Hair journey
I’m pretty aware of how blessed I am with my full black hair. Over the years I got to experiment a lot with my hair, from coloring it blond to purple, permanent curls to permanent sleek hair. All types of hair products and tools to create certain looks. I have tried a lot, which is not always the best idea, but you can’t say I haven’t tested. Especially in the last few years, I noticed my full hair got thinner and less lively because it wasn’t very healthy after all the shit I put my hair through. So I decided to step up my hair game again to get that full healthy glowy hair back. And it worked! I avoid heated tools, use the right products and treatments for my hair, taking extra vitamins. My hair is long and thick again after a year, to a point I get a lot of compliments these days.
I’m not claiming to be the hair expert here. I just know what works for me. So if you also have (Asian) wavy thick hair, these products might be interesting for your routine as well. Sharing is caring. I hope you get something out of this and don’t hesitate to give me your recommendations 😉
iinn sustainable beauty
My go-to hair salon for three years now. I wrote a full blog post about iinn here.
Every 6-7 weeks, I’m in the chair to refresh my color with a toner, color the grey hair “away” and finish with a botanical hair treatment.
I love the zen atmosphere in this Aveda Flagshipsalon of Amsterdam, which matches with the interior, people, and the products they use. I always come out super pretty and relaxed.
Address: Singel 188, 1016 AA Amsterdam
Website: iinn.nl
WASH
Beautiful hair starts with a healthy scalp. Like my skincare routine, I prefer to double cleanse my scalp once a week. I used to wash my hair every other day, but nowadays I try to delay wash days as long as possible. It’s better for your hair and environment.
1. Aveda: nutriplenish shampoo
I have had extremely dry hair since I bleached it years ago. With this shampoo, I noticed in the past period that it is incredibly nourishing for my hair. This product contains no parabens and is more than 94% on a natural basis. Which is super good and healthy for your hair. Be kind to your hair and environment 🥰
Price: €26,45 Aveda.com
2. Mr Smith: balancing shampoo
I use this shampoo when my scalp is bothering me, which is often because I need more hydration there because of all the grey hair coloring. It’s a mild shampoo for sensitive scalp. The light formula is PETA certified, vegan, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and silicone-free.
Price: €12,95 Mrsmith.com
3. Keune – derma sensitive shampoo
The Derma sensitive line from Keune is developed to calm down scalp irritation. The mild shampoo helps against dry scalps and itchiness while keeping the natural PH-value. It’s sulfate-free and has no alcohol.
Price: €19,50 Keune.com
4. Maria Nila Stockholm shampoo
The “Head & Hair heal” is a soothing hair growth stimulating shampoo. It consists of natural Aloe Vera Extract and Piroctone Olamine that treat scalp problems and prevent dandruff. It has an allergen-free perfume that has a heavenly floral smell. It’s sulfate & paraben-free. The brand is 100% vegan and animal friendly with CO2 compensated packaging.
Price: €24 Marianilastockholm.nl
MASKS
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1. Olaplex N. 3 Hair perfector
Olaplex N.3 is the star product of this brand, with good reason! Olaplex N.3 has a strong formula with active ingredients to repair damaged hair.
Massage into towel-dried hair, leave to work for at least 10 minutes (some leaves in for hours), wash out. That’s it! I pair this product with Olaplex N.0 but that is not required.
I notice how effective this product is for my dead ends and it really shines afterward. I use this product every other wash because it can be a bit heavy for your hair if you use it too often.
Price: €29,95 Olaplex.nl
2. Olaplex N. 8 Intense Moisture Mask
My second favorite product from Olaplex is N.8. This mask promises 2x more shine, 4x more hydration, 6x softer, 94% more volume. I notice how smooth my hair is afterwards with less frizzyness. I mostly use this product when I want to have sleek hair look.
Price: €29,95 Olaplex.nl
3. Moisture Botanical repair strengthening leave-in treatment
I am a big fan of the Aveda Botanical treatments. I always do this at the salon every 6 weeks with a heated towel. Now there is a version you can do at home. This leave-in treatment restores your hair from the inside and builds strength in your hair. It prevents breakage and protects heat up to 230° C. All Aveda products are vegan, cruelty-free, and 90% naturally derived.
