Today I’m rounding up some of my best hair care buys for detangling dry color-treated hair. I’ve been through two rounds of highlights treatments since last fall. This second round I’ve noticed my hair has been significantly more dry and prone to breakage which I attribute to the dry weather combined with Florida water. My hair has been a lot more sensitive to heat so I’ve taken a break from curling iron. I can still blow dry on a regular basis with a heat protectant and medium heat setting and love the Harry Josh Ultra Light hair dryer for something gentle and efficient. I’ve still been experiencing a lot of tangles after washing which makes it more prone to breakage. I’ve been testing a lot and finally found some things that have saved my hair. Conditioning treatments are tricky here because they can be near impossible to rinse out and lather in South Florida. These are my favorite recent buys that have helped restore my hair, reduce tangles and frizz while adding moisture and shine.
Olaplex
I’ve spent the last five months searching for good shampoos and conditioners made specifically for color-treated hair. I tried so many of your recommendations and loves designed specifically for color treated hair, in particular options from Kerastase and Oribe. Unfortunately none of them worked for my hair. The regular formulas are still good, but the color treated formulas don’t lather properly and also leave my hair feeling like straw. I’ve stuck with my regular go-to’s like the Sisley Hair Rituel (sooo good) but wanted to find something more affordable. My curling iron seriously weakened my hair on some parts and there’s nothing I can really do except wait for those areas to grow out. I called my friend who used to work in the hair care industry and asked her help/expertise. She said the best you could buy was Olaplex so I went to Sephora to buy Hair Perfector No. 3, Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner. The girls who worked at Sephora saw these in my little shopping basket and stopped me to tell me they were so excited I was buying it because it also saved their color treated hair.
I’ve used all three and it’s among the best I’ve tried. The shampoo is one of the few sulfate free formulas that has a decent lather. The three together have bonding and reparative ingredients to help relink broken hair. The Hair Perfector is a product you use as a pre-shampoo and conditioning treatment. It’s not a mask or conditioner, but apply it to damp towel dried hair for at least 10 minutes. Rinse out and follow with the Shampoo and Conditioner. I’ve used this 2 to 3x per week as instructed and it’s helped my hair so much. The shampoo and conditioner both are excellent too – a little goes a long way and it helps reduce frizz and eliminates tangles. I took a look at the bottles and thought they were remarkably small for the price. I’ve been using all three consistently for a little over a month and still have quite a bit left. I’d say within a month of regular use I’m about 80% finished with the bottles. I’m ordering their new Styling Creme soon and can’t wait to try it.
Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo with Aloe
This Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo is another excellent shampoo for all hair types, but particularly good for dry hair. It’s gentle but has a good lather. I can use it daily and I love that it’s hydrating but doesn’t weigh down my hair. Rinses nicely and leaves hair looking and feeling fresh. I’ve sworn by the Hydrating Leave-In Mist for a long time, I don’t know what took me so long to try the shampoo. Both have a very calming subtle fresh scent that isn’t overpowering or heavy. Scent is a huge deal for me – I can’t use heavily fragranced styling products that have a powdery or floral scent (except for Ouai).
Detangling Sprays
One thing I’ve noticed with both color treatments is that my hair is more prone to tangles. It has already more tangle prone with the water here and with highlights plus dry weather this has been emphasized. For me it’s been a serious problem because tangles + weak hair = lots of breakage when I brush or comb. The best sprays I’ve bought to combat the tangles include the Christophe Robin Hydrating Leave-In Mist with Aloe Vera to hydrate and detangle. It is spendy so I’ve tried to find more affordable alternatives (I’m not always successful with this). I bought a mini of the Living Proof Restore Perfecting Spray and it doubles as a conditioner and detangler as well. I love it so much that I 100% need the full size. It has a fresh citrus scent and allows the comb to glide through my hair without any tugging or tangles. My friend swears by the Oribe Run Through Detangling Primer – she says it is the best thing Oribe makes and says she’s literally tried everything in their line. I’ve found Oribe makes really great styling products but their shampoos/conditioners have been mostly misses for me. I bought the mini spray to try thinking I might not love it, especially for the price. It really does live up to the hype and I highly recommend it. It reduces frizz, detangles, and helps reduce flyaways.
Finishing Products
I’ve tried so many finishing products and creams. I think hair care products are among the most tried beauty category for me. There are a lot of great items for different purposes, I still love oils for this but sometimes a classic cream is better for my ends. Two areas I’ve been concerned about lately include flyaways (from shorter broken strands and humidity issues) and shine on the ends. I could probably do an entire post on my favorite finishing products, but two things stand out as hair saviors for me. I’ve never been a hair spray kind of person because they usually leave hair feeling stiff and crunchy. The Living Proof Flexible Hair Spray has really good hold without the crunchy finish. Many of you have confirmed this is one of your favorites and I also think it’s excellent to hold hair and help tame flyaways. The Chaser Shine Cream from the Drybar is one of my most repurchased hair creams ever. I’ve used this for years and always go back to it for adding shine and brilliance to my ends. Oribe’s is also really good too, but for some reason I find myself reaching for the Drybar one more.
Combs and Hair Brushes
Finding a good vent brush has been hard for me. I’ve tried so many different ones that work ok, but I’ve never found one I really truly love. I finally splurged on some brushes and combs from Yves Durif. They’ve been on my wishlist for years! I bought the Vented Hair Brush which I highly recommend. I also bought the Petite Brush + Comb Set and love them to pieces. The Vent Brush is the best one I’ve tried. It seems like it might almost be a little flimsy because it’s so lightweight but it’s still very sturdy. I like the brush and comb as well and think it was all money well spent. I ordered mine from Violet Grey. If you’re in New York City you can also find their brushes in person store at the Sisley store or Saks Fifth Avenue.
A couple others I wanted to mention are from Gisou and Mason Pearson. The Gisou Texture Comb is one I always get questions about. It’s available only on the Gisou website and comes in a pink pouch. I love it and carry it with me to the beach, in my gym bag and pretty much everywhere. I need to order another one so I can always have one with me. Mason Pearson makes a similar one called the Rake Comb. This is a nice wide-tooth detangling comb for me. These are more gentle on my hair compared to brushes on wet hair and work out tangles better. I use a brush to blow dry once all the tangles are out with a comb. I’ve also owned the Mason Pearson detangler comb for quite some time and like it but don’t love it as much as the others. I would not recommend this type for super thick or curly hair. The teeth are too close together for super thick dense hair. I like that it has a handle for easy grip but the wider ones work better for my hair type.
I hope you enjoyed this roundup! If you have tangle prone hair or dry hair I can’t recommend the detangling sprays enough. I’m hard pressed to pick just one, all three I featured are really good options. I also think Olaplex makes an excellent system. I wish I had discovered it sooner because I love how it strengthens and restores my hair. This list doesn’t cover all of my tries or favorites, just my recent favorite buys. If you want more hair care posts and reviews you can click the Haircare CATEGORY TAG to see more!
I’m going through a few hair masks that I’m testing. Roundup to follow once I’ve tried more on my list to see if I’ve found a better one than the Briogeo or Christophe Robin options (I haven’t yet but I’m still testing out your recommendations).
Shop the post:
Style notes and accessories:
If you have color treated or dry hair what are your favorite products?
