Hair Obsessions

Miracle Hair Treatment, ELEVEN Australia - Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair, Cedel - Purse Size Radial Brush and Super Hold Elastic Headband in Brown, Lady Jayne

About a year ago I had my long curly locks cut off and replaced with a cute bob and block fringe (or bangs). I've not had a fringe in my life since I was about 5 years old (forgetting that very very brief period in year 10) and I wanted a drastic change. I've never been one for obsessive styling of my hair either and so going from the easiness of long hair to short hair and a fringe required a change in hair products and styling techniques. Thankfully, as the owner of naturally curly hair, I am no stranger to the straightening iron or blow drier but I have come to appreciate the use of better hair care products. Here are a few of the products I have come to rely on to make me feel less like a shaggy dog and more like a shiny princess. 

ELEVEN Australia's Miracle Hair Treatment - $24.95: this product promised to deliver 'eleven benefits your hair will love'. When I saw it sitting there on my hair dresser's shelf and read the description I couldn't help myself. I can rarely be bothered applying any product and so one that offered the benefits of so many appealed to me like the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Its benefits include (yes, I'm quoting the website, so sue me): adding shine, smoothness and softness, controlling frizz and fly aways, moisturising, strengthening fragile hair, preventing split ends, detangling and creating manageability, protecting from heat styling, enhancing natural body, protecting hair colours from UV lights, and protecting chlorine and sun damage. 

I will admit I don't really need all of those benefits but protection from heat stylers (which I use almost everyday), preventing split ends, added softness, and controlling frizz are important to me. I've been using this product for about two months now, after a vital reshape of my style cut, and will definitely be repurchasing this product. It's super easy to apply. Just a few pumps worked through my washed hair before I blow dry and straighten. 

CEDEL's Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair - $6.69: having never tried a dry shampoo before, I thought I should go for a smaller and cheaper option. So far, I must say I'm quite a fan. I had heard that dark brunettes should definitely go for the dark hair alternatives and I'm glad I did. This isn't a product I use everyday but with oily skin and short hair the amount of wear I can get from one wash is definitely cut in half compared to my old long locks. Having a fringe also makes managing my hair's body and style between washes difficult. I find this product useful on the second or third day of my wash cycle when my fringe has found its own path (very different from mine). 

I only use this when I know I won't be fussy about my hair's appearance for long or at all because if I play with it too much after use, the oil returns pretty quickly. It is definitely handy at the end of the day when I'm changing clothes or makeup and need a little more bounce in my fringe. 

I haven't had a good look around the market for other dark hair dry shampoos but when this runs out I may or may not return to this product. It works well enough but I might look harder next time I'm in need. 

The last products I'm going to feature in today's post are more 'tools' than 'products' but they're helpful for my 'new-ish' hair style nonetheless. 

Lady Jayne Purse size Radial Brush and Super Hold Elastic Headband in brown - $3.99 and $6.79 respectively. For the first few months of my adventure into the world of fringes (bangs) I was using my ordinary hair brush to blow dry them after a wash. This was working only averagely and thought that a smaller round brush would be more beneficial. This brush might look like cheap plastic crap but it has a very small job to do and works perfectly well. Only if I lose it or if it breaks will I be purchasing anything more substantial to roll my fringe. 

The second item I've chosen is a girl-with-a-fringe's best friend. There are times when having your fringe off your face and out of your mind is very important - exercise and cleaning anyone? My head is fairly pressure sensitive and so I went about choosing a headband for this role very carefully. I've found these headbands to be big enough for my enormous head but not so big that they slide off. They also have this handy strip of plastic around the inside that holds it in place.  I do require the use of bobby pins in conjunction with this item but thats a given with short hair, right? 

So those are my current can't-live-without hair products. I'm quite happy with how my haircut frames my face and adds a small amount my maturity to my style and persona. If you know of any products that do the same but BETTER than any of these, let me know. That is, for anything but the Miracle Hair Treatment because I'm too in love with it (oh, and it smells amazingly coconutty) to change for quite awhile. Even if my hair was longer and didn't require styling. 

Thats it for now, Erin xx