In the years most coveted post series next up we have the best products for taming the unruly curls. No surprises here with one brand pretty much dominating the awards – and for a reason.
I have gone through pretty much the whole natural cosmetics hair care range available here in Finland, and as you may know, my scalp is prone to itching and previously due to too frequent washing, oily as well. On top of this I have been blessed with tresses that resemble more of a horses mane than human hair, and the sheer volume of it is about three times that of the regular head of hair – so we´re not talking about an easy head of hair here. My hair demands very high quality products.
I truly hope for a wider range of high quality hair care products on the market, just for the sake of variety, even though it´s a tough demand with these products:
1. Shampoo
John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus Shampoo: the saviour of a dry and itchy scalp is here. John Masters´structure repair shampoo will not aggravate a sensitive scalp, cleanses thoroughly all the while doing the job gently and leaving the hair soft and detangled. If your tresses are dry and brittle you should look no further. The shampoo lasts a long while and I love it´s mild hibiscus scent.
Special mention: Tabitha James Kraan Golden Citrus Hair Cleanser: who knows, if I had used the British Tabitha´s hair care products for more that a couple of weeks this year, their hair cleanser might have become my favorite. I´m continuing my exploration with the brand and at the moment I´m very pleased with their products. I have never come across such a mild and gentle shampoo as this, so if you suffer of an extremely sensitive scalp, I urge you to give Tabitha a chance.
2. Conditioner
John Masters Organics Rosemary & Peppermint Conditioner: Combined with the Honey & Hibiscus shampoo this cooling, calming and moisturising conditioner makes your hair silky smooth. I have also massaged the conditioner onto my scalp when it has been especially dry and irritated. The conditioner makes the hair easily manageable.
Special mention: Tabitha James Kraan Golden Citrus Conditioner: like her hair cleanser, I must give a special mention to Tabitha´s conditioner as well, for as you know, there´s not exactly an over flow of great natural cosmetics conditioners around. The product doubles as a leave in conditioner, moisturising treatment for a scaly scalp and as a styling product.
3. Leave in conditioner
John Masters Organics Apricot & Rose Hair Milk: a dream product for frizzy, rough and dry hair! This product is like a moisturiser for hair which will not leave your hair oily. Now that my hair is longer I am facing the old stubborn problem of flipping hair. The best way I have found to make my hair behave and turn to the desired direction is to rub this hair milk onto the lengths while blow drying my hair. The product is a saviour if you frequent the swimming pool or spend a lot of time under the sun.
4. Hair oil
Tabitha James Kraan Scented Hair Oil: the name of this product should be changed to face & hair oil, the product is truly golden and you are just urged to slather yourself with this oil. I have found the best way for me to use the product is to mix it with the hair cleanser, and with super dry hair and scalp I recommend rubbing this oil to the scalp and lengths and leaving it in for about thirty minutes before washing your hair. Tabitha´s oil cocktail is a mixture of geranimum, rose, neroli and orange essential oils. The scent lingers in your hair so beautifully that on a couple of occasions I have just stopped to sniff my hair. There´s an amethyst in the bottle to give that extra vibe to the oil, just a FYI to all crystal lovers.
5. Scalp care
John Masters Organics Scalp Serum: even though John Masters Scalp Serum is sold for it´s cleansing properties it´s a great product for most scalp related issues like hair loss or treating a dry, itchy, irritated and scaly scalp. For me this product was a total saviour at the time of my worst itching and scaling, nowadays I use the product as a special treatment to balance my scalp wellness. Especially the combination of Vitamin B´s (B1, B2, B3, B6, B7) is great for the scalp. It prevents hair loss, repairs scalp damage and scaling and helps in balancing the moisture levels.
Special mention: Weleda Hair Tonic: in the mid price products I want to give a special mention to Weleda´s Hair Tonic. It contains goldmoss which relieves itchiness of the scalp, hair growth stimulating rosemary and sebum controlling horseraddish. A classic product for maintaining great scalp health.
6. Hair spray
John Masters Organics Organic Hair Spray: in natural cosmetics hair sprays are always so called wet sprays because of the regulations on aerosol. It creates a whole range of challenges to manufacturing a good hair spray since a wet spray makes the hair flat easier than using an aerosol spray and it´s hold is not as tough either. Last summer John Masters came out with it´s hair spray and the product has been in my daily use since. The hold is perfect without leaving the hair sticky or clumpy, letting me have a wider wash interval than I used to.
7. Volume foam
John Masters Organics Volumising Foam: the Volumising Foam which was launched along with the spray is better than any synthetic foam I have ever tried. The hold and structure is perfect, it gives the hair perfect volume without making it sticky at all.
8. Dry shampoo
Tabitha James Kraan Dry Shampoo Compact: this packaging is worth an Oscar! I stopped using dry shampoo all together when I couldn´t seem to find a working packaging on the product. The shakers drop a heavy layer of the product onto the hair and since natural cosmetics dry shampoos are rougher than their synthetic counter parts the end result is sticky hair. Or then the packaging is good but the texture is too sticky. Tabitha´s travel size dry shampoo is the pinnacle of genius. The packaging let´s you powder your hair like it´s fairy dust and the texture is brilliant. On top of this there´s a tone for both dark and light hair.
9. Hair color
Cultivator’s: the Indian plant color pioneer Cultivator’s manufactured plant colors as private labels for companies for over 30 years before launching their own brand onto the market. After over five years of product development the brand came up with a range of 20 hair colors for both consumers and professionals. My hair dresser has been raving about the texture of the products since she first used them and after using plant colors for over six years myself I must say Cultivator´s colors are very intense and keep beautiful until the next coloring session, where a synthetic color dies out to a dull blur in a couple of weeks.
10. Best hair care brand
John Masters Organics: the best hair care brand without a doubt is John Masters Organics. The brand has solely great products and I can think of no hair related problem that wouldn´t find a solution within their range. I love how the brand uses essential oils making the scents of their products the top of natural cosmetics. This year I´m taking a comprehensive look at their skin care products and I must say my hopes are very high for a reason.
11. Newcomer of the year
Tabitha James Kraan: I love it when my expectations with cosmetics are proven wrong and when after a while I find a new depth to a brand. With Tabitha´s products this is exactly what happened. While trying the brand´s products for the second time around I truly fell in love with them. Tabitha is definitely the newcomer of the year and I´m excited to see where the brand grows from here.
The best products of 2016 have been thoroughly revised from head to toe and next up is the best make up products of the year.
Photos Katja Kokko
Translated by Mariko Pajalahti
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