If I were starting my relaxed hair journey today, I’d start building my regimen using mostly, if not all, drugstore products.
In fact, here are the ones I’d consider or am currently using on my relaxed hair. And the bonus is they can all be found at Target, either in-store or online.
Shampoos
I love a good shampoo, whether it has sulfates or not. For me, a good shampoo cleans the hair without drying it out or leaving the hair feeling like there is leftover residue.L’Oreal EverPure Clarifying Shampoo
This is one I’m using right now. It’s not part of my hair regimen quite yet, because I’m still testing it out. But so far so good, as you can see in my video review.This is a sulfate-free clarifying shampoo that helps with hard water buildup. It’s part of L’Oreal’s color care product collection, so it makes sense that it’s supposed to deep-clean the hair while also providing moisture.
Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter Shampoo
This shampoo is one I haven’t used, but it’s on my list of shampoos to try, because I’ve seen so many good reviews.This ultra-nourishing and hydrating shampoo is good for dry hair. So, I think it could make for a good moisturizing shampoo. It has ingredients like aloe, shea butter, coconut oil, and macadamia oil, all in the first half of the ingredient list.
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo
If you’re looking for a dry shampoo, this is one to consider. I use it on my relaxed hair when I’ve been sweating a lot or just want to give my hair a quick refresh in between washes.This Not Your Mother’s dry shampoo, soaks up sweat and oil really quickly. It doesn’t irritate my scalp, which is a key thing I looked for since dry shampoos are applied to the roots of the hair. I use the unscented version, so there isn’t much of a scent.
One common issue those of us with darker hair colors tend to have with dry shampoo is them leaving a white cast. I’ve only had the white cast appear when I spray too close to my hair and don’t move it around when spraying.
There is a version specifically for those with darker hair. The dry shampoo has a hint of brunette-tinted powder added to it. I haven’t used this version since the original works well for me.
Related read: 10 Great Relaxed Hair Products Under $10
Conditioners
When it comes to conditioners, I prefer using deep conditioners or hair masks over rinse-out conditioners. I feel they provide more benefits to hair, including lots of hydration.Finding a good drugstore deep conditioner used to be an issue, as many brands didn’t have one. That seems to have changed, and there are more options available. The one thing I have noticed, though, is that many of these deep conditioners are about repairing the hair and less about hydrating.
Here are two that I use that are more about being hydrating versus reparative.
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner
This is one of the better drugstore-level deep conditioners out there. It leaves my hair feeling hydrated and soft. Which makes sense as it’s a deep conditioner made for hydrating dry hair. It has avocado oil in it and a nice creamy texture.This Aussie deep conditioner only needs to be left on for three minutes to start seeing the benefits of it. Because it doesn’t need to be left on long, I like to use this when I travel since deep conditioning for 20 minutes isn’t usually possible.
This also makes a good conditioner for doing a pre-shampoo treatment because it has decent slip and can help with detangling before washing.
Related read: Why You Should Pre-poo Before Washing Your Relaxed Hair
TGIN Miracle Repairx Deep Hydrating Hair Mask
When I want to do a deep, deep condition, this is the hair mask that I use. There are several TGIN hair products I like, but the Mircle RepaiRx mask is one of my favorites.This is really creamy and really hydrating. I like how it quickly absorbs into my strands, which helps them feel really hydrated. To feel the benefits of this hair mask, I can use it as is and don’t need to mix it with other conditioners or oils like I have with other deep conditioners in the past.
While this hair mask does have biotin in the ingredient list, it’s technically protein-free. This allows me to use it on a weekly basis without having to worry about overloading my hair with protein.
Honorable mentions
If you prefer a rinse-out conditioner, I like the Herbal Essences Smooth Rose Hips Conditioner and have hard good things about the Pantene Pro-V Miracle Rescue Deep Repair Conditioner.Related read: 3 Budget-Friendly UV Protection Sprays For Relaxed Hair
Moisturizers
After washing my hair, I like to apply a good liquid moisturizer or leave-in conditioner. For my dry, styled hair between washes, I prefer a cream.This is a category I think the drugstore brands do really well with. I’ve used several good drug-store moisturizers over the years. While I have several to include on this list, these are probably my top three.
