MORE EMPTIES!!! REGRETS AND REPURCHASES

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#2: Products I Regret Purchasing

Here I am again with another review of a product I was extremely excited, yet apprehensive, to buy and try out that ended up failing miserably for me. On my first regretful purchase review I got feedback from some people mentioning how funny it is that what didn't work for me actually worked great for them and was life changing, and that is so true! So please bear in mind that I'm not in any way saying DO NOT BUY THIS because I know there are definitely people out there who would love these products...I am just not one of them, apparently!

Anyway, this time I, again, put off purchasing this item because it priced at over $30 and I felt like there were probably some really comparable items for cheaper or I could invest in a similar product from a hair line that I really like (::cough:Macadamia::cough::Redkin:cough::). But I knew that the Its a 10 hair care line is boarder line a cult favorite and I was dying to try something out by them.

I heard SO many rave reviews about this Miracle Leave-In Plus Kartin treatment that I figured I wanted to give it a try once I used up a split end remedy balm from some cheap-o brand that I had been using. I invested in this stuff and let me tell you, it is NOT cheap. 

I'll admit, I think it was the packaging that really drew me into it. I was going on vacation and did not want to bring a bunch of hair care supplies so I wanted something with several benefits offered. I was a sucker for the gorgeous, GORGEOUS, blue packaging with the precious orange top. I liked the small, yet substantial, packaging. I liked the fact that it promised 10 different benefits to using the product, including a promise of detangling, restored hydration, and extra silky hair. 

Maybe I'm the only person that this did absolutely nothing for except turn my hair into a tangled, goopy, mess.

I'd also like to point out that I have been using this for two months now and so it wasn't like a one and done, I don't like it; it's more of like a I don't want to waste my money but this stuff is horrible and I dread putting it into my hair every single time I blow dry. 

I'd like to bring your attention to the nozzle of this product. It is the same as a liquid-y squirt bottle nozzle which would lead me to assume that the product inside would be liquid-y and thin. This is where I was wrong. This stuff is a straight up cream in a bottle. So when I sprayed it all over my hair (with not directions or tips of use otherwise), it literally just made my hair stick together and start clumping up. This was incredibly frustrating because it makes it tangle, it is difficult to dry, and I just spent a good long time washing my hair and now it already feels dirty.

I tried to use less and comb it through quickly after spraying it so it wouldn't clump up and would hopefully work better. Still no luck.

I resorted to spraying the stuff into my hand and only running it down the ends of my hair and working my way towards the roots. This stuff just made my hair so nasty, so quickly. I don't believe it is benefiting my hair at all. Not even in the tiniest way. I honestly really hate this stuff! And that is a strong word. Unlike the Butter London Nail Polishes I regret purchasing that I feel like I can still salvage and deal with, this stuff I don't even want to look at it anymore! (that's a lie, the packaging is still beautiful).

Get a look at this stuff. That is only two sprays and it is a cream consistency. I have no idea how that is supposed to work out for anybody. How weird that they wouldn't put it in a container that would prepare you for this thick consistency!

Anyways, this stuff has left such a bitter taste in my life that I honestly have no desire to try anything from Its a 10 hair care ever again. 

Has anyone out there used this and have any tips on how I could try to make it work? I honestly have no idea what to do! I hate to have $30 go down the drain!

Current Hair Care Favorites

As promised, I wanted to share all my current Hair Care Favorites. Many of the items are new finds that I'm already addicted to and a few are long time favorites that I could not imagine my life without. With the new year, I tried to make a resolution to myself that I would take better care of my over processed, over styled, overly dyed hair. I started out small and continued to make greater changes and if we are being honest, at this point in my life, my hair has never received as many compliments as it has these past few months.

A drug store favorite of mine is the Herbal Essences "Honey, I'm Strong" shampoo and conditioner. 

I really like the scent of these products, it's sweet in a really natural way. I do find it to be strengthening and I did seem to notice a difference in my split ends, not like it fixed my split ends, but it made them manageable and less noticeable. If you're on a budget, I highly recommend any of the Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioners because they feel nice, but they also smell fantastic. I would argue that they're the best smelling drug store hair care products. I am a BIG fan. 

Recently, I took advantage of the Ulta $15 liter sale (you could read more about that here!) and was so impressed with my first round of purchases, that I ended up shamelessly going back and buying more liters. 

