Lavenderwalls & Me...: Product Empties & Reviews: Deep Conditioners

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and spent some quality time with the ones that you love! Even more importantly, I hoped you stuffed your face with deliciousness, because that's the only way to do Thanksgiving!

Now that one holiday in this joyous part of the year has come and gone (Can you believe that???), a lot of us are starting to gear up for festivities in the weeks leading up to and on Christmas, and I'm talking parties, get-togethers, and special events with your friends, family, for your work, or with strangers (...if that's what you're down for?).

If you are like me, this is also the time I like to pull out my arsenal of hot tools, whether it's the curling wand, curling iron, or straightener, to add a little extra glam to my holiday look. But, all that curling, straightening, and heat can be extra exhausting to the hair.

As I mentioned in my past posts, my hair is long, straight, fully colored with highlights, and damaged. There is nothing my hair hates more than heat styling. BUT...here's my not-so-secret secret to keeping my hair happy, healthy, and resilient through all the torture I put it through.

Here are a few of my tried and true favorites that I would definitely re-purchase and a few I definitely don't see a future with, and they are all coming to you by pictures of used, empty bottles!

I featured the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Conditioning Masque in my May & June Favorites post (Click HERE if you haven't read it!) and it is definitely the holy grail, #1, "I'll take a bullet for it" product that I have in my entire hair care line-up. By the picture, you can tell I go through this stuff like CRAY-ZY!!!

First off, the scent is pretty, fresh, and slightly fruity. Absolutely is intoxicating. I can sniff it all day long, but I'm sure there are health ramifications for prolonged inhalation of hair products. The consistency is thick, so when I apply it in the shower (or as a deep leave-in treatment), the conditioner is truly wrapping itself around the hairs and nourishing each strand. When I rinse it out, my hair feels SO good - soft, silky, manageable!

The caveat to this conditioner is it's on the pricier side ($36 for 8.5 oz jar, $16 for 3.3 oz tube, or $4 for the 1-2X use travel packet), especially for people like me who uses it as a regular conditioner. It can get expensive! However, if you choose to use it only when your hair needs it the most, or maybe once every other week versus every week, then a tub of this could last awhile and be worth the purchase.

Still can't see yourself spending $36 on conditioner? Then, the L'Oreal Advance Haircare Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm with ceramide is a fantastic drugstore alternative, AND it's only around $6-$8, depending on where you buy it and if you have a coupon.

If you've ever partaken on the boxed hair color journey, then you will find the scent of this product very similar to "the conditioners that come in the box", AKA "Step 3". The scent is indescribable, but it's very pretty and in my opinion, not distracting at all. On top of that, and many who've colored their own hair can recollect, this conditioner performs a lot like "Step 3." Very nourishing, thick, and leaves your hair silky, silky smooth.

What sets this conditioner apart from the Macadamia Natural Oil deep conditioner, however, is how long it keeps my hair feeling smooth between washes. I generally feel like the MNO deep conditioner leaves my hair softer and less tangly/frizzy for an extra day or two. You may be thinking, "How does an extra day or two matter?" I felt the same way until I realized that when it comes to having to work and brush through second or third (or fourth) day hair, not having to tug through tangles and unwanted texture, as little as they may be, makes a HUGE difference long-term on the quality of your hair.

My last recommended deep conditioner was my jam before I discovered my holy grail deep conditioner! Don't get me wrong! This conditioner, Pureology Hydrate Hydra Cure Intensive Moisture Hair Masque, and the Pureology Hydrate hair care system is my favorite system to help maintain healthy, color-treated hair.

Here's the thing, if you have dry, color-treated hair and really love using an entire system (shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, post-shower treatments), everything in this line is fabulous! If you are looking for a 100% vegan product, Pureology and this deep conditioner are great options! If neither of these statements apply to you, I would go with the first 2 options.

Would I say I would never re-purchase this deep conditioner? No. I still really like it and what it does for my hair. Unfortunately, whether I have the money or not to do so, it just doesn't make sense to have it be my "daily" conditioner when I can pick up one that's a little more cost effective and performs comparably.

Lastly before I release you out into the dazzling world of products to find your holy grail deep conditioner, let's look at the ones that I gave a full chance, but were ultimately not so great and will not be re-purchased by me in the future.

I remember when I started to notice my hair feeling a little weaker from growing it out and coloring, and coincidentally, I was passing by the Aveda store at the mall. I've always seen strong marketing ads, lots of positive reviews on Aveda products, and spas being marketed as Aveda specific salons. So, given that, I felt that I could trust and would like what they could offer. I actually bought the whole line of Damage Remedy Products: shampoo, daily conditioner, and this Intensive Restructuring Treatment (deep conditioner), which, come to find out, cost more than I wanted to spend. The deep conditioner was $40 for 4.2 oz!!! Here's what I thought of the system: Shampoo...eh. Not memorable. Conditioner...sucked. Intensive Restructuring Treatment...better than the conditioner, but didn't work anything like a deep conditioner. Aveda may be great in other ways, but I definitely was not feeling their damage care line!

L'Oreal Oleo Therapy Deep Recovery Mask looked so promising! Drugstore item with a drugstore price of $7-ish dollars, but smelled SO luxurious. I was so sad when this product really didn't do anything, period. My hair felt a little dry and stringy, and after already trying some really great options, especially the L'Oreal Total Repair Damage Erase Balm that costs the same, I couldn't wait to get rid of this dud and get my hands on a conditioner I could trust. Uh, it was big NOPE!

There is no hiding that I am a HUGE Lush fan! I think they make really great stuff and I have come to a place in my life where I have to have something by Lush to function. No joke! However, their super popular conditioner, Retread, that is supposed to be super-duper, was not super-duper on my hair, just okay. It's got a lot great ingredients in there: soy, melon, olive oil, yoghert, avocado oil. Sounds very nourishing. I was very surprised, though, that it really wasn't as good at taming my hair as I wanted it to. If only my hair was in better shape, this product could possibly work for me.

So, there you go. My thoughts, my empties, and my reviews of one of most important tangible things in my life. Whether your hair is in the same boat as my hair, or you are just looking for something to give your hair an extra boost, I hope that you have found something you are interested in trying or I have inspired you to explore the deep conditioner world.