Recession Proof Hair Products I Stick By

If you’re new here, I am a true 2000s salon baby. I got my first perm at 6 and thankfully I stopped perming pretty early. I remember sitting in the salon chair dreading that “creamy crack”. Every six months, it was touch up time and nothing about the process made me feel pretty even with hair straightened, dudley’s on the edges, and bumped ends.

My hair was always thick, kinky/curly, and long, I was incredibly tender headed. My neighbor would hear me scream from the parting, combing and braiding. My mom did the best she knew how to ease the pain and relieve both of our stress. But by third grade, I had enough of the kiddie perm and wanted to try something new. A friend of a friend introduced us to a Dominican Salon on Northern Blvd and the wash and sets were in full effect.

I vividly remember being by the sink bowl and watching Ms. Rose or Ms. Elizabeth massage Tresemme, Salerm, or Head & Shoulders shampoos and conditioners into my hair. As they scrubbed my scalp and combed through my bouncy tresses, I would look up and listen to them tell me how beautiful my hair was and teach me Spanish. I would walk around the salon with my hair pressed asking all of the ladies questions, flip through Essence magazine and watch Telenovelas.

By 2006 things got tight. I had to be fully responsible for my hair and it was rough but I had some of the basics down. Tresemme shampoo, conditioner, heat protectant, hairspray and pink lotion for ponytails. Thankfully by 2009, we were introduced to a new salon on Astoria Blvd. The salon had a very similar vibe yet in this time I’m experiencing being a young woman with more independence and having more mature conversations about life and love with my stylist… hey Kathy.

Kathy wouldn’t even ask if I needed a deep conditioner. She would scrub my scalp with Salerm or head & shoulders and stick me under the dryer for 10 minutes with a plastic cap of Silicon Mix, Crece Pelo and or an oil. After, we’d always do a roller set, a blowout and a flat iron (babyliss titanium pro of course). When I was taking poor care of my hair, she would make me trust her, cut it and it always grew back.

These days, my recession proof staple products are:

Head & Shoulders Shampoo and Conditioner
Nizoral Anti Dandruff Shampoo
Crece Pelo Deep Conditioner
Silicon Mix Deep Conditioner
Tresemme Heat Protectant Spray
Tresemme Hair Spray
Garnier Fructis Sleek And Shine

Foundations of my hair health truly came from trial, error, education and cutting off dead ends then trusting it will always grow back. In this crazy economy and season of lent, what are you cutting off to grow stronger? Let me know in the comments below. It’s nice talking to you all again.

Xo