What Celebrity Colorist Rita Hazan Buys at the Drugstore

I came across this because I would spend so much money on facial stuff — face wash, moisturizers, and all that — and I would always break out. Nothing really felt like it was cleaning my skin properly. Then somebody, maybe it was a client, said: Try this. I’ve been using it for 15 years, and I will not change it. It’s the best product out there, and it’s not even expensive. I take my makeup off first. I use theLancôme Bi-Facil— it’s oil-based, but it cleans, and it gets makeup off so easily. Then I’ll wash my face really, really well with Cetaphil. I wash my face a lot. Not wash your face, not wash your hair — I’m not that person.

Sometimes I would get heat rash or pimples on my body, but I find that when I use this, I never do. My body hasn’t had any breakouts at all. The scent is so clean smelling and doesn’t interfere with anything else that you’re putting on. My mom told me to get it. She said, “Why are you using all of this nonsense, spending all this money onbody wash; use this. It’s so good.” I’m like, okay, I’ll try it.

It’s the OG. It’s simple and it’s good, and it works. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the one that’s in my makeup bag, but there’s a spare one somewhere here in case I need it. I think when I was young and I started to wear makeup, this was what my mom used to use back in the day, and I used to take it. She wanted me to wear makeup. I was more of a tomboy. I did not want to wear makeup, and she would say at least putmascaraand lipstick on when you leave the house. That was the mascara she had in her makeup bag, and that’s what I used.

It’s really good stuff. The Vanilla Lights is my favorite color because it takes away the brassiness of your hair without darkening it too much or making it dull. It’s super-shiny, it’s hydrating. They have so many different colors, and then there’s a clear one if you just want shine. For every issue that you have, there’s a glaze. It lasts a long time, and it doesn’t just wash out. Sometimes I use it on my clients in the salon, and when they come back a month later, their hair doesn’t get as brassy as it would normally.

You can do it at home so easily: Just shampoo your hair, put it on, wait ten minutes, rinse it off, and no conditioner or anything. The instructions are very simple to follow. My No. 1 tip is use gloves. Whatever it says on the package, they made it very — I don’t know how to say this nicely — dumbproof. They simplified how to use it, made it very easy to follow the instructions and to pick the color that you want. Sometimes you go to the drugstore and it’s overwhelming, even though there are a lot of colors there. This tells you exactly what it is. And there’s a picture on the back so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

I feel like this is the original purpleshampoo. When I was in beauty school, that’s what they were using. It has pigment in it, but not so much that it makes your hair gray or blue or dull. It’s more translucent. So if you use it sparingly, it’s the best one out there. I like to mix it with regularshampoo, so it’s not so overwhelming. I suggest using it maybe twice a month instead of using it every time you wash. The more you use it, the more depositing you’re doing, and that’s when it gets dull.

This is an oldie but goodie. Don’t sleep on this treatment. It really does work. If you have a lot of damage, do it once a week. If you just want a preventative, do it once a month. And it’s three minutes, not going to take too long. Shave your legs, do your thing, leave it in, rinse it out. I always like to put a treatment from roots to ends, unless your hair is very fine and oily.

Heat damage starts from the top. Not all damage is color damage — that’s what people don’t get. A lot of the time, people damage their hair by over-blow-drying and styling it, but it might be dry, and instead of it being damaged, it’s just dehydrated. So do the 3 Minute Miracle, and you won’t have a problem anymore.

If you have difficult hair or a child who has curly hair or hair that tangles, spray it and brush it while this is in there. It really is a game changer. It smooths out the cuticle and your hair, and it makes it so much easier to brush and also easier to blow-dry. So your hair is shiny and smooth afterward. I would say apply it on wet to damp hair. I wouldn’t put it on dry hair. I think that’ll make it sticky. And it’s a good leave-in, too. It’s not heavy. I put it on, sit for a minute, and then you can go on top of it and just do a quick heat protectant.