Top 10 Hair Products We Recommend for Healthy Hair

A scalp serum to nourish your roots, a hair serum for shine and frizz control, a good shampoo matched to your hair type, a weekly hair mask for deep conditioning, a pre-shampoo treatment to strengthen before cleansing, a bonding treatment if you color or chemically process, a leave-in conditioner for daily moisture, a scalp exfoliant to keep follicles clear, and a deep oil treatment for intensive nourishment. These ten categories cover everything your hair needs to be truly healthy from scalp to ends.

Most people either skip essential steps or use products that don't work together. The result is hair that never quite looks or feels the way they want, no matter how much money they spend. Building a routine with the right products in the right categories changes everything.

I'm Bri, a stylist at The Warehouse Salon in Fairfield and Studio 360 Salon in Chatham. I build custom product routines for clients constantly because healthy hair isn't about buying expensive products. It's about using the right products in the right order. Let me tell you about one client who finally achieved the healthy hair she'd been chasing for years.

What Happens When You're Missing Key Products?

A client named Camille came to me frustrated with her hair. She was a bank manager in Montclair, 38 years old, and spent a lot of money on hair products but never saw the results she wanted. Her hair was dull, dry, prone to breakage, and her scalp was always itchy and flaky.

"Bri, I buy the expensive stuff," she said. "I use salon shampoo and conditioner. Why does my hair still look unhealthy?"

I asked her to walk me through her routine. She shampooed, conditioned, and that was it. No scalp care, no treatments, no leave-in products. She had good shampoo and conditioner but was missing about eight other steps that healthy hair needs.

"You're doing the basics, but you're skipping everything that takes hair from okay to great," I told her. "Your scalp is struggling because you never exfoliate or treat it. Your ends are dry because you never deep condition. Your hair breaks because you never strengthen it."

I built her a complete routine with products in each essential category. Within a month, her scalp stopped itching. Within two months, her hair had shine it had never had before. Within three months, her stylist friends were asking what she was doing differently.

"I finally understand what healthy hair actually requires," she texted me. "It's not just shampoo and conditioner. It's a whole system."

Here are the ten product categories that make the difference.

Scalp Serum

Starting at the foundation of great hair, a scalp serum provides essential nutrients directly to the roots. A healthy scalp creates the environment for healthy hair growth. Camille had never used a scalp product in her life, and her scalp showed it with flakes, itching, and clogged follicles.

Look for serums with ingredients like vitamin E, argan oil, and biotin for nourishing the scalp and supporting hair growth. Apply directly to the scalp and massage in to promote absorption and circulation. Camille started using a scalp serum three times a week and her itching disappeared within two weeks.

Hair Serum

Hair serums are your weapon against frizz and dullness. They coat the hair shaft with a protective layer that seals in moisture and adds natural shine. Camille's hair always looked matte and lifeless because moisture was escaping through her damaged cuticle. A serum finally sealed everything in.

Opt for a serum enriched with lightweight oils like jojoba or Moroccan argan oil to achieve a glossy finish without weight. Apply to mid-lengths and ends only, avoiding the roots to prevent greasiness. Camille said this was the product that gave her hair the shine she'd been trying to achieve for years.

Good Shampoo

A good shampoo is the cornerstone of any hair care routine. It cleanses the scalp and hair, removing impurities without stripping away natural oils. Camille was already using a decent shampoo, but it wasn't matched to her specific hair type and concerns.

Choose a sulfate-free formula that suits your hair type, whether that's volumizing for fine hair, hydrating for dry hair, or color-protecting for color-treated hair. The right shampoo makes every other product work better. I switched Camille to a hydrating formula and her hair immediately felt less dry after washing.

Check out my blog: What Is The Best Shampoo For My Hair Type?

Hair Mask

For a weekly dose of deep conditioning, invest in a quality hair mask. These intensive treatments deeply nourish and repair damaged hair, leaving it soft and manageable. Camille had never used a mask because she thought her conditioner was enough. It wasn't.

Look for masks containing ingredients like shea butter, keratin, or coconut oil for effective repair. Apply to damp hair weekly, focusing on mid-lengths and ends, and leave on for the recommended time. Camille started masking every Sunday and said her hair transformed within a month.

Find your next hair mask here.

Pre-Shampoo Treatment

Pre-shampoo treatments prepare your hair for the cleansing process by strengthening it before you wash. These products often contain strengthening agents that fortify the hair shaft, reducing breakage during washing when hair is most vulnerable. Camille had never heard of pre-shampoo treatments before I introduced them.

Apply before your regular shampoo, let it sit for the recommended time, then wash as usual. The strengthening happens before the manipulation of washing, which protects fragile strands. Camille noticed less hair in her drain almost immediately after adding this step.

