Unboxing Beauty

Note:  Even though the products mentioned here work for my hair type doesn’t mean some of them wouldn’t be of interest to those who have curly, dry, damaged or coarse hair.   All products mentioned in this review were purchased by me

I have been working on this review of several hair treatment products for a few months now, and finally I am finished!  I hope this will help and you will try some of the products that I have mentioned here. Not only do I have oily skin, I have oily hair too!!  Fine, limp, straight, lifeless.when.not.styled hair.  I have a lot of it and it does grow fast ~ all of those brain cells dying 😉 ~ but it is pretty blah to me.   I style my hair a lot. I no longer do perms or use a hot curling iron, but I do blow dry my hair using a ceramic round brush, use a ton of styling products and I use Velcro rollers to give my hair some lift and volume.  Plus more hairspray.   Sometimes I am successful and have a great hair day; other times I have to wonder why I even bothered.   I do not use all of the products below at once!!  Just giving you an idea what I have in my weapons locker!

Obi always has a perfect hair day ~ he has magical Jedi cat spit

(he is flabbergasted by all of my products)

Since I use so many hair products ~ blow out sprays, sea salt sprays, hair spray, texturizing sprays, mousse and dry shampoos ~ as well as a hot blow dryer, you can imagine that I will get a lot of build up on my scalp and hair and also damage at the ends of my hair.   I also color my hair because of the grays.  I resisted hair treatment products for a long time, as I felt, incorrectly, that it would lead to more greasy and limp hair.  Nope!  Not if you use the appropriate amount of product and know your hair, you should be able to have healthy, shiny hair with volume and bounce.

I have split this review into several parts

• Scalp Treatments:  Rinse Off and Leave In, Honorable Mentions
• Conditioning Treatments: Rinse Off and Leave In, Honorable Mentions
• Clarifying Shampoos

I have a mix of Korean hair care products and Western hair care products, as I am agnostic when it comes to who makes the better hair product.   You want to have a healthy scalp so that pores are unblocked, sebum production is maintained without imbalance and good blood flow to your hair root, so that your hair will grow fast and healthy.   Removing any build up will prevent “plaque” that has formed on your scalp, which is a by-product of your natural hair oils, hair products including shampoos and conditioners, pollution, sweat and dirt.   This will allow your scalp to “breath” and new hair growth will occur.

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Scalp Treatments

To remove build up, refresh and de-grease.   Our hair is “dead”, but our scalp is alive and we do not give enough attention to it, and over time, hair product buildup and dead skin cells will make your hair look greasy and dull, and it will slow down your hair growth. Shampooing cannot do a good deep cleanse, so doing a detox/scaler treatment for your scalp will unclog the pores, remove dead skin and product buildup.   This will help stimulate your hair growth as your hair follicles will be clean and unclogged.

Rinse Off

Innisfree Green Tea Mint Scaler   This is a product I tossed in my cart over a year ago(!!  I cannot believe it has been that long) at InnisfreeWorld.com and I have been adding it to my cart ever since.   This is a wash out scalp treatment and I don’t know if it “de-scales” anything, but what I do know is that my scalp feels really refreshed, clean and not itchy ~ and it does remove product build up.    It may seem expensive at $17.00 for 3 tubes, but each tube contains 4 treatments  so it really isn’t that bad price-wise.

Description:  A scalp treatment made from Jeju green tea and mint that refreshes the scalp.  Mint formulation for sebum control ~~   Mint formulation (mint oil + mint extract) that controls excessive scalp sebum. The rich lather thoroughly removes residue from your hair and scalp.  Bermagot, lemon, and orange essential oil treats the scalp, leaving it fresh and clean.  A non-sticky and liquid based scale remover, formulated for massaging into your scalp.

This product has a watery consistency so be careful how you apply it as you can waste a lot of product.   The pointed end of the tube does help make it easy to get to the roots and I just use the tube as the main tool to separate my hair and apply it to my scalp.  I don’t worry about getting this product on my hair, but it does contain alcohol, so if you are sensitive to that or concerned, you might want to use hair clips/barrette/bobby pins to separate your hair.  My hair isn’t that damaged or weak that I personally need to concern myself with that.

