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I recently had a treatment done to relax the natural frizziness in my hair that becomes a problem for me in the summer. My hair cooperates beautifully in the winter but it’s not a fan of humidity. The treatment I get done at my salon is great because it makes my hair smoother and more manageable to style. Most importantly, I can wear down in the hot weather without it turning into an uncontrollable frizzy mess. It has definitely cut my blow drying time in half too!
My stylist informed me that the treatment required “upkeep”. In order to keep it active, I would have to make some changes to my daily routine, like going sulfate free with all my hair products. This was initially very frustrating because I already owned so many hair care products that I’d now have to replace but considering the treatment was costly ($400!!!) it only made sense to maintain it for as long as I could. You’re probably wondering, ‘why sulfate free?’ as I was. So I did a bit of research on the topic.
Sulfates are hard working detergents that cut through dirt, oil and grime but they can also strip your hair of moisture or any kind of treatment that you’ve had applied to add moisture, like in my case. Depending on your hair type, sulfates can also dry out your hair especially if you get color treatments. This is not to say that sulfates are bad, because they’re not.
Sulfate free hair care products are simply advised to maintain any kind of treatment you’ve had done. They’re gentle on hair that’s coarse, curly, fragile or very fine. Since the detergents in sulfate free products are milder, they don’t foam up quite as much as you might be used to. It doesn’t mean they’re not working though.
I cleared out all of my old products from my shower (which I’m about to show you) and replaced them with sulfate free ones. I also went as far as replacing my laundry detergent too, since I use clean towels to dry my hair. I figured I’d stay consistent across the board.
The three sulfate free products I recommend are AVEENO PURE RENEWAL® Shampoo and Conditioner and the new sulfate free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS®. I got them all at Walmart without a hitch.
Here’s a peek into my shower and how I keep things organized…
Because I guess you could say I love products and have a lot! The only way to keep my shower from looking like a hoarder bathes in there is to keep things tidy.
I use chrome corner shelves to keep all my hair care and cleansing products secured and within arm’s reach.
The rest is merely suction technology, but you have to choose wisely when it comes to these because some suction products are better than others and it’s best to place your suction shower accessories in spots where water doesn’t directly hit. I love having a mirror in the shower and pockets to hold time saving items like my toothbrush.
I even have my razor and soap suctioned to the wall, which keeps everything cleaner and easier for me to grab. You’ll notice the AVEENO PURE RENEWAL® Shampoo and Conditioner in this shot. I’m loving this duo because it’s more affordable for me than salon priced sulfate free hair care and it’s made with naturally derived cleansers and a sulfate free formula to gently cleanse your hair and scalp.
Not only is it maintaining my expensive treatment but it’s healthy on my coarse strands in addition to being dye and paraben free. If you’d like try it out, here’s a digital coupon for $1.00 off AVEENO® products, which you can use at Walmart stores.
Shifting back to my shower organization technique...since my shower also have a tub, I added a bamboo tray at the bottom corner. Bamboo does really well with moisture and water exposure so I highly recommend a tray in this type of wood. The one you see here in my bath actually expands to fit the width of any tub.
It’s nothing fancy but I like having it because it organizes my facial and hair brushes along with other items that don’t hold well in the corner shelves. Plus, it keeps the essentials handy when you’re drawing a bath, like bath oils and the all important rubber ducky!
When I step out of my shower or bath, I reach for a towel, obviously! But the reason I mention it is because everything that now touches my hair has to be sulfate free. So I’ve been doing my laundry right down to the towels using sulfate free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS® detergent. NEW sulfate free all® delivers a powerful clean without harshness. And on top of that, it infuses fabrics with essential, proven and effective ingredients for deep cleaning and stain lifting even on the toughest stains. You can check out all the ingredients on the back. Just look for it on the top shelf in the laundry aisle at your local Walmart. Here’s a digital coupon $.50 off, while supplies last.
What sulfate free products are you using and why? Let me know in the comments below.