The Best Hair Products From SEPHORA | Best of Beauty 2020

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Yearly roundups are some of my FAVORITE things to watch and read from others. I’m obsessed with getting to know what products and brands people are loving and what they’d recommend to pick up. Working at Sephora, especially in Merchandising, I’m blessed because of my job getting to constantly test and try out products. Because I have SO many favorites I want to share with you all, I’ll be breaking them down into a few different categories. 

Today I I’ll be sharing my yearly haircare favorites! For my job at Sephora, I actually work on the Hair team specifically and have tried MORE hair products than one can ever imagine. It was so hard to narrow down my favorites without going crazy so below is my cutback list of my favorites form this year! 

SHAMPOO | CONDITIONER | SCALP SCRUB

dae Daily Shampoo || Dae launched earlier this year with 3 products, a shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioning treatment mask! Amber’s Daily Shampoo is by far my all time favorite shampoo & trust me, I’ve tried A LOT. It gently cleanses and hydrates while also helps remove buildup without stripping the hair of its natural oils. The goop of this is gorgeous and the SMELL IS AMAZING. It makes my hair so soft, shiny and feels so much healthier since using this and incorporating into my routine. 

dae Daily Conditioner || Of course I can’t mention the shampoo without the conditioner! This has the same amazing scent at the shampoo and is the perfect richness for a conditioner. It softens, detangles and moisturizes to help restore my super dry and damaged hair. After getting out of the shower, I truthfully don’t even need to use a leave in conditioner because this does such an amazing job at detangling and providing my hair the hydration it needs!

OUAI Detox Shampoo || Because I use so much dry shampoo and styling products throughout the week, a clarifying shampoo is crucial for me. This deeply cleanses away dirt, oil, and product buildup with apple cider vinegar while keratin helps strengthen the hair. AVC really helps exfoliate and remove flakes, residue, and buildup, keeping the hair healthy and shiny. If you love that squeaky clean feeling after you shower, you’re going to love this. It’s not only clarifying but also keeps the hair strong and hydrated + because it’s from Ouai, it smells DELICIOUS.

amika Reset Scalp Clarifying Gel Shampoo || Another one of my favorite clarifying shampoos is from Amika! I’m obsessed with this one because of the unique formula. It’s a lightweight, gel-to-foam shampoo that removes build-up, helps maintain moisture and volume, and supports balance—all without stripping your hair of it’s natural oils. I tend to get really oily hair throughout the week as well because I try not to wash too much and this really helps combat my oils and balance my scalp! I definitely notice I can go longer without washing when using this shampoo! 

amika Reset Scalp Cooling Gel Conditioner || Not too many brands have a ‘clarifying’ conditioner but again, this one from Amika is so amazing and special because of the formula. Also a gel-to-foam, it cools and nurtures the scalp, while restoring balance, moisture, and absorbing impurities. The sensorial experience in the shower with this product is so much fun. You really feel your scalp tingling in the best way possible and it feels so cooling which I love. Definitely recommend picking up both the shampoo & conditioner from them, you won’t be disappointed! 

Christophe Robin Purifying Scalp Scrub with Sea Salt || This is such a classic and cult favorite product when looking for a scalp scrub. It’s a 2-in-1 scrub and shampoo that cleanses, removes buildup, and soothes sensitive, flaky, and oily scalps. I also love the sensorial experience you have when using this product in the shower, it’s magical and transports me to feeling like I’m in a spa. In addition to your scalp and hair feeling amazing after blowdrying and styling, my hair doesn’t get oily as quickly when I use this once a week!

dpHUE Gloss+ Semi-Permanent Hair Color and Deep Conditioner [shade ‘Dark Brown’] || I’m obsessed with dpHUE’s Gloss+. It comes in a wide range of 10 colors and then one clear option as a universal gloss treatment for those just looking for intense shine. Another 2-in-1 product; it has semi-permanent color to help enhance your color when it’s faded and needs a boost but it also has treatment benefits. This deep-conditioner helps make my hair shiny, smooth and feel insanely soft. You’ll want to use this as a leave on treatment for about 20 minutes so the color has time to penetrate; it will last through about 10 washes which is amazing and so convenient! 

LEAVE IN CONDITIONER | TREATMENT MASK | SERUM

OUAI Leave In Conditioner || If you’re just starting to build out your hair routine, I highly recommend adding a leave in conditioner to your regime! OUAI’s does everything you’d want from a leave in and more. With its lightweight yet nourishing formula, it detangles and protects against both heat and damage to help educe frizz and flyaways. It leaves my hair so smooth, extremely shiny, and manageable which is essential for my fine & thin hair. 

Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme || Another amazing leave in is the No. 6 from Olaplex. Rather than a traditional spray formula, this is a creme so a little heavier for those who are looking for intense hydration and reparative benefits. It’s a super concentrated formula so a little goes a long way! If you color or chemically treat your hair, I’d highly recommend this as it strengthens, hydrates and speeds up blow dry times while smoothing and helps eliminate frizz for up to 72 hours. Nolan is also obsessed with this, he uses it ALL the time and has noticed a huge difference in the softness and texture of his hair. 

