VO5 Give me Texture Dry Texturising Spray

I am always curious about affordable drugstore brands available in other countries and when Boots finally started shipping to Slovenia, I placed this texturising spray in my virtual shopping basket simply to satisfy my curiosity. My previous experience with a texturising product, which was L'Oreal's #TXT version left a bad taste in my mouth, but VO5's is a completely different story. This is actually good! It contains sea salt and promises to create an effortless, undone look as well as give tousled effect to the waves.

Texture: It is exactly as I imagined texturising sprays to be - a dry shampoo on steroids. It's something like a dry shampoo/light-hold hairspray hybrid that gives that powdery texture but with some hold. There is absolutely no stickiness as at L'Oreal's or wetness and it definitely doesn't feel just like a can of lovely fragranced air as got2b Volumania styling powder does (which I still kind of like for some unknown reason). 

Effect: This deposits a light layer of fine powder on the hair which you can feel when you touch it, but it's not white, though you can see it on the strands of hair if you look closely enough. This layer of powder gives a very matte look, which I'm not terribly happy about, since I think the darker your hair is the shinier it should look, but I just spray a bit of got2b Öl-la-la over it and it's fine (although all of those whose hair gets shiny at the roots because it greasy will love the matte effect). This definitely gives texture as well as a tiny bit of hold. I really like using it just after I washed my hair and curled it. Spraying it on freshly curled hair, it just makes it look better by giving some volume and making the curls not so perfect, therefore creating a messy, bed head look. I use a hairspray after as suggested for better hold. But, I'm not sure about it as a re-styler on the following days. I just think that Batiste for example, does a better job because it absorbs oils better and gives more volume, though I think that VO5 doesn't perform all that well on me due to the long length and heaviness of my hair. Unlike as at L'Oreal's, spraying a lot of it doesn't make the hair feel unbearably dirty, but it can make it feel dry.

Scent: The scent is nothing to write home about. It's a mix between a stronger typical hairspray note with a more subtle touch of candy strawberries, but it doesn't last long.

Price and availability: £3.79 (4.7 €) in Boots.

I like it. It does what is says on the tin, giving the hair that tousled look and it's not too expensive. The only thing that bothers me is that my can is already feeling more than a half empty and I haven't even had it that long. If you have a chance to try it, give it a go and I think it'll work particularly well on those with shorter-medium length hair that lacks volume and texture.

Have a great day!

Sebastian Professional Potion 9

I'm rarely so impressed by a hair product as by this one. It's one of my favourite new discoveries lately and a new warrior in my war against the frizz and dryness. Potion 9 is a leave-in conditioner/styling product hybrid that promises to condition the hair as well as give hold, shine and tame it. It's been on the market for nearly 20 years and a best seller for much of that time. Now if that's not a sign of quality, I don't know what is. 

Texture: A light serum-gel that is bright orange. It applies evenly due to the slip it has. I can't feel it on my hair no matter how much I apply it and I think it might be appropriate for someone whose hair aren't as thick as mine and it shouldn't weight it down, but I haven't had the chance to try it on such hair. 

How to use: It doesn't actually say how much you should use on my bottle, so I just apply a few pumps on my waist-length hair. It can be used on damp hair before drying (with a hair drier or air dry) as well as on dry hair to add, as they say, texture.

Effect: I really like this! Applied on damp hair before blow-drying it really tames my hair, makes it much sleeker than when I just use my regular products, it feels moisturised and even a bit silky. It's very good especially in combination with Sexy Healthy Hair Tri-Wheat Leave-In conditioner, or as I call them - the golden team. I used it also on someone else who has the same type of hair as me, on who I usually do a blow out plus straighten her hair and the final result was much, much better than usual. The hair was sleeker, there was almost no more frizz and looked more healthy. This is a product that really makes a visible difference on rebellious hair.

The only problem with this is that if you want your hair curly as I do, the silkiness this gives means that the curls drop faster and it's more difficult to get volume because of lack of texture, however, if you like to wear your hair straight, the effect lasts longer.

