REVIEW: Organix Thick & Full - Three Cheers for Biotin and Collagen!

"After just one use strands feel thicker, fuller, and more abundant."

Let's be real, we've all heard that before. Every single one of us has gotten our hopes up and rushed home from the store or the stylist with visions of thick, glossy locks in our heads only to notice no change at best. The unfortunate truth is that most hair products end up weighing fine hair down, making it feel greasy and damaging already fragile ends. Needless to say, when Organix debuted their Thick & Full line, I was dubious.

I'd seen Organix Thick & Full in the drugstore many times, usually next to my previous favourite of several years. Several times I had paused to investigate the bottle, sort of like when you're with a long-term significant other and someone cute walks by: by no means are you going anywhere, and you feel guilty even noticing, but sometimes you just want to see what's out there.

Well, as it happened, the drugstore ran out of my favourite shampoo, ending our relationship, so I took a moment to mourn before taking a few steps down the aisle to pick up a bottle of Organix Thick & Full Biotin and Collagen Shampoo and Conditioner, reassuring myself that change is good and that I could always go back if I hated it. I wasn't expecting much change in my hair texture, as it's been stubbornly, exasperatingly fine since birth, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, I thought as I handed over my credit card.

The first thing I noticed is that it definitely did not weigh down my bank account. At $9.99 per bottle, this stuff is a steal. The bottles look small, but they hold a surprising amount of product.

I washed and conditioned my hair the next morning and I noticed a difference as soon as I started blow drying. My hair felt clean, but more importantly, it felt like it had so much more body than usual. It had texture. It looked so much thicker than it ever had. I loved it! I felt really beautiful for the first time in a while. It looked exactly how I'd always wanted it to look. As a bonus, the shampoo and conditioner smell nice and they're sulfate-free, which is healthier overall for both natural and colour-treated hair.

I love Organix Thick & Full. I give it five stars. It's my new favourite shampoo (so here's to many years together). I recommend it for anyone who wants the look and feel of thicker hair, but for whom other volumising products don't really do much. You won't regret switching brands, I promise.

Have you tried this product? Have you tried any of Organix's other products? (I haven't, so let me know how they are!) Do you have a suggestion for a review? Sound off in the comments or on Twitter @finehairdontcar!

The Four-Step Braided Knot Bun

Good morning and welcome to our first ever Hairstyle Saturday! Today I'll be showing you how to do a beautiful braided knot updo.

I have always admired the elegance of braided chignons, but I've never had enough hair to do them. This is a hairstyle I created by taking what I loved from other styles and adapting them to work with my own hair. You can create variations for yourself too if you're lucky enough to have more length than I do. It's very easily adaptable and it also works very well with hair extensions, if you have them. Today I'm showing you on the centre of my head, but I've worn this style to the side as a chignon and I've gotten lots of compliments that way too!

Without further ado, I present the Four-Step Braided Knot Bun!

First, you'll want to gather your hair into a low ponytail wherever on your head you want your bun to be. I'm showing you in the centre, so I've just made a standard ponytail. Obviously you'll do a side ponytail if you want to end up with a chignon.

Now take your ponytail holder and tug it down to about halfway down your hair. Separate the hair on your head into two groups and guide your ponytail through it to form a twist.

You should end up with something that looks like this:

This last step is where you can get a little creative! What we're going to be doing is tucking all of the hair hanging down up into the twist at the top. You can just tuck it all in as is, which is how I did it the first time, and it looks like a very pretty bun. I did a standard braid this time, which gives it more of a complex look, and at the end I'll post a picture with a fishtail braid, which I think is absolutely gorgeous. The fishtail gives it a lovely, lived-in texture, especially if you plump up the braid a bit.

Whatever you choose to do, you're going to want to grab a bobby pin or two and flip the hair from the ponytail up into the twist, then pin it in place. To hide the bobby pins, just tuck them between the twists too. If you choose to braid, wrap a clear elastic around the end to give the bobby pins some grip.

Here it is with a fishtail braid (I apologise for the lighting!)

There are a lot of ways to jazz it up a little with clips or a little bling. A comb or some flower clips look really pretty between the two twists!

And that's a wrap for our first hairstyle Saturday! If you come up with a creative way to do it, post a picture in the comments and show me. See you on Tuesday!