Anonymous asked: does washing your hair with shower gel make it dry? iv been washing it with shower gel for about 4 years now, i live with only guys and so i cant really buy shampoo or hair products. what could i do?
I would recommend not washing your hair every day, especially since shower gels are quite drying. There are products out there that are also multitasking and serve as a body wash/shampoo/conditioner at the same time (I know philosophy makes these). If getting a very basic and generic shampoo w/ conditioner included or a generic conditioner is not possible, then you can also use home ingredients to make a hair mask! You can separate out an egg white and spread the mixture in your hair, let it harden, and then rinse it out with lukewarm water. You can also use honey and banana, avocado, coconut oil, or olive oil as a hair mask and them rinse it out and wash as usual. Overall, if you eat a balanced diet and try to wash your hair every other day or every 2 days, your hair should be fine. However, if you’d like to add more moisture to your hair after washing it, you can take a small amount of olive or coconut oil and run that through your hair. If your hair is really fine, then that may make your hair a bit oily though. I hope this helps, but let me know if you have more questions!
-Christine
Hi guys! Today I’ll be talking about my hair care routine. Managing frizzy and naturally wavy hair isn’t easy. When I was young, I wish I had the typical stick straight hair that most other Asian girls have. But in the past few years, I learned to love and care for my naturally wavy hair. The hair products that I use most often are displayed in the picture below.
Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream: I apply this product in the morning when my hair is frizzy and needs some help staying in place. After I straighten my hair with my Remington 2-inch hair straightener, I apply the leave-in conditioner to the ends of my hair.
Garnier Curl Shaping Spray Gel: I haven’t gotten the chance to use this product very much. So far, I don’t like it as much as I thought I would. It works better with semi-wet hair than dry hair. Basically, you spray the gel and twist your hair into curls. The gel is very sticky and gives the hair a hard texture if the product is not very evenly distributed.
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum: This is my favorite hair product of all time. I prefer to wash my hair at night and use this product when my hair is damp. After I dry my hair with a towel, I apply a pump of the serum to the ends of the my hair and scrunch my hair to create more volume. When I wake up the next morning, the ends of my hair look hydrated and the soft curls stay all day long. This product also helps to dry your hair faster so you can apply this product before blow drying.
Aussie 3-Minute Deep Conditioner: Christine suggested me to try this product after I told her how frizzy my hair becomes. I use this product once a week. After shampoo and rinse, apply this conditioner and use a shower cap to facilitate the effect of this conditioner. After 3-5 minutes, rinse your hair twice (once with warm water and once with cold water). This conditioner has a strong pina colada smell so be aware of this fact if you are allergic to fragrance.
TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray: Before applying heat, it’s always important to use a heat protectant. I use this spray before I blow dry or straighten my hair.
L’Oreal Hair Expertise EverSleek Shampoo & Conditioner: Overall, I like this shampoo-conditioner combo. But sometimes the shampoo is a bit drying, especially in the winter. I chose this line for the frizz-control and the lack of sulfate and silicone.
-Karen
If you take a look in the ingredients list of your regular shampoo, you’ll probably see the chemical “Sodium Laurryl Sulfate” or “Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate” listed quite commonly.
It’s a surfactant, which is a detergent that surrounds and traps oily materials from surfaces. In short, it’s harsh and has created a lot of concern in the cosmetic world with customers, not as much within the industry itself.
Here’s a really clear and informative article on sulfates!
Sulfates are cheap to use in manufacturing shampoos and they foam a lot, which most people associate with getting a good and deep clean. The foaming action of a shampoo actually does nothing for the cleaning process; it just makes the user feel better about the product.
Personally, I have both regular shampoos and sulfate-free shampoos. I try to use the sulfate-free ones more and have been testing out different ones. Eventually, I think I’ll completely switch to sulfate-free ones because many companies have made really great ones!
I have linked all the brands in this post, so just click on the titles and you’ll find more info!
Here are 3 sulfate-free brands that I have used:
- Dessert Essence Coconut Shampoo: This one is sulfate free and also free of a lot of other harsh chemicals. I LOVE THIS ONE!!!! It smells amazing and is very moisturizing. Just a reminder: usually, sulfate-free products don’t foam well b/c they lack the chemicals, but this one actually does foam. I get mine from Whole Foods.
- L’Oreal Paris Eversleek Repairative Smoothing Shampoo: Both Karen and I currently use this one. I find it to be a bit drying, but I also highlight my hair, so my hair is different now. I do like it, and I was really impressed to see L’Oreal come out with this product so consumers would have affordable sulfate-free shampoos to buy. Available at most drugstores and regular stores.
- Organix line of shampoos and conditioners: I have used the Argan Oil and Cherry Blossom ones. I think Karen is currently using the Coconut Oil one. They smell wonderful and are also recommended by youtube beauty gurus.
Here are some others that I have found online and ones I will try:
Many of the more natural brands like dessert essence, alba botanica, aubrey organics, and nature’s gate can be found at Whole Foods. Others should be in Walmart, Target, or beauty stores like Sephora or department stores.
As women, I think it’s really important to take control of our beauty and learn more about our beauty products. It is both empowering and healthy for our bodies.
If you have any questions, feel free to let me know in the comments section!
-Christine
