Since it’s been over a year since I switched to a cruelty free beauty routine, I figured it was time to share the products I’ve been using on my hair. It actually took me a while to use up my non-cruelty free products and then finding cruelty free products that work for me.
I’ve found quite a few through my Grove Collaborative orders. If you’re interested in signing up for Grove Collaborative, you can use my referral link here to receive a 5-piece gift as a new customer. I’ve been ordering our home products and my hair care products through Grove Collaborative for a couple years, and I LOVE it!
My hair is natural wavy/curly. It is fine, but I have a lot of it. I have been blessed with texture in my hair, so it looks bigger than it actually is. Over the years, I’ve come to love my hair. When sleek, straight hair was the ‘thing’ during the early 2000’s, I would straighten the you-know-what out of it. But, that’s just not my hair. I definitely embrace my natural texture more now, and I appreciate it.
That’s not to say I don’t straighten it from time to time, and I heat style it nearly every day. Every five weeks, I have it colored. My hair stylist is amazing and matched my natural color right when I started going gray, so I essentially have my natural color. I am very, very close to being 100% gray. During the summer, I have some ombre put in around the middle to the ends. For the majority of the year, I just get a root touch up every 5 weeks.
I think that covers everything I get done to my hair, so let’s get into the products in my routine!
DRY SHAMPOO
Acure Dry Shampoo for Brunette to Dark Hair
Acure Dry Shampoo for All Hair Types
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo
I am a huge fan of dry shampoo. One thing that I haven’t touched on is that I wash my hair twice a week. That could honestly be an entire blog post on its own. But, the short version is that when I use dry shampoo, I apply it at night and wake up to fluffy hair. These three dry shampoos are in constant rotation.
Out of the three, I am partial to the Acure Dry Shampoo for Brunette to Dark Hair. The main ingredient is corn starch, and I was shocked at how well it keeps my hair fluffy. The Acure Dry Shampoo for All Hair Types has the same effect on my hair, but it is (obviously) much whiter than the Acure Dry Shampoo for Brunette to Dark Hair. The application can be a little messy and time consuming, if you’re familiar with applying dry shampoos that spray out. Basically, I sprinkle it into my roots and work it in with my fingers until the white fades away. I’ve only ever seen this through Grove Collaborative and (I think) on Thrive Market. I wish I could find this in a store local to me, but until then I’ll be ordering it through Grove Collaborative.
The Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo is perfect for a quick pick-me-up or when I want to apply dry shampoo quickly. It does add some texture to my hair, so I don’t use it day after day after day. My hair gets build up easily, so anything that adds texture can weigh it down. If you need something to just refresh your hair quickly, this is amazing. It’s also super affordable and accessible.
STYLING PRODUCTS
Paul Mitchell Super Clean Spray
I don’t use a lot of styling products on my hair, because it easily gets weighed down and flat. However, these are ones that I use constantly for one reason or another.
The Yarok Feed Your Roots Mousse is a new-to-me-turned-staple product in my routine. This was in a Petit Vour box recently, and it is amazing. Since my hair is curly/wavy, I need something to control the waves/curls and really hold the style all day (hello, I live in a humid climate). I have always been skeptical about mousse, because crunchy = no bueno. And, let’s be honest, most hair mousse turns crunchy. This one is so great, because it holds the style but doesn’t get crunchy. In addition, my second day hair holds curls even better than before. I love this, and it’s here to stay.
The Amika Bombshell Blowout Spray is amazing on days that I blow dry my hair straight. It’s a volumizing spray that adds heat protection and a little extra shine to my hair. The smell is so wonderful, it makes me think of summer. If you’ve never tried Amika, I definitely recommend the entire brand. The scent is a little different, but I got used to it quickly.
I’m not a huge fan of hair spray, which is probably why I love the Paul Mitchell Super Clean Spray. This is not a firm hold hair spray. It’s light and smells amazing (it reminds me of watermelon bubble gum). It doesn’t make my hair crunchy or stiff. It holds my style, but I can also run my fingers through my hair with no problem. It’s totally worth the price, and I can find it locally.
SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
Acure Curiously Clarifying Lemongrass & Argan Shampoo
Acure Mega Moisture Argan Oil & Pumpkin Conditioner
This is the first pair of shampoo and conditioner that I’ve stuck with for a while. For years, I’ve been trying tons of shampoos and conditioners and constantly switching them out. Once I switched to a cruelty free beauty routine, I really focused on finding products that work for me all the time. For my fine hair, I need a clarifying shampoo and a very moisturizing conditioner. That combo works the best, in my opinion.
These two are amazing, and I have to touch on the packaging for a moment. I can not stand it when a shampoo or conditioner bottle is hard to squeeze or can’t sit upside down. I hate wasting product, so the fact that I can store these upside down to get every bit of product out makes me insanely happy. The plastic is firm yet very easy to squeeze, so you don’t feel like you’re getting an arm workout in the shower.
You know what I mean?
TREATMENTS
So, I have one more product to recommend and that is the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque. It has been an amazing product to use on my dry hair. It’s a once-a-week mask that makes my hair so smooth and shiny. A little goes a long way, so I only need to use this every other week. It stays in my shower all the time, so the container has seen better days (hence, I did not include a picture of it). If you need something hydrating for your hair, I can’t recommend this enough. It comes in a huge tub & lasts forever. My tub is almost a year old, and I just used it up.
OTHER PRODUCTS
I wanted to mention two more products. The first one, the Acure Mega Moisture Argan Oil & Pumpkin Shampoo is something that doesn’t work for me. I did want to mention it, because it’s an amazing shampoo if you have very dry hair. If a clarifying shampoo is too drying for you, I would try this one. This simply wears my hair down too much, so my kids will probably use up this bottle.
The second product is the Acure Simply Smoothing Coconut & Marula Conditioner. I recently purchased this in a Grove Collaborative order. Being a huge fan of coconut and marula, I am curious about how this will react with my hair. The summer humidity has me looking extra frizzy lately, so hopefully this will help tame it a little!
What are your favorite hair products?
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Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