There is this pin on Pinterest that I saw after I bought Potion 9. It's says "Apply to wet hair and your hair dries into long waves. Buy at Target." I kind of hate these random things people write under images. Anyway, I tried this on damp hair without using heat styling and let my hair air-dry. And I hated it. It's been a while since I let my hair air dry and I forgot how unkempt my hair looks naturally. I have natural messy curls that can't decide whether they are curls or waves (it's waist-length, so the weight of the hair is preventing it from curling nicely) and Potion 9 didn't make them any prettier or more defined (try Tigi's Curl Amplifier instead, it actually works because it has more hold). Also my hair gets super knotty and really dry if I don't use heat tools to tame it and then a lot of damage occurs because of that. This is a product that performs best with heat tools on my hair. 

On dry hair, it works like a mix of silicone serum with a very light hold gel. It tames the hair, makes it more shiny and also gives a bit of hold/texture due to the slight stickiness.

Scent: If you're familiar with Avon's hair serum this has the same scent. To me it smells exactly like a salon.

Packaging: An airtight bottle with a pump. It works great and I have no complaints, the only thing is that you can't see how much product is still in there, but that's the problem with most products anyway.

Ingredients: I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the ingredients. They are lovely and from what I can tell,  it's a very good leave-in conditioner with jojoba oil high on the list (one of the best oils for hair), safflower seed oil, panthenol (moisture and shine), a few proteins and etc.

Price and availability: I got my small 50 ml bottle on Look Fantastic for 12€, but there is a full size available with 150 ml for 22 €. I love that they offer a small size to try, every company should follow their example. 

This is a brilliant product that helps taming frizz and is a lovely leave-in conditioner. The light texture should work on most types of hair and shouldn't weight it down (though there is a light version available). I'll definitely buy a full size once my trial version runs out, but I suspect these 50 ml will last a while.

Have a great day!

Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-powder

I love trying new hair products, even if the product description doesn't completely fit my needs. Pret-a-powder really appealed to me from the moment I heard about it. It's an interesting concept of a dry shampoo, volumising powder and style extender in one that should extend the life of a blow out and give you one more day of presentable hair. 

Texture: It's a very powdery dry shampoo and since it also claims to be a volumising powder it has that more grip, but it's not sticky in any way like got2b Powder'ful. If you use too much it does leave the hair with too much residue and it can feel dirty, but in normal amounts it feels almost weightless. Though my hair doesn't really get oily, I can tell this absorbs oil well since it leaves my hair dry at the roots (but I can't say for sure that it's great on oily hair, of course). 

This is a nice product for those whose hair is really silky after being washed and their hair won't hold style. It's a great product to use all over the hair before doing a braid or an updo because it gives texture.

Volume: As it's described it's also a volumising powder and it works. I wouldn't say much better than a regular dry shampoo in a can or a volumising powder, but my hair has a lot of natural volume anyway so I can't really compare.

Is it white?: Oh, yes. My hair is dark brown and this leaves white/grey residue if I don't blend it in well or I use too much of it.

Scent: Beyond wonderful. This is by far my favourite scent of any dry shampoo. It's a light floral (cherry or peach blossoms) peachy scent. I know scents are subjective, but if a perfume with this scent existed, I'd be all over it.

Packaging: It definitely a different way of use and takes more time than dry shampoos/texturisers in a can, but I like the idea of a dry shampoo/texturiser in a shaker bottle. One bottle of Pret-a-powder, which holds 56 g of product, should last very, very long, especially compared to cans. It only has one small hole, but on my bottle it never clogged and the powder shakes out evenly. It's more time consuming to apply since you have to take care you don't apply too much in one spot, otherwise it looks white and it takes more time blend it in. It's a product for those with a bit more patience.

A voluminous fishtale braid made after using Pret-a-powder. My hair is a lot longer, but my (shaky) arms are too short and I couldn't capture it whole. You get a lot of texture to work with, so it ideal for making braids.

Price and availability: I paid 21.16 € with a code on Look Fantastic, while regular price is about 26 €. It's also available on All Beauty and Boots.

