Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Keratriplex 2-Step Repair Treatment

I made a post a little while back about my struggles as a redhead dealing with color maintenance problems- if you didn't see it, click here! Since then, I've continued my search for products to help my sad, damaged hair, and I've found some things here and there that are alright, but nothing that truly wowed me.

Luckily, I have an amazing friend named Margaret who is currently working at the Paul Mitchell school. I started picking her brain about what I can do to help prep my hair for the upcoming process of going lavender again, and as I started asking her about keratin treatments, she brought up something called Awapuhi. I had seen this before from Organix, but as I've learned, that stuff is far from the real deal. If you do a quick search online, Paul Mitchell is pretty much the only brand using real Awapuhi right now.

Paul Mitchell has an entire line of Awapuhi products out but only the treatment can be professionally done. Usually because this treatment is so rare it's crazy expensive, but because Paul Mitchell has a school where everything is significantly cheaper, the treatment was about $30. I usually never go to salons to get my hair done, especially since most salon keratin treatments run over $150, but this was an AWESOME experience- I couldn't believe it was only $30.

Here's how Paul Mitchell's website explains the 2-step treatment:

"KeraTriplex® Treatment transforms weak, broken and brittle strands into pillars of strength and protects from further damage. Step one of the KeraTriplex® 2-step Repair Treatment, the single-shot vial of isolated proteins is virtually identical to the keratin found in human hair. Keratin Intensive Treatment® is applied as step two to hydrate and add healthy, silky shine."

I couldn't agree more with that description! Not only did my hair feel amazing, but I knew I had serious results when I was washing my hair for the first time after getting the treatment and I had ABSOLUTELY NO COLOR WASH OUT OF MY HAIR! No joke, no matter how faded my hair gets, it always looks like a crime scene in my shower; this is the first time I was ever able to have water run completely clear after washing it. I'm completely thrilled with the results and how affordable it was! If you're able to find a Paul Mitchell or a Paul Mitchell school in your area, I couldn't advise more that you go get this done. You pretty much can't find the ingredients anywhere else and the results are more than worth the trip.

IF YOU LIVE IN VIRGINIA: I absolutely 10,000% recommend you make a trip to the Tyson's Corner Paul Mitchell School and ask for Margaret! Her skills are unreal; she's only 19 but could basically be teaching that school! You will not regret it, BOOK WITH HER! :)

*this post was not sponsored; product photos are from the Paul Mitchell site*

John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss- Cool Red

If you're a fake redhead like myself, it's no secret that red hair is one of the most difficult hair colors to upkeep. The red dye pigments are bigger than most colors which makes it not only harder to blend but harder to keep it adhered to your hair cuticles. For the past 2 summers I've bleached my hair; the first summer I was blonde and this past summer I was blonde again before going lavender. Unfortunately, this has caused the most damage I've EVER had that still isn't completely fixed, even months later. One of the biggest problems I've had is the bottom half of my hair; all of the bleaching and processing has shredded my hair cuticles (even after haircuts) to the point where they will not reseal. This is my biggest issue when it comes to keeping my hair red.

Almost a week after re-dying my hair, the bottom will fade so badly that if I put my hair on top of my head in a bun, I can see a side by side comparison of the auburn roots and the light brown ends. As a result of the damage of my own making, I've been trying to be extra careful when it comes to taking care of my hair over the last few months, especially since I plan to go lavender again this spring...don't judge me.

A common tip I've seen/read about is color glossing; glosses are supposed to refresh color without damaging your hair like a dye does. Since I keep my hair red and that's already such a difficult color to manage on it's own- never mind my cuticle problem, I was all about trying a gloss out. One of the first search results I found was the John Frieda gloss; I swear I'd walked past this product 1,000 times and never looked at it twice before. Although it retails for about $12 (which is pricey for the drugstore in my opinion) I figured it would be cheaper than going to a salon or trying to find a salon-equivalent product.

I ended up totally hating this stuff- it dried my hair out even WORSE! I definitely would never recommend this to anyone. Not only do you have to use a ton of it which ultimately limits your amount of uses per bottle, but it didn't even leave any color in my hair...just more damage.

The reason why I still wanted to talk about this is because I am open to ALL suggestions! I'm getting so frustrated with the bottom half of my hair that over the course of the next month I'll be amping up my research and trying products until I find a routine that WORKS. I've been looking into cuticle sealers from Sally's Beauty Supply and read some positive reviews about Redken's Shades EQ Hair Color Gloss, so if anyone has a personal testimonial about these or anything else, please let me know! I'll come back and update my blog as I make my discoveries!

*the picture in this post came from google; post was not sponsored and all opinions are my own*

Bumble and Bumble Repair Blow Dry Creme

As a result of having nearly every hair color under the sun and constantly getting bored with it, I feel like I've tried a decent amount of hair products in my lifetime. After hating the Bumble and Bumble sea salt spray a few years ago, I pretty much wrote the brand off completely. However, I was recently given the smaller (2 oz.) tube of this creme and I have to admit, it's a total GAME CHANGER.

PROS: 

I use the smallest amount of product and get the best results. The full size bottle is $30 and the small one is $14...not exactly wallet friendly BUT you do get what you pay for! I can see this bottle lasting months and I'm so in love with it that I can justify the price. I use about a nickel-sized amount and run it through the bottom half of damp hair that's mostly dry, and then blow dry all over before running a round brush through the ends. I was seriously blown away (pun not intended haha) at the results! My hair seriously felt like silk and looked like it was just professionally done. It had shine, volume, the layers were bouncy and defined, and the style held up without hairspray. It continues to last for days, I would only suggest a spray of dry shampoo between days and avoid getting the product near your roots. I've never gotten so many compliments on my hair and personally felt so confident with how it looked!

CONS: 

If you get it near your roots it can feel kind of greasy, especially if you're trying to wear your style for more than a day. By the next day the roots can lose a lot of volume and feel oily even if you didn't get a lot of product up there but it's nothing serious. Batiste makes the best dry shampoo in the world and it's cheap so I'd suggest it for extending the use of the creme. Another con is the price. As I mentioned before the full size bottle runs for $30 which is hard for me to spend on product but it's quickly become a holy grail item for me.

IS IT WORTH IT? 

YES! I've NEVER found a product like this; I usually feel pretty "meh" about the products I use but as I've said I get the most amazing results and can see the bottle lasting long enough to justify the price tag. I'd HIGHLY recommend everyone gives this product a try.

*this post was not sponsored and all pictures are mine except for the top picture from bloomingdales*