Are You Using the Wrong Hydrating Products for Your Hair Type?
Sadaf Razi is Adore Beauty's Senior Beauty Editor.
She's a former fashion editor (who worked at various glossy mags) and stylist-turned digital beauty and lifestyle writer. She has been in the lifestyle/media industry for over 10 years and her work has also been featured on international covers like Elle France and Vanity Fair Mexico.
Some of her fave Adore Beauty products include Cicaplast B5, CeraVe Cleansing Oil and Lancôme Renergie Triple Serum.
Dry, brittle hair is about as fun as eating burnt toast. But it happens, regardless of your hair type.
Whether you use heat styling tools or air-dry, have colour put in or not, hair damage can lead to dryness, dullness and crunchy ends. The result? Hair that just looks and feels a bit 'meh'.
One of the best ways to revive parched hair is with hydrating hair care, but sometimes, these products get a bad rap for leaving you with oily, weighed down strands.
But it's not (always) the product's fault - just like with skin care, the key is choosing the right product for your hair type. So, if you think you might be using the wrong hydrating product for your hair, fear not.
We asked colourist, hair stylist and Aveda Education Development Partner Mathew Wickham to break down exactly which Aveda hydrating products are best for your hair type.
And then, we enlisted three Adore Beauty staffers to road-test them!
Dehydration and Dry Hair 101.
According to Wickham, dehydration in hair can "result in a lack of lustre and shine, and hair that's harder to manage."
"If you’re not keeping your hair hydrated, you can expect hair to break easily, develop split ends and become dry and frizzy. Ultimately, hair isn’t able to grow. One of the main side effects of dehydrated hair is hair loss."
Dry Hair Treatment.
Now, before you start typing ‘best shampoo for dry hair' into Adore’s search bar and end up adding everything to cart, there’s one important thing you need to know...
Just like we're all born with a skin type, we all have different hair types. And just like someone with dry skin might use a gentle cleanser over an oily skin exfoliating cleanser, what works for one person's hair might not work for yours.
This is especially important when it comes to selecting a hydrating hair product, because different formulas and textures will suit different hair types.
Wickham adds, "Often people are afraid to hydrate their hair as they may have had a bad experience... this could be because they used the wrong product, or a product that wasn't specifically formulated for their hair."
Aveda Products For Hair Types.
Not sure which is the best hydrating shampoo or conditioner for your hair type? Luckily, cruelty-free and 100 per cent vegan cult haircare brand Aveda is here to help.
The Aveda Nutriplenish range is scientifically formulated to help hydrate all hair types, with targeted formulas to address different hair textures, dryness levels and formula preferences. How kind! (And clever.)
Keep scrolling for a recap of which Aveda Nutriplenish products will suit your hair type, plus our staff reviews.
Best Hydrating Products for Curly Hair.
Main concerns for curly and/or textured hair:
Textured and/or curly hair is naturally drier due to moisture getting locked in the curl, and not distributing all the way down the strands. This often leaves the ends particularly dry and brittle.
Best hydrating curly hair products:
- Using more than one hydrating product will result in better hydration for curly and textured hair.
- Wickham suggests adding both a smoothing and a curl-enhancing product to your haircare routine.
- To help hydrate textured hair, he recommends lots of oil, gel and cream textures. If your curls are finer, stick to creams, and with a less is more approach.
His Aveda product picks?
- AVEDA Nutriplenish Curl Gelee 200ml - This shine-enhancing, frizz-fighting gelée is Curly Girl Method-approved!
Wickham adds, "The gelée gives you the flexible hold of a gel, enriched with the nourishment and moisture of a lightweight conditioner for waves, curls and coils that check all the boxes - soft, smooth, shiny, elongated and defined."
Our Aveda Nutriplenish Curl Gelee Review.
Who: Mary, Mobile Product Owner.
"I’ve got really dry, curly hair, so I use a combination of a conditioner and a cream to keep it as hydrated as possible, and a gel for definition. AVEDA NutriPlenish Hydrating Conditioner Deep Moisture 250ml is nice and thick, so great for frizz-prone, thirsty hair like mine. My trick is to wash out only 20 per cent of the conditioner, so it acts as a conditioning cream."