The scent is amazing ~ just for the scent alone I would purchase this.  I wish Innisfree would make a whole shower/body line with this scent.  It is such a refreshing, invigorating and zingy mint scent and I feel like a glue sniffer when I open this tube up ~ the first thing I do is take a big deep sniff!!   It is a great morning wake-me-up scent 😀 I then apply it ~ it is not oily or greasy, but like water with a bit of a slip and then massage it into my scalp.  I leave it in for about 5 to 10 minutes and then shampoo my hair well, rinse and condition, as normal.

My scalp feels very clean and a bit tingly from the mint.   I do feel this helps with the buildup, oiliness and it helps with itchiness ~ which in the summertime, my scalp does itch quite a bit.  The heat, the oil, the dirt, exercising ~ it all adds up and this is a product that I use weekly in the summer/warmer months. In the winter time, I find that I can use this every other week.   This product is very important in my hair care treatment routine as it deep cleans, removes product buildup and allows my scalp to breath and unclogs pores ~ yes, you do have pores in your scalp!!  3 25 mL tubes RV $17.00

Where To Purchase:  Innisfree ~  Amazon ~  TesterKorea ~  W2Beauty

Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disiloxane, Alcohol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Glycerin, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Menthol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Butylene Glycol cosDNA.com analysis

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Holika Holika Hair Rinsing Vinegar From Nature – Camellia  A LOOONNGGG name for a hair rinse!   This is a fairly new product from Holika Holika and I spied it on Jolse.com back in October and promptly purchased it!  I love using apple cider vinegar hair rinses, but sometimes the scent just puts me off ~ I feel like I am a salad or something.    I was interested in this product because it came scented ~ there are two scents, Camellia and Pomegranate ~ and based on my experiences with ACV rinses, I am hoping this will leave my hair looking shiny and help remove any buildup.

This SMELLS FANTASTIC.  I am not a huge fan of florals and I did roll the dice to take a chance with the camellia scent.  But I love it ~ the scent is not overpowering and it does smell like camellia flowers. When I read the ingredient list,I had originally thought that this product was a conditioner ~ it certainly sounds like it, with all of its moisturizing oils.  That said, it is not a conditioner, it is a watery liquid and I actually replaced the flip top on this bottle with a pump ~ a spray one would be better, imho.  The flip cap was making me lose a lot of product from my hand to my head, while the pump allows me to just pump the rinse directly on my head!! 

The first time I used this, I did so without a pre-conditioner step.  That was a mistake as my hair was so tangled and quite frankly, dry.  After that, I made sure I conditioned my hair first, then rinsed and then used the Holika Holika product.  I leave it on for about 5 minutes and then rinse out completely, smelling flowery fresh.  I do notice that when I use this product my hair *feels* thicker and it really enhances the “curl” from my velco rollers ~ giving me a lot more bounce and body, as well as shine.  Two thumbs up for this delicate floral scented vinegar rinse!  290 mL RV $15.75

Where To Purchase:  Jolse

Ingredients: Purified water, ethanol, vinegar, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, glycerin, Octyldodeceth-16, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butylene Glycol, Cetrimonium Chloride, magnesium nitrate, magnesium chloride, Cyclohexasiloxane, silk amino acids, Ethylhexylglycerin, disodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, sodium benzoate , fragrance  cosDNA.com analysis

 

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Leave In

Balanced Guru Scalp Detox and Balanced Guru Balance Scalp  I put these two babies together as they can work together or separately.  I use these products more in the summer time, as sebum production increases substantially with warmer weather.  I am also a head sweat-er ~ at the nape of my head (neck), it will be nice and wet when it is very warm outside and if I exercise, it looks like I just took a shower!   Both of these products really do help control my oily scalp ~ the detox goes one step further as it helps breakup product and oil build up on my scalp.   These both have a wonderful herbaceous scent to them, very zingy and refreshing ~ with almost a lemon-mint scent.    Balanced Guru has some of the best herbal hair scented products out there!   Both of these products contain alcohol, in fact, all of the scalp scalers and detox products mentioned in this review contain some form of alcohol in them, which is why these are probably formulated for those with oily hair/scalp, not those with dry or damaged hair.

Scalp Detox product will help remove excess oil and act as astringent due to its essential oils of tea tree, rosemary and oregano.  This herbal blend also contains some stimulating ingredients to help freshen your scalp and hair follicles ~ algae, sea kelp and brahmi.  Detox will help stimulate your hair growth as your hair follicles will become unclogged and clear of any buildup of excess product and sebum.  Add one dropper on to your scalp and massage in ~ you do not rinse out.

