I recently got my hair cut the shortest it's ever been (which actually isn't very short - it just barely grazes my shoulders). I've been really happy with it since getting it cut, so I thought I'd share my usual routine and favorite products to use in my hair.
When I first started getting my hair cut shorter and shorter a year ago, I caved and bought the It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product. This was before I had developed my current talent of being able to justify any beauty purchase, so the $35 price tag seemed outrageous to me. But I've used this every time I've washed my hair since buying it, and I haven't even gone through half the bottle a year later, so it was definitely worth it. This helps keep the frizz at bay, and it was a lifesaver this summer when the humidity would normally make my hair puff up to twice the size of my head. I spray this into my hands (usually about 6-8 pumps) and work it through freshly washed hair before combing through. I have both the original and the keratin version, but to be honest I don't really notice a difference between the two - they're both great.
Another product I've started using recently in place of the It's a 10 is the Living Proof Prime Style Extender. I got a sample of this with my last Sephora order, and I had to go out and buy the full size as soon as it ran out. This, as the name suggests, extends the lifetime of your hairstyle. I like using this because it keeps my hair feeling nice and clean and lets me stretch out the time between washes. When the sample ran out and I went back to the It's a 10, I noticed my hair got oily and had to be washed a day or two sooner. I still think the It's a 10 is a great product and will continue to use it when I don't plan on styling my hair, but the Prime Style Extender is definitely a new favorite.
Once I have either the leave-in conditioner or the style extender in, I'll let my hair air dry for a bit. I'll then spray in the Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray. This smells like a vacation, and it makes my hair less fluffy and more messy and textured once it's been dried. I'll either then let it airdry all the way, or I'll roughly blowdry it. I'm completely useless at doing my own blowouts, so I basically just flip my head over and and blowdry it to get more volume at the roots. If I'm feeling fancy I'll use a round brush to make sure the shorter layers in my hair aren't flipping in any crazy directions and curl them under slightly.
Once my hair is dry, I'll spray in a little of the Not Your Mother's She's a Tease Volumizing Hairspray, mostly near the roots to hold the volume I've created by blowdrying upside-down and to maybe add a bit more volume. My hair is naturally wavy and thick, but even with a short haircut the weight of it sometimes makes the roots lie flat, so I put a lot of effort into keeping some volume there.
Since I don't like washing my hair every day, I'll use a dry shampoo to eke out the style a little longer. My favorite that I've tried is Batiste, specifically the original scent. It just smells very clean, but the scent doesn't linger on your hair like some of the other scents do. Some of the other scents leave my hair feeling greasier than before I applied the dry shampoo, but this one absorbs the oil and freshens up my hair while also adding some nice texture and volume.
What are your favorite hair products?