Some of you might have heard that I recently moved, which has been a whirlwind of emotions and things in motion. Part of that meant that I spent a lot of time packing and throwing things away, including some products that I have been meaning to talk about here on the blog.
It seems to be trendy on social media to talk about when products get sent to influencers, but how does the influencer know that they like the product if they’ve barely used them? I had this idea to review products that I have fully used and loved (or just to share my true thoughts about them) so I was saving all these empty bottles and containers. I was also keeping them around as a reminder that I needed to refill on them. Then I didn’t get around to either of these things, and now I’ve moved.
Not before taking pictures of everything though. So now I am going to talk about the hair products I loved here on the blog today, with all of my honest thoughts (and maybe a reminder to purchase them again when I can). If you didn’t know, I am in the process of trying to grow out my natural hair, which is why I chose to focus my attention on those products here today.
1. Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum
This product ended up in my arsenal after I purchased a Lady Gang box, and it was one of the products that was included. After styling my hair, I squeeze a pump of this product into my palm and then disperse it throughout my hair to finish it off. I love the smell and the feel of this product in my hair, and it definitely makes my hair look shiny.
The only drawback of this product is that, while it says humidity resistant on the bottle, I don’t think any company can fight of Florida’s humidity. Or maybe it’s my hair that struggles to stay tamed in Florida’s humidity. Either way, you get the idea: it’s a great product, I just don’t rely on it for humidity resistance.
2. Kevin Murphy’s Young Again Treatment Oil
Wow, was this bottle a pretty penny… but I would definitely say that it was worth every penny. A few years ago, I found a hairdresser who I now trust with my entire head of hair (literally, and on a regular basis for years). At some point in our relationship, she recommended this hair product to me. And what a luxury this product is (no, seriously, I think when I bought it, this 100 mL bottle cost me like $49, so in price and feeling)!
After I shower and wash my hair is when I apply this product. Something about my hair type (I don’t know what type I have, but as the person who has to deal with it all the time, I think it’s thick and rebellious) makes the best time after my hair has been washed to better absorb all the product. This oil is as thick as serum, and it makes my hair soft to the touch. If I really want to treat myself, I come out of the shower and make Asanti play with my hair and put this in for me.
3. Being Frenshe Body and Hair Radiance Oil
Being Frenshe is a celebrity created beauty brand by Ashley Tisdale, who I know as Maddie from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Sharpy Evans from High School Musical, and Logan from Young and Hungry. The product is on shelves exclusively at Target, which lends the brand a little bit more credibility, because celebrity brands can be a bit touch-and-go.
The reason I picked up products from Being Frenshe is because I heard Tisdale in an interview talk about the product development process and how each scent had mood-boosting scent technology (my sister says I’m a sucker for marketing). I have used two different bottles of two different scents, and I can’t really say how they affect my mood. What I can say is I love the smells, and on both my skin and my hair, I am pretty shiny after using it.
4. K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
Apparently, this has become a trendy product, because they recently became a sponsor on one of my favorite podcasts (I think you can use code “Toast,” but I don’t know if I can afford this even with a discount right now). It is another product recommended to me by my hairdresser, and she recommended it to me about two years ago after she went to a hair convention.
When I had this product, I would skip on using conditioner once or twice a week. Instead, I would come out of the shower and apply this product on in place of conditioner, and I wouldn’t need to wash it out. I loved this product, and I might have tried using more of it than I needed to, which might be why I ran out so quickly. But the idea is that it does seem to repair my hair at a molecular level, like it claims.
5. Not Your Mother’s Naturals: Ultimate Nutrition Matcha Green Tea and Wild Apple Blossom Shampoo
When the COVID19 pandemic hit and we were all mindlessly scrolling social media more than normal is when I came across this product. Caila Quinn (now Burrello) was promoting the masks in the Not Your Mother’s Naturals line, and I was curious enough to try them (again, I am a sucker for marketing). And I loved them, enough to go beyond and try more than just the masks. But I will say that the Matcha Green Tea and Wild Apple Blossom is probably my favorite hair mask that I’ve used to date.
And out of all the scents and options of the Not Your Mother’s Naturals line, the Matcha Green Tea and Wild Apple Blossom is my favorite. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and isn’t so strong that the scent hits you in the face. This line is also paraben and sulfate free, which makes it something my sister Jasmine loves as well. And really, I saved this bottle to show you a photograph, but this has become a staple when it comes to hair routine in my household.
6. Not Your Mother’s Naturals: Royal Honey and Kalahari Dessert Melon Conditioner
This bottle looks different from the Matcha and Apple Blossom one because I bought it when they were changing their bottles to cut back on plastic. While the squeeze bottle isn’t as aesthetically pleasing, you can see that I tried to straighten it out after trying to squeeze out every last drop. I love the line to put in that much effort, even when my fingers are slippery.
While my sisters were genetically blessed with good hair, I need to throw the Royal Honey and Desert Melon line into my rotation because I definitely need the repair and nourish elements of it. After years of dying my hair, I am working on growing it out strong and healthy, and this is definitely a line I keep in my pocket to help me do just that.
What are some of your favorite hair products? Do you have any tips and tricks to getting your hair to grow longer? Have you tried a pre-wash oil (it is something I am curious about but have yet to try)? Let me know in the comments down below!
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog. If you enjoyed what you read, please make sure to let me know by liking this post, commenting your thoughts down below, and sharing this post with your friends. And of course, you can always make my day by subscribing to the blog, which means that you’ll get updates of when I share more blog posts like this one.
Love Always,
Kristi My
Kristi My Dao 