When you search online for hair products, there are plenty of rave reviews and people that share their favorite products. But what about the ones that don’t work?
The reality is that out of all of the products sold out there, not all of them are going to work for everyone’s hair type. And unfortunately, we sometimes have to find that out through trial and error. So with all that said, what are some of the products that I look straight past every time I go to the store now? Keep reading to find out!
Sulfate Shampoo
What is sulfate shampoo? Well, sulfates are an ingredient placed into certain shampoos to produce the suds we normally associate with clean hair.
They’re also responsible for the squeaky clean feeling we’re all familiar with. What may not be as well known though, is that sulfates are also found in other products, such as dishwashing liquid. While shampoos that contain sulfates do get our hair clean, they also strip our hair of its natural oils*, leaving it dry and frizzy.
Because of this, I always leave sulfate based shampoos on the shelves. Instead, I use black soap (by itself or a specific shampoo) to wash my hair. There aren’t any harsh chemicals, and it gets my hair just as clean.
Anything with cones
I also avoid products with ingredients like dimethicone. These ingredients add almost another layer to the hair, and are responsible for the slip and easy detangling we may be looking for in most products. You may see these ingredients in products like conditioners and stylers.
The unfortunate part though is that ingredients like dimethicone stay on the hair long after its applied. The only way to fully cleanse hair afterwards is by using a clarifying shampoo* (or black soap, in my case).
However, even though I don’t personally like -cones, they do serve a purpose. Some ladies use products with those ingredients before applying heat to their hair. A heat protectant* that contains dimethicone or something similar will act as an extra coating on the hair, so that it won’t be singed or damaged by the hot tools.
I like my coconut oil in the spring and summer when it won’t harden in my hair because of cold weather, I like the Aussie 3 min miracle in a pinch when I do not have time to do my regular deep treatment, and my hair just has not been a Shea Moisture fan.
I didn’t like the Shea Moisture DC you referred to either after my big chop, although it worked well enough while I was transitioning. I thought it was strange because the shampoo and conditioner from that line worked vey well. The Curl Enhancing Smoothie from the Coconut and Hibiscus line didn’t work for me either, but everything else I’ve tried from Shea Moisture has worked out very well.