Balanced Scalp is a product that you use when you need to bring back the oil-moisture balance to your scalp.  So,  I may not have buildup on my scalp, but my scalp is still oily ~ which happens all the time in the summer.  Again, one dropper onto my scalp and massage in ~ do not rinse off.    This will help control the oiliness and get your scalp to produce normal amounts of sebum, which is needed to have shiny, healthy hair.

Where To Purchase

• Scalp Detox    Balanced Guru   ~ Amazon   1 oz RV $23.00  .5 oz RV $12.00
• Balanced Scalp  Amazon ~  Balanced Guru  1 oz RV $23.00  .5 oz RV $12.00

Scalp Detox Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice*, Alcohol Denat*, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract*, Aqua (Water), Cymbopogan Flexuosus (Lemongrass) Oil*, Ascophyllum Nodosum (Kelp) Extract*, Spirulina Platensis (Spirulina) Extract*, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil*, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil*, Bacopa Monnieri (Brahmi) Powder*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Oil*, Origanum Vulgare (Oregano) Oil*  * Certified Organic Ingredients.  cosDNA.com analysis

Balanced Scalp Ingredients: Alcohol Denat*, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice*, Mentha Spicata (Spearmint) Oil*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Oil*, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Oil*, Cupressus Sempervirens (Cypress) Oil*, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Oil*, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Oil*, Santalum Spicatum (Sandalwood) Oil*, Matricaria Recutita (German Chamomile) Flower Oil*, Myrtus Communis (Myrtle) Oil*.  * Certified Organic Ingredients  cosDNA.com analysis

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Davines Naturaltech Energizing Superactive   Read my reviews here and here.  This is a leave in detox scalp treatment and it is very good ~ but very expensive at $50.00.  I found that the Balanced Guru products do the same for much less.  Where To Purchase:  Birchbox

 

 

Conditioner Treatments

Even oily hair needs some deep conditioning treatments and daily help to keep our hair smooth and silky.

Rinse Out

La’dor Perfect Hair Filler   I received this in my October 3B Box.   I would have not normally added this item into this blog post, but some of you had asked me to review this product and whereas this is not a HG product for me, it might turn out to be one for you.  This is a hair treatment that will come in handy in the winter time, where moisture is just sucked out of the air and I might need a little more TLC with this repair treatment with silk amino acids, collagen, ceramide and keratin.  You mix one ampoule with equal parts cold water, mix until it becomes creamy.  Then you massage it into your hair and rinse after 20 minutes.     Each ampoule is 13 mL and depending on your hair length and texture, one ampoule could be 1 to 2 uses.  In my case, up to 3 uses.

This product is very watery coming out of its tube ~ I only used 1/2 of the tube contents, as I have shorter hair and I didn’t want or need to apply this all over my hair, but just to the roots of my hair.   I added equal amount of cold water ~ it must be cold ~ and stirred it up in a little bowl.  It quickly thickened and turned into a creamy white thick conditioner.

 

It does smell like a generic conditioner, nothing bad, but nothing to write home about either.  It feels very thick and oily when I applied this to the ends of my hair and I left it on for 30 minutes.   When I rinsed it out of my hair, I could feel the difference between where I applied this product and where I didn’t ~ my hair felt slick and smooth where La’dor was applied.   I did blow dry out my hair afterwards and the ends of my hair were silky and very soft.   Too soft for me!!  I felt that this product was a bit too softening for my hair, as I already have fine, soft hair.  I probably used too much of this product and next time, I will only use 1/4 of the tube instead of 1/2.   I think does a great job coating my hair with keratin, collagen and other good stuff without weighting it down or feeling greasy ~ but it is not a treatment I would use on a weekly basis.   The silky coating feeling on the ends of my hair lasted about 4 days before it was finally rinsed out ~ and I washed my hair daily.   I think this product is perfect for those with coarser hair, more dry hair or hair that is really damaged. 

Where to Purchase:  eBay  

Ingredients: Water, Steartrimonium Chloride, Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Silk, Ceramide, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance (per fanserviced-b translation)  cosDNA.com analysis

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Light Mountain Natural Hair Color & Conditioner (Neutral Henna)  I received this in my November Herbal Bliss box and I really was excited to get it!  I like henna treatments and this is the first time I have used a neutral henna.   This 100% pure botanical hair conditioner will deep condition and bring shine and body back to your hair.  It is free from ammonia, peroxide and chemicals, no animal ingredients or testing, cruelty free and is certified USDA organic.  Out of all of the treatments listed here, this one is the most time consuming and requires commitment.

