When was the last time a bad colour job left your hair dry, brittle and basically ruined? For me it was last year in May. When my stylist wrecked my hair and I was left to deal with one awful mess to clean up. It’s been over a year now and I have finally managed to grow out the damaged bits and trim it off.
What made my hair somewhat manageable during this trying time was my intensive haircare routine. It helped moisturise and smooth my sad lifeless locks. And within a few months my hair ‘recovered’.
This post is dedicated specially to those of you who have either chemically treated hair, or heat damaged hair and are looking for solutions to repair your hair and reinstate it to it’s healthy glossy self.
Here’s a look at my daily hair maintenance line up.
As you can see, I am big on masks and conditioning!
However, just for sequence sake, let’s start with shampoo.
I have what you call a flaky scalp.
A dry scalp is what causes the flakiness and itchy tight feeling. To combat this condition, all you have to do is use a shampoo that balances the scalp and problem sorted. So far I have tried several products, ranging from Kerastase to Kiehls. Nothing seem to work as well as my new find, the Sachajuan Scalp Shampoo. This never leaves my scalp feeling uncomfortable or overly cleansed like other shampoos and my hair never feels dry either. It basically cleanses it just the right amount. I also really like the smell of this, an uplifting, fresh herby fragrance (this contains rosemary and ginger extracts) which is an excellent pick-me-up on groggy mornings. I’ll most definitely be repurchasing this.
Onto masks! And first up, Masque Force Architecte from the Kerastase Resistance line.
Of all haircare i’ve tried, I find that Kerastase makes the most deliciously fragranced ones, and this mask is no exception. It has a delightfully fruity fragrance that’s a pleasure to use and can be rather addictive.
I have been using this for close to 4 years, on and off whenever my hair has needed repairing and reconstruction. It’s my post colour conditioner basically. I find that this mask in place of conditioner after my shampoo is the best for combatting any damage caused by chemical treatment. If you don’t have severly damaged hair, i’d recommend using this once a week or so just to repair hair from regular heat styling.
Post masking, I used this next product.
Kerastase Resistance, Ciment Thermique.
A leave in conditioner for heat activated reconstruction. I know this conditioning routine sounds a bit extreme, but given the situation my hair was in, it was a necessity. Nowadays I just use this as a pre styling balm to protect my hair from heat.
I dispense a tiny quantity of this and run it through the ends of my hair where most dryness is visible and proceed to blow drying.
Next up, two newer additions that made it to my routine in recent months. My hair is not in the same horrific condition it once was, and is now what can be considered normal hair. And these two masks are perfect for normal to dry hair (resulting from regular colouring or heat styling).
Let’s start with a budget friendly drugstore option. The Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, Shine mask.
Aussie has been a brand i’d been wanting to try for the longest time. And as always, Singapore doesn’t seem to have this -.-. Luckily for me, I managed to pick this mask and several other Aussie masks when I was in London a few months back and have been loving it since. For the price, I feel it’s an excellent mask. Retails less than $10 if i’m not mistaken.
The mask is fruity, similar to the Kerastase and texture wise somewhat similar as well. It deep conditions and leaves hair feeling soft and manageable. I also really love the dispenser of this, it’s a thin diaphragm at the bottom of the bottle that squirts out product when squeezed. Soooo shower friendly. No more fumbling around unscrewing caps and what not. On the down side, i’d be petrified to travel with this as any unintentional squeezes would result in a suitcase full of hair mask!
Last to the discussion O&M Seven Day Miracle Moisture Masque.
I can’t begin to tell you how truly deep conditioning this is. If you have flat hair or very fine hair, this might end up a bit too conditioning, if that were ever possible.
This mask leaves hair soo silky, it literally slides between your fingers as you wash off the excess product. And styling is also made easier as there are virtually no tangles. Just silky, smooth hair that you’d want to flip around all day. Btw, did I mention this smells of Creme Brulee?!!
The active ingredients in this is basically a cocktail of ‘Australian native oils’ such as Sweet Almond oil, Jojoba seed oil and Argan oil. All good things as far as nourished hair goes.
If you were on the market for a new DEEEEPLY moisturising mask. Try this.
*Before I conclude this post, I also want to touch on some other important details about this brand as well.
Original & Mineral is an Australian company which uses NO Sulfates, Parabens, Triclosan, MIT, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, Sodium Chloride and animal testing. They strive to weed out any harsh chemicals from their haircare products while promising the same incredible results that other professional haircare brands offer. A win win situation if you ask me :-) Stoked to try more from this line.
Other Information
Kerastase – Can be purchased at most salons. I believe the price is somewhere around SGD 40.
Aussie- At Boots and Target. Pricing around USD 10
Sachajuan- Purchased this online, it’s available at Net-a-Porter (USD 31) as well as Luxola SG at SGD 38.
O&M- Purchased mine from Luxola SG. Retails at SGD 45.
