a brew of shampoo...

Over the past six or seven years that I've been actually paying attention to the products I use in my hair, I've experimented with so many different brands and types of shampoo. Shampoo, for me, is pretty much hit or miss. I either like it or I don't. Some people can get away with using whatever kind they want (whether it be a cheap, no-name bottle from the dollar store or a professional label from a high end salon that they paid an arm and a leg for) and it won't affect their hair. To those people, I say, congratulations for the odds being ever in your favor. But for most people, its not that simple.
There are actually a lot of factors to take into consideration when deciding on a shampoo, the most relevant being hair type, hair color and the condition of your scalp.

If you don't know what type of hair you have, you can either go to your salon and have a stylist take a look, or the easier of the two, google "types of hair" and match yours with the descriptions you find. Your hair type plays a big part in which shampoo you should use.

• If you have color treated hair, stick with shampoos that are made specifically for dyed hair. The chemicals are less harsh and they also have ingredients in them to preserve your color.
• FAVORITE: I'm a huge fan of the  John Frieda "adjective color" line...you know,  Sheer Blonde, Brilliant Brunette and Radiant Red? These are relatively cheap for a salon brand and actually work very well to restore nutrients and keep your color looking how it should.

• For thick or curly hair, you'll definitely want a product to cut down frizz and slightly reduce volume. 
• FAVORITE: I do love the John Frieda Frizz Ease products. I've used both shampoos in this line and I have to say I favor the Repairing Shampoo over the Hydrating Shampoo. The Repairing Shampoo basically does the same as the other, but adds minerals and nutrients that restore your hair and lock in moisture while keeping your locks tame.
 
• With thin hair, you most definitely want to use a product that contains a volumizing agent.
• FAVORITE: TIGI Bed Head Superstar is fabulous. While I haven't used it on myself, I've used it on friends and family who have thinner hair. It keeps your roots standing high and healthy and looking fabulous for hours without using massive amounts of hairspray to hold it up. (Its like a pushup bra for your hair!) 

• For an oily scalp, I've found that it doesn't really make a difference what shampoo you use. An oily scalp is a bit easier to tame than a dry one. If your hair gets greasy easily or fast, minimize the amount of times you wash your hair per week. Every time you wash your hair, you remove the natural oils that your scalp produces. This sends a signal to your hair follicles to make more oil for your scalp. By reducing the amount of washes your hair gets per week, you're training your hair to minimize the amount of oil that it produces, in turn, leaving you with a not-as-greasy healthy scalp.

• A dry scalp is slightly harder to tame than an oily one. Its hard to tell exactly why your scalp is so dry and to the extent that it needs to be moisturized. I recommend getting som esample sizes of a few shampoos and testing them out to see which works best with your hair. 
• FAVORITE: Any anti-dandruff shampoo would be good for a dry scalp. Head & Shoulders has an awesome range of shampoos for a flake-free lifestyle, and there's a shampoo for every type of hair and level of scalp dryness. (And its cheap, too!)

Don't like how dark your hair came out after a new coloring sesh, or maybe you want to brighten up your blonde a bit? Use Head & Shoulder's Classic Clean Shampoo to fade it a bit. Still don't like it? Go back to your salon and have them recolor it! If you do it within 48 hours, they'll usually fix your botched color (and cut) free of charge!

Have questions or comments? Leave me a message in the comment box!

NEXT STOP: CONDITIONING!

Stay cheeky! :) x

lets talk about hair

Everyone has it. (Well, mostly everyone...) Its fun to style, color and cut when you want to change your look. If you're like me, you're constantly looking for ways to change your image, and instead of getting a new wardrobe every month to do that, you change your hair color.

When salon color is a little pricey, I'll admit, I have used many a box dyes. But while they're fine for a root touch up here and there when you can't get to a salon, I wouldn't recommend using a box dye every single time you color your hair. The chemicals in box dye are much more harsh and damaging than the mixes they use at salons. Trust me, I have been personally victimized by this stuff on more than one occasion, and the only reason I would ever use a box dye again would be for semi-permanent reasons, say to test out a color.

I'll admit, I was blessed with A LOT of hair. My hair has been 7 different colors in the past year, and I haven't lost much of it. I started off in January with my natural dirty blonde color, and now mid-December, I've been  golden blonde, golden blonde with a chocolate cherry underside, dark brown with highlights, platinum blonde, chocolate cherry red, and now, believe it or not, ginger. That's A LOT of damage in 12 months. Actually that's a lot of damage for any amount of time. But regardless of the over-processing and what was used to color, my hair is still mostly healthy and able to be dyed again and again.

How? Well, with color processing comes responsibility. Keeping up with my hair is not an easy task. I use good shampoo and conditioner, keep the heat tool use to a minimum, and indulge my thirsty locks with hot oil treatments and deep conditioning hair masks on a weekly basis.

Over the next few posts, I'll give you some helpful tips and tricks to keep your hair looking and feeling its absolute best. These treatments should work on all colors, textures and lengths, and even if you don't process your hair at all, these products and suggestions are still a good way to show your hair a little love and keep it soft, smooth and shiny!

Next stop, SHAMPOO! But until then, stay cheeky! :) x