I think this is a product people with light, fine hair that has no natural texture would really love. I don't fit into this category and yet I still really like Pret-a-powder - mostly because of the gorgeous scent. I really love using this and I use it almost every day to freshen up my hair, even though I don't need texture or to use a dry shampoo. I go without washing for about 4-5 days then my hair start feeling too dry, but I don't have a feeling that my hair is terribly dirty on the first few days, but the product does build up after that. It's a cute product, however, expensive as a one time purchase (the quantity redeems it here, but I wouldn't buy it at full price) and it's not the easiest to work with. 

Have a great day!

Kérastase Forme Fatale Voluptuous Blow-Dry Gel

Not that I really need volumising products, but Forme Fatale caught my attention because it's a heat protectant and styling product in one. I didn't know exactly what to expect since there are almost no proper reviews for this online, especially from people who actually bought it themselves, but this video made it look so good and the girl actually styles the hair herself. So far I've only had fantastic experience with Kérastase product and Forme Fatale is not cheap so I expected a lot, particularly in the taming frizz department (as good as got2b Volumania mousse is, this is my only gripe), however, this is that one product from my favourite hair brand that left me cold when it came to my hair. Having said that, it was a completely different story when I used it on someone with thin hair.

Texture: a thick gel with soft shimmer. The video says to apply a chestnut amount on damp hair, but on the packaging it says to use a small amount, I just follow the video's instructions. It spreads evenly, not as easy as a serum does, but like any hair gel.

Effect: 

I used it on it's own after conditioner the first time to see how it performs. I've heard a few people say that this tames frizz well, so I tested it without Sexy Healthy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-in conditioner, which is in my experience the best at taming frizz. Forme Fatale feels super light on the hair, however, I find it dries it out, particularly the ends. I can run my fingers through the hair and it doesn't feel sticky or clumped up, but the hair does feel a bit harder (well obviously. How else would you get hold), however, it's still soft enough  The volume I was able to achieve by blow-drying my hair was phenomenal, in fact the biggest I was ever able to achieve and it exceeds even the got2b Volumania mousse. But this is the king of frizz. And I'm not saying the king of taming the frizz, but of making it. Due to drying out the hair, the amount of frizz was uncontrollable, it looked super frizzy compared to when I use Sexy Healthy Hair leave-in in conjunction with Nectar Termique. This by itself has no frizz control, not even when I use a curling iron over it. I needed a lot of extra moisturising/frizz taming product on the following days to control the dryness, which was like a blast from the past to me, since that was all I was doing before I found Healthy Sexy Hair.
I've since been using it in conjunction with Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-in and it is much, much better in the moisture levels and frizz department. Thought the frizz is still present, it remains in a much smaller and more manageable quantity. However, the dryness remains a problem.

Performance on thin hair:

I used it on a girl with thin hair which is shoulder length and with my usual volume making technique that I also use on myself (just watch this video), the volume I was able to achieve was amazing, especially for someone with such thin hair. It didn't make it greasy or heavy at all and you pretty much couldn't feel it was on the hair (and she has a hair type that most hair sprays make it feel crispy). On her hair, which is naturally poker straight, there was no sign of any frizz whatsoever. I managed to get beautiful sleek curls with lots of volume at the roots. This was designed for fine to normal hair and it shows, the performance on such hair is flawless.

Hold: On my hair that generally tends to hold curls very well they lasted a maximum of two days, so it's not as good as the got2b Volumania mousse with which I get at least three days of great hold. 

Scent: Very lovely floral, but lasts less than a minute.

Ingredients:

Price and availability: I paid 21.40 € on HQHair, but currently the cheapest place to get it that I know of is All Beauty where it's 18.93€. You can also pick this up at selected hair salons.

If you're the one with thin, volume lacking hair that is normal or oily, I wholeheartedly recommend this, however, girls with dry hair be warned this dries out the hair and makes it frizzy. A good conditioner and leave-in treatment or some sort of a defrizzer solves the problem to a certain degree, but on my hair the dryness is irritating and I have to resort to heaps of oil to fix the problem on later days. It's a great product and does what's it says on the box, but it's not ideal for my hair. Still I'll finish it, it was too expensive not to.

  

Have a great day!

