Guiltless Goodies: Welcome to the New Year: hair

Hi all!

Continuing my 'Welcome to the New Year' series I have a feature on hair products that should please all of you out there who don't want to sacrifice your beloved hair products because they test on animals. I know how this feels; hair products are like hairdressers - once you find one who does a good job you want to stay with them forever and ever. If they move away, you're devastated (I once had a friend who commuted two hours each way to another city just to get her hair cut because her hairdresser had moved cities).

Well, these products have all been tested and used by myself and in fact the Ideal Investment Giovanni products are my go-to showering shampoos. When I want to treat myself I spring for the Pureology (or when I just got a really expensive highlighting job done and want to ensure it stays as long as possible!). The Pureology smell just amazing, too. Nexxus are a fantastic cruelty-free drugstore brand, so there are many options for all budgets.

Please note that although I know there are many women out there who have never coloured their hair - my sister is one of them - I am spotlighting the colour-care products from each line here because a) they are the ones I have tried, as I have dyed hair, b) the majority of women, it has been studied, shop for colour care products, and c) if a line's colour-care products work well, there's a high chance that the rest of their products do so as well. It's true. Colour maintenance is complicated and tricky, so the highest test of a line is to test their colour-stay shampoos and conditioners.

As for those of you with separation anxiety, it's okay. I understand. That often-quoted myth about having to change your shampoo often because your hair gets 'used to it' isn't quite true, either, but there are other reasons hair begins to look a little dull and those once wonder-products stop being so, well, wonderful. There's a great blog post over at Viva Woman (a natural beauty blog) about this, so I don't need to say too much - but if you are having some separation anxiety about this, just head on over there and read what they have to say. They pretty much cover all the bases.

So here are my top three hair product lines to give a try in the New Year, one for each budget level. These hair products left my hair and self feeling guiltless and glamorous, so I hope they do the same for you!

Proving you don't have to be cruel to be kind,

GiGi

Bargain Buy

The Nexxus Dualiste line ($6-$17, drugstores or amazon.com) answered my prayers: I didn't just want a shampoo and conditioner that treated my colour-treated hair, I also wanted one that did other things too! Just because I dye my hair doesn't mean I don't also have curliness to deal with or dryness or oiliness...so out came the Dualiste line, in which every product offers colour protection but each one offers another benefit as well, so you can truly pick the right product for your hair type and colour. Finally!

My favourite product is below - the leave-in conditioning spray that provides a silky smooth finish and protects your colour further by shielding it from the elements:

Below are a few other products from the Nexxus Dualiste line, available at a discount on Amazon.com by clicking on any of the below boxes. I have provided a variety here, because while I tend to need the Color Protection + Intense Hydration options there are other choices for those of you who would prefer the volume option or the anti-breakage option, for example. So browse and enjoy!

Ideal Investment

My personal favourite, the Giovanni cosmetics line ($7.99 and upwards), ColorFlage, makes your hair look as sharp and snazzy as the products' packaging :). With bottles shaded for your hair colour, to avoid any confusion, the line offers shampoos and conditioners for any hair colour, all made from organic ingredients such as organic oils, vitamins, herbs, minerals, proteins and nutrients to enrich and protect hair. Other than the line's ColorFlage products I have used many of the conditioners, such as the leave-in conditioner and the deep conditioning treatment, and all are fantastic. I also used the Deep Moisture shampoo, which hydrates while cleansing. Below are links to all of the products from this line that are my personal favourites, including the blonde ColorFlage as that is the shade I require.

Expensive Elegance

Pureology ($16.99 and upwards) is a vegan line of colour-care hair products designed to provide vegans and other cruelty-conscious consumers with not just any old 'natural' hair alternative but one that doesn't just work, it blows the competition away. By far my favourite hair line, if I could afford to use these all the time I would (I have very thick hair so I go through shampoo by the bucketload. Otherwise it would be affordable - Pureology is not actually that expensive).

I discovered Pureology because I went to talk to a hair stylist about my frustration over the fact that my hair colour fades so fast after I get it done - and it costs a small fortune every time! She explained to me that sulfates are what cause colour's vibrancy to fade and introduced me to Pureology, which is a sulfate-free line. Sulfates also help shampoos to get that 'suds-up' effect, so Pureology shampoos aren't as foamy as other lines, but you can rest assured that this is because it is doing its job, and protecting your hair colour. As above, some of my favourites are linked below where they can be bought at a discount rate on Amazon.com. Please note that there are many that seem very high pried because they are bulk buys - Pureology service a lot of hair salons so their products are available in liters and even larger containers, so if you want to save money by buying in bulk, they definitely provide that option.

If you decide to give any of these product lines a try feel free to return and leave your comment or drop me an email! I'm always happy to hear how things are working out for everyone else, because after all, what works for one of us may not work for all!