Description: Complete All Natural Conditioning Program ~ Illustrated instructions, includes cap & gloves.  Our Neutral conditioner contains only pure botanicals and nothing else  Light Mountain Natural Neutral is intended to help condition and provide body & fullness to your hair. We use only the finest botanical ingredients and nothing else. Neutral does not provide color. If you want to color your hair, try either our Light Mountain Natural range of colors, or the Color the Gray! range for gray hair.

Henna works by penetrating your hair shaft and binding to it, making your hair stronger and thicker, smoothing and filling in any broken areas in your hair cuticle.   It is similar to protein treatments in that way, but it is not a protein treatment.   In fact, you should not use protein hair treatments for a few weeks after doing a henna treatment, as it might make your hair brittle.   If you have hair issues, such as breakage, dandruff and/or loss of hair growth, henna will make your hair strands stronger, help eliminate any dandruff and it will help promote hair growth as it contains anti fungal and antibacterial properties, along with helping reduce hair loss.  It will fill in your hair cuticle, making it smooth, so your hair is shiny and thicker.

So, if you have never used a henna product before, the closest description I could give is that it is like a mud mask.   This particular product has 2 treatments for my short hair, but it is normally one treatment.   All containers and mixing items must be non metallic.   You mix the henna with 12 to 16 oz of hot boiling water  ~ I boil my water in the microwave in a microwave-safe plastic jug and then slowly add it to the ceramic bowl with my powdered henna mix ~ and it does smell sea weedy…  Mix well and it should have the consistency of mud.  I should have added more water to this, as it is a bit thick.

Since this is not a henna product that will color my hair, just condition, I do not need to let it “cure”, but I can apply to my freshly washed (shampoo and rinse, no conditioner) damp hair once the mixture has cooled down.   Another thing to note is that if you have color or chemically treated hair, to wait 4 to 6 weeks before using this product.  I was about to color my hair but I will wait another week or so after this treatment to do so.

Even though this is not a hair dye henna, I still recommend putting oil or Vaseline around your temples, ears and neck area just in case of staining.  I apply to my hair and then put on the plastic cap for an hour.  Yep, this is time consuming!   After 1 hour, I rinse out, several times, working the water through my hair.   I then add some conditioner to my hair to help remove the last bits of henna as the henna will just slide on off with the conditioner with the final rinse.  Towel dry and then I blow dry.  Unlike the La’dor product, I could style my hair without it slipping out of control.

If you have never used henna before and are interested, the neutral conditioning option is a good one to start with ~ it is less fiddly than colored henna, less time on your hair and you really cannot go wrong with it.   There is the scent that will linger a bit, but will disappear after your first shampoo.   After I used this product, I remembered why I stopped coloring my hair using henna ~ so much room for mistakes and SUCH a commitment ~ 4 to 5 hours  ~ but with this neutral conditioning one, I will use this again as my hair does feel thicker and glossier after using it.  Continued use will just build up the strength in your hair strands.  I cannot stress enough that this is not a treatment for those who are in a hurry.  You have to take your time with it.    ALWAYS patch test with henna products.     Full Kit 4 oz RV $6.99

Where To Purchase:  iHerb ~ Amazon

Ingredients: Cassia auriculata (senna) leaf powder*, Lawsonia inermis (henna) leaf powder*  * Certified Organic

 

 

Leave In

Macadamia Professional Weightless Moisture Leave-In Conditioning Mist  I love, love love this leave-in conditioning mist.   Most leave-in conditioning products are so heavy, so rich and make my hair so greasy, which makes it so unusable (see what I did there? haha)  However, as the growing trend of leave-in hair products grow, companies are realizing that there is an unexplored market out there for their products ~ oily, fine, straight hair ~ which gets just as tangled as any other type of hair, if not more.  Macadamia Professional is known for its rich, moisturizing and nourishing hair treatments for damaged and dry hair, but they came out with this weightless moisture leave-in conditioning mist just.for.us.  I do a quick spritz of this product on my damp hair and it quickly detangles, while protecting my hair from my hair dryer heat.   It doesn’t weigh my hair down, doesn’t leave it greasy and it smells like macadamia sugar cookies (a huge bonus!)   8.5 oz RV $22.00

Description: When you have fine hair (or most hair for that matter), it can be difficult to find a product that conditions hair without weighing it down. Both a detangler and protector, this lightweight spray nourishes with macadamia oil and quinoa extract, while argan oil and silk amino acids help strengthen to protect breakage. One spritz gives our hair a weightless, snag-free finish.

