Hair Product Review

Because I have done so much damage to my hair, I have experimented with as ton of different products. Right now, my main regimen consists of 4 products which I will be reviewing.

The first product is Eufora Hydration Leave-In Conditioner in 10.1 oz. This is a product that can usually only be found in salons, I used to work at one and Eufora was the line they carried which is why I initially tried it out. I am sure you can purchase it through online retailers such as Amazon. Anyway, this product is free of sulfates and made with organic Aloe Vera and is supposed to be really great for your hair. According to the Eufora.net website, the conditioner is supposed to protect and rebuild hair from chemical, heat and environmental damage. I wash my hair every three or four days so I use this once I get out of the shower. I have had the same bottle (it is almost gone) since October 2012. Honestly, I only use it because I have it and I don't want to waste it plus I like the smell. Other than that, I am not really a fan of the product and cannot say I have really noticed any difference in my hair since I started using it. I do, however, love the fact that there are no sulfates and that it is all natural- I guess that really doesn't even matter in the end. 

Secondly, I use Biosilk Silk Therapy in 5.64 oz."BioSilk Silk Therapy is a silky, lightweight treatment that rehydrates and protects hair with silk proteins and shine producing botanicals." That is a description I found offline about the product. The product comes in bigger sizes but it can get really expensive so I like my 5.64 oz, plus you only need a small amount each time you use it. I have been using this for about a month now and I use it after everytime I wash my hair. When you put the product in your hand you immediately know that it is made with actual silk because it is SO soft feeling. I just rub it in my hands and apply throughout my hair. Immediately, my hair feels super soft, plus it smells really amazing! The good thing abut Biosilk is that it can be found in stores but like I said earlier, it can be a little pricey. So far, I really like this product and i would consider purchasing more once I run out because I have definitely noticed my hair is a lot softer after I use it. And a little added extra is that is leaves your hands feeling incredibly soft after using it!

Next, is the Organix Extra Strength Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil for dry or coarse hair. In the picture I show the travel size because it was only $3.99 at Ulta aand I wanted to see how it worked. needless to say, I love it. The great thing about this product is that it is organic, hence the brand name, and contains NO sulfates. The oil itself is very soft and I apply it to my wet hair and make sure I get the ends really well. I definitely notice a difference in my hairs texture when I use this consistently. The other thing that I really liked about this product is that for it's quality, it is very inexpensive which is very good for someone who is poor like me. 

Lastly I use Redkens Extreme Anti-snap Leave-in Treatment in 8.5 oz. Because Redken is a high-quality brand it does cost a little bit more than some products but is worth it. For this size I paid about $16. Let me just tell you about my hair real quick. Some of you may already know that bleaching or over processing can cause your hair to 'snap' and that is what happened to my hair after I bleached it twice. What happens is your hair becomes really stringy looking when wet and if you pull it, it feels stretchy and then snaps off like a rubber band almost. The snapping causes split ends, frizz and all this gross stuff. after I got out of the shower and applied the anti-snap treatment to my hair, I immediately noticed a difference and my hair was instantly stronger! I use this on my wet hair and it has totally improved the strength of my hair! This product is a life saver big time and it is definitely worth every cent!

How To Maintain Lavender/Pastel Hair

Okay so I'm going to be honest, pastel hair really doesn't last through that many washes so in order to keep your hair looking fresh, here is a method that I learned! If you are somewhat responsible with your hair, you probably only wash it once a week, I personally can only last 3 or 4 days. The longer you go between washes, the better. What I do is create a bulk amount of conditioner with the purple pigment in it, just like I do when doing the initial coloring.

                                                Here is what you will need:

                                                            -Bottle of white conditioner

                                                            -Hair dye

                                                            -Funnel

                                                            -Mixing bowl

                                                            -Something to mix with

1. Start out with your bottle of white conditioner. I used this 32oz bottle that I purchased for $3.

2. Make sure you can open it and there is a hole big enough for your funnel.

3. Empty the entire bottle of conditioner into a mixing bowl.

4. Scoop out a small amount of hair dye.

5. Add the dye to the conditioner.

6. Mix thoroughly.

7. You may add more dye until you reach your desired color.

8. Place your funnel into the empty bottle.

9. Pour all of your conditioner mix back into the bottle using your funnel.

10. Put the top back on and there you have it! 

Now, once you have this, you can apply it to your hair just as you would regular conditioner anytime you shower. Leave it on for about 5-10 minutes and rinse with cool water and that's it!

