Products: Hair Basics

As of today, Loreal's new EverSleek line of products makes me a very happy girl. I live in a humid climate, and even though my hair is mostly straight, it is just curly enough to get frizzy when it's humid. The EverSleek shampoo and conditioner (I'm using the reparative version right now because my hair was recently colored and highlighted) are serving me very well. My hair looks shiny and smooth, and doesn't seem to be as fried from daily use of a flat iron. I also use the smoothing creme from the same line. Added bonus: the entire line is readily available at your local grocery, drug, or big-box store.

For those of you who are really firm about using only salon-level shampoos, I was using Brocato Saturate shampoo (one of the few salon moisturizing shampoos which is sans-silicone) along with CHI Silk Therapy treatment as a conditioner. The downsides to these are: 1. cost ($30/liter for the Brocato, unless you stock up like I did at the Beauty Brands liter sale, and $24 for 8 ounces of the CHI), 2. they can only be purchased at a salon, and 3. they kept my hair from being dry, but didn't do much for the frizz. I really needed an additional smoothing serum, but had a heck of a time finding one.

On to serums: The EverSleek line does have a serum as well -- I own it, but do not use it very often because the creme serves me very well (I run one pump-full through damp hair before blow-drying, then flat-iron as usual). At Sephora I discovered a macadamia nut oil light smoothing mist that is okay, but leaves my hair looking overly greasy if I use more than the tiniest amount (as in, one spray's worth). Josie Maran makes a pure Argan oil that is silicone-free as well and can be used as a smoothing serum - also sold at Sephora. I have not used it in my hair, primarily because I am afraid of the greaseball look and apparently I have a heavy hand with product application.

Finally for today: Hairspray. I cannot live without Redken Quick-Dry Hairspray. I detest the height of the can, because it doesn't fit in my medicine cabinet. BUT, I love the product. For one thing, it dries almost instantly, allowing you to lock your style into place without a lot of fuss. Also, it never flakes, and its not sticky. Plus, it brushes out easily, yet provides all-day hold. Finally, it's silicone-free! Yay!

I have a whole host of other hair products as well, but I will save them for later.