Prepping Winter Hair for Spring, Part Three of Three

By Gigi Anders

Okay, now we get to the good stuff. Last week, the brainy and beautiful Dr. Tina Alster schooled us on what causes tragic, dehydrated winter hair and what to do about it. Then our incredibly cool and talented stylist Devin Toth gave us a master class in un-damaging your last-year’s hair and getting excited about repairing it. Today, I’m providing a stellar assortment of everything you’ll need to achieve the hair of your springtime dreams.  Now that we speak of dreams, here’s some germane Shakespeare:

It was a lover and his lass,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,

That o’er the green corn-field did pass,

In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,

When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;

Sweet lovers love the spring.

***

For all hair types:

For environmental, heat, chemical, and physical damage, it’s hard to beat Aveda’s Damage Remedy Restructuring Collection. It’s famous because it’s the cruelty-free bomb. And it smells the way you feel after a 90-minute massage. The pure-fume™ aroma has certified organic bergamot, mandarin, ylang ylang and other pure flower and plant essences.

Shampoo ($9 - $95). Ultra-gentle and full of quinoa protein to help repair and strengthen damaged hair. Surfactants (surface-active agents) derived from lipid-rich babassu oil  wash away damaging pollutants, while naturally derived conditioners leave hair smooth and soft.

Conditioner ($9 - $121). Alfalfa leaf powder, barley extract, and sunflower seed oil conspire to provide intense detangling and leave ragged hair as silken as an Hermès scarf.

Intensive Treatment ($9 - $102). This is The One You Want every Sunday (or whichever day you’re off-duty and can luxuriate a bit). Linseed seed extract, castor seed oil, jojoba seed oil, meadowfoam seed oil, and olive fruit oil mean your bad hair days won’t stand a chance. After shampooing, leave this in from roots to ends for at least five minutes – or all day or all night long. 

Daily Hair Repair ($9 - $30). This leave-in styling product is literally a treat-ment that instantly repairs breakage and protects hair from hot tools. According to Aveda:

“• 97% naturally derived* leave-in treatment instantly repairs the integrity of hair's surface.

• helps protect the hair against breakage and thermal damage up to 450°.

• formulated with quinoa protein, this leave-in treatment helps give you stronger, longer hair**.

*From plants, non-petroleum minerals or water.

**Helps prevent breakage in a clinical repeat combing test vs. non-conditioning shampoo.”

Remember to shake it first, and apply just enough to distribute through damp hair.

For colored hair:

Davines (pronounced phonetically; DAH-vee-ness) products are the Armanis of haircare: European, refined, and always right. Just like a trip to Italy, where the brand was born.

SOLU/shampoo ($11 - $26) smells like your skin after a day in the sun in Capri. This once-a-week clarifying shampoo cleanses product build-up and residue from the hair using buckwheat extract, leaving it refreshed and super-clean. Buckwheat is rich in proteins, antioxidants, amino acids, and mineral salts, especially iron, zinc, and selenium.

MINU/hair mask ($34) Ideal for color-treated hair, this regenerating mask deeply nourishes, softens, and silkens, improving the color’s duration. Its caper blossom extract is a good source of quercetin, a protective amino acid, and color-protecting polyphenols. After  SOLU, towel-dry hair, massage this in, put on a shower cap, and go to bed. In the morning, your hair will speaking fluent Italian.

MINU/hair serum ($25). Use this on towel-dried hair on its own or before heat styling to hydrate and protect hair, and enhance its shine.

DEDE/hair mist ($30) If you’re prone to tangles, frizz, or have fine hair, this is la tua soluzione. Gentle and airy, spritz it on damp hair to boost moisture and make it easy to comb and style.

For curly, kinky, and wavy hair:

DevaCurl’s been a curl’s best friend for years, and they just keep getting curlier.

Buildup Buster ($28 - $84) is a weekly “rinse-out cleansing serum” that reactivates curls whose mojo’s been curbed by product buildup, hard water, and environmental stressors. In other words, a low-lather clarifying shampoo with good-for-you rosemary and artichoke seed extract, and hydrolyzed pea protein.

Melt Into Moisture Matcha Green Tea Butter Conditioning Mask ($36 - $64) is a nourishing, deliciously rich yet surprisingly lightweight and deeply hydrating weekly treatment for parched curls – which means all curls. Green tea and lots of oils – soybean, coconut, sunflower seed, sweet almond, and olive fruit – ensure much happier hair. Apply after Buildup Buster to damp hair and (ideally) leave it in overnight. By morning, your curls will be seeing the light.

Deep Sea Repair Seaweed Strengthening Mask ($36 - $64). If you’ve skipped a haircut or three and your ends are frazzled. If you’re a hot tools addict. If your hair is chemically-treated. If your tangles get the best of you. This is the mask you want. Fortified with seaweed and sunflower seed wax, and perfumed with moisturizing sea lavender, this weekly 20-minute repairer strengthens, reduces breakage and split ends, and increases elasticity. Use your iPhone timer. You don’t want to leave this in overnight. After rinsing, your locks will thank you, thank you, thank you.  

Heaven In Hair Intense Moisture Treatment ($28 - $44). For ultra-dry curls that need all the moisture they can get, get them this creamy wonder. It drenches what’s dry with nourishing butters – cupuaçu, murumuru, and cacao -- for protection, shine, and vitamin-infused softness. Use twice a week after cleansing to maintain silky hair that’s easy to manage and style.