Premium Shampoos/Conditioners

maskerade

I use Faith in Nature shampoos too I use the Jojoba conditioner and it is wonderful. Every so often I put some olive oil on the ends for a couple of minutes before I shampoo and that works wonders. Glowgirl I did the stretching thing and I only need to wash it every 4/5 days now which helps with it's dryness a lot

bedpotato_2

"Stretching" is all very well if you're a person who doesn't exercise, but for those of us whose scalps get all hot and sweaty doing our cardio, it's a no-go.

If it weren't for my cardio I wouldn't have to wash my hair nearly as often (every other day).

My exercise routine dictates my hair-washing schedule, not the other way round!

amyb_2

I have super thick long hair and i wash it everyday and I find alternating my shampoo/conditioner works best for my hair. I normally have four/five on the go at the time.

I use alsorts for super cheap to salon brands and it doesn't seem to make a difference so normally stick with high streat brands.

Treatment wise i do go higher end - elastiser and the Ojon treatment oil.

hightara

loubyloo

have a wee look at homemade recipes for conditioners here

http://www.longlocks.com/hair-care-recipes-cookbook.htm



ps. google for the ingredients of products you use, might make you think twice about using them.

maskerade

I exercise every morning - kettlebells which is a mix of cardio and weight training. My hair just doesn't seem to get sweaty. If I think it's a bit grim I blast it with dry shampoo and go Sorts the roots out without drying out the ends any further.

glowgirl_2

bedpotato wrote: »

"Stretching" is all very well if you're a person who doesn't exercise, but for those of us whose scalps get all hot and sweaty doing our cardio, it's a no-go.

If it weren't for my cardio I wouldn't have to wash my hair nearly as often (every other day).

My exercise routine dictates my hair-washing schedule, not the other way round!

Dry shampoo might help, if you find the batiste one too powdery Superdrug own brand is less so:) I don't exercise or even exert myself;) but my friend exercises a lot and uses dry shampoo successfully regularly:)

littlerat

A few years ago I'd have said buy the best you can - but in the last couple of years the cheap brands seem to have gotten a lot better. My hair is shorter than it was, but is dyed so condition of the ends will be worse than it was so I doubt it's that.

My best has always been tresemme quality though, couldn't afford anything pricier.

I think the main thing is to use an intensive treatment like the Aussie ones now and then though.

jenniewb

I have tried so many brands, I get bored of using just one thing and its a big deal if I make it to the bottom of the bottle of one shampoo without having tried something else before then!

I have a few favorites and agree with what others have said: everyone will have different needs when it comes to their hair and what works for one person may not work for another.

My hair is very dry and quite frizzy, it also has annoying waves, annoying because my hair is short and doesn't need to be wavy, the waves flick out above my ears and make my hair look even flatter then it already is so I use GHDs and blow dry to get rid of this...and make any frizz on the ends look much worse long term as a result! My hair is also dyed bright read and has been lightened and darkened many times over so its not in peak condition...but I manage to get away with it!

I have a few favorites:

Kerastase, the Nutritive range is a good all rounder but would say the leave-ins and the masques are MUCH more worth the money then the shampoos and contioners which are nice...but not as 'wow!' as the leave ins and masques.

Pureology: great shampoos and conditioners and really did work for coloured hair. Didn't stop the colour leeching out but did help.

Bumble and Bumble: excellent shampoos and conditioners, the Creme de Coco masque is great but not if you have darker coloured hair. Coconut and coloured hair are not good mixes if you prefer to keep the colour in your hair.

Redken has OK masques- personally I notice that Kerastase are many times better then Redken but they are better then high street, just myself I'd rather get Kerastase.

Phillip Kingsley has a great Elasticizer Extreme treatment, you leave it in on damp freshly washed hair for 20 mins or more and it really helps. However it does take a few uses (1 per week for about 2-3 weeks) to really see the difference.

Moroccanoil I have not tried but would say its not going to be like normal Argan oil, mainly because it has more silicons in it then any argan oil so be careful how much of it you use or it could just over coat your hair and risk it drying out.

Aphogee have a good repairing 2-step protein system and its really quite cheap. You can get it from most Ethnic hair care type stores. Its not easy to use (follow the steps) but does make a difference if you use it once every other month and for about 2-3 uses (so about 4-6 months) its a long haul but nothing is the same really.

With hair masques, I find I get better results if I damp my hair first and apply the masque and make sure I work the product through (massaging it down the hair shaft in sections) then leaving it for an hour. I get much better results then the normal 5-10 minutes even if I shampoo afterwards.

Oh and see if you can find a salon buddy- I get a lot of hair care gifts and this means I get to sample and try many new things, sometimes I only get the dregs of a product but it can be enough to know what the real thing is like, that way I can order from ebay with confidence. Otherwise there are other stores like HQ Hair, LookFantastic, FeelUnique, Luxary Hair, GeorgousShop and etc which all sell premium brands at 15-30% off the RRP.

LoubyLoo

Thanks so much everyone for all your replies. Very interesting reading and will look at the various Links especially the CO ones.

bedpotato_2

glowgirl wrote: »

Dry shampoo might help, if you find the batiste one too powdery Superdrug own brand is less so:) I don't exercise or even exert myself;) but my friend exercises a lot and uses dry shampoo successfully regularly:)

Each to their own. Personally I have no wish to merely "disguise" grease and sweat by powdering them. I find the idea disgusting. I'd rather wash my hair properly and make sure it gets really clean.