"When I pop out of the shower, I leave my hair almost sopping wet and split it into two parts. Then I rake two big squeezes (and I mean BIG) of the gelée through both sides and make sure it's evenly distributed throughout my hair."
"The best thing about this curl gelée is how lightweight it is, it's not heavy like a lot of other gels and won't leave your hair sticky as the days go on. It gives a lot of hold and definition, and once the hair is dry and I've separated my curl clumps, there's no crunchy effect."
Shop these products here:
Best Hydrating Products for Fine Hair.
Main concerns for fine hair:
Often, people with fine hair avoid hydrating products because thicker textures can weigh hair down and give it a lank, greasier appearance.
Best products for fine hair:
- Wickham says "fine hair still needs light hydration" products, but it's also about how you use them.
- Things like "avoiding the roots and focusing on drier ends, and even adding [a hair oil] before shampooing are some different ways to use hydrating products."
His Aveda product picks?
- AVEDA Nutriplenish leave-in-conditioner 200ml - This is a game-changer for hydrating fine hair.
"The fine mist spray offers every strand gentle yet powerful hair moisture... it's perfect for hydrating fine-to-medium hair without weighing it down."
Our Aveda Nutriplenish Hydrating Light Range Review.
Who: Frankie, Loyalty Coordinator.
"I have very dry, thin, brittle hair from frequent colouring, and I'm blown away by how hydrating these products are. When I first squeezed the shampoo into my hand, I was a little sceptical of the consistency because it's VERY thin and light."
"After conditioning, I then applied the leave-in conditioner. While damp, it felt like the leave-in spray had thickened my hair, and once it was completely dry, I couldn't believe how soft and hydrated it felt. The whole range is light in texture and rich in hydration."
"Bonus points, it does not weigh down my thin hair. My hair feels incredibly luscious and soft, and it has never been this shiny!"
Shop these products here:
Best Hydrating Products for Thick Hair.
Main concerns for thick hair:
The main challenges for anyone with thick hair (me) are managing oily roots and finding a hydrating product to smooth out unruly hair (yep, also me).
Best products for thick hair:
- Thick hair can benefit most from creams, and rich shampoo and conditioning formulas.
- The best way to sidestep oily roots? “Avoid using too much product at the scalp," says Wickham.
His Aveda product picks?
- AVEDA NutriPlenish Hydrating Conditioner Deep Moisture 250ml - These products have luxe cream formulas that contain 50 per cent more butters for deep hydration.
- AVEDA Nutriplenish Daily Hair Moisturizer 150ml - A deeply nourishing superfoods treatment to replenish dry, colour-treated and chemically-processed hair.
Our Aveda Nutriplenish Deep Range Review.
Who: Sadaf (me!), Beauty Writer.
A friend of mine worked at an Aveda counter in the 90s and always praised this salon-quality brand, especially for thicker and curly hair types, so I wasn't surprised by how lush the products were on first application.
The shampoo and conditioners have creamy textures (that’s the gorgeous nourishing ingredients like mango seed butter, pomegranate seed oil and many more coming through) and a calming, botanical scent.
Because the shampoo is sulphate-free, it doesn't lather up too much, but dip your hair under the water and massage for a little longer to get that foamy feeling. After a very quick blow dry, I was left with soft hair and SO MUCH SHINE.
Mum even asked if I was using a new shampoo because "your hair looks really shiny."
The next test was the oily roots factor - usually mine look and feel greasy after two days, but not with this shampoo. Magic.
The other product that really impressed me is the Aveda Nutriplenish Multi-Use Hair Oil 30ml - I'm so into it for intense shine and hydration thanks to a blend of jojoba, avocado and argan oils.
It’s a heavier oil, so you might like to apply onto damp hair before styling. My favourite way to use it is by working a tiny bit through my ends as a finishing product after using a hot tool.
The result? Super shiny, soft, refined waves.
Shop these products here:
Final Verdict...
For me, getting results like this is so worth investing in professional hair care.
Will my hair routine still include some bargain haircare options (because I’m not Richard Branson)? Of course.
But when my hair feels dry and needs extra quality and love, I know what I’ll be reaching for.
