Sunday, March 18, 2012

Twitarded Product Junkie Review

I'm an unapologetic product junkie. I beat the snot out of my dyed hair on a daily basis with hairdryers and flattening irons, and am always searching for a product that will magically give me shiny, healthy-looking locks and not leave me with a mop of fried straw on my head.

A couple of weeks ago, I was having a bit of a hair-related meltdown and decided that an emergency trip to the store for new shampoo and conditioner was in order. Actually, Mr. Snarky encouraged this outing despite the fact that he is acutely aware that the ratio of my products to his in the shower is approximately 15:1, so my desperation must have been pretty apparent. And frightening.

At times like these, I enter into a "money is no object" state that I neither approve of nor can realistically afford. Regardless, I found myself at the drugstore cash register approximately thirty minutes later, willing the cashier to go faster before Mr. Snarky appeared. 

In my defense, the expensive stuff - Bumble and Bumble Creme de Coco - is something I'd been coveting since before I went to Forks last year. When I was buying travel-size things I came thisclose to buying the mini-size set (shampoo, conditioner, and a couple of styling products), but it was ridiculously overpriced and I was saving my money for overpriced drinks in Seattle.

But this time? NEEDED IT. I'd heard good things, plus it smelled divine. Which is a huge plus for me. I hate the way almost everything smells - perfume-y things drive me nuts. I spend a serious amount of time sniffing bottles before plunking down my money, even though this makes me look like more of a crazy lady than usual. But one whiff of this made my knees weak. I was done for, cost be damned.

Making my way to the cash register, I came across a possible back-up - something new and thankfully less extravagant that I'd wanted to try, and in my flawed (but enabling) logic I convinced myself that buying more stuff would actually offset the price of the Bumble and Bumble splurge.

Turns out that my rationalizing paid off, since ultimately the cheaper stuff worked better (and I'm not the only one who thought so).
This? LOVE. I haven't tried the deep-conditioning mask yet, but it's on my list. As soon as I free up a spot for it in the shower. Or take over Mr. Snarky's shelf. He won't mind. Much.

Even better? The shampoo came with a sample packet of this -

...which I adore and have since purchased a full-size bottle. Well played, Organix. Well played.

The Bumble and Bumble shampoo is pretty great, but the conditioner is a disappointment, and for the price, someone should show up at my house every day and give me a scalp massage while it works. Overall, the combination didn't leave my hair feeling substantially less straw-y. Especially since I can buy the Organix shampoo, conditioner, the styling oil, and the mask for the cost of ONE bottle of the Bumble and Bumble (did I mention it was obscenely expensive and I was desperate when I bought it?) AND it left my texturally- challenged hair feeling super smooth and silky, without weighing it down.

So what are your fave splurges and secret so-cheap-but-it-works haircare weapons? Spill it in the comments! There's always room for one more bottle on the shelf...

31 comments:

  1. 'John Frieda's Secret Weapon Flawless Finish' is a must! The trick is to apply it after you blow dry and then use the flat iron.

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    1. I like John Frieda stuff - not sure I have tried this (but I will now!) - thanks! : )

      Plus, anything to help with the flat iron damage - I love mine, but they kill my hair.

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  2. Organix were BOGO at CVS last week. They still might be. i dunno.

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    1. NICE! I will check this out tomorrow. Road trip!

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    2. They're BOGO 1/2 off at Ulta right now too :)

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    3. Sweet! I have an Ulta near my office.

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    4. They are BOGO at Rite-Aid this week!

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  3. I just bought the organix moroccan oil for the fried mop on my head and I love it. Even my always critical mother mentioned that my hair had nice body lately...I am picking up the macadamia dry styling oil on the way to work in the morning, it sounds amazing.

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    1. I think they have a shampoo and conditioner in the Moroccan oil line too - yay! Actually there are a few more I'm going to try... As soon as I have space! It's good to rotate products. A lot. Right???

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  4. As of Saturday (Sunday your time) I am participating in the Worlds Greatest Shave for the Lukeamia Foundation &I won't have any hair! So think of me as you are all shampooing, conditioning & all the other things to your hair! I know I will look awful but it will be stress & maintenance free & will save me a fortune in products.

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    1. That's great - well done! And yes, you will save a fortune AND help others - win-win! : )

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  5. Garnier products. I'm still in university, so I have to watch my money (even more so now ever since I plunked two hundred dollars for a new bow for archery practice) but Garnier products make my hair look nicer. Which says a lot because I hate the way I hate my hair looks and if I could get away with shaving my head and not look a lesbo/cancer patient/Demi Moore in GI Jane, I would do so in a heartbeat.

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    1. Garnier used to make a deep conditioner that came in a tub that I really loved, but I don't see it on the shelves anymore. I hate when something I adore is discontinued!

