Current Obsessions: Hair Edition

December 5, 2023

There are few things I love more than finding a new hair product that I love. These are the products that I will *literally* take a spatula to and make sure I get every drop out of the jar/bottle/tube. Here are my current hair obsessions.

Plaine Products Rosemary Mint Vanilla Shampoo and Conditioner

Plaine Products is dedicated to trying to help solve the plastic crisis that is happening on our planet. Their hair products come in aluminum containers, which can be rinsed out and shipped back with a return label that they provide.

In addition to being planet-friendly, their products work beautifully. My hair is incredibly healthy because of the gentleness of their shampoo and the light, yet moisturizing conditioner. Their products are on the pricey side ($32), but you get a discount if you subscribe. And honestly, I would pay that much for hair products anyway, so not using plastic is a win-win for me.

Plaine Products also offers hair gel, body wash, lotion (which I have in several rooms of my house), travel sizes, and more.

Moroccanoil Treatment Hair Oil

For me, this is an oldie but a goodie. I started using Moroccanoil Treatment Hair Oil years ago, then stopped for a while. Once I started highlighting my hair again, this stuff became one of my current hair obsessions again.

I use Moroccanoil every time I wash my hair, whether I’m going to do a blowout or not, just to prevent split ends. It makes a huge difference when I blow dry, though. Before I started using it again, my hair would get super tangly during the blow dry process. Now, I can get a brush through easily.

Moroccanoil Root Boost

My hair has its unique challenges, one of them being that the individual strands are fine, but I have a lot of them. Therefore, I struggle with volume. Moroccanoil’s Root Boost offers an easy solution to this problem.

Before drying, I spray the root boost on just my roots. In addition to pumping up the volume, the spray also prolongs the life of my blowout for about a day more than usual (I wash my hair every two to three days).

Olaplex No. 3 Hair Repair Perfector

If ever there was a hair obsession for me, this is it. The Olaplex No. 3 Hair Repair Perfector is a pre-shampoo treatment that builds the bonds in hair and helps reduce breakage and improve hair health.

The instructions say to use the treatment weekly, but I use it every other week and alternate with a moisturizing hair mask on the off weeks. I can’t use both on the same day or my hair gets super limp. You can leave the mask on for as long as you like, but I usually do between 15 minutes and an hour for optimum results.

Bumble & Bumble Thickening Spray

Bumble & Bumble’s Thickening Spray has been a favorite of mine since I was in college 150 years ago. You can pick this up at Sephora, Ulta, or even drugstores (I believe).

As I’ve mentioned, my hair is fine, so a volumizer is an absolute must. I apply this after I put on the Root Boost and work it through the length of my hair before blow drying. Bumble & Bumble stylists call this their “secret weapon” because it gives volume without feeling sticky, and I 100% agree.

I will also use this spray if I’m going to put some waves in my hair with a curling iron on day two, and it helps my hair hold the curl.

Redken Diamond Oil

June 2, 2017

As I sit here, I am on day 6 of a terrible cold. My plan had been to start my Physique 57 Challenge last week and be a week into it by now. But I got one workout into the challenge and caught a terrible cold. Thwarted by germs, I attempted to stay in bed all weekend to get rid of this disaster. I failed.

So I decided, in the meantime, to review some of my new buys. First is Redken Diamond Oil Shatterproof Shine. I was introduced to this product while reading an Elle magazine a year or so ago. One writer decided to examine what “taking care of your hair” truly entails by consulting experts.

Apparently, a lot is required to simply care for your hair in the correct way, according to the article. This was the same article that introduced me to Dr. Dennis Gross’ Anti-Aging Scalp Serum. The experts (the names escape me now) recommend all kinds of elaborate treatments, as well as carefully brushing hair in the manner of Disney princesses (brushing with one hand very, very gently while holding the other hand flat on the other side of the brush). They also adamantly recommend only using a brush with boar bristles and heat styling only when your life depends on it.

While this is all well and good, I learned early that my unruly hair tangles, and the way to get those tangles out is a good old-fashioned paddle brush. I also know that I look like a drowned rat (or better yet, the survivor of the zombie apocalypse) when I don’t blow dry my hair, so air drying is usually not an option. However, I have managed to wean myself down to only washing my hair every other day instead of every day, so at least I’m doing something right.

First Impressions

I found the Redken Diamond Oil at Frends Beauty Supply, during the same trip that I bought the Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation Illuminator. Being a beauty junkie, it is absolutely impossible for me to enter a beauty supply store and only purchase one item. So after I found the illuminator, I wandered the aisles and found the Redken Diamond Oil. I remembered seeing a photo of it in the Elle article, so I decided to give it a go.

The bottle is a little smaller than I expected, but you need so little of the product for everyday use that I’m sure it will last for a long time.

Experience

Aside from using the Redken Diamond Oil for everyday use, the Elle article recommended using it as a hair mask, in addition to a scalp mask that I’ll discuss in a different review. The oil has a light consistency and a delicate scent. The websites I’ve consulted herald this as an all purpose oil, for use pre-shampoo, mixed with a hair mask, pre-blowout, post-blowout, and even on hands and skin.

As a Hair Mask. Because the oil is so light, I find myself applying a lot of it as a hair mask. The site recommends leaving on for 5 to 15 minutes, but I leave the treatment on for at least an hour. Although with some oils I feel like I need to shampoo more than once, a single shampoo feels sufficient. Post-blowout, my hair is soft and smooth.

As a Pre-Blowout Styler. Again, the oil is super light, so the first time I use it I end up using too much. My hair turns out greasy and kind of flat. Next time, I stick to only three to four drops as directed, and the Redken Diamond Oil works as promised. My hair is shiny but not weighed down, and I’m confident the oil is protecting it.

I’ve not tried the other uses recommended by the website, save for kind of rubbing the oil into my hands after applying it to my hair. As I enjoy a lighter lotion on my hands, I didn’t like the oily feeling on my hands and tend to wipe it off. I haven’t felt the need to apply any styling oil post-blowout recently, as my hair is pretty oily to begin with and I want to prolong my blowout as long as I can. What I may try, however, is mixing a little bit of the oil in with my regular conditioner. I’ve tried this with other hair oils and loved the result, so I look forward to seeing how Redken fares against MoroccanOil and Enjoy.

Cost and Where to Buy

As I said earlier, I bought my Redken Diamond Oil at a beauty supply store, the likes of which are abundant in Los Angeles. You can find it online at Target for $28 or Overstock for $30.99. As per usual, eBay lists it for a steeply discounted $9.88, but who knows what you’ll get :).

Summing Up

I’d give Redken Diamond Oil Shatterproof Shine a 7 out of 10. It’s pretty well priced, more expensive than some oils I’ve seen but less expensive than others. The oil works well, smells nice, and is a good value for what you pay.

Random Thoughts

Redken Diamond Oil - Big and Mini — Big and mini!

Changing things up a bit here, I’m putting the weirdness at the end of the post instead of the beginning. The kitten, Petunia, is flourishing. She has befriended her twin, Mack, the only boy in our house, and they are just the cutest together. I mean, could you just die?

Also, I booked my ticket today for my semi-annual trip to Ohio. My grandmother is turning 100 years old this summer, y’all. 100. She’s amazing and I can’t wait to see her and celebrate her incredible life. I’ll post photos!

Want me to try a different hair oil? Like my kitties? Want to wish my grandmother happy birthday? Comment below or message me here!