[Review] Maple Holistics Silk18 Shampoo + Hair Care Tips

Since I had my son my entire body has gone haywire. I've had to try loads of new things to adjust to my post-baby body. One of the stranger things that happened is my hair has changed texture. Before I had him I could have beautiful Cher hair just using simple products and a quick blow dry.

It was absolutely glorious! It was also something I took completely for granted, thinking that my hair would be like that forever and always.

Now my hair has taken on a bit of a kinkier texture. It doesn't help that Joey likes to use my hair as a rope, an act that typically ends in a lot of breakage and more frizz. To say my hair is damaged would be an understatement.

I've tried several products to try and reverse some of the damage, but I do believe I'm stuck with it until I cut it off!

For now, I'm just trying to make my hair it look better than it really is!

Maple Holistics' Silk18 shampoo, which they've been so kind as to let me sample for review, has been a massive help.

The 18 in the name isn't just a number. This shampoo contains 18 amino acids to help you achieve stronger hair and provide protection for your mane.

Here are the benefits straight from the horse's mouth:

Achieve stronger, smoother, more luscious hair with silk18 shampoo. Infused with a rejuvenating blend of 18 silk amino acids which help fortify hair follicles and strengthen strands to protect hair from dryness, breakage, damage, split ends, and hair fall. The nourishing formula gently cleanses dandruff, excess sebum, and impurities to leave your hair and scalp feeling fresh but not stripped. Enriched with argan and jojoba oil to add supreme softness and a luminous shine. Our shampoo is sulfate and paraben-free making it great for all hair types, color treated hair, and sensitive skin.

I think my favorite parts are the jojoba and argan oils. It also has a lovely vanilla scent that stays with your hair even after you shower. Another feature I like is this shampoo has keratin. Keratin is key in the structure of your hair, skin and nails. It is also what hooves and horns are made of! It really is a neato protein. (For the curious, the keratin in this shampoo is completely plant based. No worries for those of you who are vegan or prefer cruelty free products.)

Over the time I've been using the shampoo I've also experimented with various conditioners to protect my damaged hair even more. I found that The Good Stuff's color protection milk seemed to be the kindest and work well hand in hand with the shampoo.

 

I didn't do anything to my hair here except Silk18, some leave in conditioner, and a good brushing. The wave is my new hair texture!

Another weird bonus I've discovered is my hair doesn't get as oily as usual. I only wash my hair three days a week at the most, mainly to maintain the health of my hair. Since I've been using this shampoo I can make my time between washes stretch a bit longer than usual. As a busy mom, that is a true bonus!

While I'm not seeing true reversal, which I won't without lopping off my hair, I am seeing a bit more strength in my hair. I'm seeing more manageability. I don't look like an epic frizz ball. I actually think that this does a better job at repair than my beloved Keraphix from Nexxus.

Sorry Nexxus - I fear my brand loyalty may be wavering!

Damage is something I've always struggled with, mainly because I am a lover of heat tools. But how do you know your hair is damaged, and to what degree? Maple Holistics has a wonderful blog post explaining just those things, plus some solutions to help you repair your hair. They have a great list of their own products, as well as other shampoos and conditioners that you can find in your local drug store, that will help protect your hair, and hopefully help reverse some damage.

To try and keep my damage to a minimum I have a few things that I like to do.

Vonnie's Hair Tips

• When washing, focus on the scalp rather than the ends.
  This is something that I learned years ago from a Heidi Klum interview and I've really taken it to heart. I focus on my scalp for the real cleansing, then do a little bit on the rest of the hair. Cleansing can be pretty harsh to the ends of your hair. I'm not saying don't wash the ends, just don't go crazy scrubbing. Give your scalp some lovin'!
• When you condition do the opposite! Focus on the ends and avoid the scalp.
  
  My hair has the tendency to get oily. I used to hate conditioner because I thought it made my hair even oilier than it was originally. That just wasn't the case. Instead it was a case of user error! Putting the conditioner only on my ends versus the whole head made my hair look nicer without suffering being an oil slick. I will use a slight bit of product on my roots but it is usually product that I've worked up from the bottom, so it's pretty minuscule.
  
• Never brush your hair while it is wet!
  
  While wet your hair is much weaker. When wet the protein bonds are also weaker, so if you go through yanking with a comb it's going to stretch the hair out and in turn potentially snap it. The cuticle also ends up getting deformed from the action, and that's not something that will fix itself once the hair drys. Instead it will feel rough and generally not nice.
  
  Just don't brush wet hair, no matter how tempting it may be. If you need to, use a wide tooth comb or your fingers to work out the post shower tangles.
  
• Don't shampoo every day.
  
  It dries out your hair, and that can lead to a whole other host of problems like super greasiness (thanks to your body overproducing sebum and oil to fix the dry).
  
  I'll be honest - I wash my hair every three days, sometimes every four. I would say go every other day if you can't take the thought of only washing twice a week.
  
• Always use heat protection!
  
  If you're devoted to your heat tools like I am, don't forget to use a heat protection product before you go crazy with the heat. Two of my favorites are Beyond the Zone Thermo Protect Spray ($6.99 from Sally Beauty) and Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Heat Defense Leave In Conditioner, which you can pick up for $2.94 at Walmart or Walgreens. Don't let the low price fool - it does amazing things for the hair. 

Here's good hair days!

Thank you again, Maple Holistics, for giving me the opportunity to try and review your Silk18 shampoo. It's been a wonderful experience for my mane!

This post features complimentary products. All opinions are my own.