Meet my girl Amaury. I met her during an internship when we were still young and foolish & a year or so later we met again in our hometown Ghent and became homies since. She blogs at her personal blog Amoorie and she’s got way mad curls. Exhibit below.

So when I (eternally sleek hair that won’t hold curls ever) received some Redken Curvaceous hair products for curly girls, I knew which curly gal  to approach for this. Thanks Amaury for being my test subject once again!

So what’s her verdict after a month of heavy testing?
About the shampoo & conditioner: First of all, she thinks the packaging is not too handy. Not easy enough to dose and she has to open the huge bottles with her teeth (how does that taste, Amoo?). But the products she loves! The smell is great and she loves the textures; she’s especially fond of the conditioner: not too greasy as is often the case with curly conditioners. You need quite a bit of shampoo to lather up well, but afterwards your curls will be super soft and smell amazeballs. Petite tip: you can even leave the conditioner in if you need some extra conditioning. 
About the cream serum: The product swirls in the packaging are crazy! Easy to dose, smells great and does a good job at maintaining the shape of Amaury’s curls. No more frizz, but be careful not to use too much or else you’ll get a nineties gel look which you wouldn’t want. I hope. 

So all in all, she’s really loving it! Head over to her blog for more posts about her curls as she renamed this week Curly Week and gives you more info on her way to manage mad curls. In Flemish though, sorry non Flemish readers.. 

I’ve mentioned this one before, but I like this hair mask so much that I wanted to shed another light on it. Redken’s Smooth Lock Intensive Rinse-out Treatment has been a true blessing for my hair the last few weeks. This is a mask that you should use once a week, leaving it in anywhere between 5 or 15 minutes. I do advise you to leave it in as long as possible though to benefit the most from it. So take a bath, massage it in (however, do not work this into the roots of your hair) and relax and enjoy the almond scent. 

So what makes this mask so special? It contains a “Heat Infuse Complex” which contains a thermal active polymer that forms a humidity-resistant barrier on the surface of your hair strands. This will keep moisture on your locks & should diminish frizz. There’s also almond oil in the formula which will condition your hair and leave it smelling awesome. Almonds contain high amounts of vitamin E, vitamin D, magnesium and calcium which all help your hair look its best. To top it off, the formula also contains proteins which will reinforce your hair. Proteins penetrate deep into the hair-shaft and will rebuild your hair and prevent unneeded breakage of dry hair. If you’re afraid of having a protein treatment done at your hair salon, using products with added proteins at home is a great alternative for treating dry hair. My hair dresser (here I go again) told me proteins are the key to healthy hair.

Instead of leaving it in just 15 minutes, you can also wet your hair with warm water before going to bed, work this mask in generously, wrap a towel around your hair and go to sleep wearing your DIY towel turban. The next morning you just wash your hair & use a regular conditioner like you always would. You’ll be amazed at how soft your hair feels after an intensive treatment like this!

So your hair is damaged.. Now what?

The last few months before Summer I hadn’t been taking care of my hair enough. Brushing my hair with extra hot heat (I kept pushing the turbo button on my hair dryer, bad me), not applying straightening creams when using the straightening iron because I was in a rush, not using any thorough masks because I was too lazy, .. Yes, I am guilty. My hair (which I used to get compliments about) turned coarse and the ends began to split. When a colleague asked me what happened to my hair I knew exactly wat to do: I had my hairdresser cut off quite a bit of my long locks. Now it still isn’t perfectly healthy, but I am taking good care of it. And in the meanwhile, I want to share some tips for you to keep your hair healthy.

Wash your hair with products that treat your hair right. It might take a few buys to figure out which kinds of shampoos fit your hair the best. Some are quite drying, so try to limit those to one wash each one or two weeks tops. Find shampoos that will nourish your hair & that will add moisture: you really need to treat your dry locks. 
Yes To Carrots & Yes To Cucumbers: These are over 99% natural and very gentle for your hair. This is great for regular washes, when you don’t feel you need to add anything extra. This conditioner is perfect for hair that weighs down easily as it’s quite light weight.
L’Oréal Professionel Couleur Botanique: This is a great shampoo with added linseed oil, made especially for color treated hair. I haven’t colored my hair in over half a year, but I still keep using these kinds of products as they are so nourishing, which can never be a bad thing. I love the smell of this product; its a very natural scent (and you know I love those!) that really emphasizes the idea of using natural products to treat your hair. Don’t forget to use a conditioner or mask afterwards! 

