After about four, they start to neutralize each other anyway, since most hair products have different ingredient structures. Here are the basic rules; moisture, organic ingredients, one stripping product, one deep treatment, and when it's okay to have exceptions.
Moisture
You see these claims everywhere; products that say that they will make your hair shiny, natural, tousled, smooth, etc. The truth is all of these products are doing just one thing; moisturizing your hair. The even worse truth is the products that claim to make your hair something it's not-curly, straight, wavy (depending)-have figured out a clever rouse.
Most of us smother our hair with products or don't put any products in our hair. This leaves our hair limp. Give your hair a short of moisture, and it'll be in its natural state, be it curly, wavy, or even sometimes straight (if it's a bundle of crazed frizz). This is a "miracle" to some people. But to those of us who can't get curly hair without an hour of using a curling iron, it never works. But companies decide that if you can satisfy enough people (when there's a pretty expensive price tag) it doesn't matter about the others that you disappoint.
Don't buy it. Simply buy products that claim to make your hair "moisturized". They contain more moisturizing ingredients than other more dishonest products.
See this
Organic Ingredients
Though it may cost you an extra $1-$2, organic products don't require as much product for results as more chemically based products, as well as they heal your hair and provide doubled results. For instance, aloe vera in your hair product is pretty much all you need to heal your hair because it's moisturizing, but water-based, so it washes off when it weakens after a day and doesn't weight down on your brittle hair.
Green tea will make your hair shinier than many other harming but effective products. Besides from that point, some lines do have products whose results can compete with organic ingredients, but they are in general incredibly harming. For instance, Pantene, for its extra shiny formulas, coats your hair in wax. The wax really does make your hair shiny, but it weighs down and dries your hair, making it break off and fall out.
After awhile, you'll have thin, dead hair that you can't possibly style, but, hey, it's shiny! Experiment with different organic products, until you get whatever results you want out of your product. Some things that can be effectively tweaked by products are shine, anti-breakage, anti-frizz, and thermal recovery. Always read the back. If the product doesn't tell you why and how it works, and just tells you "it works", don't buy it.
Why You Need a Stripping Product
Even super-organic products have some chemical products. They are necessary chemicals, to make sure your product doesn't decompose into a brown pudding in the bottle and doesn't smell like a boiled egg. These chemicals don't really harm your hair, but they can make styling harder and add up when you have a bunch of products in your hair.
So, it's time to discuss stripping products. Stripping products should be used every one to two-days with an organic deep conditioner because they are very drying but are necessary to keep your hair healthy and easy to style. Stripping products should only be in shampoo form, a stripping contradiction is a silly contradiction. Stripping products may advertise themselves, but usually they have to be researched into. Do some research, choose three candidates, and decide based on customer reviews and price.
Why You Need a Deep Treatment
Even with your moisturizing products, and a good, cleaning shampoo these products aren't really going into heal your hair. It's like the difference between over the counter and prescribed medicine. A good deep conditioner usually can in the very tiny crevices of your hair to moisturize them and provides nutrients necessary to health and healing. These products aren't everyday things-rather, because they are so rich, they are biweekly ordeals.
Exceptions
There are some exceptions, as with ever rule.
Expressive Styles
Many teens like getting expressive with their hair. Let's face it; with conventional organic ingredients, you can't really make a crazy, voluminous hairstyles. So here are the three exceptions: hairspray, hair putty, and thermal protectors. I say hair putty if you're into spikes or super heights for your hair because hair clay, glue, or rock gel will never come out of your hair and instead damage it by all the ripping and tugging you'll have to do to ever get it out. It will take a super-drying strip to get that kind of product residue out of your hair even if you do manage to get the majority of it out. Putty is more liquid-based and so there's not much damage done. As for hairspray, to make sure you don't spend badly, don't buy "light hairsprays", rather go for either extra hold or freeze hairsprays. "Light hairsprays" hold your hair, sure, for five minutes.
It's basically a disgusting mix of water and residue. The residue holds your hair, but not for very long. With extra hold or freeze hairsprays, you get the same nasty residue along but with some constricting and binding ingredients so it actually does something and isn't anything that your stripping product can't get out. As for thermal protectors, this is all you need in your hair when using blow-dryers, curling irons, and straightening irons. Get a protector that claims to protect and "tame flyaways" and /or "fights frizz". That will be all you literally need when using heat to style your hair.
..And for the rest
Here's the rule for products that I haven't talked about, if you think you really need them. Make sure it's natural, and if you can't find it in organic or natural form, read through the ingredients. If there are more than 10 ingredients you have to sound out, forget it. Ask yourself, also, if the claim they make could potentially destroy your hair. Only you can judge this for yourself. Use common sense. If the bottle says just a drop of this product applied with a comb makes you hair stand up straight, it can't possibly be good for it. Be skeptical. Your hair will thank you (well not literally, of course.)
