Top 7 Hair Care Products For Processed Hair

Haircare is intimate. I like to say that it’s like the panty drawer of your bathroom. No one really knows what it’s in there that makes your hair glow like a silk sheet, but they’d like to! And the truth is is that it’s really personal. In fact, I felt the true impact of just how personal hair is to a person when a salon destroyed my hair last year. I had to go through one hell of a process to get it to where it is now. 

But throughout the horrific process, I realized how much I valued my hair and how it made me feel. Studies are showing that having a good hair day, through psychologically factors, actually impacts the work that we do. 

I valued my hair and how it made me feel

So I went from having virgin, black, asian hair my whole life, to a horrific color disaster, to the lustrous blonde bob I have today (thanks Aveda and Civello Salons!). And what I’ve learnt is that it’s maintenance. But it doesn’t have to be high maintenance. 

Throughout the year I went through tons of products. I gave each their fair amount of time for a proper test… and I came out with some winners that I’m sure are staying in my hair-drawer for a while. 

Ever since having colored/bleached hair, I was always nervous to wash my hair more than once a day. It became a celebration the longer I waited because I was “saving my hair” from becoming dried out. I think a lot of women feel this way. 

I just started to try Pantene Pro-V’s newly launched formula, and I think it solves our problems. The technology works from the inside out (depositing nutrients into your hair fibers instead of just coating the surface of it) and leaves your hair really silky (even in the shower – y’know that “just rinsed my conditioner feeling”) and really shiny. It doesn’t dry out your hair like most shampoos do. 

It’s a perfect go-to daily product! 

There are 2 things us color lovers are sensitive to: 1) how much our hair looks like hay, and 2) how long our colors last (salon appointment costs can rack up!). And these 2 products have been a lasting life line for me. I use the Shu Uemura Color Lustre Balm to maintain my cool blonde and get rid of brassy tones.  

I use the Aveda Damage Remedy Conditioner twice a week to restore the health of my hair. Aveda products also smell like a spa, so I typically use it on days that I’m feeling stressed. 

When we color our hair – we damage it. The truth is, to get that lustrous shiny pastel color, you’re essentially stripping everything out of your hair to allow for that light color to be deposited properly. And when you’re starting from a baseline like mine (the darkest black Asian hair in the market), it basically means I’m stripping my hair down to its bare bones. So yeah, it’s not exactly “good” for our hair.

The Résistance line is your savior if you’re in the same boat as me. It’s actually made to restore damage from long-term coloring or chemical processes with new technology that revives your hair. I can attest to the fact that it’s changed my really brittle bleached-to-the-max hair to something pretty silky again. 

If you’re just looking for some luxury care for your hair, especially if your hair is looking dull or really dry, then this is the Kérastase line for you. I was using this when I first started coloring my hair (but before it was severely damaged like it is now). If you ombre your hair every once in a while, but not often, you’ll like Nutritive. 

It’s super nourishing (in case you didn’t notice from the name of the line) and is designed to have your hair silky smooth to the touch. Think soft like baby-hair, but on your adult head! It also smells like a dream (like all of the Kérastase products).

These are 2 of my absolute must-haves, no matter what condition my hair is in. I use both of the them extremely regularly, if not at least once a day.

I don’t think much needs to be said about the Moroccanoil product. It’s a legacy brand known for this product specifically. This bottle will also last me a full year, despite how much I use it. I find that just one pump is good enough to make a difference for my whole head. A styling trick is if you’re looking for that super high-fashion slicked back look, skip the gel and go for this product to slick your hair back with light hair spray to lock it in. When you rinse it out, it’ll be like you just did a hair mask.

The Aveda Dry Shampoo is one of my favourite dry shampoos. Mostly because of its size (I put it in my purse and carry it around with me everywhere), but also because of its scent. It has 25 pure flower and plant essences (think lavender, petitgrain, and ylang ylang), so it really gives you a sense of calm. This is on top of the fact that it’s bomb as a dry shampoo. Its powder is naturally derived and absorbs all that excess oil and impurities without looking like you put baby powder in your hair. 

The reality of today’s hair trends is that color is here to stay… processing is here to stay… and crazy heat products are here to stay. That means we need to protect our hair. We might not bald like our gender counter parts, but the way our hair looks and feels has a direct correlation to our confidence. It’s a scientifically proven fact. 

This range of products goes from super cheap and drugstore accessible to a bit more luxurious, but there’s something for everyone. Here’s to having fabulous hair to match our fabulous selves!