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My Hair Care Must Haves!
I'm constantly using new dyes and hair care products, but there are some things I always keep in my toolkit.
1. Vinyl Gloves
There's no reason to buy a single pair of gloves each time you process your hair. I prefer the clear vinyl gloves from Sally Beauty, but colored gloves work just as well.
I have heard about reusable gloves, which I would eventually like to try. (Here is one brand I have seen.) Let me know in the comments if you have tried reusable gloves.
2. Processing caps
Plastic shopping bags are a free way to cover your hair while it is processing, but the bags are not designed for the head (obviously). I use clear processing caps for bleaching, treatments, and color.
3. Tint brushes and tint bowls
I feel like this one is kind of a given. You can get cheap (but good) ones at Sally Beauty for a few dollars each. Most bowls are about 8-10 oz. You can buy larger ones if you require more product.
4. Bonnet Dryer Attachment
I do a lot of hair treatments, including deep conditioning, fading treatments, coconut oil masks, etc. Applying heat to the head really makes these things more effective. I have had a hard time finding good standalone bonnet dryer systems, so I use a Softhood Bonnet that attaches to the nozzle of a hair dryer. This is the model I have. It looks goofy and is slightly pricey, but it works very well.
5. Bleach Powder and Developer
A lot of people buy a new bleach kit each time they bleach their hair. I have found that the kits don't contain enough product, aren't very high quality, and end up costing you a lot in the long run.
I buy 1 lb buckets of bleach powder and Ion Brilliance developer at Sally Beauty. I use different brands of bleach powder, but I always use the Ion developer. It smells so good. 30 volume is the typical power in a bleach kit. A kit claiming to have extreme lift is likely 40 volume, which should not be used by beginners, in my opinion. 20 volume is good for lifting light brown or lighter hair to blonde.
6. Cleansing conditioner
A lot of sources will tell you to wash your semi-permanent colored hair with cold water and color-safe/sulfate free shampoo. This is good advice. However, I find that even color-safe shampoo strips a lot of color, so I use cleansing conditioner. It is less harsh and you only have to rinse hair once, meaning much less color loss.
Many people are worried that cleansing conditioner will not adequately clean their hair. I have some of the oiliest hair I've ever seen and the right brands of cleansing conditioner work great for me. There is a 95% chance your scalp is less oily than mine.
Personally, I hate Wen and think it is a waste of $30. I will be making in-depth post about brands later this month. I recommend Hair One for beginners. it is usually $9-$12 at Sally Beauty.
What are your hair care essentials?