If moisturisers and make up are a personal thing, then I find haircare is even more so. The way your hair looks, feels, sits and reacts after using a shampoo, conditioner, hair mask or serum can vary immensely from one person to another, even those with “similar” hair. Washing frequency, colouring, heat styling and weather, along with diet of course, will all determine your hair’s condition, so I am not going to vote for any one of these products over another as what suits my hair will probably not suit yours anyway.
My hair is not only coarse and dry, but ridiculously frizzy, it’s also thick and there’s a hell of a lot of it so I gave up using conditioner a few years ago and just use hair masks as I found that conditioners were about as useful as water when it came to detangling. And when it comes to combing? I can barely get the comb through it without applying some sort of serum or leave in conditioner….
Despite my ban of silicone on the skin, I do admit to using hair products that contain it as I only apply it to the bottom half of my hair so a) it is not coming in contact with my skin and b) hair below a certain length is dead anyway. I generally do try to avoid it though, as I find it makes hair get dirtier quicker it's just that sometimes it’s the only thing which [just about] helps, if a little…I am still searching for the ultimate frizz fighting weapon, so do please email me if you have any suggestions (and yes I have tried Living Proof – did not work).
My hair is not only coarse and dry, but ridiculously frizzy, it’s also thick and there’s a hell of a lot of it so I gave up using conditioner a few years ago and just use hair masks as I found that conditioners were about as useful as water when it came to detangling. And when it comes to combing? I can barely get the comb through it without applying some sort of serum or leave in conditioner….
Despite my ban of silicone on the skin, I do admit to using hair products that contain it as I only apply it to the bottom half of my hair so a) it is not coming in contact with my skin and b) hair below a certain length is dead anyway. I generally do try to avoid it though, as I find it makes hair get dirtier quicker it's just that sometimes it’s the only thing which [just about] helps, if a little…I am still searching for the ultimate frizz fighting weapon, so do please email me if you have any suggestions (and yes I have tried Living Proof – did not work).
Sulphates however are the one thing I DO avoid in shampoo, they really irritate my scalp and I don’t use them on my face or body so why would I on my head? So, here are a few of the best products I've recently been testing:
Tara Smith C Curls Shampoo and Conditioner RRP £6.50 each
Celebrity hair stylist Tara Smith created her own range of natural and vegan approved products which also do not contain Sulphates or Parabens. This particular line is formulated for those with thick/curly/frizzy hair and contains Soy Proteins and organic essential oils.
I particularly liked the conditioner which although light in texture, is effective. For more details see here
Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner RRP £8 each
One of the best shampoos I’ve tried, not only does it suit all hair types (even mine doesn’t end up feeling like straw), it smells divine and is gentle enough for everyday use. At £8 for 200ml it's also very reasonably priced! For more details see here
Less is More
From the exclusive salon of the same name in Vienna comes this all-natural and organic range which offers a whole selection of shampoos, conditioners and styling products, all of which are very good, especially the Silkfluid cream. My only comment is that they are quite strongly scented which may not suit everyone. Prices start at 23 euros. For more details see here
Gielly Green
Glamorous hair duo Fred Gielly and Shai Greenberg have created a collection of luxury hair and body products which are all used and available at their fabulous salon in London's Marylebone. The hair mask is the best I’ve ever used: smells amazing and softens even the most parched of hair, plus the fabulous packaging looks good on the edge of any bathtub! The Argan Rescue serum is very luxurious and definitely feels lighter than most serums I've tried. For more details see here NB Shampoo contains Sulphate
A’kin Shampoo and Mask RRP £10.50 each
From Australian brand A’Kin comes this lovely Rosemary shampoo which removes build up whilst being gentle enough for frequent use. The fab Gingko & Jojoba hair mask can be left on overnight then rinsed off in the morning to reveal soft, shiny locks. Their products are bursting with natural ingredients, essential oils and best of all are Sulphate, Silicone and Paraben free! For more details see here
Beyond Organic Shampoo RRP £10.68
From this Cornwall based brand comes this all-natural organic shampoo which smells amazing, both fresh and zesty at the same time thanks to essential oils of Lemongrass and Rosemary. It's very gentle and would be ideal for those with fine hair, unfortunately, it was unable to cope with my mane. For more details see here
With thanks to Geri, Lisa, Andrea, Maria, Nina, Paloma, Kerry and Mark