L'Oreal Studio Line #TXT Excess Volume Texturizing Spray

I am in no need of extra texture or volume, actually it's exactly the opposite and I'm striving to make my hair look as sleek as possible by eliminating the perpetually annoying frizz and still keeping that bit of natural volume I have. But these texturising sprays exploded in the blogging world and normally I would disregard this trend even though I'm a hair junkie, but to my surprise I found the newest addition to L'Oreal's Studio Line called #TXT Excess Volume Texturizing Spray in Müller and curiosity got the best of me. I've read here that it's a drugstore version (won't say dupe) of a much more hyped Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish and if we're already talking about (overhyped) texturing spray, the obvious one comes to mind - the shockingly expensive Oribe Dry Texturising Spray. So how did the L'Oreal's version and I get along? Very badly, I'm afraid.

Texture: This feels different than I expected which was something that might be like a dry shampoo and volumising powder in one, but one that perhaps has some actual hold unlike got2b Volumania Volume Refreshing Styling Powder which literary feels like a can of nice smelling air. However, what you actually get here is a sticky hairspray-ish type of product with a very light hold. It even feels wet when you spray it a bit too liberally and it can make your hair sticky after use. 

Effect: It says you should divide dry hair in four sections an spray each one or just turn your head upside down and spray the hair, then create volume with your hands.  Sounds simple enough. And then the problems start. This feels like nothing on the hair - there is no hold and no "texture" as people call it. It doesn't even hold the natural volume I have after washing my hair. Similarly to got2b Styling Powder, this feels like an empty can of air, or so it feels on the first use except that it leaves your hands sticky. Of course I tried to actually achieve something by spraying more and suddenly my hair started to feel unbearably dirty and even a bit sticky. Don't even think about using this on dirty hair (like a few days after washing) because it will make it feel even worse. This is not in way similar to a dry shampoo and it doesn't absorb oils. So there are only two options at this spray: either it does nothing and feels like there is nothing in your hair, or if you use too much, it will make your hair feel dirty.  

Some of you may be thinking: Ok, but you have long, thick, wavy, dry, coarse hair and mine is completely different. True. So I have tried it on a girl with very thin, poker straight hair that gets greasy fast and it was just as rubbish. Any dry shampoo does the job a lot better, but that's just my humble opinion. 

Scent: The scent of it is strong, kind of a classical hairspray one and similar to Elnett hairsprays.

Price and availability: I paid 6.29€ in Müller.

I don't even know why I bought it. I have enough texture in my hair even when it's freshly washed. And sure, I can make volume on my hair by messing it up even without any products, but in what universe is that pretty? My definition of volume is sleek, wavy/curly hair with body and not (super) messy hairdos so many seem to be fond of and calling it "bed head" (no offence meant to anybody. Style your hair the way you want it). It's a failed purchase for me and I wish I could return it because I know it will be gathering dust in my cupboard for ages. I'm sticking to dry shampoos.

Have you tried it yet? Have a great day!

Lee Stafford Dehumidifier, Dry Shampoo and Hold Tight Hairspray

After a very positive experience with a mini size of Hold Tight hairspray, which I now purchased also in full size, two more sample/mini size bottles from Lee Stafford's Pink Range landed in my shopping basket. Neither blew me away as much as the hairspray, but lets focus on each individually.

 lee stafford Dry ShaMPOO ORiGiNAL

I said before that I don't use dry shampoos for it's original purpose because my hair almost never gets greasy. I use them to refresh the hair, make it smell nice and mostly to revive volume.

Texture: This doesn't leave the same powdery texture in the hair as Batiste does and it doesn't leave the hair super refreshed. I don't think this soaks up oils too well, but don't take my word for it since my hair never gets greasy. I noticed that the hair doesn't feel as light when I run my fingers through it as with some other dry shampoos I tried. As at all dry shampoos, my hair feels a bit dirty the next day after use.

Volume: Yup. On my hair I can revive the volume despite the lack of the "grip" from the powder (corn starch).

Is it white?: Mostly it's clear, however, if not shaken well, there might be some white patches on odd sprays, but then you just blend it in as any other dry shampoo. 

