Every beauty blogger knows that with a passion for beauty comes the desire for the most gorgeous hair. Therefore the desire to own the best hair products is top of the list. Whether you're a salon fanatic, always feeling you need to frequently visit the best salon or use salon-quality products yourself at home, or even if, like me, you rarely visit the salon (in fact I'm slightly shamed to say I've never had my hair done at a salon.. shocking, I know!), you'll know that there are thousands of products out there to give you the most beautiful hair, on any occasion.
I admit I own a lot of beauty products altogether, whether it be skin, body, hair or makeup, I spend copious amounts of money on beauty and expect to get the best out of my money. Admittedly, I have a lot of bad experiences with products, particularly if I have spent slightly more money on a brand new, raved-about product which turns out to be slightly underwhelming. Therefore, like many beauty bloggers I tend to give more love to products that I've purchased on the cheap which turn out to be incredible! This is almost always the case with hair products. High street vs. bank breakers - there's just no competition! 
Shampoo + Conditioner
My hair washing routine is slightly boring, as I'm not very adventurous when it comes to shampoo and conditioner. I fear that if I buy a really mysterious product which I've heard lots about, it could be completely unsuitable for my hair and leave it feeling rough and heavy - not something you wish for with long hair.
I've been through some tough experiences with my hair - particularly the 'bleach incident'. In the summer of 2010 I decided to be a little more adventurous with my hair, and thought I'd like to go blonde. However after speaking to my home hairdresser and family friend, she suggested that as my hair was so naturally dark, I'd have to gradually lighten it, and not just go all out blonde. So I began having bleached highlights, and ignoring my hairs' ginger tendencies, I loved it. Every couple of months I'd have more bleach put in my hair, until spring time 2012 when I decided it was just too tough having to buy expensive hair products to take care of the horrible effects the bleach was having on my long, thick hair. I took the plunge and decided to go back to my dark locks, and finally saw that I would always be a brunette, and even though I enjoyed the caramel-coloured hair, brunette just suited me so much more (It turned out cheaper, too!). However as I grew used to my natural dark hair once again, I started to notice the bleach peeping through, and would therefore have to dye it dark monthly with a home-dye kit just to keep it looking fairly normal. It was a huge effort and although its now back to natural brunette and I no longer need to dye it, I still have to use the best, most nourishing shampoos and conditioners to keep it silky. Alternating shampoos is a great way to get your hair looking silky and soft, as if you use the same product again and again your hair will get too used to it and will look more unclean and greasy between washes. I wash my hair every other day, because it doesn't go greasy quickly, but everybody's different and only you can tell how often you'd need to wash yours (it depends on length of hair, thickness, colour and texture). My hair is naturally polka straight, dark brown and very long, this means regular washing but not too much. My favourite shampoo and conditioner at the moment is Aussie 'Miracle Shine' as it gives my hair shine, bounce and volume without it feeling too heavy (it's also incredibly nourishing and hair follicles love it!).
Deep Conditioning
Enough about boring shampoo and conditioner, what really matters for long hair is a great deep conditioner! I enjoy nothing more than that time of the week when I can relax in the bath with my hair wrapped in a towel turban and slathered in deep conditioner, comforted by the thought of my hair gaining all the nourishment it needs. I use Toni&Guy 'Nourish' deep conditioning mask for brunette hair once a week in replace of my usual conditioner, slathered on my hair and then tightly wrapped in a towel turban for around 20 minutes. I then wash it off and dry it how I usually would and enjoy the silky, bouncy hair which comes from the mask.
This product is one of my favourites and I can safely say I will use it until it completely runs out. You only need about a palmful (depending on the size of your hands and the length of your hair!), meaning that it should last about a year or so if you do it weekly. I use other hair masks and deep conditioning depending on my mood, and occasionally use one of my favourites John Frieda 'brilliant brunette' hair mask in a small packet, which would usually cost no more than a pound from Boots. However this is quite expensive for something you would only use once and then throw away, so to invest in the full tub would be a good idea. 