• Macadamia Oil- rich in nourishing omega 7,5 and 3 fatty acids that promote healthy hair
• Argan Oil – rich in omega 9 fatty acid that helps to repair and strengthen hair
• Quinoa Extract – hydrates and provides hair with nutrients
• Collagen & silk amino acids – provides lightweight moisture and promotes tensile strength.

How to Use: Spray liberally on towel-dried hair. Comb through and style as usual. It can also be used instead of an in-shower conditioner for those with baby fine hair.

Where to Purchase:  Birchbox

Ingredients: Water, Dimethiconol, Laureth-23, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Soluble Collagen, Glycerin, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Silk Amino Acids, Fragrance, Cetrimonium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, C10-40 Isoalkylamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate, Dipropylene Glycol, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate, Trimethylsiloxyamodimethicone, C11-15 Pareth-7, C12-16 Pareth-9, Trideceth-12, Lauryl Pyrrolidone, TEA- Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Dimethiconol/ Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Polyquaterium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/ Dicaprate, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylisothiazolinone, Citric Acid, Alpha- Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, D- Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool  cosDNA.com analysis

Balanced Guru Style Me Hair Oil  My love affair with Balanced Guru continues…  I received this in my ToGoSpa Society bag and I haven’t looked back.   I had been using an hair oil at that time, Ojon, but this one won my heart (and nose) over!  This smells like an herbal mint limeade, which might be due to the citrus aurantium ingredient.  Once again, Balanced Guru has created an smell-o-rama delight for me!  This is a lightweight, greenish-yellow oil and I only use this product on the very ends of my damp hair, prior to blow drying.   This really helps seal the tips of my hair and prevent flyaway’s and static cling hair.  I also find it much easier to blow dry and flip my hair under with my ceramic round brush when I use this product.   My hair feels soft, not greasy or weighed down.  This is enriched with soybean, argan, pumpkin, sesame and tamanu oils, along with so many other oils as well!  Full Size 1 oz Value $18.99

Where To Purchase:  Balanced Guru  

Ingredients: Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil*, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil*, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Oil*, Ethyl Palmate*, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil*, Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil*, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Nut Oil*, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract*, Citrus Sinensis (Sweet Orange) Fruit Peel Oil*, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract*, Lecithin*, Citrus Aurantium (Petitgrain) Oil*, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Extract*, Lycium Barbarium (Goji) Fruit Extract*, Mentha Spicata (Spearmint) Oil*. * Certified Organic Ingredients.  cosDNA.com analysis

 

Honorable Mentions

• Palan Crysence Organic Hair Essence ~ This was the first leave in “essence” that I tried and fell in love with ~ you can read my mini review here.    There is no scent to it, at least to me, and after I blow dry my hair, the texture of my hair is softer and doesn’t have fly-aways. I only use one pump, maybe two, as I do not need a lot of it and it really helps control my very fine, very straight hair. My hair seems more polished by using this finishing product. However, this product is so hard to find.  So, I cannot afford to fall in love with it.  If you do find it, snap it up.   Where To Purchase:  Good Luck.  Sometimes you can find it on eBay.
• Skinfood Avocado Leave-In Fluid ~ Skinfood’s Leave-In Fluid is very similar to Palan Organic Hair Essence and is a good substitute for it.  I just dab a bit on the ends of my hair and it helps tame split ends and protects my hair from heat.  Original mini review can be found here     Where To Purchase:  RoseRoseShop
  
• Ojon Rare Blend Oil Rejuventating Therapy Ojon makes 3 different types of hair oils ~ Moisture Therapy for dry ends, Total Therapy for thick, coarse damaged hair and Rejuventating Therapy for fine, fragile hair ~ and this was the first hair oil I ever tried that actually changed my mind about putting oils in my hair!!   You can read my original mini-review here.   I do like this, but I love Balanced Guru more;  however, this is a solid product and if you are looking for hair oils for coarse or curly hair, Ojon does make them.   Where To Purchase:  Birchbox ~ Ojon
  

Clarifying Shampoos

Why are shampoos last?  Well, originally, I wasn’t going to mention any clarifying shampoos, but decided that I should at least do a shout out to them.   I do wash my hair daily and use targeted products to help remove build up.  However, on occasion, I will use clarifying shampoos ~ several times a month.   I love the way they feel on my hair and scalp but since there aren’t any clarifying conditioners out there, I feel that this is almost a waste sometimes.  I have mentioned these products in other blog posts in the past.