Treat your hair even more! It deserves some special attention at least once a week. Take your time to enjoy a hair mask: take a bath while letting it soak in for at least fifteen minutes, or wrap a towel around your masked-up hair and watch your favorite tv show while letting it work some miracles. Leave-in masks are the perfect solution for when you really haven’t got the time to wrap that towel around your head. Tip: most intensive masks and leave-in creams will contain parabens because of the formula. Don’t waste your time looking for paraben-free solutions; as you might miss some really good treatments that way!
Redken Smooth Lock Butter Silk intensive rinse-out treatment (gifted): When I received this one to test out I was so incredibly excited as I just knew that this one was going to be pure magic. It smells great (think almonds because of the almond oil!) and is very nourishing and rich. It also contains proteins, which my hairdresser told me is one of the first keys to reviving your hair. At first I was worried that this would weigh my hair down; but surprisingly it did not at all. Although the packaging says you can leave it in anywhere between five and fifteen minutes, I really do recommend leaving this one for the full fifteen minutes or even longer.
Aussie Take The Heat leave-in cream: Aussie’s products make my hair so incredibly soft & this product is no exception. I got to know this brand while living in London and still sob about it not being available in Belgium. Luckily I bought three products during my recent trip to London, so I can manage for a while. Tip: use just one or two pumps when you plan to air dry your hair. 

One of my most important tips to prevent unnecessary breakage: use a wide comb when detangling wet hair. Never, ever (and I mean it!) brush wet hair with a regular hair brush. I have sinned against this for a long, long time and have fizzy hairs all over my lengths to prove it. I’ll have to grow these out which can take a while, so it’s really worth the effort to switch to combs.

Protect your hair against heat and sun. I will admit that I still use my straightening tools a couple of times a week because I just can’t handle my hair without. Never forget to apply protection before using any kind of heat on your hair!
Kiehl’s Heat-Protective Silk Straightening Cream: I use this on wet and dry hair. Can be used on the second day without weighing your hair down. Review here.
Redken Color Extend Radiant-10 (gifted): This is a very light weight bi-phase spray which smells divine, and it’s to be used on both wet and dry hair. Shake before spraying some product on your hands: using your hands will make it easier to evenly apply the product. I usually take four or five pumps, rub my hands together and work it through my hair avoiding the roots. I love using this on dry hair after having done all of my heat styling as the proteins in the formula will add strength to my hair and will make it shiny and smooth.

I am quoting Lisha on this one: “Oil, oil, oil! Don’t forget using oils!”. And she’s very right. You can use oils on wet hair and dry hair, as intensive treatments during the night or as a pick-me up for unruly hair in the morning. 
L’Oréal Mythic Oil for coloured hair: I won this oil in a contest a few weeks ago, and as I already owned the original Mythic Oil I knew it was something to be excited about. This one is quite light weight and is perfect to apply evenly on your hair just before heading out the door. Your hair will soak it up and won’t turn greasy. Don’t use more than two or three pumps depending on the lengths of your hair, though.
Kiehl’s Deeply Restorative Smoothing Hair Oil Concentrate (gifted): This one is my go-to for nightly treatments. It smells great (told you I love these natural scents) and is full of goodness for your hair. I’m quite sad that this one doesn’t work for me when I still need to head out the door (turns all greasy), but it’s my number one nightly leave-in. The different oils added to this blend strengthen your hair and help you battle that horrible frizz. Review here.

And last but not least: don’t wash your hair too much. Try to go two days without washing in between each shampoo. I know this is really hard, I personally prefer washing my hair every other day as it doesn’t look too good on the third day. However, using dry shampoos has made this easier for me. Just don’t forget to brush out all the white powder as you don’t want to have a powdery do (been there, done that: pity me!).