l
i
s
t

--{ hair products i have tried }--------

my terrible admission is that i splurge on salon hair products this, by the way, is a very fluffy page, in case you haven't guessed already. but it's good for personal reference. anyway, these are the hair products i've tried over the last three or four years. oh, i suppose there are some other people's reviews too. and, please, check out the rest of my page, too. i'd hate for you to think i'm just about hair products.

shampoos

nexus simply silver

i use this to get my bleached hair white-ish. it's nice, but powerful---i.e., don't leave it in for more than two minutes or your hair will be mildly blue! not that that's a bad thing. just a warning.

american crew daily shampoo, for normal to oily hair and scalp

this is the best. nice, clean herby smell, and a little goes a long way. i will stick with this.

amp volume shampoo

came free with my kms hair play. seems fine. the smell is a bit fruitier than i'd like (fresh pear fragrance, says the bottle), but other than that, it's nice. the shampoo is pleasantly clear, which is something i like as well.

aveda blue malva shampoo

great! okay, i can't really tell whether it gets the brassy tones out of the bleached parts of my hair, but it looks like blueberry syrup, which is pretty durned cool.

iso multiplicity reflect shine shampoo

amy got this for me for my birthday. it's pretty nice-- not too strong a fragrance, and, when used with the conditioner, produces a clean but moisturing effect on my hair. the woman at the salon made a big deal about iso to amy and me.

phyto organics inergy nutrient shampoo

great great smell, sharp and cinnamon-ey. olive green. seems to clean my hair just fine. plus it seems to have a bit of conditioning power as well. great curvey bottle, fits well into my travelling case.

conditioners

american crew daily conditioner

good minty smell, and seems to condition really well. i love this stuff. it's the conditioner i've been staying with.

phyto organics babassu mud

not as powerful as the intensive reconstructor, but great as a daily hair conditioner. and with a wonderful smell -- banana-ey but not too herby. does look like reddish-tan clay, though.

bumble & bumble deeep conditioner

the three e's are no mispelling. supposedly one of the most powerful conditioners on the market. plus gina had good things to say about the conditioner. that being said, i'm not so impressed. it doesn't have the detangling effect that i look for in in-the-shower conditioners. but it works as a good overnight conditioner, though.

clairol renewal 5x replenishing conditioner

heavy heavy conditioner. like the drug store version of the paul mitchell. can't say i'm really into it, though it does its job.

aveda blue malva conditioner

okay, it *is* blue, but i can't tell whether it gets any brassy tones out of my hair, like it says it will. and it doesn't even smell good! maybe it smells like "malva," whatever that is, but yuck. it's okay at conditioning, though.

umberto giannini sleek and chic straightening conditioner

weird textured like the charles worthington stuff. annoying cap (sort of bullet-shaped) that you can't leave upside-down. the smell is fine, all spicy and european boy like the charles worthington stuff, but with an element of banana.

sebastian potion 9

bright orange colored, with a fruity, tropical smell. i only had a sampler packet, so i can't say that this is from tons of experimentation, but it seemed nice enough. i probably wouldn't buy it, though, because of its fruity smell.

paul mitchell supercharged moisturizer

ewww. did not like this at all. gives my hair a weird, slick oily feel, which spreads over onto my face when i wash it off. sure, it conditions just fine, but the oiliness just ruins it.

charles worthington results superconditioner

the texture is weird and clumpy, and you need to shake it well. so it's really, er, not a good conditioner. but it has a really fun, strong, smell, like you just came from making out with a cute mediterranean boy at a club! so that's a plus, though a guilty plus. i sometimes sniff it just to recapture those euroboy moments.

neutrogena clean for colored-hair conditioner

eh. not so impressed. i really need to use a lot of it to achieve any conditioning / detangling effect.

infusium power pac conditioner

nice, thick stuff. very good for what you can buy at the local drugstore, and seems to detangle my hair just fine.

iso multiplicity reflect shine conditioner

amy got this for me for my birthday. it's pretty nice-- not too strong a fragrance, and, when used with the shampoo, produces a clean but moisturing effect on my hair. the woman at the salon made a big deal about iso to amy and me.

tigi dumb blonde

not so psyched! it's expensive, the bottle is too flexible for good shower use, and it's conditioning power isn't as good as the enfuse reconstructor's! i mean, it's fine, but for its price, it should be great. the smell is a bit papaya-ey, which is all right, but again, i like the herb-ey smell of enfuse much more.

