Things I ♥: Hair Masques

*completely unsponsored (I'm too unpopular for this kind of sponsorship)*

   Over the past couple months, the health of my hair has changed dramatically. Though my hair definitely was damaged beforehand, after going through multiple bleaching processes (don't even mention that one time I bleached it three times in one day), the state of my locks is definitely not awesome. Ever since I began home dyeing this year, I have created a pretty great Rolodex of DIY hair masques and cheap treatments (mainly from Ricky's) to help split ends and dry hair.

-DIY: putting your entire kitchen on your head
Though most of the treatment packets I buy are under $3, I sometimes become incredibly cheap (and also too lazy to make a Ricky's run), resulting in mixing about everything in the fridge together and putting it on top of my head. OK so yeah you could just grab everything and do that but items I recommend are: milk, eggs (just one yolk), honey, banana, vegetable oil, coconut milk, and mayo (I can't deal with the smell/consistency/existence of mayonnaise so that one is never an option for me). For semi-permanent dyed hair, I would recommend leaving out any oily products since it will fade the color- a few days before re-dyeing I will add the oils back in. Making and applying this masque is also crazy easy- simply mix everything you want into a bowl, section off your hair, and spread evenly.
Cost: Free! (unless you buy your own groceries...)
Time: 20 min.- whenever (I usually do it for 40 min but I have a friend who will leave it for hours)

-Not Your Mothers: Intensive Hair Unit Renewal Treatment
Not Your Mother's is one of my favorite brands ever for hair (their dry hair shampoo and anti- split end conditioner is the greatest) so when Sam and I found packets of their hair repair treatment I had to try it. The first time I used one, I'd just done a bleach bath and though it didn't feel marginally better, it was definitely good for just bleached. The application is simple (wash hair, massage with product, wait 3 min) my split ends were also pretty minimal afterwards and I could actually touch my hair without wanting to cringe!
Cost:
8 oz bottle- $8
1 packet (it took me 2 to cover my head)- $2
Time: 3-6 minutes

-Hask Keratin Protein Smoothing Deep Conditioner 
I'd gone back to Ricky's a couple weeks later to grab a couple more Not Your Mother's packets and since it was a different location, they sadly didn't have them in stock so the next best thing was to try one of these. I've used this product twice now and it's super easy and quick to use (wash hair, leave in for 10-20 min, wash). I haven't risked blow drying afterwards but once my hair is completely dry, it feel so crazy soft and adds shine.
Cost: $3
Time: 10 min (I leave it for 20 just to make sure)

Things I ♥: Adore Hair Dye

"baby blue", "pink rose", "violet gem", "ruby red"

*completely un-sponsored (but hey Adore, if you want to give me free dye, that'd be cool too)*
   Currently, the only dye I ever use is Adore. Though the color selection is not nearly as expansive as brands such as Manic Panic, I'm huge on long lasting colors and this dye is perfect (this may not apply to others since my hair creates basically no oils, so I only wash my hair once a week). I've only used around five colors (if you don't count mixing) on myself but have dyed other's hair with other shades ("Orange Blaze", "Purple Rage", "Hot Pink", etc) and not only do the colors come out about as bright as Manic Panic and Crazy Color but will last around 3X longer- it's wonderful. Also, being a broke, unemployed, teenager, price is a pretty big turning point for me. This shit is $5 (half as much as Arctic Fox, Manic Panic, etc). $5. And, about one and a half bottles will cover my entire head- have you seen how much hair I have??

♥Ruby Red/Truly Red

I've never seen either of these reds alone but have mixed around a half a bottle of "Truly Red" with around a quarter of "Ruby Red" to create a more Ash Costello deep shade like what she's got now instead of the orangey color she had earlier. Overall, the color came out well and I was happy with it for about a week until I took a shower and it slightly faded (OK I did wash it with shampoo and warm water by accident)

 and that was the downfall of all my red hair dreams. The problem with this color on hair is that red not only clashes with about EVERYTHING but also turns a gross brass-y color and is quick to fade due to the pigments. :(((((

♥Violet Gem

My next color was this lovely shade! I had to Color Oops and bleach over this one and I was really impressed on how it took to one of my infamous bleach jobs. It was slightly patchy due to a not so well done mixing with a dash of "Pink Rose" but I was super crazy happy with this one- I'm actually thinking of going back to this color once my current one fades out. 

(right) my hair after 3 weeks, (left) 2 weeks

this color I took A+ care of; once a week washing, no shampoo, putting my hair under the bathtub spout (coldest water possible). This one really didn't want to come out- I had to scrub with Ajax, wash religiously with Head and Shoulders, and even resort to a bleach bath for it to be dyed over.

♥Pink Rose/Baby Blue

These two I used for the same hair "phase" 

I've never done blue hair before so this one was pretty exciting- since I wanted this one to be a bit more pastel, I have been washing it with shampoo and regular temperature water. I've had it for two weeks now and the blue has turned teal in some spots and kind of mint colored (I'm so excited over that) whereas the pink has gotten a little less bright but still has barely faded.

(right) just done, (left) 2 weeks

The thing that I absolutely love about Adore is that not only do their colors last forever, but once they do fade, instead of murky tones and greys, I've experienced and seen only nice pastels. Overall, Adore is lovely.