I have had just about every natural hair color you can imagine. My first venture was black and wow… well that was a dark time for me (see what I did there?). Next I moved onto red and that was actually great. It was this beautiful deep velvet red and if I were to ever dye my hair again (and let's be honest, I probably will), I would go back to red. So, once the red faded and I was back to my natural color I was itching for something new that I'd never had before. Blonde. Now, for a natural brunette there is only one way to achieve Barbie blonde locks. Yup, you guessed it: bleach. Ladies, let this be a warning to you. NEVER, and I mean NEVER, bleach your hair. It is not worth it. I started off slowly with box dye from the drug store going about one shade lighter at a time. Then, when it wasn't working fast enough I took the plunge and bleached it. I was happy with it for a while, it suited me. But I can never be happy with what I have and shortly after I wanted to go lighter. So I bought more bleach. All of this took place over about a month or two which was my biggest mistake. After bleaching it the second time it was beyond all hope. It was fried, a gross fake looking yellow, and did I mention COMPLETELY fried!? I think I cried for like an hour. My hair was long enough that it reached the middle of my back and I had to cut it to shoulder length. With every snip of those scissors a little piece of my soul died. I also dyed it back to dark brown the next day and it faded to a pretty natural looking dirty blonde. My roots have grown out quite a bit since then and it almost looks like an ombré. As of two months ago my hair was still completely dead and damaged beyond repair… or so I thought. 

Then I discovered LUSH and it completely brought my hair back to life. Seriously, their products worked miracles! Okay, enough about my gross dried up hair. Let's move on to the products!

When I first began my intensive hair repair regimen I was using a shampoo called Rehab. This shampoo does exactly what the name implies; it puts your hair through a pretty intensive rehab. It's made with olive and jojoba oils to restore strength to fragile hair as well as moisture, fresh fruit juices (pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and mango) to repair fried ends and restore them back to their soft and silky beginnings, and peppermint and juniper to stimulate the scalp and promote hair growth. This stuff is seriously magic in a bottle. Within two weeks of using this and the conditioner I paired it with, my hair was almost completely back to normal. 

Now that my hair is mostly healthy again I don't need such an intense shampoo. I've been switching back and forth between Big and the New Shampoo Bar. Big is probably my favorite shampoo of all time. It is made with sea salt which gives the hair insane volume. The salt lifts the hair from the root while also exfoliating the slap which feels so good. Right about now you're probably thinking: salt shampoo? Won't that dry out your hair? The answer is no! The sea salt is balanced out with seaweed, coconut oil, and avocado which are all insanely moisturizing ingredients. It also has some fruit juices to give your hair mega shine. So not only will it leave you feeling squeaky clean with tons of volume, but your hair will be really moisturized, too. Did I forget to mention that it smells freaking amazing? It's basically the ocean in a little black pot. 

The New Shampoo Bar is another one I've been using a lot lately. Made with cinnamon, clove, spice, and mint this shampoo bar is ideal for promoting hair growth (which is what I want more than ANYTHING)! This shampoo literally smells like Big Red gum. It's a little overwhelming at first for people who don't like really strong scents (*raises hand*) but you get used to it quickly. It's also made with rejuvenating rosemary and nettle herbs to make your hair soft to the touch. I've heard great stories about this shampoo bar helping with hair growth so I'll have to report back in a few weeks to let you in on the results! 

Other Shampoos: I Love Juicy, Daddy-O, Cynthia Sylvia Stout, Fairly Traded Honey, Ibiza Party (online only), Blousey, Curly Wurly, Godiva, Seanik, Karma Komba, Jumping Juniper, Soak and Float, Squeaky Green, Ultimate Shine, Dr. Peppermint (online only)

Retread is LUSH's heaviest conditioner, walking into deep conditioner territory. However, my hair is so damaged I need deep conditioning on a regular basis. So I use Retread almost every time I wash my hair. Including protein rich yogurt, lanolin, avocado, seaweed and cantaloupe this conditioner is a moisturizing dream. My hair feels so soft and luxurious after I use it that I can hardly believe it. My hair hasn't been this soft in years. When I feel like I don't need as much of a deep condition and want more of an average condition and an amazing scent, I turn to American Cream. This conditioner smells so dreamy; like a strawberry vanilla milkshake. It is a pretty heavy conditioner but not nearly as heavy at Retread. I love this conditioner for its moisturizing power and the scent that lasts in my hair for days.
Other Conditioners: Happy Happy Joy Joy, Big Solid Conditioner, Veganese, Jungle Solid Conditioner, Okra (online only), Coolaulin (online only)  

After showering I like to use R&B, a leave in hair moisturizer. It is an incredible blend of olive oil, avocado butter, oatmeal, virgin coconut oil, candelilla wax, and jojoba oil that leaves your hair full of moisture and smelling like jasmine and orange blossom. The scent is just as addicting as the smooth and shiny finish it gives the hair. When I'm on the go and my ends are looking a little dry and dead I put in a little Shine So Bright. Packaged just like LUSH Lip Balms, this split end treatment is perfect to just throw in your purse and apply as needed throughout the day. Concocted with coconut and olive oils, shea butter, and fresh free range eggs this balm works to put those flyaway and split ends back in place.  Add to that, the organe flower, neroli, grapefruit, and rosewood perfume compliment the scent of R&B wonderfully. 

Once or twice a week I like to use a hair mask to give me a really good deep condition. LUSH has a range of hair masks that all have different purposes. My favorite is Roots, made with peppermint and spearmint to stimulate the scalp and promote hair growth (which I want more than anything!). It also has honey and extra virgin olive oil to soften and moisturize. After using this treatment, my hair always feel completely revitalized. Also, after using it consistently for about two months now, my hair is beginning to feel thicker and has grown about half an inch!
Other Hair Treatments: Marilyn, Jasmine & Henna Fluff-Eaze, Superbalm, The Hair Doctor (in-store only), H'Suan Wen Hua, The Strokes Hair Treatment (online only)

I've always used drug store dry shampoos because the spray can was so convenient. LUSH's No Drought is a loose powder but it is so much more effective than any other dry shampoo I've tried. With its delicious grapefruit scent, this powder utilizes lemon and lime oils and talc (a naturally occurring mineral) to absorb any extra oils from the scalp and hair. I just put a little in my hands and work it into my hair where I need it the most. It gives me a lot of volume and absorbs the oil so well that I never need to reapply throughout the day like I used to do with drug store dry shampoos. This stuff is incredible!

When I want to do a hairstyle that requires a little more texture and a bit of a beachy finish, I turn to Sea Spray. I love using it to achieve perfect beachy waves (especially when my hair was long. Can you tell I'm bitter about having short hair?) but sometimes I spray it in just for the intoxicating fragrance. The gorgeous mix of rosewood, grapefruit, neroli, and orange flower is very similar to Big Shampoo. Whenever I have Sea Spray in my hair, I sit there smelling it all day like a freak. Oh well. This stuff really is great.  
Other Styling Products: Zeste, Dirty Styling Cream

That's it for hair care, beauties! Hope you liked my second LUSH post! There will be more in the very near future. Until next time!