It takes a lot to maintain a blonde do. As you all know I take pride in my hair and try to protect from any damage life can cause it. From heat tools to pollution you don’t really realize just how your everyday life can cause damage to your hair. What we don’t often realize is that our shampoo and conditioner an also be causing some unnecessary damage that can be avoided by looking at a few particulars.
Paraben and Sulfate Free
There’s a strong debate on this topic but I think I have to side with Jonathan Van Ness and say keep those out of my shampoos. Parabens and Sulfates are essentially just unnecessary preservatives beauty brands add to their products to prolong shelf life. They really don’t do anything for your hair and can actually potentially lead to some health issues. I have recently added a line called Formulate into my hair routine and can breath easy knowing there are very few preservatives and absolutely no Sulfates and Parabens.
Decide What You Want From Your Shampoo
Deciding what you want out of your shampoo is something I think many people don’t actually think about. You walk into the grocery store and start picking up bottles from the endless rows of products and typically land on one that smells nice and is at the right price point… I know I’ve been guilty of that. But what you should actually do is really take a minute to think about how your hair is currently and what your end goal is. Do you want to tame frizz? Or maybe strengthen it so you can grow it out? Take a minute to assess your hair needs and then look for products with specific ingredients that will help you achieve those hair goals.
If you don’t have the time to do all that or you’re like me and are looking for a little help in more than one area. I feel like haircare companies will focus on one problem area making their shampoos. Luckily Formulate can do all that for you! When you sign up you take a really quick survey and they ask you those exact, what your hair type is, color, and where you want your hair. When I took the survey I specified I wanted more shine, length, and volume. I also need a product that will protect from my heat tools and city pollution. With all this information Formulate is able to customize a shampoo and condition specifically for your hair. Along with your hair texture and needs, you should also give your scalps dryness and sensitivity some thought.
Being blonde I also love a good toning shampoo. I mix my Formulate formula with either a blue or purple shampoo to eliminate any yellow tones. Obviously, the color of these shampoos is very important to my end goal of silvery cool toned hair but there are so many ingredients you can look out for that will do specific things for your hair.
Ingredients to look for in your hair products.
For a dry scalp: Salicylic acid buffs away any dry skin, just like it does in acne products
For Oily Hair: clarifying shampoos with activated charcoal like a facemask can pull all the impurities out of your hair without drying it out.
Curly hair: you want a lightweight conditioner that won’t weigh down your curls and pull them straight like coconut oil or shea butter.
To Strengthen Your Strands: Keratin is a great protein to strengthen your hair
Switch It Up
Make sure that after a couple months you switch up your shampoo routine. Your hair can start to build up resistance to certain products and make them less effective. I am also a strong believer in washing your hair as infrequently as possible. If you’re someone who goes to the gym every day and gets a good sweat just wash your body and use a little bit of dry shampoo and a blow dryer to dry up any sweat in your hairline.
Giveaway!
If you’re interested in trying Formulate for yourself enter this giveaway for $5 off and your chance to win your very own customized shampoo and conditioner set.
