The Hair Products I Use and Love

Would you rather have a great hair day or a great makeup day? My answer 100% of the time is a great hair day. When it comes to beauty/style, there’s just nothin’ better, in my book. I’ve been into styling my hair since I can remember, always being picky about how the curls look, how much volume I have and the overall finished product. I enjoy the process of styling it and love how it looks when I’m done, so it’s fun for me, too!

It’s been a process of trial and error over the years, but I’ve finally found a good combination of hair products that work well for my hair and help me create the styles that I like. To describe my hair, I would say that I have a good amount of fine hair. It’s naturally pretty darn straight, save for some bending in or out near my ends. If I air-dry my hair, it’s useless to me. It’s flat and lifeless. I definitely have the type of hair that needs to be blown dry and styled, for my preferences.

In case you can’t tell from these photos, I love a good bit of volume in my hair. Because I have naturally pretty lifeless hair, finding products that create the kind of volume I prefer was the biggest thing. With the combination of products I use, I can achieve the volume and staying power that I like, while also getting several days out of my styling. Keep in mind, every person’s hair is different. What works really well for me, may not work well for your hair type. Hair products can be very subjective. But, if you’re seeking more volume or are trying to get more days out of your styling, definitely consider any of the products that I use!

There’s four major categories that I put my styling products in: in the shower, pre-blow dry, styling, and second & third day. For my hair type and my preferences, I don’t slack in any of the categories. The shampoo I use is just as important as the dry shampoo I choose.

Here’s a breakdown of what product I use when and how:

IN THE SHOWER

Pureology Hydrate Shampoo & Strength Cure Conditioner

I’ve been using Pureology for years, at my sister’s recommendation. It works well for my hair! I’ve tried a few different combinations of their shampoo’s + conditioner’s and found that this combination works best for cleaning my hair without drying it out. I use the shampoo all over and use the conditioner just on the bottom half of my hair, from about mid-shaft to my ends.

PRE-BLOW DRY

Aquage Uplifting Foam 

Aside from my hairspray, this is the one product that I would never want to part with. I’ve been using it for years and still love it. It adds a great bit of lift to the roots and general volume through blow-drying. I use it all around my head, spraying a thin line on my roots every 2 inches or so. Once it’s all sprayed on, I gently rub it in with my finger tips. (If you want to see it done in video, here is my sister’s tutorial from years ago showing how to use it!)

Living Proof Restore Smooth Blowout Concentrate

This is a new-to-me product, but I really like it. My hair is smoother after blow drying, which is important because I heat-style my hair. It also works as a heat protectant, which is important!

STYLING

Kenra Volume Spray 25 Hairspray 

If you’re not using this hairspray, stop what you’re doing and buy it. I’m serious. It’s strong hold without making your hair crispy or causing that “it all moves together” effect when the hairspray is a little too strong. This is the one hair product that I’ve used the longest and will never stray from.

Big Sexy Hair Dry Shampoo

I use two dry shampoos. This one adds a lot of grit and texture to my hair, which I need for styling. Once I’ve curled (or flat-ironed) my hair, I’ll spray a bit of this all over my roots and work it in. It adds just enough of that “dirty hair” grit that will hold my teasing. Because it adds a good amount of texture, I only like to use it on clean hair.

Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast

The title of this one says it all, volume blast. I like to spray just a bit of this in the bottom half of my hair after curling. It adds a true blast of volume that gives my hair some extra lift and my curls a bit of body. I love this!

SECOND AND THIRD DAY

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo

This is the other dry shampoo I use. I like this one because it actually cleans my hair and soaks up the natural oils produced on my scalp so that I can get multiple days out of one wash. It’s lightweight, not adding much grit or texture at all. If you’re new to the dry shampoo game, I highly recommend this one.

Kristin Ess Working Texture Loose Styling Powder

This styling powder comes in handy when my second or third day hair is particularly lifeless or flat. A little goes a long way, so I will dust just a tiny bit on my roots on either side of my part and at my crown and work into my hair. It makes my hair feel very dirty (in a good way), which means that I can tease and style it and it will look revived and hold the style.

Aside from using the right products that work for my hair, I swear by this method of how I sleep with my hair at night to protect it. With my shorter hair, I pull up the top 2/3 of my hair into a high ponytail. My hair at and below my ears will fall out, but that’s okay because it won’t be seen when my hair is down anyway.