Love your locks but don’t have a lot to spend? Give some of these new hair products a try:

First up is L’Oreal’s new sulfate-free color care collection. While I refuse to support Eva Longoria’s over-exposure (am I the only one sick of her yet??), I do appreciate that sulfates and their color-stripping tendencies are getting some attention. If you’re not familiar, sulfates are used in shampoos to create suds thereby giving you the impression that the shampoo is really cleaning your hair when in fact the sulfates are stripping your hair of color. So that $200 color job? Say bye, bye to it if you use a shampoo with sulfates. Usually pricey, fancy-schmancy organic shampoos were the only alternatives to sulfate-ridden drugstore brands, but luckily this L’Oreal collection can be found in most drugstores. And as a bonus, the collection also includes a UV Protect Spray which protects your hair from damage caused by the bright L.A. sun. Cost: $7-9.

I’m also quite the fan of Redken recently as I have super frizzy hair and I’m often too lazy to blow-dry. I’ve been pretty into their Real Control Mineral Elixir. Yes, it’s an aerosol, so I hide it when one of my green friends comes over, but I love it oh so much on those hot summer days when spending 15 minutes under a hot blow dryer is so not appealing to me. Redken claims “the aerosol mist locks in moisture and replenishes essential oils as well as helps block out humidity and smooth split ends to assist in restoring hair to controlled, polished look with a natural, radiant shine.” It feels like a hair spray, but it’s so much better. It uses shea butter to smooth my hair,control it’s frizzy tendencies, and banish those cursed fly-aways. God, I hate fly-aways. Cost: $17.

Herbal Essence also has a new collection called Tousel Me Softly which is also perfect for those too-lazy-to-blow-dry days and was a definite must-have when I vacationed in humid Hawaii. I’m a huge fan of their Finishing Touch Cream which is so light and nice to use. It also protects from fly-aways and gives your hair that “accidentally sexy” look (my favorite kind). Instead of reaching for my BF’s gel when having a bad hair day, I grab this. It works if your hair is damp or dry and makes your waves look luscious instead of lame. Plus it smells divine! Price: $6.

Nicole

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