Verb Ghost Hair Mask || OBSESSED with this for my all my fine & thin hair gals out there. It’s a moringa oil mask that infuses the hair shaft with essential nutrients that helps smooth frizz, strengthens fragile strands, and promotes radiant shine. It’s actually designed to be lightweight for those with fine hair but also nourishing enough for other hair types in need of some weightless reparation. A lot of masks provide my hair with moisture and reparative benefits but the combination of moisture, repair, shine, anti-frizz, smoothness and softness makes it one of my all time favorites. It doesn’t weigh my hair down and it’s still insanely nourishing. PLUS it’s only $18 so definitely recommend picking this up.

Amika Flash Instant Shine Hair Mask || Another amazing mask that I love for its shine benefit is Amika’s Flash Mask. It’s a rinse-out treatment mask that delivers both shine and moisture in just 60 seconds, which I LOVE. No need to wait and sit in the shower for 5-15 mins. It’s formulated with amino acids and UV filters to smooth the hair cuticle, boost your hair’s elasticity and help keep color vibrant. The applicator for this makes it so easy to apply once in the shower and you’ll notice an immediate difference with how shiny your hair is once you style afterwards! 

Kerastase 8H Magic Night Serum || If I mentioned just ONE product that I’d recommend for EVERYONE to pick up it would be this night serum. It’s an innovative leave-in that works as an overnight treatment serum to nourish and detangle while you sleep. Perfection in a bottle right? I like to think of it as a sleeping face mask for my hair. What’s also amazing about this is you apply to dry hair so it makes it super easy to add to your night time routine. The shine, softness and hydration that this provides is amazing. 

Kerastase Initialiste Advanced Scalp & Hair Serum || Like I mentioned, I have super fine and thin hair and as of recently, been getting more and more self conscious about the lack of density and thickness that my hair has. Incorporating this serum has really helped the health of my scalp and my hair to nourish my hair fibers by supporting their uniformity and smoothness for growth. It also helps maintains strength during hair growth and supports your hair’s resistance to breakage, which leaves it so much shiner with a thicker and more substantial feel to the touch.

The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density || This is another serum I adore and one that I like to layer on with the Kerastase serum mentioned above. This is a super concentrated serum that helps the hair look thicker, denser, fuller, and healthier. Its main ingredient is REDENSYL™ which actually targets stem cells and human fibroblasts from the dermal papilla to improve hair density; super complex science but a very common ingredient that’s known for promoting hair density and thickness in the hair industry. I knew this was starting to work when my pony was feeling thicker and Nolan mentioned my hair was looking fuller; that’s what sold me on this and I’ve been using it ever since! You won’t notice a difference unless you stick with it for a good month or so but I promise, it’s worth the wait! 

DRY SHAMPOO | HEAT PROTECTANT | TEXTURE SPRAY | OIL

Living Proof Perfect hair Day (PhD) Dry Shampoo || If you’ve heard of Living Proof, you’d definitely heard of their PhD Dry Shampoo. This is such an industry favorite because of the innovation and science behind this formula! It’s packed with fast-absorbing powders that actually soak up oil and sweat, while their patented healthy hair molecule technology allows for those powders to then lift easily from the hair—taking all of the dirt, swear and oil with them. This doesn’t just mask your oil and sweat, this actually cleans your hair and honestly one of the most effective and refreshing dry shampoo’s I’ve ever used. Trust me, you’ll want the value size, linked here!

OUAI Super Dry Shampoo || Another favorite dry shampoo of mine is from OUAI. Not only does it smell amazing (Melrose Place) but it’s also incredibly absorbent. This formula doesn’t have have any talc or powder and instead uses rice starch and volcanic minerals to naturally cleanse and detoxify the scalp. The thing I love about this over the LP PhD is that this gives me a little more volume and body while leaving my hair feeling clean and healthy. When I need a refresher in the morning on my 2nd or 3rd day hair, this gives my hair the body and texture I need so it doesn’t look flat for the remainder of the week.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Heat Styling Spray || I use a lot of hot tools on my hair, curling irons/wands, straighteners, wavers, you name it and a heat protection is something I’ll never go without in my routine. It’s not only incredibly important for the long term health of your hair but also for your hair color believe it or not! Most heat protection products are only formulated to use on damp hair before blow drying but I needed one that was versatile and could be used on both damp and/or dry hair. This formula is so lightweight, provides protection up to 450 degrees and delivers touchable, soft smoothness that lasts up to 48 hours.