control freak frizz control and straightener conditioner and serum

i have not tried this. but according to gina, these two products (conditioner and serum) are great together. "it's like i ironed my hair."

graham webb ice cap conditioner

not the best conditioning agent i've ever used, but *wow* the mint extracts are strong! this is the first time i've ever used a minty hair product and actually *felt* the tingle.

phyto organics enphuse intensive reconstructor

(update:081801) you know, the more times i use this, the more i like it in comparison with everything else. especially when i use it with the shampoo it goes with. very good conditioning effect.

a lot better conditioning agent than the graham webb conditioner, but still not the best i've tried. smells nice and cinnamon-ey, like the shampoo that it goes with.

origins happy endings conditioner

great natural orange smell. strange gummy texture. i don't think it conditions well at all. my hair still feels dry-ish afterwards, and a little weird and sticky.

wella liquid hair color preserver daily conditioner

pretty good, really. Better than the graham webb (though without the cool ice effect) and better than the phyto organics, but still not the best I've ever tried.

infusium 23 pro-vitamin hair treatment

leave-in hair conditioner. liquidy, so a little weird to put on. but it seems to do a good job of keeping my hair somewhat soft and non-strawlike.

styling agents

short sexy hair rough and ready styling gunk

i love this smell, which is weird, because it is a little more on the flowery side than what i usually like. but it has an undertone of mango or persimmon or something that just makes it fabulous. plus the texture of it---pretty thick but not too thick---is absolutely perfect for clumping up my hair into spikes. the problem is when the gunk dries; it's all hard and poky, while i'd rather have it stiff but flexible. oh well.

bumble and bumble sunday shampoo

light and refreshing---and powerful! but the smell is a teensy bit too fruity for me (i'm more an herbal gal). but it was a nice present from m.

head wear gloo

i really like the way this stuff makes my hair all tacky and pokey. but the container is awful! it's shaped, ha ha, like a glue bottle, which means it's difficult to get the last extra bit out. which sucks.

ice controller gel

(from a sample package) not too stiff, which means not too strong a hold, either. but i liked the light, fresh smell.

iso multiplicity, tactile

too expensive for the tiny tiny bottle. plus it dried crunchy, rather than mushy or sticky. still, the smell was nice. and the color was a lovely pastel blue.

head wear phytophusion, pliable putty

i didn't like it. it was all gritty and hard to smear over my hair, which made it bad for styling. but my big caveat is that i bought it and forgot about it for a year before i used it. so maybe when it's fresh it's not that bad.

head games, wound up

though described as an elastic styler, it actually comes out as a hard gel. which i don't like. but it's too bad, because the color is just gorgeous---a deep blue with flecks of gold. if only it had a springy elastic hold!

artec texture paste

nice, light, somewhat melony smell. but the hold was a little bit too light. still, if i wasn't as wedded to my spiky hairdo and more into a softer something or other, i'd use it again.

joe grooming compound

mellow smell, a wee bit lighter in hold than i like, but it's very sweetly creamy, in a way that i enjoy. i'd use it again.

paul mitchell wax works

really great. it's got a light, fresh-feeling hold, without much oily feel. plus it doesn't have too strong a fragrance.

joe grooming cream

it's has a slightly lighter hold than i usually like, but also has a nice creamy herby smell.

funk plasticine manipulator

great light teal color, not too fragrant, nice goopy hold. too bad it's so hard to find in stores.

nolita styling glue

i like the smell and its gluey texture when wet. i don't like how it dries crunchy, though.

redken rough paste

i like the styling effect---able to make lumped spikes without getting too crunchy. but it smells vaguely caramelly, which i don't like. plus there's not enough for the money.

provitamin fx funky effects

makes my hair too crunchy, plus the smell is a weird round chemically smell. not a fan.

spiker distortion

i loved this. provides the gooey, gunky, tight hold that i love. smells a little fruity, but not too much.

d:fi d:tails

pomade. nice smell, not too stiff, not too flexible. good blue color. i'd buy it again.

short sexy hair frenzy

great hold, and i like the fact that it's light purple in color. but i don't like the fruity smell (far too strong), and i hate the container. it's misleadingly huge, but really doesn't contain nearly as much as it seems because so much of it is a solid block of plastic.

