils that keep hair healthy. If you make the switch, you’ll find that they both take a lot more elbow grease to get frothy and through all your hair, but it’s really worth it; now I only ever clean the hair at the top of my scalp when shampooing, and the oils have found a healthy balance.
Conditioner
Conditioner-wise, I use Duck + Dry’s Up Up and Away Conditioner*, which I smooth along the tips of my hair while showering. Again, it smells awesome, and it does a good job keeping my hair shiny. I don’t use it every time I wash my hair as I find it’s almost too much for my hair to handle, instead going for once a week and using a 10 pence piece amount at most.
Oil
For all times other than when I condition my hair, I’ll add in pure argan oil after I’ve towelled off. I only ever need one drop (trust me, one drop really is enough), which I spread between my palms before scrunching into the tips, and then blow dry. This has really prevented my hair from developing split ends, which is quite the miracle considering I curl my hair with straighteners almost every day. It was also brilliant during the summer, keeping humidity at bay.
And that’s it! That’s all I use to keep my hair in check. It’s really quite a simple selection of products, and they all work really well alongside each other. A few other tips: when I curl my hair, I don’t ever spray anything to keep it in place, preferring a slow tumble out through the day. And finally, I always, always listen to my scalp. Over time, I’ve gone from washing my hair every other day to washing twice to three times per week, as the natural oil production has slowly decreased. It’s the best.