TGIN Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer
This is one of my favorite hair moisturizers. It’s on the thicker side, so this isn’t for fine hair. It’s good for thicker and drier hair. I just put a little bit on my hair, seal with a serum, wrap my hair for bed, and in the morning, my hair looks and feels smooth and soft.Cantu Argan Oil Leave In Conditioning Repair
If you're looking for an affordable leave-in conditioner that does more than just add moisture, the Cantu Argan Oil Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream is worth checking out.I found that it helped keep my relaxed hair moisturized while also giving it a little boost of protein, making it a nice option when my hair needed a bit of strengthening. One thing I also appreciated was that it worked well on both my relaxed hair and my new growth, which isn't always the case with leave-in conditioners.
Another reason I like this product is the value. The 16-ounce jar lasts a long time, even if you use it regularly. A little goes a long way, so it's easy to get several months of use from one container.
Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth Leave-In Conditioning Cream
If you’re looking for a cream that’s a little lighter, I’ve heard this is a good one to try. I’ve never used this Garnier leave-in on my hair, but the sleek and shine collection is really popular, so I’ve seen this one talked about positively a lot.This Garnier leave-in cream has argan oil and plant keratin as some of the key ingredients. It not only moisturizes the hair but also helps with frizz control and humidity, and provides a sleek, shiny finish to the hair.
L’Oreal EverPure 21 in 1 Leave In Conditioning Spray
If you want to add some simplicity to your hair regimen, this is a good option. It’s a liquid leave-in conditioner from L’Oreal that is part of the collection for color-treated hair.I’ve used this liquid leave-in on my hair when I’m traveling and need to wash my hair because it’s not only moisturizing, but it can also double as a heat protectant.
This L’Oreal leave-in helps with detangling, adding shine, softness, reducing frizz, and prepping the hair for styling. Additionally, it has ingredients like almond milk and rose extract, so it’s moisturizing but not heavy on the hair.
Serums
This is a tricky category, as there are so many options out there for hair serums. Depending on what you need or want for your hair, you may want a strengthening serum, a nourishing serum, a glossing serum, a frizz-fighting serum, or you get the picture. And some serums may do double duty, making it even harder to find the perfect one for your hair.For me, a hair serum is used for one of two things: sealing in moisture or as a heat protectant when I’m flat ironing my hair. For these options, I’m going to focus on moisture sealing, as I have an option for heat protection in the section below about hair stylers.
OGX Renewing + Argan Oil of Morocco Weightless Healing Dry Oil Lightweight Hair Oil Mist
It’s been a while since I used this hair serum, but I do remember that a little bit goes a long way. This was a hair serum I used early on in my hair journey when I was trying to find hair products to use. I’m not sure why I stopped using it.This is a lightweight, dry oil that I found could be used on my damp or dry hair. My preference was to use this for sealing in moisture after applying a leave-in conditioner or moisturizer.
This comes in a spray bottle, but I didn’t spray it on my hair. I would spray some on my hands, rub my palms together to spread it, and then apply it ot my hair section by section. The same way I apply all of my hair serums.
This OGX Morocco hair oil has ingredients like argan oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil, and helps hair feel soft and have some shine.
Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum
This Garnier hair serum is one I haven’t used, but it seems to have a strong following. It’s part of the sleek and shine collection, so it’s all about providing frizz control even in humid climates.This is supposed to be lightweight, but I feel like it could be a good sealing serum because of the argan oil it contains.
It’s supposed to be lightweight, so it doesn’t weigh down your hair when applied.
TGIN Miracle RepaiRx Anti-Breakage Serum
This is one serum that I’m currently using. It has a mixture of oils - castor, coconut, olive, argan, jojoba, and peach kernel. It smells delightful and leaves my hair feeling so soft and smooth.This TGIN RepaiRx serum plays double duty. It adds hydration, which adds softness and helps with taming frizz and flyaways. Plus, it helps to strengthen the hair with vitamin E.
I use this hair serum mostly when moisturizing and sealing my dry hair. I really like how well it pairs with the TGIN Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer I mentioned earlier. Occasionally, I’ll use it on my damp hair before drying it.
Related read: 20 Relaxed Hair Products Under $20
Stylers
Hair stylers are used in the styling process after the hair is washed. And they are sometimes used in between washes when a hairstyle is changed or even refreshed.These hair products come in all formats - liquid, cream, gel, mousse, oil, and serum. And there are many subcategories. There are heat protectants, hair sprays, texturizers, blow-out creams, just to name a few.
I typically only use two types of stylers - heat protectants and hair sprays.
