What Shampoo & Conditioner is best for you?

 

 

I’ve been wanting to make this post for a while! I figured since Beauty Brands is having their Annual Liter Sale it would be the perfect time to get this post up! I took a ton of polls over on Instagram regarding what hair type you all have to get to know you better and it was either a solid    50-50, or 70-30. I also had a lot of DM’s saying my hair is very  ___, what’s the best product for me to use! You all definitely put me up to the challenge and I want to be able to help you find a shampoo that best suits your hair type. I have quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to hair care and hopefully I’m able to break some myths, give a few pointers, and have you living your every day with luscious locks!!!

I’ve mentioned this a little bit over on my Instagram, but if you didn’t know, I am a hairstylist and have been for about 4.5ish years. I work at Beauty Brands, which is a full service salon and high end beauty retail store. Most stores are located in the midwest, as their home office is in Kansas City, Missouri. If you have never heard about Beauty Brands, it’s similar (yet VERY different) to Ulta! While Ulta is more focused on their product selection, Beauty Brands is much more salon focused. I’ve been there for almost 7 years (heck yeah to it being my first official job at 17!!!) and absolutely love it! But enough about me…let’s talk shampoo and conditioner!!!

 

If you do not have a Beauty Brands near you, you can always shop online at www.beautybrands.com and they can ship to you! If you spend over $50 shipping is free!

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CURLY/WAVY HAIR VS. STRAIGHT HAIR

This was very first poll question I asked and 51% said curly/wavy and 49% said straight. I started with this one because a lot of us aren’t using the shampoo meant for our actual hair type, starting with curls.

Curly/wavy haired babes tend to go straight for the sleek or anti frizz (I totally get why!). Any type of curl or wave needs an insane amount of moisture, and although sleek and anti frizz shampoos are amazing, if your curls/waves are lacking moisture there will not be any improvement in your hair. Sleek shampoos are usually packed with shea butters and oils which seem like an insane amount of moisture, but these are usually only added for shine. Anti frizz is only going to tame so much as it’s main purpose is to smooth the frizz down (honestly, that is only a temporary fix because your hair is still lacking moisture).  The more moisture your curls/waves have, the better the actual curl or wave is going to be. Over time the shine will come back, the curls will stay and there will naturally be less frizz.

 

Straight haired babes can go in so many directions. My recommendation is to always go to what you want (volume, shine, etc.) as long as your hair is super healthy. I’ll touch base on some other good options throughout the post if you have other concerns with your hair but here a few really good ones!

 

OILY SCALP/DRY SCALP VS. NORMAL

Super fun fact…hair health starts  on our scalp, so why do we fixate on our midshaft/ends so much? It’s something we never think of because we’re so focused on the rest of our hair! There are many reasons you could have an oily scalp. A big one could be the pH balance (yes, did you know your scalp had one?) could be off. PH, is the measurement of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The scale is between 0 and 14 where anything between 0 and 6.9 is acidic, 7 is neutral, and anything between 7.2 and 14 is alkaline. Our hair and scalp oil has a pH level between 4.5 and 5.0. Our hair’s natural acidity prevents fungi and bacteria in the hair and scalp, leaving the cuticle closed and healthy. Now, many of the hair products that people use disrupt the natural pH of the hair, which can leave hair looking dry and brittle. If a substance is too alkaline, it will cause the hair cuticle to open, and if a substance is too acidic, it will cause the cuticle to contract.

So let’s start with dry scalp! There are different types of dry scalp where you could be having dandruff or uncontrollable itching. I’m no doctor but if you’re experiencing major crazy itching on your scalp it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get it checked out at the dermatologist, for safe measurers. I only say this because quite a few of my clients actually have psoriasis on the scalp but would have never known if it weren’t for me mentioning something about it. Psoriasis on the scalp is very common so don’t freak out if you think you have it! Dandruff is caused by skin cells clumping together due to over dryness of the scalp, an unknown sensitivity to an ingredient, or having an unknown skin condition.  Here are a few shampoos that can help calm your scalp.

Now for oily scalps! Your pH levels could also be off causing your hair to overproduce oil. A little fun fact….you CAN fix this and train your scalp to produce less oil!! Our scalp needs the natural oil it produces but if you’re washing your hair ever single day, stripping all the natural oil, your scalp will start to overproduce oil. A big way to fix this going longer between washes and to maybe invest in a good dry shampoo to help absorb the oil between washes. You can check out my dry shampoo post here if you’re curious about what kind to use. Call me crazy but using a moisture shampoo can totally fix this, too! Here are some other really good shampoo options.

