Hair Care Products
Berkeley Parents Network >
Advice >
Beauty & Fitness >
Hair Styling & Care > Hair Care Products
Aug 2008
I have straight, fine, long hair - no time for hair cuts. it is brown (going
grey) and pretty thick. I am looking for a good shampoo. I've tried many in the
grocery store which do the job of cleaning but do nothing to add volume or
character to my hair.
I have tried a friend's shampoo when visiting a while ago and it worked very
well. but this shampoo had no english on it, so I couldn't tell what it was or
where to get it. I just know it's not hopeless.
any ideas?
I have fine hair also that just lies there.
Try Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo and Thickening Conditioner.
It completely changes the charater of my hair. You
probably need a leave-on spray too. If you visit a good salon they can
recommend extactly the right product for your hair!
I have hair very much like yours. First of all, you need a haircut.
Plain, long hair is the worst way for women with fine hair to wear
it. You need it shorter with some layers to keep it from looking
drab and lank. You don't need to go super-short, but the longest
you should wear it is just past the shoulders or collar bone. Also,
layers will blend your grey better if you're not up for dealing
with hair color.
Shampoo: I have had great luck with Redken Body Full shampoo and
conditioner. Also, Matrix makes a volumizer line. You can find
these in some drugstores and all beauty supply. Be sure to use a
conditioner, but only on the ends of your hair, not at the roots.
The moisture will make your hair a little bouncier. I was always
afraid it would weigh my hair down, but a light conditioner not
applied to my scalp gives a ton of body.
But seriously, get a haircut.
Aug 2008
Hi,
Do you have any recommendations for shampoo and conditioner for
hair with split-end? This is for my 10-year-old daughter. I've
been trying to cut off the end, but I'd like to have shampoo and
conditioner that could help improve her hair.
Thank you!
Anonymous
A friend of mine was using giovanni walking weightless leave
in treatment for her daughter's long, wavy/curly hair. I was
curious so i bought it and it really is great at detangling
hair. don't know that it magically fixes splits ends (i think
the only cure for that is to cut them off and then condition
hair well and get regular trims), but it helps make hair easy
to comb and manageable. I'm sure that not tearing at hair to
comb it, helps minimize damage like split ends. good luck. you
can buy this at elephant pharmacy and i think i've seen it at
other drugstores as well.
aliza
June 2007
Hi-
I have been using Bumble and Bumble shampoo and conditioner for several years now and
although it is a great combo, the price is beginning to annoy me.
Has anyone found something comparable, that doesn't leave fine hair looking lifeless,
and that does not cost so much?
Bumble and bummed
Like you, I have fine hair and have used Bumble & Bumble for many years. I started to alternate
between Bumble & Bumble, Kerastase (not less expensive) and Paul Mitchell Lemon and Sage Thickening
Shampoo and Condit. I have been pleasantly surprised with the results the Paul Mitchell products have
given me. They are definitely less expensive, smell great, and leave my hair shiny.
Judy
Jan. 2004
I have fine, flyaway, shoulder-length hair with lots of body.
Because it is colored every 10 weeks or so, it periodically looks
dry and dull-looking. I'd love a recommendation for a great
conditioner, possibly the type that you need to leave on for a
while, and that is effective enough not to use after every
shampoo. Thanks!
Hi, my hair has also been through a lot of chemical processes
(straightening, dyes, etc.) and I have tried many conditioners,
cheap and not so cheap. I highly recommend Terax Original
Crema - it is a conditioner that can be used any way you want.
You can use it a few times a week, or once a week, and leave it
in your hair for as long as you like. It is a bit pricey; I
paid $16 for a 5 oz. tube at a beauty supply store, but Sephora
charges $20 for the same amount. Hope this helps!
Annabel
I use Bumble and Bumble Super Rich Conditioner on my dry, color
treated, curly hair and am very happy with it (I've tried many!).
I buy it at Festoon, but don't get my hair done there any more
for a variety of reasons (including the fact that everything
there is very expensive, as is this product). I use it every
shampoo, but you only leave it on for a couple of minutes.
Occasionally, when my hair is especially stressed, I leave it on
under a cap for about half an hour.
Cecelia
KMS makes a product called ''Color Revitalizer'' (previously
called ''color reconstructor'')that does a good job with what you
want. The bottle recommends wrapping your hair for a few
minutes, but I just leave it in for the duration of my shower.
I also find that more frequent coloring keeps my hair looking
better. If you are only coloring gray and you're not doing any
fancy processes, you might try doing it yourself with
professional products that are great for your hair. I use Color
Charm by Wella. You can get it at the Beauty Center on Solano.
All you need is the color, developer, some latex gloves, an
applicator bottle and a comb. It's quicker, more convenient and
MUCH MUCH cheaper than a salon. It's also very easy to do a
good job.
prematurely gray
I have fine flyaway hair that I color too. I love the Kerastase
products (the green line) that Festoon sells and have never
found anything better for giving my limp hair body. However,
Kerastase is a European company and they require their N. American
distributors to double all prices. My conditioner costs $24 at
Festoon (only place i know of to buy it) but I got it for half that -
$13 - in London! And you can buy it at Supercuts! Whatta ripoff. I was
getting around this by ordering online from a place in Europe,
but Kerastase has cracked down on them now too. So I am boycotting
Kerastase and my hair will just have to look like %&$#!
