beauty on a budget: current hair heroes

My hair is often an issue for debate, sometimes I absolutely adore having such a unique shade, the length and how it dries naturally quite straight, but then other times it is my main source of detestation. Lack of volume, split ends up to my ears (slight exaggeration), dry with no style to it whatsoever. I can't, however, afford to pay for top hair treatments and remedies so I've compiled a list of products you can use if you're on a big of a budget! So recently I've engaged the help of various drugstore products to wage war on my dry and damaged mane, and I can tell you that so far I'm quite impressed....

For Dry and Brittle Hair Days: I reach for my Klorane Nourishing Treatment Shampoo with Mango Butter* and its Conditioner* counterpart for nourishing and detangling dry hair. You don't get the most generous amount of product within these bottles but you really do not need much and I only use this maybe once a week or when my hairs particularly dry. What I particularly love about Klorane hair products is that their ingredients are sourced all around the world to find the best matches for various hair categories. The mango butter offers up a luxuriously creamy texture which helps to restructure and smooth the scales of the hair cuticle (technical stuff!) and fill them in with a hydrolipidic film which acts as a protective layer against dehydration. With all these science-y words popping up I did worry that it might be too much for my sensitive scalp but their products are hypoallergenic and, if anything, my scalp felt nourished and healthy. I then add a spritz, or two, of the VO5 Miracle Mist Elixir*, which acts as a rescue remedy for damaged and frizzy hair types, into towel dried hair. I love this product as it works its magic as a leave in conditioner for extra help on those dry hair days and also doubles up as a heat protectant whilst leaving my hair smooth and shiny once dry, perfect!

For Limp and  Not So Voluminous Hair Days: Phillip Kingsley Body Building Shampoo* has been an ultimate hair saviour. I can not praise this product enough. I noticed a difference straight away, my hair had a lot more life and texture to my hair, instead of sticking to my head in a very unattractive manner. Brilliant stuff. It came in a set with the follow up Moisture Balancing Conditioner which seeks to help add body to the hair also, I'm still not so sure about this conditioner yet as I find it almost weighs down my hair which contradicts the point of adding body to it. For extra volume, if I'm heading on a night out, I also add some Schwarzkoph Silhouette Color Brilliance Super Hold Mousse* which is actually aimed for coloured hair but I use it works just as good on my un-dyed locks too. A 50p sized dollop added to the roots of towel dried hair and worked in with your fingertips, and voila! bouncy locks you can be proud of.

Little Extra's: I couldn't do a Hair Heroes post without mentioning my Tangle Teezer, which, as you probably all know, works wonders on stubborn and knotty hair. This is the only brush that can work out my knots after a bath or shower without tugging horribly on my scalp and pulling out clumps of hair. Definitely saved my hair, big time. I also love, love, love Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Cream for dry and dull ends. Since using this I have noticed a significant difference in the appearance of my split ends as well as preventing them from splitting furthur or new splits occurring. I love this so much I do use this after every wash. Last, but not least, is the beauty hit that is Moroccan Oil. I don't think I need to go into too much detail about this for it's hair healing powers are renowned. It's not pictured above as it currently resides on my boyfriends bedside table, note to self: must get that back..

What are your hair heroes?