My five must-have hair products!

by Kaylah Stroup

Whenever I post about my hair I always get more than a few questions about how it looks so healthy despite what I put it through. I’ve been dyeing my hair unnatural colors consecutively for nearly ten years now so its safe to say I’ve found a handful of products I swear by!

1, 2 + 3 // Coconut oilGarnier Whole Blends Nourishing Mask, and EVA NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask are three products I like to use before bleaching my hair (not at the same time, of course.) They each smell wonderful and leave my hair so much more smooth, shiny and manageable than before applying. Before bleaching your hair you want it to be in as good of shape as possible, using a hair mask will definitely help. Of course, after dying your hair you could use one as well but since they all need rinsed out in the end there is the chance of your color fading so I recommend using them often in the days leading up to the day you plan on bleaching.

4 // Hask Placenta. Yep, you read that right. With a main ingredient like placenta, sheep’s placenta to be exact, I can understand any hesitations you have with this product. I’ve been using it for years though and couldn’t be happier with the results. I spray it on every day before I brush my hair out after showers. It works wonders when my hair is less than manageable after bleaching and keeps my hair shiny, always. It is my ABSOLUTE favorite hair product.

5 // Boar hair brush. I picked up a boar hair brush at Target one day just because I needed a new brush. I got in the car, started brushing my hair and immediately realized this new brush was making my hair reeeeeal greasy. Come to find out, boar hair brushes are great for distributing your scalps natural oils to the rest of your hair. The thing is I have very fine hair so this brush makes my hair embarrassingly greasy. This was actually a really great discovery though. Now I always brush my hair thoroughly with this brush before bleaching my hair so the bleach does as little damage as possible. Your oils help protect your hair.

Other than those things I don’t use too much else. I’m a big fan of Sparks Color Care Sulfate-Free Shampoo + Conditioner which are awesome for helping maintain my hair color.

These products won’t save super damaged hair and they’re not miracle workers but they definitely help keep my hair super shiny and as healthy as possible. What are some of your must-have hair products? I love trying new hair masks!

If you have any hair questions or are looking for more tips, check out my hair master post! I’ve got 7 tips for maintaining bright hair color, two tips for switching hair colors easily, bleaching your hair 101+ so much more!

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29 comments

PIM PrettyInMad January 23, 2014 - 1:33 pm

ok. I'm ready for a long shopping on line session.

Alanna Rolander January 23, 2014 - 1:46 pm

Hello! Another great product to use while bleaching is a protein filler. When you bleach you obviously take a lot of good stuff out of your hair. Sally's sells protein filler in four differenr tones (I use platinum). Mix your bleach, put half the bottle of filler in it, mix, & slap it on. It puts protein back into hair while also making the bleaching process produce more even results! (If you already do this, or have tried, I feel silly, but it couldn't hurt to share the info!)

Rachel Bjork January 23, 2014 - 2:05 pm

I bleach my roots every 3-4 weeks. I love It's a 10 Miracle leave in product, and Chi. They help protect hair from drying/tools.
I use Dove Intensive repair conditioner and I swear it has improved my hair.

Sofia Miacis January 23, 2014 - 2:08 pm

Ok, loved the Hask placenta one. Never heard about it and I'm gonna try it. I'm kinda on the phase I cut my hair now I want him to grow 🙂

martinus January 23, 2014 - 3:07 pm

I have a hair mask from The Body Shop, but it's more lightweight moisture. I also got one from Lush as a present last year and it was really good. I don't know if you have Lush in the US. I use coconut oil for baking and in my homemade deodorant, but I haven't tried it on my hair yet.

E.C. Anderson January 23, 2014 - 3:43 pm

Thank you for sharing! I'll be bleaching my hair for the first time soon and love to hear what other people use for their hair. I'm using the Hask Henna-n-Placenta mask every so often leading up to it, and WOW. Y'all. Listen to her. Hask products are ah.ma.zing.

Elyse @ Cuddly as a Cactus

Morgan Gaw January 23, 2014 - 3:48 pm

Do you have to order the Hask Placenta from somewhere special or can you find it at a place like Sally Beauty Supply?

Kaylah January 24, 2014 - 1:18 pm

You know, I'm not a 100% positive but I THINK I've seen it at Sally's. It'd never hurt to ask them when you're in there. 🙂

Katie January 23, 2014 - 4:08 pm

I found that sulfate & paraben free shampoos didn't strip the color quite as fast as normal stuff. I use Whole Foods 365 brand since it's cheap. (Here a normal sized bottle is $3-4 and the gigantic bottle is $6)

Thanks for the post! My hair needs some serious help and I plan on getting some coconut oil! ♥

Kaylah January 24, 2014 - 1:19 pm

Oh, definitely! Sulfate is naaaasty for your hair, which is why it's so hilarious it's the first of second ingredient in most shampoos.

