My Hair's Holy Grail List for Straightening

I wouldn't say I'm a total product junkie, but I do like to try entire lines of hair care products. At one point I bought ALL the Garnier Fructis products for going from curly to straight. My favorite is the Smoothing Milk. I also bought all the CHI products-- and ended up giving most away because they smell like man. I still love the shampoo and conditioner and use them like once per month.


Splurging aside, here is my real group of top hair goodies:


Twice a week, I use Aveda Damage Remedy shampoo & conditioner along with the Aveda Smooth Infusion (which also serves as a heat protector). For the coarse section of my hair, I sometimes use the Aveda Brilliant Universal Styling Creme. These are my holy grail products.

If on a tighter budget, BioInfusion (at Walgreen's) has a decent line of product and the polishing serum is a great alternative. You just have to be your own judge of how much to use based upon your hair type. I can also give my approval for the ApHogee line of products. If you're okay with sulfates, Organic Root Stimulator has great products, too. The conditioner is my favorite and the Olive Oil Hair Lotion is a great moisturizer. Everything from all of these lines has a great smell.  

I have super thick hair so I blow-dry in small layers with a round brush using my Conair Infinity Ceramic Tourmaline blow dryer. It does a great job but now I want the BaByliss Pro Diamond blow dryer that matches my new flat iron. After blow drying, I flat iron in small layers to get it silky smooth. 


My hair is half damaged from a bad dye job. That section is very porous and fluffs up quickly in high humidity. The Aveda Brilliant USC and the BioInfusion Glossing Serum are great at fighting/blocking the humidity. I have the Aveda Anti-Humectant Pomade and it's okay for my healthy hair, but not for the damaged parts. I just don't bother buying it anymore-- though I may buy a jar when I get my hair chopped short. It gives a great shine which means using less products. 


My thick hair absorbs moisture like crazy, yet it dries out easily. How does that make any sense?! I find it altogether annoying, but I'm sure it could be worse.