Advanced Hair Mask

Different from your regular weekly mask, an advanced hair mask goes beyond basic conditioning. These might contain amino acids, hyaluronic acid, or other advanced ingredients that provide an extra layer of nourishment and repair. Camille uses her regular mask weekly and an advanced mask monthly for extra treatment.

Consider this your monthly ritual for hair that looks and feels revitalized. These masks often address specific concerns like bond repair, extreme hydration, or protein replacement. Camille rotates through different advanced masks depending on what her hair needs that month.

Here are some good options for damaged hair.

Bonding Treatment

A bonding treatment is essential for anyone with chemically treated or damaged hair. These products repair and strengthen the bonds within the hair structure that get broken by coloring, relaxing, or heat damage. Camille colors her hair every six weeks, and bonding treatments keep her hair from deteriorating.

Whether you've undergone coloring, highlights, or chemical treatments, a bonding treatment prevents further damage and repairs existing damage. Use as directed, usually after shampooing or as a standalone treatment. Camille uses K18 after every color appointment and her hair is actually healthier now than before she started coloring.

Check out my favorite here.

Leave-In Conditioner

A leave-in conditioner maintains moisture between washes and protects hair throughout the day. It hydrates and detangles, leaving hair manageable and silky smooth. Camille was skipping this step entirely, which left her hair unprotected from daily environmental stress.

My favorites are the Milk Shake Leave In Conditioner, which uses milk protein to strengthen while fruit and honey extracts add shine, and the SudzzFX ColorFix Leave In for color-treated hair protection.

Camille uses leave-in every time she washes and says it's the product that makes her hair feel soft all day instead of just right after washing.

Scalp Exfoliant

Just as skin benefits from exfoliation, so does your scalp. A scalp exfoliant removes dead skin cells, excess oil, and product buildup, creating a clean and healthy environment for hair growth. Camille's itchy, flaky scalp was caused by years of buildup she didn't know existed.

Incorporate a scalp scrub into your routine once a week for a refreshed scalp. The exfoliation removes what shampoo can't reach and keeps follicles clear and active. Camille said her scalp finally felt clean for the first time in years after she started exfoliating.

Click here to learn more about scalp health and exfoliation with my favorite scalp scrubs.

Deep Oil Treatment

For ultimate indulgence, treat your hair to a deep oil treatment. These luxurious treatments penetrate the hair shaft, providing intense nourishment and repair from roots to ends. Camille does this monthly and calls it her "hair spa day."

Choose oils like argan, coconut, or jojoba for a deeply rejuvenating experience. Apply to dry hair, let it sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight, then shampoo out. Camille's ends went from crispy and splitting to soft and healthy after three months of monthly oil treatments.

Check out my guide: The Secret to Healthy, Shiny Hair: Our Top Picks for the Best Hair Oil Treatments!

Your Healthy Hair Questions Answered

Do I need all ten of these products?

Not necessarily all at once. Camille started with five categories and added the others over time. At minimum, you need good shampoo, a mask, and leave-in conditioner. Add scalp care if your scalp is struggling, bonding treatments if you color, and build from there based on your needs.

How long until I see results?

Camille noticed scalp improvement within two weeks, shine within a month, and complete transformation within three months. Some results are immediate while others take time to accumulate. Consistency matters more than using everything at once.

Isn't this expensive?

It's an investment, but you don't buy everything at once. Camille built her routine over six months, adding products as others ran out. Professional products also last longer because you use less. She actually spends less now than when she was buying random drugstore products that didn't work.

What order do I use these products?

Pre-shampoo first, then shampoo, then mask or conditioner, then leave-in after towel drying. Scalp serum can go on clean scalp anytime. Hair serum goes on styled or air-dried hair. Oil treatments and scalp exfoliants are weekly treatments on their own schedule.

Build Your Healthy Hair Routine

Healthy hair requires more than shampoo and conditioner. Camille spent years wondering why her expensive products didn't give her healthy hair, and the answer was that she was missing most of the routine. Once she had products in each essential category, her hair finally looked and felt the way she'd always wanted.

If you want help building a custom routine for your hair, book a consultation online. I'll assess your hair's current condition, identify what's missing from your routine, and recommend products that will actually address your concerns. Your routine should be personalized to your hair goals.

Book at The Warehouse Salon in Fairfield at 1275 Bloomfield Ave, Building 1, Unit 3 by calling 973-500-4536. If you're closer to Chatham, visit Studio 360 Salon and call 973-701-3030.

Healthy hair isn't about one product. It's about a complete routine.