Hair protecting, styling + brushing
Once I've washed my hair, I like to feel comfortable that I'm still adding volume while drying it. As I have naturally straight hair, it is easy to quickly lose volume and have flat, dull hair that just sort of 'hangs'. I discovered two products which work perfectly together to provide the best volume without feeling any product in my hair at all. I use Tresemme '24 Hour Body' Volumizing spray which I spray on the roots of my hair and work throughout the lengths, remembering not to focus too much on the very ends as this will make my hair heavy and without any volume what-so-ever! After I've applied the spray, I use Lee Stafford 'Volumizing mousse' which is guaranteed not to leave any residue behind, and to just give a voluminous feeling to long hair without it feeling heavy, sticky or crunchy, like a lot of mousses can. I tend to steer clear of mousses as I feel only people with curly hair can get away with them, however once applied, this one feels much more like a balm which disappears once blow-dried.
When it comes to brushes I'm a bit of a freak. I have too many to even count and I only really use a couple. I am very clumsy and forgetful and am always leaving brushes round friends houses or my boyfriends, or just losing them in general. So when I see a good brush in a shop I will buy it, thinking it will replace the one I lose, however I actually only end up with a load of unused brushes which don't de-tangle my hair in any way, shape or form. My favourite brush however is one which I have had a bit of a love affair with since I first purchased it. It is a Tangle Teezer - in luminous pink! These brushes are great as they leave hair absolutely tangle free and silky, and are great to just stuff into your bag. I also like that the back comes off giving me a cheeky storage space for hair grips and bands, just in case! I wouldn't fault this brush in any way and use it every time I wash my hair, several times during the day and of course before I go to sleep at night (many people tie their hair up but I wake up with the hair band stuck in my hair so I choose to risk being strangled in the night instead!) As well as a barrel brush for extra volume, I also use a small back-combing brush for when my hair requires a bit more night time volume for going out. The tail end comes in handy for setting my parting too!
Blow drying my hair almost always means curling afterwards (I dream of naturally wavy hair, rather than my boring dead straight locks), meaning heat applied to my hair in very close proximity. Therefore I find heat protection incredibly important as my hair is so long it is therefore prone to a lot of breakage. To keep my hair growing I have to ensure that any split ends don't carry on to the roots of my hair, otherwise I would have to have a very short bob cut (eek)! As you've probably guessed, I am a big fan of Lee Stafford, and believe that they are the only products I have ever come across which work best when used with the others in that collection. The detangling spray is great for my hair and ensures there's no breakage during the tough venture of brushing my long locks! I also love Lee Stafford Flat Iron Protection Spray as it smells incredible and really feels as though it's protecting your hair from root to tip without coating it. As an alternative and a firm favourite to slip into my handbag when I'm staying at my boyfriend's house is Tresemme Heat Protection Spray in compact size (I also use it to calm flyaway's in the middle of the day, if I were shopping our just out and about).
Hairsprays + Dry shampoos
In my opinion, dry shampoo is one of the beauty world's best inventions, as it offers lovely clean hair which smells incredible and looks as though its just been washed, without any water! I'd like to think I'm not the only person who gets this excited about dry shampoo, but nonetheless, this product is my absolute saviour. I have been through the entire Batiste range and decided that my two favourites, depending on what my mood or occasion is, are 'Cheeky Cherry' flavour and 'XXL Volume'. The XXL Volume really does do what it says on the tin - it adds instant back-combable volume perfect for a night out, and even if I have just washed and dried my hair before I go out, I often use it just to take away that 'oh-so-silky-just-been-washed' look which I feel makes my hair difficult to volumize. Like every other dry shampoo in the Batiste range, they both offer an amazing smell, however the cherry flavoured definitely wins for me! Other dry shampoos are just as good, such as Tresemme's, however the smell of these draws me back in to buy them again and again!
Hairspray isn't something I often rely on as my hair is so naturally heavy I just feel it adds too much heaviness. However for special occasions and days where I feel the curls I've just done using my curling tongs or straighteners are too good to let drop, I apply a small amount of either of my two favourite hairsprays and gently brush through with my Tangle Teezer. The two I use quite frequently are Toni&Guy 'Casual Flexible Hold Hairspray' for casual, daytime looks and Loreal Elnett Satin 'Extra Strength' Hairspray, for the more extreme, night-time occasions.
There isn't much more to my hair-care routine than that, though you're probably feeling glad there isn't! I take a lot of pride in my hair and my hair care routine really is very important to me, as I'm sure it is for many girls. I don't suggest anybody do what I do to my hair, I just do what's right for my own hair and what I feel works for me. It would be great to know if any of these tips work for anyone else and I love to know I'm passing on my wisdom. Enjoy the rest of my blog!
Sophie.
'The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express' - Francis Bacon