L’Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths Heat Slayer Spray
When I’m blow-drying my hair, I prefer a liquid or serum heat protectant. This is my favorite liquid heat protectant at the moment.It claims to strengthen hair's length, help seal split ends, reduce frizz, hydrate long hair, and seal in shine.
I started using it when I saw that it provides heat protection up to 450 degrees. As an added benefit, it gives my hair some extra moisture. So I can either apply a leave-in conditioner before applying the Heat Slayer Spray, or I can just apply the spray.
Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Sleek & Stay Heat-Activated Hair Serum
When I flat iron or style my hair with heat, I prefer to use a heat protectant that comes as a serum or a dry spray. I haven’t found a drugstore-level dry spray heat protectant yet, but I have found this serum, the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Sleek & Stay Heat-Activated Hair Serum.This serum is activated by heat and claims to give an ultra-glossy, sleek look. It also provides Heat Protection up to 450°F, which is why I use it as a heat protectant.
I’ve noticed that it doesn’t dry out or weigh down my hair. This Garnier serum leaves my hair feeling soft. And I don't see my hair frizz up like it sometimes does when it’s humid. See more in this video.
Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Humidity Hair Spray
Living in the southern part of the U.S. in summer, you can have multiple humid days. And when the humidity is high, it can reverse all of the work you did to style your hair. There are multiple things I do to help combat that, including using an anti-humidity hairspray.The one I’ve been using for years is the Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Hairspray. It provides a strong yet flexible hold while also creating a frizz shield, keeping your hairstyle looking good for up to 24 hours.
When I use it, I’m able to keep my hair looking smooth and without all of the frizz, even in humid weather. And my hair doesn’t feel stiff, sticky, or have a odd smell like with some other hairsprays.
Scalp care
Earlier in my hair journey, I was so focused on my hair and less focused on my scalp. I was making sure that I was washing my scalp and sometimes oiling it, but I wasn’t doing much more than that. Now I’ve learned that scalp care is just as, if not more, important than hair care.There are a few different products that can be used to care for your scalp outside of the typical shampoo. Those are things like medicated shampoos, scalp serums, and massagers. These are the ones that I use regularly in my hair regimen.
Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
Technically, this is a shampoo, but I only use it on my scalp, so I consider it more scalp care than a shampoo.The Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo has ketoconazole 1%, which is good for helping with dandruff, but it’s also able to help with hair loss. While that’s not one of the claims for this shampoo, ketoconazole 1% is an anti-inflammatory and can act like a localized androgen blocker for hair loss.
This particular shampoo claims to help control dandruff, soothe the scalp, and prevent itching.
I use this shampoo mostly when the seasons change, as I tend to have scalp issues and more hair fall during those times. When I use it, I only apply it to my scalp, massage it in, let it sit for a few minutes, and then rinse it out. I don’t use it on my hair because it dries out my hair.
Neutrogena Restore Advanced Growth Support Hair Serum
This is a water-based serum I started using after watching some Abbey Yung videos. She does a good job breaking down the science of this Neutrogena and other scalp serums on the market.This particular one claims to “deeply nourish the scalp to support natural growth & reduce shedding.” It contains patent-pending micro-peptide XP complex with peptides that penetrate scalp layers to help revitalize hair roots and reduce shedding due to breakage. In a nutshell, this helps with shedding and encouraging hair growth.
I like that the scent isn’t very strong, and the watery-like texture that quickly absorbs into my scalp. This doesn’t leave my hair or scalp feeling dry, sticky, irritated, or anything negative.
Pantene Abundant & Strong Treatment Serum
Another scalp serum I use is this one from Pantene. I bought a bottle and then was gifted a bottle, which worked out because I was planning to stock up with the gifted bottle that arrived. This was the first scalp serum I used before I added the Neutrogena Restore Advanced Growth Support Hair Serum to the mix. It’s another purchase influenced by Abbey Yung.This one is focused more on preventing shedding and not really about encouraging more hair growth. This Pantene serum is formulated to help hold on to hair strands longer by “strengthening your scalp's hold on hair at the root.”
Like the Neutrogena serum, the Pantene Abundant & Strong Treatment Serum is also water-based. It’s not sticky or drying. It doesn’t irritate my scalp. It absorbs quickly. This does have a scent, but I don’t find the scent unpleasant.
0 comments
Spam comments and comments with links promoting other sites will be deleted by the moderator.