First blog! Lavender/Pastel Purple Hair

Okay, so after a few weeks of hard work, I have finally managed to get pastel lavender hair! And yes, I still have a full head of hair! I've decided to make this post into a tutorial for those of you who are trying to accomplish the same look without having to do all this research because I personally did about a million hours worth. So basically, you can do this starting out with any hair color. Naturally, I have dark brown hair but for a couple years, my hair has been all different shades of red.  Starting off, my hair was basically this color:

Now, I am going to be honest with you, no matter what hair color you have, even if it's blonde, you are going to have to BLEACH YOUR HAIR. Yes, it can be VERY damaging to your hair but if you bleach it correctly and take good care of it, you will not go bald.

I suggest that if you have a color in your hair already that is not natural, use a color stripper. I didn't use it until after the second bleaching and I wish I had used it first. I used Ion Brilliance Color Corrector:

I bought this as Sally's and it wasn't too expensive. It really works wonders in stripping the unnatural colors from you hair but it smells absolutely HORRID and I would suggest using this in a well ventilated area or even outdoors. Fortunately, this is NOT a bleach so it is not really that damaging to your hair so don't worry about that.

Next, you need to buy bleach. Any powder bleach will do however, I suggest a powder bleach that is violet or blue because those bring out the cooler tones as opposed to the brassy ones. For powder bleach, I used Kaleidocolors Tonal Powder Lightener Violet:

For this 8oz tub it was only about $10 so i would definitely suggest buying the tub as opposed to the packets. Also, I purchased just a regular 40 vol peroxide, any brand will really do. I believe that the volume of the developers go from 10 vol all the way up to 50 vol but I would not suggest ever using 50 vol because that is just way too harsh. If you have a lighter hair color already you can get 30 vol or even 20 vol.

Now that you have your powder bleach and developer, just mix them according to the directions and apply the mixture to your hair immediately. Only leave the bleach in your hair for as long as the directions suggest because if you leave it on too long your hair will break. I sat with mine in my hair for an unbearable hour. I say unbearable because it was SO ITCHY.

Your hair will most likely be a yellow/ginger color at this point and that is normal. You will probably need to bleach your hair at least one more time but I would wait as long as you can between bleaches, I only waited a week but I don't recommend that. So after you bleach your hair again, your hair will be another few shades lighter and you want to purchase a purple/silver toner. There are tons of toners out there such as Manic Panic Virgin snow that will tone out the yellows from your hair. I personally just went for the toning shampoo by Generic Value Products and it was their Conditioning Shampoo:

It was a generic version to a much more expensive Clairol product called Shimmer Lights. The shampoo is dark purple and that is because purple is opposite orange on the color wheel and it neutralizes those brassy tones. I use this whenever I shampoo my hair which I also recommend not doing everyday.

Now my hair is a light blonde but it is not as white as I would like it. The problem with my hair was that when it was red, I used so many red intensifiers that there was still a slight pink pigment to my hair. I did not want to bleach it again but I read up on a much less damaging way to remove excess color and that was called a bleach wash. This is really an optional step but I want you all to know that this option is out there. Basically, I mixed a small amount of bleach powder with 20 vol developer and added a ton of conditioner and oils. Then, I applied it to my wet hair, let it sit for about 30 minutes and then washed it out. That remaining pigment was finally gone!

Now it's time for the coloring!

You will need:

1. Mixing bowl

2. Something to mix with

3. White conditioner

4. Purple hair dye. (semi or demi-perm)

1. Empty enough conditioner into your mixing bowl to cover your entire head.

(I purchased my conditioner from the dollar store.)

2. Scoop up a small amount of purple hair dye.

3. Begin to mix in the purple dye with the conditioner.

4. Make sure you mix the dye well until you obtain a color that you like."

(The more color you add, the darker it will show up.)

5. Apply all over dry hair, massaging it in so that it covers every inch

6. Leave the color in for at least 30 min.

I tend to leave mine in for an hour and a half when I have time.

The good thing about this is that, other than the bleaching, it really doesn't damage your hair. I use a refresher shampoo that I will post abut next which is what I use to wash my hair with and maintain the color. I also repeat the coloring process every couple of weeks or so, you can rally do it as much as you want. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments and I will try my best to answer them. No, I am not a hair dresser but I have done hair for a long long time.