This stuff smells AMAZING! It smells like an adult, mature shampoo but with a hint of Grapefruit. I thought that this would be a great shampoo to buy after I colored my hair lighter blonde because I really wanted it to be bright and dimensional, not flat and dull. This is not a Purple Shampoo. A lot of people think that purple shampoo helps blondes be less brassy, but I've never had an issue with that and have never experienced any difference in using a purple shampoo. This really does make my blonde look shiny and vibrant. I would be surprised if I ever stopped using this. I could see myself trying other new things but then eventually coming back to this and being like "oh my gosh, why did I ever stop using Redken Blonde Glam Shampoo, it is so amazing". 

This is a great basic conditioner. It really does make your hair feel really soft as it is infused with Argan Oil, which my hair and skin personally really agrees with. This really makes my hair feel light and soft. I wouldn't say that this is a holy grail conditioner or anything, but it really is great and I think a lot of hair types could benefit from this Redken All Soft Conditioner. 

I heard some really great advice from a beauty guru on youtube named Tati (check her out, she is amazing and beautiful and super down to earth, GlamLifeGuru). She suggested investing into a good clarifying shampoo because it is meant to strip hair of gunk and really give you a deep clean and you wouldn't want to use something that is poorly formulated as it could result in super dry, damaged hair. When I heard her mention that, I was really intrigued because it made a lot of sense. Also, a clarifying shampoo is used at most once a week so even if it costs you $15, it should last you a long time because you really don't need to use it too often. This particularly huge liter of Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo is honestly going to last me forever since I don't clarify too often as I don't leave a lot of product in my hair. This is a really amazing product, it is definitely my holy grail clarifying shampoo. It is not creamy looking, but it isn't runny or soapy either. It's amazing when you rub your hands together to lather it, it is almost like a gel; it stretches in between your hands and is really thick. I don't know how to describe it, but I've never used anything like it. I like to lather this up and cleanse from the neck up to the top of my head. It is formulated with fruit acids, which seems interesting, but it smells really citrusy. If you are looking for a great clarifying shampoo, I would recommend this one until the end of time. 

All Redken Shampoo and Conditioners are formulated with a Interlock Protein Network (IPN), which is supposed to supply the hair with added strength and conditioning. It is supposed to repair hair, wet and dry, from the inside, out. 

This Macadamia Deep Repair Masque is something that I often question myself about why I did not try it out earlier. I literally crave the scent of this stuff and I love using it after Clarifying my hair as it will supply my hair with the moisture that it needs after being stripped of gunk and oil. This is seriously a great hair mask if you have $15-$30 to spend on a mask. If not, the drug store has many options that are definitely worth looking into. If you are interested in trying out the Macadamia mask, they sell small packets that you could get two uses out of at Ulta that only cost $4, it is definitely a must try! 

I have a friend who has raved about Wen Cleansing Conditioner for years, and as I've always been interested, I had an issue with spending $30 on 16 oz of products. Wen has worked wonders on my hair and I am already nearing the end of my second bottle. I try to save it for when I know I am going to be heat styling my hair because I find that it makes my hair really silky. I also noticed that my hair gets used to Wen if I use it too often and I feel like the results are not as dramatic, so I no longer use it every time I wash my hair. I also shampoo the roots of my hair and use this as more of a second shampoo/conditioner because I did not find that it cleansed my hair well. Nonetheless, I really do love this product and I highly recommend it to people as I think many different hair types could benefit from it. If you are apprehensive about the price tag, I would recommend looking into the Sephora Wen Starter Kit for just over $30, which comes with a Wen hair mask, spray product, and a bottle of the cleansing conditioner. Another great use for this product is putting in one small pump to use as a leave in conditioner. My hair is very thick and wavy and this helps keep it moisturized. 

This Paul Mitchell Smoothing Super Skinny Serum is my absolute Holy Grail beauty product. I use this every single time I wash my hair and have gone through several bottles of it. I purchase this travel sized one for $6 and it lasts me nearly 6 months. I like to keep the small bottle because then I can easily travel with it when I need to. It makes your hair feel, as the name implies, super skinny. It feels like a straight out of the salon smoothness. If I only have time to use one hair product, this is the one I would use, hands down, no questions asked. It is incredible, like magic. The best part about this product is that it cuts hair drying time nearly in half! Anything that is going to help me dry my mane quicker is a friend of mine. 

What are some of your absolute favorite, holy grail, could not live without, hair products?