These three are ones that I feel are really great items.  Out of the three, I do love FoodHair the best, as it is inexpensive and easy to find!  The next one would be Skylake and that is due to the shipping expense ~ even though Skylake has a USA store, the shipping kills me unless I reach their free shipping requirement.   Sometimes, I just want a damn shampoo and not anything else.  The last in the list would be Davines.   They all work quite well on my hair and I have no issues with them ~ they have a lovely cooling effect on my scalp, SMELL FANTASTIC (MintyFresh! and in the case of the Food Hair, FruityFresh!) and help remove that residue of product buildup on my hair.

Davines Naturaltech Energizing Shampoo    Full review write ups are here and here.  This is a really solid clarifying shampoo that is also purported to  stimulate cell growth and boost scalp circulation.   I do like this shampoo a lot but it isn’t cheap either, which is why it is 3rd on my list.    250 mL Retail $25.50   Where To Purchase:  Birchbox

Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Sodium Olivamphoacetate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Polysorbate 20, Caffeine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crospolymer, Mentha Piperita Oil/Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Hydrolyzed Myrtus Communis Leaf Extract, Sodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan, Polyquaternium-10, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Disodium EDTA, Limonene, Eugenol, Linalool, Parfum/Fragrance, CI 17200/Red 33, CI 19140/Yellow 5  cosDNA.com analysis

Skylake Herbal Cool Shampoo    I do love this Hanbang shampoo A LOT.  It actually is not bad price-wise, but like I mentioned earlier, it made 2nd in my list due to the shipping expenses for this heavy item.   The nice cooling and tingling sensation on my scalp, plus it cleans without stripping the color from my hair.   The claims that it will darken your hair color are misleading ~ I do think it helps change gray hair to blondies, but it doesn’t darken your hair to black or brown.   It smells wonderful, very minty clean.   This shampoo has a big ol’ wilfordi root in it, as well as the extract, and that is the ingredient that helps with hair color and prevent hair loss.  It also has scutellaria baicalensis root powder, which has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, to prevent itchiness and dandruff.    500 mL Value $19.00 ~ $28.00    Where To Purchase: SkyLake USA  ~ KoreaDepart

Ingredients: Skylake Oriental Herb Water (Water, Angelica Gigas Extract, Peppermint Leaf Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Morus Alba Leaf Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Licorice Root Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Angelica Dahurica Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Inula Helenium Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Clove Flower Extract), Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Tea-cocyl Glutamate, Disodiumlaurethsulfosuccinate, Glycerin, Cocamidedea, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Amodimethicone, Polygonatum Multiflorum, Polyquaternium-7, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Powder, Polyquaternium-10, Peppermint Leaf Oil, Menthol, Phellodendron Amurense Bark, Allantoin, Panthenol, Caprylhydroxamic acid/ Caprylyl glycol/Glycerin, Salicylic acid, Citric acid, Disodiumedta, Polygonatum Multiflorum Root cosDNA.com analysis

 

Clariol HairFood Root Cleansing Shampoo infused with Strawberry Ginger Fragrance     This is my favorite of the three and I just finished this off, so I have a nice brand new bottle to show off!  haha.   Its scent is a change from my other minty-herbal products as it is a fruity fresh scent.  I also feel it is so easy to find, can go on auto-ship and is very inexpensive. This shampoo smells amazing ~ A wonderful berry with a hint of ginger ~ and it cleans nicely without stripping my hair.   I use this shampoo a few times a month, only because it does contain (bad) sodium lauryl sulfate ~ but I have found my hair is easier to style because all of the build up has been removed.   It is very difficult to get away from SLS and I wish Clariol would reformulate it without sodium lauryl sulfate.. but I still like this shampoo.   You can purchase this at Target for $9.99 and if you shop online and use your Target card, free shipping too.  300 mL  RV $9.99   Where To Purchase:  Target