Amika Un.Done Volume and Matte Texture Spray || I think having a good texture spray in your collection is key! I use this when trying to achieve many different styles; straight, curly, wavy or an up-do to add some volume and bounce to my fine hair! It’s a super lightweight formulation that gives the effect of sun-swept, tousled hair with an undone, matte texture. I love this one since it does have more of a ‘dry’ formula not leaving my hair sticky or tacky at all which most texture sprays I’ve tried can do!

Kerastase Elixir Ultime Oil Serum || This is one of Kerastase’s most recognizable products and it’s so so good. This hair oil is a blend of four precious oils that add hydration and prevent breakage for gorgeous anti-frizz shine. It can be used before, during, and/or after blow-drying but my favorite way to use is after I style for the most shine possible. It is a little thicker of a formula for an oil so I only use about half a pump but it’s gorgeous on the hair, doesn’t leave it greasy and the smell is INCREDIBLE. You’ll feel like a million dollars when you have this in your hair. 

Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil || OBSESSED with Gisou’s hair oil. I use it a little differently than Kerastase’s Elixir serum as this makes my hair incredibly soft. A little background about the product, born from a homemade family recipe from Negin’s father’s bee garden, the oil maintains your hair’s moisture balance resulting in less breakage and added strength. I use it on both damp and dry hair but I also love mixing this in with my weekly mask for added hydration and reparative benefits! 

Gisou Honey Infused Hair Perfume || Never thought I would be as obsessed with this as I am. It’s totally extra for my routine BUT it feel like it’s now become my finishing step before I walk out the door. Like all of Gisou’s products, enriched with Mirsalehi honey, it’s formulated to refresh and perfume the hair with Gisou’s signature honey-infused fragrance. The scent is so sophisticated and feminine yet unique and sexy, you’re going to quickly fall in love like I did. 

BLOW DRYER | STRAIGHTENER | CURLING WAND | ACCESSORIES

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer [color ‘White/Silver’] || I know what you may be thinking, is this really worth the investment? YES. I used to despise blow drying my hair because it took forever and felt like it was doing more damage than good for my hair. Now, with the Supersonic, I look forward to styling my hair. It provides the fastest drying (cut my time down from 10-15 mins to 5!), helps increase smoothness by 75%, adds so much shine and decreases both frizz and flyaways. Such a great splurge and investment, I’ve had mine for years and it’s still perfect. 

Dyson Airwrap™ Styler || If you’re looking for the ULTIMATE hair tool that is truly a do-it all, the Dyson Airwrap is for you. It comes with so many attachments that really makes it worth the steep price tag. The dryer, the multiple brushes and curling attachments are all so versatile for so many hair types and textures. I literally use all of the attachments but my favorite are the brushes. Ever wanted the look of a blowout but haven’t been able to achieve yourself? This makes it so easy and your hair looks like you got it professionally done, every single time you use! I also love to use it on 2nd and 3rd day hair to help defrizz, smooth and restyle! 

ghd Platinum+ Professional Performance 1″ Styler [color ‘White’] || ghd really makes some of the best hair tools. Their straighter is no exception and works so well with my hair. There’s a reason it’s won so many beauty awards! It straightens it while still leaving my hair some volume and bounce. There’s only one heat setting on this, 365°F, which helps prevent from using too much heat and still is super effective; you only need to pass it through your hair once for a sleek and straight look! 

ghd Curve 1.25″ Soft Curl Iron || Another ghd favorite, I’ve used this for a while and always come back to it. I have the 1.25” barrel for a looser, more wavy ‘lived in’ curl that really lasts well on my hair. Similar to the straightener, there’s only one heat setting on this, 365°F, which makes it super unique as most irons and wands have multiple heat settings. Curling at a lower heat setting does less damage on the hair long term, helps intensify your hair color and also helps the curls last longer. My hair glides through the clamp so easily with the help of the ceramic coating of the iron. SO. GOOD.

Drybar The Wrap Party Styling Wand || Obsessed with this Drybar wand with its unique shape which is one of the reasons why I love it so much. The tapered wand is not something you see often but it really works with my hair type and the look that I go for when curling my hair. Because I like a tighter curl at the root of my hair to hold throughout the day but want a looser curl towards my ends, it creates the most gorgeous loose curl that actually LASTS. I have such trouble with my hair holding a curl and this is one of the only other tools that does so. 

SEPHORA COLLECTION Scalp Massager || I’ve used a few different scalp massagers now and this is by far my favorite. Because I have more of a sensitive scalp, this one is on the softer side yet still effective! Every night when I use the two scalp serums mentioned above, I use this massager to stimulate, help my hair absorb the serums and really work them into my hair/scalp.

SEPHORA COLLECTION Hold It Together: Makeup Hair Clips || I wanted to share these as they are lifesavers when it comes to doing your makeup and keeping the hair out of your face! I’ve used other clips in the past but when you’re hair is already styled, you don’t want creases, kinks or anything ruining your style. 

I’m always on the hunt and shopping for new beauty products to test out and try for you all so leave me a comment below and let me know what some of your yearly haircare favorites are!