Hair Care Routine (Products I'm Currently Using!)

Recently, I have been trying to put more effort into keeping my hair strong and healthy. I have fairly long, highlighted hair (it reaches just about to the bottom of my rib cage, as a point of reference), so it needs a good care routine to prevent it from becoming damaged and dry or breaking. I also have quite a lot of hair, even though I got it thinned out recently. The cut I have now is long layers with piece-y ends. 

I'm trying out a new shampoo and conditioner from Tresemme from their Naturals line. It claims to have lower sulfates, which can dry out hair and damage color-treated hair (like mine). They also claim to be moisturizing and nourishing, which is always a plus. In the shower, I basically lather my hair with the shampoo, concentrating on the scalp area. After rinsing the shampoo out, I coat my hair from the ears down generously with conditioner and wait 3-4 minutes before rinsing it out. When I get out of the shower, I gently wring my hair out with an absorbent towel and wrap my hair up in a towel turban type thing. 

A couple times a week, I'll use the Garnier Fructis Intense Cleanse Anti-Dandruff Shampoo on my scalp to deep clean my scalp..skin (does that sound weird? haha) and also to get rid of any hair product that has built up in my hair. Supposedly anti-dandruff shampoo works very effectively for removing product build-up that might weigh hair down and prevent it from being, well, voluminous. 

After I take my hair out of the towel, I will gently comb through it with the wide-tooth comb on the left in the photo below. I used to use a brush, but I found that brushing hair while it's wet causes it to break and snap. 

I use the brush on the right to brush out tangles in my dry hair. It works well because it's ionized to prevent static (I believe the brush is by Goody, but I don't remember exactly). I also use the brush in the center, which is by Conair, to smooth my hair. Boar bristle brushes like this one are supposed to be good for your hair because they help distribute the natural oils in your hair to the ends. 

After combing my damp hair, I rub a dollop of the Garnier Fructis Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment through the ends of my hair to condition it. I hear that this product is very similar to Moroccanoil--they both have a lot of the same ingredients--although I have not tried Moroccanoil myself. Anyway, I have found that this oil treatment does wonders for my hair: it conditions it, reduces frizz, and makes my hair feel suuuuper soft. If you want a full review, leave it in the comments below!

I rarely blow dry my hair, and prefer to let it air dry instead. Once most of the moisture is gone from my hair, I brush it out a little bit and apply a little more of the Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment to the length of my hair, and add a little bit of Garnier Fructis Anti-Humidity Smoothing Milk (do you see a trend? I love Garnier products) to the pieces of hair around my face and the little frizzies that stick up on the top of my head. If I am going to curl or straighten my hair, I wait until afterwards to apply both of these products.

As for styling products, my favorites are Herbal Essences Set Me Up Mousse, Tresemme Freshstart Dry Shampoo, and Garnier Fructis Anti-Humidity Hairspray. I use the mousse if I want a tousled, beachy waves look, I use the dry shampoo to freshen-up second day hair, and the hairspray of course to set and hold any hairstyle. If you would like to hear more about how I style my hair, comment below for a post dedicated just to that!

All in all, I think the most important steps to maintaining strong, healthy hair is to use products that do not cause dryness, to treat your hair gently when styling, condition it regularly, and to avoid too much heat styling (at most, I will use heat on my hair only two or three times a week). I hope this post was helpful/interesting, and once again, if you have any review requests, please leave them in the comments below! 

Also, feel free to comment with any hair care tips you might have. Have a great week!