Editor's Choice Awards: Haircare

Welcome to the Sasha Says Editor's Choice Awards! We'll be sharing with you our favorite products in many different categories, beginning with Haircare.

(Please know that this is very tongue-in-cheek. "We" is just me, and it's actually just a list of *my* favorite products. There's no nomination process, voting, or scoring. Just a simple list of things I like and use every day.)

L'Oreal EverPure Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

I've been gradually taking my haircolor darker and darker, trying to get a little closer to my natural color (note that I'm not sure exactly what that is, but it's definitely darker than the bleach blonde I'd been sporting for years).

My stylist recommended I use a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner to preserve the color. I found this L'Oreal product line (each is about $6, but there are frequently $2 off coupons in the Sunday paper) that fit the bill and settled on the Moisture formula. I absolutely love it.

John Frieda Root Awakening Strength Boosting Leave In Spray

(that's a mouthful, huh?)

My hair is pretty fine, and it gets very tangly in the shower. This spray helps gets all those wet tangles out without any breakage and smells nice too. I also use this in WC if she gets tangles, since her hair texture is a lot like mine. It's about $6, although there are frequently coupons for $1 or so off that you can find.

Right after I get out of the shower I spray a liberal amount of this in my hair (about 10 sprays) and comb it out with a wide-toothed comb. Then I wrap my hair in a towel for a few minutes to get some of the moisture out while I apply my eye cream and facial SPF moisturizer.

Dove Frizz Control Therapy Taming Cream

(sadly, Dove's website is crap and although I managed to find a pic of this product in a newer white bottle on their website, it's not possible to link to it or get more info about it, because the "get more info" link just leads you to the general product page, where you are in an endless loop of trying to find the product....)

After I unwrap my hair from the towel, I squirt some of this in my hair and spread it through before I blow dry. I have slightly frizzy hair and this really helps keep it smooth and straight. It's around $5-6 dollars, and again, you can usually find a coupon for $1 or so off in the coupon inserts.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

These are a few of my favorite things.....

Right now I am using Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner on WC's hair and am LOVING it. Poor thing has hair just like me- super fine- and it gets so tangly just walking around. But this conditioner is wonderful and I truly think it's made her hair smoother and much less tangled in the evenings. Her hair looks shiner and so much healthier as well. Disclosure: I received this product for free from BzzAgent.

I had heard a lot about "skunk" brushes and have heard these give a great "light" application of blush or bronzer. I purchased this Sonia Kashuk Highlighting brush at Target for about $12 and I absolutely love it. I'm pretty pale, and a regular blush brush sometimes applies too much color for me, so this works great. (For some reason, this brush is not offered or pictures online at Target's site, but it is available in stores.)

I also needed a new powder brush. I apply a finishing powder over my foundation, and the brush I was using was past it's prime. When I was shopping Avon recently, I found this Mark powder brush for only $8 and I am so glad I ordered it. The handle is high-quality and nice and heavy and the brush itself it so soft. Great purchase. Here's a recent post I did on how to get free shipping on Avon products when you order thru my rep, Valeri.

I've been using Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle for years and love it, but am such a product junkie I can't be satisfied with that. I have to keep trying different products and see how they work in comparison!

I purchased Instant Artificials at Sally's a few weeks ago (about $7-8 I think) and I've already been recommending it to friends! I had a crazy busy week last week and didn't have the opportunity to paint color on my nails, and usually when this happens, I lose a few nails to breakage since they don't have the protection of a million coats of polish. However, I painted two coats of Instant Artificials on my nails and not only did my nails stay intact, the clear polish lasted for 6 days with absolutely no peeling or chipping and my nails seemed even stronger at the end of that week. I am sold!

What products are you loving these days?

Product Rave: John Frieda Root Awakening Collection

Last May I posted about the new John Frieda Root Awakening collection that BzzAgent introduced me to and how much I was loving the Nourishing Moisture shampoo and conditioner.

It's now December and I am still using and loving the products and have re-purchased them a number of times! In addition to the Nourishing Moisture shampoo and conditioner, I also using the Health Boosting Detangling Spray on both my daughter and myself and absolutely love it.

If you are looking for some fabulous, reasonably-priced hair products (around $5 at Target) to try, I cannot recommend this enough. I did try one of the other formulas of this product line and did not care for them at all- so I suggest you stick with the Nourishing Moisture formula.

GDA: John Frieda Root Awakening

Last month I posted about the new John Frieda Root Awakening collection that BzzAgent introduced me to and how much I was loving the Nourishing Moisture shampoo and conditioner. Well, I still do! I did try the Strength Restoring shampoo and conditioner, and I didn't like that formula nearly as much. I have also been using the Health Boosting Detangling Spray on both my daughter and myself and absolutely love it.

And this week there are two pretty fabulous deals on these products that will give you a low-costs opportunity to try them too!

First, CVS is offering the products for $4.99 when you use your ExtraCare card. Add to that deal the $3 coupon from today's Smart Source insert, and you've can try the products for only $1.99 each!

Walgreens has an even better deal if you can get your hands on three of the $3 off coupons. You can basically try the shampoo, conditioner, and detangling spray for $1! Walgreens is offering them 3/$15, and then they give you $5 in Register Rewards for your next visit. Net price is then 3/$10 and if you use three $3 coupons, your end price will be $1 for three products. Fabulous.

If you try these products, let me know what you think.

Hair Update

Last week I posted on my Facebook "Contemplating cutting my hair...." and boy did I get a lot of comments! Most said "Don't cut it!" while some urged me to rock a short cut.

I've been growing it out for quite a while (for me!) and it's actually pretty long- well, it's past my shoulders. Because it's really fine, it typically gets stringy when it gets long. So it was at that point- looking tired and yucky at the end of the day and I was really thinking about going back to the short layered bob I have had for most of my life.

But then BzzAgent came to my rescue! They invited me to join in the John Frieda Root Awakening campaign. They sent me the Nourishing Moisture shampoo and conditioner to try.

Typically, I don't buy moisturizing hair products because I'm afraid they will weight my hair down. But these products are amazing! Seriously, my hair has never looked better. Shiny, smooth, soft.... healthy!

And at my hair appointment next week, I'll just be getting a highlight (yes I know it's more than a highlight....) and just a trim. Now that I have found these fabulous hair products, I know I can keep the length and it will look fabulous!

Have you guys tried these? If not, what are you favorite hair products right now?