MY LATEST OBSESSION (1): HAIR CARE PRODUCTS

December 5, 2019

JLA’S CURRENT HAIR CARE OBSESSION:

I constantly—okay, every so often—get asked about what products I use, everything from hair stuff to makeup to home products, and I thought, hey, I have opinions no one asked for or really needs, so why not do a weekly post about my newest obsession and random purchase fails?  And then I thought, Stephanie is as opinionated as me about products, and she has some different tastes than me. For example, I think McDonalds tea is great and Steph is the type to know the different types of craft tea… is craft tea even a thing? I have no idea, but you get what I mean. So, I’ll share something I’m obsessed with, maybe something similar that failed, and so will Steph. None of these posts will be sponsored. I wish I got paid for my rather useless opinions.

My very first obsession the freaking holy grail of hair care, Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector. I don’t care what anyone claims. FIGHT ME.

I’m oh-so obsessed with Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector

So, if you’re like me and either super lazy, busy, forgetful or just don’t feel like booking regular hair appointments, then your split ends probably have split ends. Mine do. And look, you should probably get your hair trimmed BUT I learned of this product called Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector through Andrea Joan, who was getting her hair lightened, and the salon used it after basically making her a wee blonde little baby. I decided to give it a whirl, ordered it because I was procrastinating instead of writing. When it came, holy crap.

Pros

• Super shiny. I could be a cheesy girl in a Facebook ad video (which I did do, because YOLO)
• Dead ends look less noticeable, which hey, that’s a marked improvement
• Peeples, it detangled my fine, striggy ass hair. And if you have a lot of fine hair, you know that stuff tangles if someone breathes in your direction. When a deep treatment that you shampoo out STILL detangles your hair, you know you got the good stuff

Cons

• None

Price

• $$$
• It’s not the cheapest and it’s not the most expensive, but it is well worth the dollars.

Notes:

• I also ordered their shampoo and conditioner, which is also great, along with the No. 7 Bonding Oil which is the bomb diggity.
• I’m ordering the No. 6 Bond Smoother to see what that does. I imagine it will make me look 20 years younger and give me near orgasmic feelings whenever I touch my hair after using it

 Here’s a before and after from the Olaplex website:

You can buy it and check out customer reviews here.

* Also, word on the street is that the cheaper/drug store dupe for this product is OGX Restoring + Bonding Plex Leave-In Treatment, which is currently $8.99 via Ulta.com.

Well, this was a freaking fail: Function of Beauty

A recent hair care fail purchase for me was Function, a customizable shampoo and conditioner product. I blame freaking Facebook ads for this one. It kept popping up over and over, and I thought, what the hell, why not try a custom-made shampoo/condition where you get to label your bottles whatever you want?

Cons:

• Quality was basic. I tried, I think strengthening and shine and repair or something. My hair felt a little dry afterward, which is concerning. Whenever you switch up shampoos/conditioner, you normally notice a marked improvement right off the bat. That would be a nope here.
• One of the cool things was that you can customize the labels on your bottles. I chose Llama for Shampoo and Conditioner, because I’m a dork like that. I was most excited about this part. Guess what. Neither bottle was labeled.
• Two of the three pumps were broken. Le sigh.

Pros

• Smells amazing.
• Leave In Conditioner is great. That’s a keeper for me

Price

• $$$
• For the cost and basic cheap, drugstore brand quality? It’s a pass, but for $49 you can get both the shampoo and conditioner

Hey, Function could be great for someone else. I did admit earlier than my dead ends have dead ends, so don’t let me sway you like the damn Facebook ad swayed me. 

You can get your own and see customer reviews here.

STEPH’S CURRENT HAIR CARE OBSESSION:

So for those of you who don’t know me, I am half-Brazilian and half-African American. This means that for the entirety of my life, I’ve struggled finding the right hair products for my natural, multi-ethnical curly hair.

Up until about two years ago, I was primarily blowdrying/straightening my hair because it was easier treating and styling it straight–but as I’m sure my curly-haired peeps can relate to, this was subjecting my follicles to damage and stress. So, under the guidance of my hair stylist, I decided to work on keeping my hair curly/natural 100% of the time. Which meant hundreds of dollars and plenty of tears, but I think I’ve finally found the perfect hair product combo for my curlies: Pattern Hair Care!

Owned by actress Tracee Ellis Ross (daughter of singer Diana Ross), this brand shows love to ALL curlies and coilies, and the hair products can be customized to work for your curl pattern, type, and texture.

You can read all about the brand and launch here: https://www.elle.com/beauty/hair/a28897778/tracee-ellis-ross-pattern-hair-care-line/.

There are many products in that line, so to keep things short and sweet, I’ll spotlight my two favorite products from Pattern Beauty I’ve used: The Leave-in Conditioner (and the Shower Brush).

Pros:

• Can be used on it’s own; you don’t even need to put it in freshly-washed hair.
• Doesn’t dry hard/flakey
• Adds great definition (and for reference, my curls are 3B/4C curls as seen in the curl-guide)
• FOR ONCE, you actually don’t need to use half a bottle of product to get desired results

Cons:

• I’m not too keen on the smell (it doesn’t stink, though)
• It’s usually sold out online because it really is the best product of their line, IMO

Price:

• $$-$$$ depending on size.
• The travel sizes are cheaper if you want to just give it a try without the price commitment.

Also highly suggested: USE THIS WITH THE PATTERN BEAUTY SHOWER BRUSH.

It’s $17, but IT IS MAGIC. It’s great to use when evenly distributing product into your wet hair, and doesn’t pull/damage your hair.

Here are a couple of photos of my hair’s love affair with Pattern Beauty:

You can purchase and read reviews about Pattern Beauty products here.

* And P.S., a great grocery store dupe for this leave-in is Aussie Paraben-Free Detangling Milk with Coconut Miracle Curls For Curly Hair which is around $5 and can be found at your local drug store (or via target here).

Price Guide  

$ – Under $10

$$ – $11-$30

$$$ – $31-$60

$$$$ – $60 – $100

$$$$$ (i.e. what the fuck, how much is this?) – over $100

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