Even if you don't see my face right away, I pretty much stick out because of my brightly colored ombre hair. I have always liked the way that ombre hair looked and the relatively low maintenance it has as it fades and grows out. So in 2018, I took the plunge and had my hair bleached and eventually dyed a different color. So far, I've had blue, green, and now mermaid hair.
Over the last 2 years, finding cruelty-free products that would work for my hair has been a challenge because I essentially had to change my whole hair routine. So it has taken me a while to get to a place where I was satisfied with the products I was using. This is also because I wanted vegan and zero waste options to be a part of my routine too. So with pride, I present to you, my hair care routine!
Cleansing
Hair gets dirty and greasy and you'll need to wash it every once in a while. Now, I shampoo pretty frequently, like every other day to daily. I live in a very hot and humid country so any sweat and grease will stay on my hair and will need to be washed off. For hair color maintenance, a rule of thumb is to stay away from any shampoo with sulfates in it so your color lasts longer. The more natural, the better.
Shampoo Bars
Shampoo bars are the zero waste alternative to regular shampoos. It's essentially just a bar of hair soap that you can rub on your head to get a good lather going, then you shampoo as normal. Additionally, many shampoo bars are naturally sulfate-free and have less synthetic ingredients so they're more color-safe compared to regular shampoos.
I've used shampoo bars from different brands but the best ones I've found so far are the ones from rraw ph! They have shampoo bars for all kinds of hair needs, but the one below is the Sweet Tea Shampoo bar (vegan). It's a moisturizing shampoo bar for people with oilier scalps (hello).
What I like the most about the rraw ph shampoo bars is that they're big so they last longer than most shampoo bars (up to 30-50 washes according to their website). They're also very solid and don't crumble and fall apart over time - they're perfect to me.
Dry Shampoo
For the in-between days or the lazy days, I generally go for dry shampoo. But I try not to use it too much because it's been linked to hair loss and I really, don't want that.
Unfortunately, I really haven't found a natural dry shampoo that doesn't make my hair greasier so I go for aerosols that turn from liquid to powder. Right now, my go-to is the Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Tapioca Dry Shampoo.
It smells nice, works fast, and has a nice deodorizing quality too. Also: it works as an excellent bathroom spray after number 2.
Conditioning and Repair
After cleaning your hair, it's essential to moisturize and hydrate it after you've finished stripping away all the dirt. Shampoos, especially in bar form, can dry your hair out. Your hair is definitely more prone to drying out if you've had it bleached or chemically processed like me. So to avoid tangles or the dreaded pubes look, go for products that will keep your hair soft and manageable, and generally just keep it looking alive.
Conditioner Bars
My favorite conditioner bar so far is the Cocoa Butter Guiltless Conditioning Bar from BEACHBORN (vegan). It's easy to work into your hair and definitely does a better job at hydrating your hair than regular conditioner, especially if it's been bleached and dyed multiple times over. And, it smells like chocolate. I rest my case.
Hair Treatments
Now, I've tried a few hair treatments in my time and I have always been disappointed by many of them. But one product that actually made a huge difference is the Coco & Eve Like a Virgin hair masque (vegan) - and I love it! While this is a more luxury purchase, I think what they advertise online has a lot of truth in it (though I admit their ads aren't the best). But when it comes to reviving your hair and making it ultra-shiny and soft, this product was a game-changer!
For the best results, brush your hair out with the included Tangle Tamer brush before applying the treatment. I think this works just as well as brushing the product into your hair.
You can use it once a week as a hair treatment (like a 10-minute or overnight treatment) or even as your regular conditioner and your hair will look and feel so much better. Though, since this is a hair mask, you will need to chill with it on for a while. You can't just slather it onto your hair and wash it off right away. This is an expensive product, but I think it's totally worth it.
Hair Repair: OLAPLEX No. 3 Hair Perfector Treatment (Vegan)
Another expensive product that I believe is worth it is something I especially recommend exclusively for people with bleached hair or rebonded hair. What Olaplex does is basically rebuild the lost bonds in your hair so it feels stronger and less brittle after the treatment.
You basically need to wet your hair and chill with it for 10-30 minutes then wash your hair as normal. This can also be like your weekly hair treatment only it's done prior to shampooing your hair. So once a week, you can do this before you wash your hair and then apply a moisturizing hair treatment after. You can buy this on Sephora PH.
I hope you found this post helpful and may you always have beautiful hair and good intentions!
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