There’s no way around it – I have slacked on the blog, going without a single post. In my defence, the senior slump is real – the last couple of months of my undergrad have been taking a toll on me. I’ve been exhausted (as always), but on a more psychological level and have been stress-paralyzed out of my mind. Anyways, enough of my excuses and ramblings. Actually, that was a lie. A little birdie might also be telling you to stay tuned for another post in the next few days on my February and March Favourites.

A few weeks ago, I got my hair cut – and three inches off, not that anybody in my life seems to be able to tell – for the first time in what was likely a year in a half and now that my hair is not quite as heavy and unmanageable, I’ve been getting back into the game with experimenting with products for my waves. For you curly hair aficionados, I’ve been following the modified curly girl method, and have been using some of the associated techniques with some success. I will warn you that I do tend to use some products with silicones, as they don’t seem to cause me issues and that I do cleanse with a sulphate-free shampoo. Here are three products that I’m enjoying at the moment:

ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor: I will warn you that I’ve only used this inexpensive protein treatment once, but after using it once, as the directions instruct, I found my waves to have much more elasticity and bounce and significantly less lame and limp. Now, my hair is a fan of protein, as I have fine strands but loads and loads of them, which is something to keep in mind. It did boost the curls in some  sections that have been looking weirdly straight as of late, which I do appreciate. The only complaints one could have is the god-awful smell, the presence of mineral oil – some find that it builds up in the hair – and the one silicone towards the end of the ingredient list.

Joico K-Pak Conditioner: I remember having consistantly good hair days in high school when I was using the K-Pak line, so when I was perusing the beauty section of Winners – as I do so enjoy to do – I couldn’t resist picking the bottle up for $10. I knew that it contained silicones but I tend to not mind them because of their slip and the fact that I have hair that doesn’t seem to be particularly impacted by them; However, I was pretty excited to learn that there is only one silicone  in it and it’s water soluble. I’ve been really enjoying this conditioner for its banana-scented nostalgia and its slip and intense lightweight hydration. I enjoy that it has protein in it – and there’s enough to actually make a difference, – especially because it also has a nice balance of hydration for dry strands. It’s a nice daily conditioner that’s light enough to even be used as a leave in.

DevaCare Arc AnGel Firm Hold Defining Gel: There is no gel (or curl defining product) that I’ve tried that beats Deva’s s0-called hard hold gel offering in my book. There’s something about it that works best for me in the warmer months (but that might just be that in the summer, I have more bounce and defined curls on account of the humidity) but it works for me throughout the year. I’m onto my second of the huge 32 ounce offerings, having repurchased it on account of the value I get from it. I have so much fine hair that takes quite a bit of gel to be at it’s best and seems to eat up gel, so I can go through gel really fast – the fact that no gel seems to be hard-hold on me including this one might be a contributor though – so the fact that this one is concentrated and comes in a large size at a better value is appreciated. I would describe it as a medium-approaching-firm hold gel on me but what I love best about it is that it provides this hold while adding loads of definition without weighing down or drying out any of the sections of hair on my head. Ingredient-wise, it’s silicone-free and contains a high amount of wheat protein and glycerin.

Any general related thoughts?

Maggie, x.