We tried one shampoo brand for a full year and here is what we learned:
Have you ever tested one brand of shampoo for a full year? No? No worries, that’s why we are here to share our experience! The three of us spent one year trying out a wide variety of Paul Mitchell hair products and styling tools.
Before we dive in, here’s a little backstory:
Blair and Janie have been highlighting their hair for ages, and Blair’s hair is on the thicker side, while Janie’s is fairly thin. If you’ve followed the blog before, you know Ellen had long thick black hair and recently transitioned to a blonde (more on that to come). Therefore, all three of us have color treated hair, but all are a little different, so it doesn’t seem like one brand could work for all three or us.
Fortunately, Paul Mitchell products are amazing and very versatile! We tried several different products over the year and saw fantastic results. One of the most noticeable changes is being able to go longer between highlights, while our hair feels healthier and doesn’t need to be trimmed as often.
Like every brand, Paul Mitchell offers a wide variety of products for every type of hair. From texture to coloring, you can find just the right product for your hair with a bit of research.
Our absolute favorite product from the Paul Mitchell collection is the Super Skinny Serum. We all use it everyday, and it makes a world of a difference on your hair! Simply apply one or two pumps of the serum into towel-dried hair before drying. Your hair will be silky smooth, plus we think it speeds up the blow drying process. Oh, and did we mention it cuts back on frizz too? Seriously, miracle product.
SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER:
Tea Tree Collection:
For anyone who enjoys a day at the spa, the Tea Tree Collection for you! It is a wonderful, everyday shampoo and conditioner collection that comes in three heavenly scents: Tea Tree, Lemon Sage, & Lavender Mint. Ellen and Blair love the Lavender Mint Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, while Janie prefers the Lemon Sage Thickening products. Overall, we recommend these for any hair texture!
Paul Mitchell Collection:
For a more specialized product line, we recommend checking out the classic Paul Mitchell Collection. The Blonde and Ultimate Color Care collection are perfect for color-treated hair! Ellen recently started using the Original Collection Leave-In conditioner to help prevent dryness after such drastic color changes. From curls to body, strong to flexible hold, the Paul Mitchell collection has a lot of great products for any style!
AWAPUHI WILD GINGER®
Aside from the products above, we also tried the Awapuhi Wild Ginger Collection. Though this collection smells great and has a super sleek bottle (yes, these things catch our eye too!), unfortunately we didn’t LOVE this product. What we found was everyday use of these products left our hair feeling flat and a bit greasy. If you have very dry or thick hair, I think you would have better luck with this! We do use the conditioner occasionally for a deep moisturizer, but definitely can’t use it with our everyday routine.
STYLING PRODUCTS:
Apart from shampoos and conditioners, finding the right products to amp up your everyday look is key. We mentioned the Skinny Serum is our top pick for smoothing and defrizzing, but for those days you don’t feel like washing your hair, the Paul Mitchell Express Dry Wash is our favorite dry shampoo for a quick makeover.
If curls are your thing, we recommend the Amp It Up Limited Edition Styling Duo. The kit offers our favorite Sculpting Foam + the Extra Bold Finishing Spray for extra oomph for a night out on the town!
Also, for an everyday hairspray, the Paul Mitchell Hold Me Tight Hairspray is our pick for keeping a glamorous look all day, without the weight of a heavy spray.
TOOLS:
One of the main things we learned with Paul Mitchell, is that great tools make a HUGE difference. Sure our old styling tools got the job done, but our new tools sped up the process, did less damage to our hair, and gave a smoother finish. Here are some of our favorites!
Our must-have tool is the Express Ion Smooth straightener, which glides through your hair, creating shiny, smooth strands. I don’t think we will ever choose another brand of these! (Hint: we will be giving one away on Snapchat this week – Follow us at “perennialstyle” to enter to win!)
Our other favorite tool is the Express Ion Unclipped 3-in-1 Styling Iron. The three interchangeable ceramic barrels allow a wide variety of curling options. Plus it heats up super fast and can give our hair big Texas curls in no time!
Speaking of Texas hair, one of our favorite makeover tricks is a quick tease – whether you are going for a full look after a fresh blowout, or simply a quick hair update with your dry shampoo, a little tease goes a long way! Though this brush is great for teasing, we actually prefer using the Express Ion Round Brush for a softer, fuller tease!
For an everyday brush, we love the 413 Sculpting Brush and the 427 Paddle Brush!
LIMITED EDITION:
Lastly, one reason I love Paul Mitchell products so much is that every so often, our favorite products are released within a limited edition collection! Each of our Express Ion Straighteners are from a different collection (Blair’s is white, Ellen’s is gold, and Janie’s is pink!), so be on the lookout for those – Hint: Follow @PaulMitchellUS on Instagram to stay updated!