      I also highly recommend Clairol Herbal Essences Hydralicious Shampoo for a really thrifty get - it works great (although the conditioner is just "meh").

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    2. Danke STY! I'll look into the Clairol products when I run out of my current stash of shampoo. I used their hair dyes in the past and they look great on my hair.

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  6. Aussie's 3 minute miracle conditioner. loverly.

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    1. Do the Aussie products still smell the way I remember??? I used to be a Scrunch Spray addict...

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  7. Well, ULTA is now a richer than ever! Thanks for tip - can't wait to try Organix. It's so humid here in Atlanta! Maybe I'll have one summer without the dreaded frizz!!!

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  8. I spend so little on hair products which is probably bad because I drop a small fortune every 10 weeks to keep my hair looking like I'm a natural blonde. But then I try to stretch it out to 11 or 12 weeks and the gray roots start to blink like a blinkin beacon. And it makes me cry.

    I may have to try this Organix stuff you speak of. The last time I got my hair done, my hairdresser sold me Redken Blonde Glam. I didn't notice a real difference...

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    1. I've bought a lot of salon products in my time, and I like this stuff better.

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  9. Ha! The scrunch and spray smells the same. I occasionally do the "smell~o~past" jaunt down the hair products aisle. *paul mitchell awapuhi* ahhhh. 23 year old college mems of frequent and ummmm...productive sex with my, unbeknownest at the time, hassband. Goodtimes. pure and simple. I need more awapuhi!

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  10. I've been eyeing that Macadamia Oil in the store for a little while now but have been too afraid that it might be too heavy for my shitty fine hair. Is it?

    Actually, that goes the same for all the other products you guys have mentioned. :)

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    1. In my professional opinion... Oh wait I don't have a professional opinion here... I don't think your hair is as fried as my hair, although I DO think it rinses out nicely, so it might work even on your baby-fine tresses.

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  11. Can't wait to try some of these suggestions, because rotating shampoos seems to work well for me.

    On my fine, limp hair -- Organix Coconut Milk shampoo and conditioner give good body and shine.

    Also Kiehl's Amino Acid shampoo and Extra-strength Conditioning Rinse for dry hair (more coconut oil) not cheap but a little goes a long way (and you use it to the last drop instead of tossing out unfinished, since it never stops 'working').

    Ditto Fekkai Protein RX shampoo and conditioner. Makes my hair silky soft but with body.

    However, next I will try some of the products mentioned above.
    thanks to all.

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    1. I haven't purchased anything from Kiehl's lately but I LOVE the Fekkai Glossing line and their color-treated hair products - but gah - so expensive! Plus I think everything works better when you mix it up/don't use the same products ever day. But that is probably just me rationalizing the ridiculous amount of products I own. : )

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  12. My husband used to be a hair stylist when he was in college (his dad owned a salon). He has since abandoned it for architecture, but he still has a penchant for Aveda products and coloring and cutting my hair on the side. Free haircuts and colors make paying for hair products feel a little better. Win for me!

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    1. I forgot until after I wrote this post how much I used to love Aveda products - they are great (and smell DIVINE!) - sometimes I forget about the good products because as @getinthecar notes, those are the ones you use up completely and they aren't rolling around the bathroom for a year. : )

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  13. I've never been an expensive products person, but last year I started splurging on Fekkai Advanced Glossing, and I love it! Do you like this stuff better? Please say yes, because that stuff is sooo pricey and I'd love to switch.

    Then I can start splurging on eye cream, since my first "29 again" birthday is this year. Has anyone found a non-venomous product that makes my skin sparkle and look 17 again?

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    1. LOVE that Fekkai line! Also, smells GREAT! Like spring or fresh cut grass or something similarly amazing... That's what I had splurged on pre-Forks, actually! I think the first time I used it was the best though, but that's always how I feel about new stuff - it's amazing and then good but never quite AS good iykwim...

      Also, if you find the holy grail of eye creams, let me know. I could write a novel on the ones I have tried. Or maybe just a blog post... hmmmm...

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  14. I'm going to have to give this macadamia oil stuff a try. I also struggle with finding the right shampoo, but my favorite, without a question, is Wen. It's expensive, and not sold in stores, but it is so worth it. My hair was never softer, shinier, or easy to style. (I also didn't have to use any styling products with it.) Now I sound like the infomercial. LOL.

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  15. Hmmmm must try this!!!! I'm always on the look out for new hair products because my hair is an asshole. Half straight, half curly, half frizzy. <---Clearly I'm bad at math. Anyway, I don't have anything to contribute, I do love bumble and bumble but that crap is super expensive! I'll try this and report back. I've always wanted to try Wen too...maybe one day!

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  16. Ugh, way too many things to try from this post. All I want is the hair that Bella's has in all the FanFictions LOL!!

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