Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Hair Stuff - Hits & Misses (high and low end)

I have naturally thick, wavy and frizzy hair.  

It may sound a little odd but the top layer of my hair is coarse and frizzy… the bottom layers are a finer texture entirely and are more straight.  This seems to be inversely affected by its length too --- It all seems much straighter and finer when in a pixie cut.  Right now, when it's halfway down my back, it's just as described above.

Before I had a decent hair dresser who advised me against it, I used to cut my hair straight across… I guess I hoped that if I cut my hair as if it was thick, dense, straight Chinese hair (hey, i'm mostly chinese!)… it would be.  It never was, is never will be.. and I have a lot of pics I have to hide from people because my hair looks like a combination of Ronald MacDonald and the Sphinx.

I have tried a ton of hair products - both high and low end - partly because my hair is now coloured (dark red highlights)  and partly because I love the fact that it's so wavy.  If only I could get it to stop being frizzy at the same time!

So… here's my Hits & Misses:






HITS:

  • Avon Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Argan Oil
    • This was affordable and I bought it on a whim.
    • This has an excellent texture - not too watery or thick.  Feels like a classic serum and smells lovely.
    • Works very well.  A full pump does all my hair when combined with a little Pureology Reviving Red Illuminating Caring Oil (added for colour boost) and gives it gloss without weight while minimising frizz.
  • Ellips Hair Vitamin/ Hair Treatment 
    • bought this on a whim while travelling through Singapore.  It was very affordable.  A pack of 12 pods for $3.  
    • slightly odd almost plastic-y scent when you first snip open the pods but this disappears immediately afterwards and certainly doesn't affect the serum.
    • A whole pod is almost a little too much for my head of hair.  It actually was very shiny and silky when I used the whole pod BUT it got greasy within a day.
    • I've now started combining half a pod with the Pureology and that works nicely.
    • I'm definitely going to buy more pods when I'm in Asia again and try their other range.  
    • What a great item for travel too!  Really lightweight and no excess, no mess!



MISSES:

  • Kerastase Elixir Ultime ***(not pictured)
    • Yes, I'm sure I'm going to cop a lot of flak for not liking this product BUT hear me out!
    • This smells amazing!  And has a light-ish texture for a serum - both good features!
    • But it didn't do anything special for my hair though!  Maybe a little less frizzy but certainly nothing any drugstore/supermarket serum can't deliver at 20% the price!
    • It's so average as a serum, I probably wouldn't even buy it if it was $5 a bottle!!!  I'd still buy the Avon! (yes, you heard me!)
  • SunSilk Weather Defense Leave-in Serum
    • Did nothing for my hair
    • In its favour, it was very affordable, easy to find and an aerodynamic shape making it easy to travel with.
  • Ojon Rare Blend Hair Oil
    • I had been dying to try this coz many beauty bloggers swear by it.  It's almost impossible to find here in Australia so I waited till I was in the USA and grabbed a mini at Sephora, cost be damned!!!
    • It's fun to mix up, has a neutral smell…. and does nothing for my hair.  Just nothing.  And it was USD$15 for 15ml (0.4 fluid ounces).  Yes, $1 per millilitre. 
  • Pure Organic Argan Oil ***(not pictured)
    • I thought I should go straight to the source… bought a 30mL bottle while in France.
    • Has the texture of a light oil.  Think canola rather than olive oil (sorry, best analogy I could come up with).
    • Didn't do anything for me other than weigh my hair down and make me look oily and greasy… even when only put at the bottom ⅓ of my hair.  
    • I've found many other uses for the oil but my hair isn't one of them!



UNDECIDED!

  • Pureology Reviving Red Illuminating Caring Oil
    • This does NOTHING for the frizziness or the glossiness of my hair BUT it does revive the red.  
    • No real smell.
    • It costs USD$32 dollars per bottle for 125ml.  If there was a drugstore dupe/ substitute available, I would buy it in a heartbeat.


…So that's it from me.

What are your thoughts?  Have you tried any of these products?  Do you have any awesome products to recommend?  :):):)