Again, having a more normal scalp gives you more options for shampoo and conditioner, so be on the lookout throughout this post for some other options!

 

 

FINE HAIR VS. NORMAL/COARSE HAIR

Having either of these hair types makes it easy to find shampoos and conditioners with all the options, but having them work for you is a whole different thing.

I know a ton of people with fine hair think that moisture is their worst enemy. I promise you it’s not and to not give up. It may take a few bad ones before finding one that works for you. If you have dry hair or curly hair you may want to reconsider that and consider switching brands. Some brands actually have moisture shampoos made for fine hair. Here are some that do wonders!

HIGHLIGHTED HAIR/COLORED HAIR VS. ALL NATURAL

This is my favorite to talk about when it comes to shampoo and conditioner because so many people are told wrong on what to use. If you don’t color or highlight your hair, I applaud you haha. It’s a lot of work keeping up with color and highlights and you will probably find a good shampoo to suit you through this post.

I want to start with highlighted hair because I have a passion for blondes. If you only get highlights, you do not ever need a color protecting shampoo. Ever. Lightener strips all color pigmentation from each hair shaft and you truly are just wasting your shampoo if your hair ins’t benefiting from it. Instead, look at the integrity of your hair (is your blonde still really healthy? is it hydrolyzed? do you have a lot of breakage?) and go from there! A shampoo that I recommend to all my blondes is a purple or a blue shampoo. Being in the sun, under fluorescents, using a curling iron, and using hair products will cause the blonde to look more brassy(yellow) or orange over time. If you get a toner every single time you get a highlight and have no idea why, this is why! I tell my clients that the purple and blue shampoos are pretty much an at home toner that will help extend the brightness of your blonde! Purple shampoo cancles out yellow tones while blue shampoo will cancel out orange tones. These will not stain your hair unless you leave it on for an extended amount of time and even then, it usually is gone by the next wash. If integrity is your issue as a blonde look for something that will really help repair damage. I always recommend using your main shampoo and then using the purple/blue shampoo every other or every two washes.

 

Now for color….I always cringe a little when I see someone that gets their hair colored and only buys the color care shampoo/conditioner. There are soooo many more options than just color shampoo! A ton of product lines have all of their shampoos and conditioners color safe so you can really focus on what you really need, whether that be wanting volume or needing more moisture. I know right now sulfate free shampoos are really big and I do like to tell my clients that the only time I would personally stay away from sulfates(if you don’t have an allergy or if you aren’t bothered by them being in your shampoo) is if you are coloring your hair the rich brown colors or the vibrant reds. Overtime sulfates can break down the color particles allowing your color to fade quicker. Here are some really great color safe options and some other options that are color safe but not color shampoos.

 

STYLING YOUR HAIR IN A PONY/MESSY BUN VS. CURLING/STRAIGHTENING

I asked this question to see who all styles their hair every day and who doesn’t and to really touch base on those who do. A lot of people don’t know this but there are shampoos that have heat protectants in them! I always recommend this as an option if you’re an every day washer that also blow drys and straightens/curls your hair every single day. Here are some really good options that give the most protection!

 

PRODUCT JUNKIE VS. NON PRODUCT JUNKIE

I asked this to see who all could possibly have buildup on their scalp! If all the product isn’t getting removed between washes your scalp is going to go crazy! It’s super important that every week or every 4 washes to use a clarifying shampoo to really deep clean your scalp and break up all that product buildup!  Here are so really good options!

 

PICKING SHAMPOO BASED ON SMELL VS. NOT 

I don’t really have a whole lot to touch base on this, but here are so amazing smelling shampoos and conditioners for the 47% of you that voted you buy based on smell! Don’t worry, I’m totally guilty of this too!

 

SWIMMING VS. NOT SWIMMING

Since it is the summer I want to help as may as I can to not get gross swimmers hair. You know the hair that feels like straw, looks extra shiny from the chlorine, and possibly green?? The best way to prevent this is to spray your hair with a leave in spray or a detangling solution. This trick also works on our little ones hair!  Here are a few shampoos that will help strip all the chlorine out of the hair and the green! Most of these shampoos aren’t on the sale but I really wanted to add them because they are a good investment!

 

 

 

I hope this helps even a little bit for you all! I love talking in-depth when it comes to hair so this is fun for me 🙂 I love and appreciate all it is you all allow me to do/challenge me to do.

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xx-Kendra