joico con-text

really nice strong hold, smell a teensy too fruity for my tastes, but not too much over the top. the container is annoying, though, because it doesn't let me get the very very last bit of the paste out, and i like being able to do that.

american crew forming cream

american crew is my favorite salon product line ever. the smell is nice and spicey, and the hold is good for my flexible-spike look. plus the container is brown and a nice green.

sebastian threads

the smell is a wee bit too flowery, but not too bad. but the hold isn't stiff enough for me to use as a spiker. maybe if i was going for a more conservative flattened look.

short sexy blonde, slept in

good, flexible hold. but the smell is too fruity! attracts the wasps. that's a drawback.

redken rewind

it's smells a bit frou-frou, but i kinda like it. the hold is lighter than i usually like, but i do like how my hair isn't all crunchy from using it. and i like how it's blue.

aquage transforming paste

smells kinda lotion-ey, but very strong and sticky. costs too much for the amount you get, though.

head wear mucked up

it's a little too light, but the texture is exactly the rubbery texture that's my favorite. plus it's a light shimmery blue! i can't quite place the smell, though--there's some kind of exotic fruit (guava maybe?) mixed in with something chemically. the minus is that there isn't enough in one carton.

head games messed-up madness

pretty decent for putting together a scruffy look. plus the smell is not too overpowering.

xtah roxx

not a fan. the jello-like texture is fun...for a second. but the smell's not great and it comes out too stiff and it leaves my hands feeling weird and dried.

wella liquid hair kryptonite

pluses: bright neon lime green! super stiff! minuses: sometimes i don't want super stiff.

d:fi d:struct, pliable molding creme

great at what it does in that it molds well and stuff. it suffers from the same defect as the tigi bed head manipulator -- it's waaay too pina colada-ey. well, maybe manipulator is a wee bit more, but still, the smell is too strong for me. fun, though, and i like the matte look it gives.

tigi bed head creative genius

very pretty container, very pretty colors. not quite what I want for my hair, though. my hair comes out too stiff, too crunchy from this product. and it doesn't even make my hair stick together in thick spikes, like I like. plus the bottle's inconveniently shaped for getting the last little goo out of it (i.e., you can't stand it upside-down). oh well.

head games bizarre twist

stiff stuff, kind of like american crew fiber, except just a smidgeon lighter. good watermelon-ey smell.

got2b shocking

one of those glowey-type styling products. i actually like it, except for the mild coconut part of the smell (the fruity part, though, is actually kind of nice). the texture's great -- a little rubbery, not too crunchy. plus it really glows! which is great, except when it gets on your hands and you go to a club and you look like a radioactive freak. though maybe that's good, your choice.

liquid hair wrecked

this is it. something like rubber rage, but cheaper. not as good, true, but gives that great rubbery springy feel without all that extra price. worth it, definitely.

phyto organics creative sculting putty

definitely succeeds at making my hair spiky, but creates a stiff feel that i don't quite like.

d:fi firm hold hair wax

a lighter hair wax than the bumble & bumble, with a nicer smell. but it doesn't quite make my hair clump in the way i want it to clump. oh well.

bumble & bumble sumowax

nice glass jar (oh so red and heavy), weird smell. super strong. i use it to slick down the shorter parts of my hair.

tigi bed head rubber rage

"rubber for your hair." amazing stuff. i am a fan. it provides tons of hold, and is super-light. makes my hair fascinatingly springy and, well, rubbery. i adore it. it is waaay too expensive, though.

kms hair play styling grit

when the hair salon person recommended this to me, i was suspicious. but now i love it! okay, the smell is still on the fruity side, but it does wonders for making my hair spikey and rumpled, all at once. comes in a pretty green container.

citre shine shine mist spray laminator

a pretty good shiner that you can get from cvs or osco or walgreens or whatever. not as good as liquid hair, but pretty good. wish it smelled more citrusy, though.

iso multiplicity glosser

it'd be great, except for the fact that it's also way too expensive. and smells like bubble gum. but it's a pretty good glosser, in general, with a few drops working wonders on my hair. and it has it's fun gimmicks! like how it has this this crazy two-color design where you have to shake it to make a purple emulsion. or like how when you rub it, it gets warmer. get it as a gift for someone, if you buy it at all.