- Looking forward to others' suggestions
Jan 2005
I am desperate to find a REALLY good shampoo,conditioner, hair
cream?. Since having my second child, my hair has been sort of
frizzy - i.e. strands don't lay down together nicely. My
sister, in Australia,recommended using shampoos without sodium
laureath (sp?). Any idea where o find such a shampoo? I'd also
appreciate recommendations for leave in conditioners etc. I'm
South Asian, so I have thick, dark, coarse, wavy hair which
currently points in every direction possible. Thanks.
EPA
Try the French brand Phyto --they have great hair care products. I don't know
if they have Sodium Laureath, but they are plant-based andcontain mostly
natural products. As a South Asian with wavy hair that does not stay in place
without a lot of coaxing, I find these products work wonders. Specifically, the
Phytonectar leave-in conditioning oil, and the Phytonectar shampoo. I usually
alternate them with other brands. They are quite expensive and you have to
buy them in salons--try Vine Street Salon in Berkeley. Also, some of the Aveda
products might work--check the labels or ask your hairdresser.
Another South Asian with unruly hair
I would recommend Aubrey Organics shampoos. They do not contain
sulfates of any kind. The shampoos are coconut oil based. I
have been using this brand for a little over two years and I love
it. I also Avalon Organics Lavender Shampoo. That brand does
not contain any sulfates as well. You can purchase Aubrey
Organics at Whole Foods, Elephant Pharmacy (in Berkeley). Avalon
is at Whole Foods, Elephant Pharmacy and most Trader Joes.
You can also make your own from castile soap; olive oil based
(like Dr. Bonners). I have done online searches and found
recipes where you mix castile soap, a vegetable oil such as
olive, jojoba, avocado, etc, honey, etc.
Carla ellialex@hotmail.com
Hi there! It sounds like your hair would respond really well to
my friend's all-natural hair-cair products. If you want your
wavy hair to look more like loose curls, less frizzy and all-
around more healthy, you should try these products. I use them
and love them! Go to www.jessicurl.com and check it out. She
makes a bunch of different products. My favorite is the Rockin'
Ringlets Styling lotion. I am addicted to it! I also love her
Aloeba conditioner. Let me know what you think!
Erin
My hair tends more towards curly, but one thing I have found to
help with frizz is to shampoo less often. I use conditioner
every day, but shampoo no more than once a week. As for
products, I really like Bumble and Bumble - they have a line
specifically for curly hair. They aren't cheap, but are worth
every penny in my mind. No shampoo, Curl Conscious
conditioner, then a little Curl Cream mixed with a few drops of
No Frizz, and I'm good to go. Not sure where you live, but
there are 3 salons in Rockridge that carry them - GenRay,
Bellissimo, and Right Angle.
Frizzy no more
Believe it or not, Trader Joe's makes a shampoo (I forgot the name--it's
in a clear bottle) that is made without sodium laureath. Its main
ingredients are rosemary and orange extracts, and it is desigend for dry
hair. My husband uses it and really likes it , and it's inexpensive.
I have fairly curly hair, and my hair got quite dry after the birth of my
second child. I swear by Aveda products (shampoos, Deep-Penetrating
conditioner, and Be Curly, a product that encourages curl and
discourages frizz). The folks at the Aveda store on Fourth St. are quite
helpful.
Good luck!
ANON
Congratulations on your baby. Your hair sounds a lot like mine.
What really benefits me is silicone. I've had good success with
L'oreal Nature's Therapy Unfrizz, which can be found at Sally's
Beauty Supply. This is a deep conditioner. Another good product
is Generic Matrix Biolage Shine Renewal, a spray on silicone also
available at Sally's.
Silicones, oils, waxes and styling products build up on hair over
time. When hair begins to get unmanageable, you need to clarify
your hair. Any shampoo that does not contain conditioning or
styling ingredients can clarify the hair. I use White Rain Extra
Body shampoo. Cheap and effective. It also contains a chelating
ingredient to remove mineral build up from hard water or swimming.
Another factor may be the weather. Dry heated air can cause
static and flyaways. A humidifier can help, but don't humidify so
much that mildew grows on the walls. Hormones are yet another
factor that can make hair unmanageable.
I would like to give you a book recommendation, Paula Begoun's
''Don't Go Shopping for Hair Care Products Without Me''. She has
reviewed almost every hair care product available at press time
and provides lists of recommendations based on your hair type.
Granted, within these lists you will still have to discover your
best product by trial and error, but it really helps narrow down
the choices. She also gives scientifically-based hair care advice
and debunks myths, such as salon products being better or gentler
for hair (they aren't). By the way, sodium laurETH sulfate is one
of the gentler surfactants. It is sodium laurYL sulfate you want
to avoid. Paula Begoun has a website and her own line of cosmetics:
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/
You may also like the online Long Hair Community:
http://www.longhaircommunity.com/
Very informative, friendly and welcoming, and not just for people
with long hair.
J12
this page was last updated: Feb 2, 2009
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.
Copyright © 1996-2013 Berkeley Parents Network