I’ve always loved experimenting with my hair. I bleached it blonde in high school (not my best look), went with jet black immediately following (talk about extremes), experimented with long and short styles, straight and curly, and my most recent has been the ombre look. While I’ve always been nervous with each change, I believe that an amazing stylist and a few key products can help a person achieve whatever look they want. I’ve invested in top of the line hair straighteners, blow dryers, and various other products throughout the years with the belief that a good hair day can make anyone feel fabulous. So, when I was approached by AOL to be a hair product judge in their annual beauty awards I jumped on the opportunity. Loads of products at my disposal to try? Um, yes please! While there were many products, I’m sharing my favorites from the batch with you today. You can check out the other products and winners here.

On a small side note, I’ve always felt that weekends are for self-care. Be that a little manicure and pedicure, or wrapping up in the coziest of sweaters and relaxing on the couch. This past weekend, I opted for a little more product experimentation and wearing the coziest of clothing possible, including this oversized sweater 🙂

Dry Bar “Detox” Dry Shampoo: I’ve always struggled to find a dry shampoo that actually achieves the “shampoo” feel. Yet, after 3 days of not washing my hair this one did the trick. I actually used it in these pictures.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day: This is a dream for those nights when you know the next morning is going to be rushed… or in my case, simply don’t want to hassle with the hair. Apply the product to your hair at night and then style your hair in the morning. It left my hair soft and silky… and the style looked like day 1 clean hair.

ALTERNA Caviar Anti-Aging CC Cream: I loved this product! I used it on my wet hair before blasting it with a blow-dryer and it left my hair soft and silky. I also used it the next day, on the ends of my hair to freshen them up, and it worked wonders. It smells pretty great too… something I am very sensitive to.

Amika Nourishing Mask: My hair can get very dry… which essentially zaps out any shine and leaves it looking dull. I used this nourishing mask once and my hair was was silky, shiny, and looked incredibly healthy.

ALTERNA Bamboo Smooth Dry Oil Mist: One of the claims of the product was to leave your hair “frizz free.” While I really don’t believe that is ever truly possible for those of us plagued with lioness-like hair, this did a pretty good job. I used it the weekend I headed up to San Francisco to visit a girlfriend. Knowing the fog would create little frizz balls on my head I thought it was the perfect opportunity to put it to the test. After an evening spent outside and a sunrise hike my hair’s frizz level was about a 3… when it usually would have been about a 6-7.

Macadamia Style Lock Firm Hold Hairspray: Love the smell and didn’t leave my hair feeling crunchy. Two necessities for hair products in my book.

Garnier Fructis Style Flexible Control: I’ve used this hairspray on and off for several years. It’s an excellent price point, smells great, and doesn’t leave my hair feeling crunchy… but still manages to keep the hold.

Rusk Instant Shift: Sometimes I like my hair with a curl and the next day I want it straight. Yet, it never gets straight. This product allowed me to seamlessly shift between hair styles without having to shampoo… and if you can garner any information from me from this post it’s that I like to get a lot of mileage from one wash. This one lets me do it 🙂

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{Outfit Details | Sweater: c/o Chicwish | Tank: Nordstrom | Leggings: Vimmia X}

{Products (all products provided by AOL) || Dry Bar “Detox” Dry Shampoo | Living Proof Perfect Hair Day | ALTERNA Caviar Anti-Aging CC Cream | ALTERNA Bamboo Smooth Dry Oil Mist | Rusk Instant Shift  | Amika Nourishing Mask | Macadamia Style Lock Firm Hold Hairspray | Garnier Fructis Style Flexible Control}