umberto giannini sleek and chic straightening gloss serum

does a reasonable job of straightening my all-too-chemically-maltreated hair, which often gets frizzy in the summer. no fragrance, either, for those of you who worry about that kind of thing.

wella liquid hair

i can't begin to praise this stuff more. it's supposedly a glossing spray, but it does wonders for detangling, too! and it really smoothes my hair, especially when it's all frizzy from overbleaching. i bet gina would love this. i do. plus it smells great, in a very very light kind of way.

pro vitamin molding maniac

for stuff you can get at the drugstore, awesome! but pink. the smell is not too heavy, and it has just the right hold, without being too too tacky. but it's pink.

fudge hair shaper

bought a very small sample of this. like tigi bed head, it smells like pina colada (even more so than tigi bed head), but is different in that it's cream-colored, less sticky, and more gooey. i'm not a fan, but man do i want a pina colada smoothie now.

artec textureline texture shine

moderately light, with a great (and not too strong) melon smell. this might be my favorite daily styling agent.

note: i tried this on my brother, and he said it was much too light to spike his hair.

american crew fiber

super thick (almost solid, until you really really dig your fingers into it), pretty good hold, and the smell is a light lemony citrus smell with some herb mixed in. it's perfect, the smell that is.

note: i tried this on my brother, to marvelous effect. his hair stayed mussed and spikey after much jumping up and down and shaking his head around. *this* is the hair product he says he would wear if he went out, but he does not.

tigi bed head manipulator

smells like pina colada, which some like, but i personally don't. but boy does it have hold. you can make twists with this product that stay for days. i've heard it's all right for that spiky look too, but my hair isn't short enough to try. it's also light blue, which i like.

note: i tried this on my brother, and he said it was okay for spiking his hair. moderate hold, which was lost after his jump- around- and- shake- test.

another note: DO NOT TAKE THIS ON AN AIRPLANE WITH YOU. the metal cap does not seal very well, and i think the slightly lower pressures involved in air travel makes the goop expand and spill out of the container. i went through two "accidents" before i gave up putting it in my travel pack.

sebastian molding mud

a very very odd product. tiny fibers that bond to hair! it says. smells like light apricot, which i'm not crazy about. starts out grainy, but turns stringy as you rub it. not great for hold, but if you want to tie your hair up and have hair sticking out together in thick bunches, this is the product for you.

xtah vinyl fabricator

pretty strong stuff, but kind of too sticky for my tastes. interesting odor of licorice.

coloring and de-coloring agents

y.s. park white bleach

bought while in japan. thought it'd be less harsh to my asian hair. it is (my hair doesn't completely become straw afterwards), but it doesn't bleach as well as other bleaches i've tried. i suppose that's the compromise. another problem could also be that i just can't read the japanese instructions. it seems to time-out after about an hour.

fudge blueberry hill hair dye

semi-permanent. lasted about three weeks for me. i've heard blue hawaii and blue velvet are bluer dyes, but the cool thing about blueberry hill is that it made my hair match my tassle and hood for graduation, to the bemusement of my law professors.

various manic panic and punky color hair dyes

i'll get around to reviewing these, really. generally, blues, reds, and violets for me.

products i intend to try

a long wishlist o' hairproducts. as an informative note, i don't generally go for the herbal stuff and generally prefer wackier styling products. except for the hempy products, which i think are just silly (even though alterna's line has the most amazing packaging i've seen). i also generally don't prefer fruity and flowery smells, and lean towards more minty, spicy, citrusy (okay, that's kind of fruity but not quite) odors. oh yeah, and i realize that half the time, the appeal of these products is the packaging.

ecoly things distort

supposedly, a "knotty texturizing wax." fun.

d:fi d:stroyed

conditioner. sounds strong. i suppose i'll find out someday.

artec white-violet shampoo

supposedly, a pale blue tint makes yellowish-blonde hair look white. which would be neat.

graham webb pure blonde shampoo and conditioner

again, with a blue/violet tint for making white hair.

hayashi amethyst violet color shampoo

more along the same lines.

i.c.e. spiker water-resistant styling glue

just because it sounds super intriguing.

scruples er emergency repair for damaged hair

because i do a lot of terrible stuff to my hair.

xtah twisted taffy free-former

it's all about the packaging. the crude clay modeler sounds funky too.