Price: €36,50 Aveda.com
TOOLS
I don’t wake up with perfect hair. I always need some tools to make it pretty. I used to grab my curling iron every single day. I notice a tremendous difference since I am using less heat. These are the tools I can’t live without nowadays.
1. Dyson Airwrap
The Dyson Airwrap uses air to attracts hair and wraps itself around the tool automatically, which they call the Coanda effect. This Airwrap doesn’t use extreme heat, which saves your hair from a lot of damage. Yet, the result will look like a professional blowout. I use this tool on the daily basis and I’m done in 5-10 minutes, depending on if I want waves or curls.
In my opinion, this Airwrap is one of the best hair inventions of the century!
It’s a pricey tool, but very well worth the investment in my opinion.
Price: €579 Dyson.nl
2. Dyson Flyaway
Dyson’s latest hair product launch will smooth your hair from frizziness with a shiny finish. Dyson studied the technique hairdressers use for blowdry hair, which is hard to copy yourself without having a sour arm. With the simple attachment on the Dyson hairdryer you can create that same sleek look very easily with one hand. Like the Dyson Airwrap, the Flyaway technique uses the Coanda effect to create a smooth, glossy finish.
I use the attachment after I used the Airwrap. It’s literally the finishing touch, which will take me about 1-2 minutes. This tool is ideal for people with frizzy hair.
Price: €30 Dyson.nl
3. Tangle teezer – scalp brush
I own many Tangle Teezer brushes as a former ambassador. The scalp brush must be one of my favorite which I use daily in two different ways.
1. This brush is part of my nighttime (beauty) routine. I use this to massage my head, especially when I had tight hair look like braids or a tail that day.
2. During my hair wash days, I use the scalp brush to spread the shampoo on my head and massage the product to wash my scalp.
It’s a multi-tasking tool with dual teeth to relieve your scalp and clear product build-up.
Price: €10,25 Douglas.nl
4. Tangle teezer – easy dry & go brush
My second most used brush is the Easy dry & go. It’s a vented blow-dry brush with the patented teeth technology, which is super flexibel and nice for the scalp too.
This is my go-to brush every day.
Price: €12,99 Bol.com
FINISHING TOUCH
These are the products I don’t use every single day, but I grab them when I want to go for a certain look.
1. Maria Nila – power powder
I have those days that my hair is too flat without any volume, mostly when I just washed my hair. On those days I use a little bit of the power poweder to give my hair (on the top) more grip to create volume and definition to have that perfect second day hair look.
Price: €22 Bol.com
2. Aveda – nutriplenish multi-use hair oil
I rarely use hair oils anymore, since it can get greasy real fast. One of the oils I don’t mind put in my hair is this one from Aveda. It’s 100% naturally derived* formula features a concentrated blend of 5 power oils.
This product give my hair the right shine and restore hydration on the ends of my hair without needing too much product, so it’s not getting too greasy. It’s a multi-purpose oil, so you can also use it on your body or even face.
Price: €32,50 Aveda.com
EXTRA
These two products are part of my routine. They are not necessary, but they make such a big difference.
1. OASE Hair Vitamins
I believe that a little part of the reason why my hair is fuller, is because I am taking the OASE hair vitamins for a few months now. It’s made of 100% natural ingredients and it’s GMO-free. it contains essential nutrients to help you grow stronger and longer hair while minimizing hair breakage and reducing hair loss. It’s tast like a yummy candy, which makes it easy to take this in daily.
Price: €34 Oase.nl
2. Syoss growth spray
I go to the hairdresser every six weeks to maintain my grey hair. Yep, it comes with the age and it’s really in my DNA to be grey early.
The SYOSS Outgrowth Spray camouflages outgrowth temporarily in just seconds thanks to mineral color pigments and washes out with the next wash. It’s the perfect and easy solution for the few days or weeks before my next hair appointment.
Price: €17,99 Bol.com