Chrissy January 23, 2014 - 4:22 pm

I really need to get a hair mask. Thanks for sharing.

best,
Chrissy of crashbeauty.com

Harlynn January 23, 2014 - 7:46 pm

Thank you a ton for posting this!
I'm in great need of new hair care products. c:

<3
Harlynn
http://www.mindyourmadness.blogspot.com

Kimberly June January 24, 2014 - 12:56 am

Thank you for posting this! I've gone platinum again and my hair is a fried mess.

Trowzers January 24, 2014 - 7:42 am

It makes me sad seeing all these cool things on Amazon when they won't ship any of them to Australia (apparently Priceline used to have the Hask and Seche Vite products, but I can't find them there any more – I can't seem to find anyone that will ship here!)

Mari January 24, 2014 - 1:27 pm

I love the hair masks from TVAL.
I don't hold them for the full 5 mins, but use them as conditioner twice a week (I dont user conditioner generally) and my hair is so soft. Didn't try their leave in shampoo or any of the solids though.

http://tvalskincare.com/home.php?cat=46

Kelly January 24, 2014 - 6:54 pm

Yes, they sell hask placenta at Sally's. I just picked some up there. They only had small vials, though. Not the bigger bottles.

Michelle January 25, 2014 - 2:25 am

I've heard that coconut oil is amazing in both your hair and body but I have only used it in my food. haha! Have you used Aussie's 3 minute miracle? If not I highly recommend it to you, it amazing!

Acid Skully January 25, 2014 - 11:58 pm

hello, i'm a silver haired girl.. my hair saviours are John Masters Organics products <3

Beaute Sombre January 26, 2014 - 3:57 pm

Thank you for posting this! I am looking into re-dying my hair soon to another funky color and this can help me better take care of it. Would you do a post on how to bleach your hair? I need more help in that department & I'm sure others do as well.

Kaylah February 5, 2014 - 3:31 pm

I already did. There's actually a link in this post to that entry.

natalie February 3, 2014 - 8:12 pm

Hi Kaylah have you ever tired putting coconut oil in your hair and then applying bleach over top. Its meant to protect the hair while its getting bleached but it doesnt affect the lightening of the hair…look it up 🙂

Kaylah February 5, 2014 - 3:30 pm

I've heard of that but never tried it because what I do works insanely well for me.

Stephanie Rae's Place May 5, 2015 - 11:47 pm

I must say, you certainly take care of your hair! I know lots of people who do terrible things to their hair! Coloring, heat, etc…and do nothing to protect it! Good job!

Unknown July 11, 2016 - 4:50 am

How about a good dry shampoo?

Kaylah July 12, 2016 - 1:00 am

I've been using this recently, and loving it!
http://amzn.to/2a3X9Rn

2 tips for switching hair color easily - THE DAINTY SQUID May 3, 2017 - 11:31 am

[…] I let my hair fade naturally for as long as I can stand it. Then when it hits me that “I have to change hair colors now!” I give myself a few more days. In those three or fours days, hopefully longer, I will purposely fade my hair to the best of my ability. I’ve never been a fan of bleach baths, using dish soap or anything else like. To fade my hair I rinse with hot water, take baths where I actually let my hair soak instead of keeping it dry, leave shampoo in a little bit longer than normal, and do conditioning treatments at least once a day. The conditioning treatments are especially helpful because before bleaching you obviously want your hair is the best condition possible. You can find a few of my favorite deep conditioning products in this post. […]

The Dainty Squid hair master post - THE DAINTY SQUID May 15, 2017 - 1:13 pm

[…] My five must-have hair products. If I had to choose one product for my hair for the rest of my life it would be Hask Placenta. You need to be using this stuff, seriously! […]

7 tips for maintaining bright hair color - THE DAINTY SQUID March 27, 2018 - 11:21 pm

[…] 1 // Good color starts with healthy hair. While bleaching your hair isn’t the best way to start, it is necessary to do in order to achieve a bright color.  Unhealthy, damaged hair will not hold color well. You may make it from black hair to pink in a week by bleaching your hair twice a day but that pink won’t hold because your hair is in rough shape. Be patient with your journey from dark hair to colored hair. Make sure to nurture your hair. Hair masks and repair products are your best friends! (I shared a few of my favorites here!) […]

tips for keeping your hair healthy, shiny & strong - THE DAINTY SQUID October 24, 2018 - 8:30 am

[…] My five must-have hair products ▴ 7 tips for maintaining bright hair color ▴ Two tips for switching hair colors easily ▴ […]

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