suave professionals :: 30 day beauty challenge

Check out yesterday's post for style info.

First off, let me clarify that this is not a sponsored post. This is me, letting you guys in on a recent discovery of mine. I'm not a beauty blogger, but I do have a (potentially un-)healthy obsession with hair and make up, and I may have found the answer to damaged hair woes.

In one week, using a handful of products that cost less than $3 each, I have nearly rid my hair of split ends - without giving up daily heat styling.

Let's backtrack for a moment.

In high school, I was forced to choose between spending my hard earned dollar bills from my minimum wage theater job on hair products, or using the free crap my mom got from LDS Family Services (which smelled like burning poo). Needless to say, being a teenage girl, I chose to buy my own. I went with Suave Green Apple at first, because it was cheap and smelled good, but after the first couple of bottles I realized why it was so cheap. I'm no scientist, but it was definitely not doing nice things to my hair.

Fast forward, ten years later, and now I'm a professional beauty amateur - I regularly experiment with my hair products to find new combinations that make my hair do cool things, and these experiments typically involve a lot of heat styling, which causes split ends, which effectively end hair growth.

Well, I want to grow my hair out. I am an Aries. I want my hair to grow NOW, dammit.

I don't normally buy a product based solely on a celeb endorsement, but I watched Fashion Star Season 1, which I'm pretty sure aired Nicole Richie's Suave Keratin Infusion commercial at least three or four times per episode, not to mention all of the backstage product plugs. I'm fairly certain it was this subconscious programming, combined with my burning to desire to cure my split ends so my hair will grow really, really fast, that led to the purchase of Suave's Keratin Infusion Shampoo & Conditioner (for Color Treated Hair).

I was sold after the first wash. So sold, in fact, that I went right out and picked up the rest of the Keratin Infusion line, plus some other Suave Professionals products.

l-r: Suave Volumizing Root Lifter Spray | Suave Touchable Finish Super Hold Hair Spray | Suave Keratin Infusion Smooth & Shine Serum | Suave Keratin Infusion Color Care Shampoo (also available in Smoothing formula) | Suave Keratin Infusion Color Care Conditioner (also available in Smoothing formula) | Suave Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo | Suave Keratin Infusion Heat Defense Leave-In Conditioner

Root lifter and dry shampoo have been part of my daily hair regime for some time now, but I typically skip things like hair spray, shine serums and leave in conditioners. Most of the ones I've tried leave my hair crunchy, oily and yucky (respectively), despite promises otherwise. I was so impressed with the shampoo and conditioner, though, that I decided to not only give these other products a whirl, but I am giving up all other brands and products for the next 30 days.

That's right. You guys know how much I love my Bumble & Bumble Dry Shampoo, and I don't think I've ever told you about my closet obsession with Garnier's surf paste, but I am so into these Suave products after just a few days that I am ready to swear off all other brands for the next month (in the name of science, of course). Enter:

I've already started using a few of the pictured products, and my hair looks pretty damn amazing (as evidenced by the photographs at the top of this post). I've even started making people feel how soft my hair is. Seriously - ask my sister. Over the next month, I will try and review all of them for you - check in this weekend for the first review.

Yesterday I promised to tell you how I achieved split end-less hair. Ladies, this is it. These products have made my hair incredibly, beautifully healthy and shiny in just a few days. The question I pose to science: will continued use for 30 days maintain, strengthen, or reverse the good they've done so far?

August 4th holds the final answer to that question, but remember to stay tuned over the next few weeks for updates and reviews, plus any styling secrets I discover in the meantime.

Has anyone else tried the Suave Professionals line? What are you thoughts on it? Any suggestions or requests? Leave your input in the comments!


P.S. This is still not a sponsored post. Suave is in no way affiliated with this challenge, post or blog.