My favorite hair products as a cosmetologist!

One of the most asked questions I get as a cosmetologist is, "what shampoo and conditioner do you recommend?" If you know me, you know I love any type of deal or bargain and even spending over $50 on a shampoo+conditioner set multiple times a year is not my favorite thing to do. My hair texture is super wavy, coarse, and dry. I sadly didn't get a head full of smooth curls like my parents and brother, so I have to give my hair a little more tlc than most. I didn't notice how rough my hair actually looked until I started beauty school back in 2019 and we learned what healthy hair actually looked and felt like.

I fell victim to ONLY using shampoos and conditioners labeled and sold as "professional" without actually looking into what my hair actually needed. Too much of a good thing can turn bad quickly and I feel like that's what happened to my hair. I'm going to link everything I use to my Amazon Affiliate links in the next few paragraphs!

First things first, healthy hair starts with your body. Products aren't going to fix something that you are lacking internally. Good vitamins and supplements go a long way, but ALWAYS consult your doctor before taking any new medications. My personal favorite vitamin for hair, skin, and nails is this one: https://amzn.to/46Axhrh

They taste great and they worked pretty fast for me.

I'm a firm believer in training your hair so that you only have to wash it a couple of times a week. I feel like this is what has helped my hair the most. When I do wash my hair, I swap it up between two shampoos. I noticed that people at the shop where I work kept raving about "shampoo bars". The thought of washing my hair with a bar of soap sounded very odd and I'm not even going to lie, it is a bit odd at first. I've had a couple of clients who tried out rice water after seeing it on TikToks and it worked wonders on their hair. I started investigating and I found shampoo bars with the same benefits as rice water. I've tried a lot of them, but this one seems to smell and lather the best: https://amzn.to/46m3Fy8

I swap between the shampoo bars and this shampoo and conditioner by Biolage: https://amzn.to/45j3L8n

I love the smell and the way it makes my hair feel afterwards. It's also one of the more natural "professional grade" shampoos and it doesn't take much to get a good lather.

After shampooing I use a good leave-in conditioner and oil before brushing. This leave-in by Pravana (https://amzn.to/3RO5gIB ) is my

absolute favorite and seems to last forever. The price isn't too shabby either! As for the oil, I 100% recommend a clear oil if your hair is on the lighter side or you get it chemically lightened. Any tinted oils tend stain the hair or make it darker. My favorite clear oil is this Redken hair oil: https://amzn.to/46FVL2g

It can be used on wet or dry hair, but it only takes a small amount!

When your hair needs a little extra love, all the girls at my salon LOVE this new hair mask by Matrix! We cannot keep enough ordered. You can use this hair mask as much as you like, but I only try to do it about once or twice a month. This hair mask doesn't weigh your hair down and hydrates it so much. It's definitely a client and hairdresser fave: https://amzn.to/48BxjRD

I hope this explains things in a little bit more detail for you! I'm all about saving someone a dollar because we live in a crazy expensive world. I also wouldn't recommend any hair product that I haven't personally tried or used on myself and have seen results! I hope you have a happy, healthy hair day in the near future!

-TG