Hair Picks from COLAB, LUSH, and Phyto Paris

Although my everyday hair care routine has remained fairly regimented since I lightened it (see my guide to caring for blonde hair), a number of other hair products have been sent my way these past few months that I've also been experimenting with. Here are my thoughts on a few of them...

With my colour treated hair, I've been trying not to wash it too frequently in order to avoid fading and brassiness. That's where dry shampoo comes in! As you may already know, I typically use Batiste but lately have been testing out British brand COLAB from model and beauty blogger Ruth Crilly.

In Canada, we now have access to two high fashion-inspired fragrances from the COLAB collection, available online and in select retailers (including London Drugs). London is a mix of bergamot, musk, and magnolia but smells overly perfume-y to me. I personally prefer Rio, which is fruity and tropical (think Escada's popular summer fragrances). The Sheer Invisible line features a fine transparent formula to work for all hair colours. My fellow brunettes know that there's nothing worse than looking like you've rubbed your roots with white powder, am I right? The product is nice for keeping greasy hair at bay though if you're looking for volume I would not recommend it. COLAB does, however, also have an Extreme Volume line, which is likely better for that added oomph.

For the eco-conscious among us, LUSH Cosmetics recently launched six new shampoo bars: packaging-free solid shampoo that you just add water to use. I have used Seanik before but I found it drying so it wasn't a good fit for my hair type. Thankfully I decided to give these another go because it turns out I love Honey I Washed My Hair. Featuring the super popular honey-toffee scent from the Honey I Washed The Kids soap, this shampoo bar is such a treat. I have been alternating it with my purple shampoo days so I bet this one little puck will last me ages as it can be used up to 80 times.

To add moisture back to my dry ends, I have been using the Phyto Paris Repairing Thermal Protectant Spray. The spray contains botanical keratin and hyaluronic acid to repair, while a heat-activated extract of yun zhi provides protection for heat styling. It's a bit like a leave-in conditioner and leaves my hair feeling really nice.

Another Phyto Paris product I like is the Botanical Scalp Treatment. It's a pre-shampoo treatment that you apply and leave on for 20 minutes before washing your hair and helps balance the scalp. I find that I especially need something like this during the colder months and the blend of essential oils (cajeput, lemon, rosemary, sage, and cypress) is very refreshing.