Back to Day 1: Shampoo, conditioner for ombre hair

After initially starting a blog with the same title in 2008, I decided to give it another go 5 years later.

The reasons for discontinuing the original blog was graduating from college and getting my first real job, which sent me to another state.

But lately I've just wanted a new place to jot down my thoughts that aren't necessarily associated with my work... and won't clog my friends' newsfeeds on Facebook.

So I'll try to update this regularly with whatever I'm loving "right now" hence the title.

To start off (again), I want to talk about my "holy grail" shampoo and conditioner, especially now that I have ombre hair. I know the ombre rage started years ago, but I finally tried it out (after months of considering it).

One of my biggest concerns was how my typically healthy hair would turn out after bleaching. "What if it starts falling out after finally growing out?" But once I found my new shampoo/conditioner obsession, I knew I'd be in the clear. More on that shortly.

I finally ombre'd myself

So for my birthday in early April, I went to my usual salon and asked for a very natural-looking ombre.

When I say natural, I mean just a few shades lighter than my dark Asian black hair, just on the bottom half... sort of a caramel tone. Like I've been out in the sun a lot (which I don't do anymore). The image to the right is the end result (though not in natural sunlight so not as obvious). And I'm loving it!

I'm writing about it right now because I'm falling more and more in love with the look (and the products I'm using) each day. That's how it should be, right? The color really brightens up my look for spring/summer, and I personally wanted a change without going too far.

My favorite celebrity who consistently rocks this look is Victoria's Secret Angel Lily Aldridge. So stunning. Hers is more blonde and obvious than mine, but she was my inspiration for this look.

Which hair products I'm loving right now

Now this is where my favorite shampoo/conditioner duo comes into play. I've been a huge fan of Bed Head Urban Antidotes Level 1 shampoo/conditioner (green bottles) for a few years now thanks to my hairstylist. It's the perfect amount of oomph my hair needs without weighing it down.

I stopped using it for a bit, thinking I can save money by using something cheaper at the drugstore but then realized how much better my hair feels when I use the Level 1 Urban Antidotes products.

THEN... I discovered the Level 2 (blue bottles) which give colored hair more love. Holy Grail! My hair feels the softest, healthiest when I use these bottles. Guaranteed. Now I break up the routine maybe once every 5 to 7 days by using the green bottles but then go back to using the blue ones. And they both smell DIVINE.

There's a 3rd level (red bottles) that are for the extremely damaged hair, for anyone who would need that extra help.

For a great deal, I purchased them at Nordstrom Rack. The 25.36 oz bottles are typically around $25 each (pricey!), but at Nordstrom Rack, I got them as a package deal Shampoo + Conditioner for $25! Amazing deal!

I can't recommend these bottles enough. I don't do much else with my hair - blow, curl and go.

More to come this week!

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