Ingredients: water, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, fragrance, sodium citrate, sodium xylenesulfonate, sodium chloride, citric acid, sodium benzoate, hydroxypropyl methycellulose, tetrasodium EDTA, trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate, fragaria ananassa (strawberry) fruit extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) flower extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, methychloroisothizaolinone, methylisothiazolinone, red 33, yellow 5  cosDNA.com analysis

Final Thoughts

I hope this blog post was helpful to you and let you know of the different hair treatments that are out there for fine, oily hair!  Our hair type does get neglected in the world of hair treatments as most of the focus is on dry, damaged, coarse and curly hair, but we need some TLC too!  In case you were wondering about my daily hair routine, here it is, treatments and styling products

• Innisfree Green Tea & Mint Hair Scaler (weekly)
• Shampoo/Conditioner  (Clarifying Shampoo 2 to 3 times monthly)
• Holika Holika Vinegar Rinse (2 to 3 times/week)
• Towel Dry with a Turbie Twist ~ this really helps with my fine hair, which I have A LOT of.  It removes excess moisture and cuts down on my blow drying time.
• Spritz Macadamia Leave In Conditioner Mist
• At the top of my crown, use either Big Sexy Hair Root Pump or  Moroccanoil Volumizing Mousse
• Balanced Guru Style Me Hair Oil at the very ends of my hair
• I use Eva NYC Almighty Pro-Lite Ionic Hair Dryer and a thermal ceramic round brush.  If you blow dry your hair,  I highly recommend making an investment and getting yourself a really nice ceramic hair brush as it really helps cut down on blow drying time.   It helps lift and grabs all of my fine hairs and something about ceramic brushes gives your hair shine.   These brushes also do not cause any tangles in my hair, which historically, regular round brushes would just make my hair a tangled mess. 
• While blow drying, I spritz some Amika Bombshell Blowout Spray OR Bumble & Bumble Thickening Spray  OR one of my many Sea Salt sprays.  Just a few spritzes around my roots.
• Hair is dry, so time to put a few self grip Velco rollers around my crown area (hey, Fergie does this too!)
• Spray lightly with some light holding hairspray or dry shampoo
• Do makeup, iron clothes.
• Take out rollers, brush out hair so there isn’t curl, but just bounce and volume
• If I really want to amp up the volume, I use will spray dry shampoo all over my hair and then brush out.  Really thickens my hair even more
• Spray with some heavy duty freezing hair spray (Salon Grafix Professional Freezing Hair Spray has been my hair spray of choice for YEARS)

Yeah, this sounds like a lot of steps, but I have been doing similar routines for years now, so I have it down to a science.  I do not do perms anymore ~ haven’t in a long time ~ perms really damaged my hair and also my hair would never hold the curl anyway.  I am not looking for curls, but bouncy, full, thicker looking hair.  I have lots of hair, but it is fine and straight, so if I didn’t do anything, it would look limp and lifeless.   And it separates, which is called “elf-locks”, plus I have cow-licks so I have to tame my hair somehow.  All I know is that people do not think I have fine, straight hair.  They do think I have thick, wavy hair that I have straightened unsuccessfully ~ which is the look I am going for ~ I love the bed-head look as it hides a lot of styling sins.

Whew!!  There it is!  I hope you enjoyed reading my hair treatment mega post!  Do you have a routine down with your hair?  What products and what steps do you take to make your hair look the way it does? 

Now, there is one product that I do use that I didn’t include here but it looks to be discontinued ~ Innisfree Green Ginseng Hair Tonic.   I really love using this hair tonic and was surprised to find out that it is not really for sale anywhere.  I just purchased something that I think is similar ~ Aubrey Men’s Stock Ginseng Biotin Energizing Scalp Tonic and I want to review both of them to see how similar they are (or aren’t).  So look for that in the next month or so!!

Some of these shops, like Amazon, Target, eBay and Birchbox are on eBates.  If you don’t know what eBates is, it is a way to earn money back when you shop online.   Use my referral link and learn more!  I normally get about $100 to $200 back each quarter from eBates. 

 

[ all products purchased by me.  blog post contains affiliate and referral links, which help support my blog if you use them.  descriptions in italics are from linked product site ]