Scent: This has a very strong and perfumery scent. It's the type of heavy scent that won't appeal to everyone, which makes the samples size a good idea. The scent is a typical Lee Stanfford one, but more intense and less hairspray-ish than at Hold Tight. It's a heavy oriental scent, with flower notes and I definitely detect patchouli (some describe it as Angel like). 

lee stafford POKeR STRAiGHT DeHUMIDIFIER

It's described as an invisible umbrella for the hair that prevents curling of the hair due to moisture in the air and fights the evil frizz.

Texture: This feels exactly the same as got2b Öl-La-La Styling Öl-Spray . It leaves the same light oily-siliconey feeling and gives loads of shine. Basically it's a silicone serum in a spray. While girls with dry hair will probably like this, those with oily hair might not so much. Be careful how much you use it, those with super dry hair don't really need to, but normal-oily haired girls be moderate as this can make your hair look greasy.

Does it work?: In theory it certainly should. It feels like a silicone serum in spray that coats the hair and therefore should help prevent the moisture from the air to be absorbed by the hair which causes it to swell unevenly and become frizzy. It also feels like it should be able to combat the other major reason for frizz - dryness and brittleness, since it feels a bit oily. But how does this perform in a real life situation? For one it does tame frizz if you spray it on the hair and comb through (better if you do that with fingers). However, my hair was frizzy again at the end of my walk in post rainy weather. I also tested it on my mother (we have very similar hair) right after straightening her hair and again it tamed the hair whilst gave loads of shine, but she came with frizzy hair home form work (she walks). It's a good effort from Lee Stafford, but I fear it's not quite enough. Mixing it with hairspray might be of better help in the fight against the frizz (or with anything with some hold).

Scent: The same typical Lee Stafford one as at Dry Shampoo, but a touch less intense.

 lee stafford HoLD TiGHT HaiRSPRay

I already wrote that this is my favourite hairspray so far and that it works particularly well in combination with got2b Volumania Spray Mousse.

Texture: A light hairspray that doesn't feel crispy or stiff even if you apply it generously. I can barely feel it on the hair.

Hold: Nice flexible hold without being sticky.

Scent: A classical hairspray scent that is mixed with the typical lee stafford scent. It's not my favourite, but I can tolerate it much easier than L'Oreal's Elnett's.

Have you tried anything from lee stafford? Any recommendations?
Have a great day!

New In: Drugstore Hair (Styling) Edition

It's all about drugstore hair products today. Got2b had most of their product either 30% off in my local supermarket or 50% off in DM (via the points system valid for November and December) and I decided to try some of their stuff. I was planning to get some other styling products, but I'm really glad I bought these. I think I'll try their Glued hairspray next and perhaps even some other bits. By the way, I had their Guardian Angel heat protectant a few years back and I hated it. 

It'll be a colourful post - I love colourful posts!

got2b Volumania Volumizing Spray Mousse

Probably my favourite product in the bunch. A mousse in a spray form - genius! It's so easy to apply evenly and I can really control the amount I want. It's not sticky, doesn't weigh my hair down and holds style so well. Both the mousse and styling powder smell like a raspberry drink (Dana's Malinovec), so pretty much delicious. I apply it all over the hair, concentrating on the roots. The spray makes it easy to apply it evenly to the roots and the length of the hair, however, you can spray it in your palm if that is what you prefer. I then do my regular thing: blow-dry with a round brush and put my hair in a high bun. I had tons of volume in the morning, like always, but this time my hair didn't drop in the next hour. I then curled it with a 2,5 cm (1 inch) barrel curler. It holds volume for a day, but the hair needs to be "refluffed" in the morning, which is pretty much standard with any mousse I tried so far. I was even more impressed how well my curls lasted as they still looked great on the third day. Having volume brings the necessary evil, the ever annoying frizz, and yes, also with this mousse, but it looks much, much better than Balea's Power Volume mousse. This is the best styling mousse I've tried to date, but I only had drugstore ones so far. I highly recommend it.

Regular price is about 6 €. It's widely available in drugstores and some supermarkets.

got2b Volumania Volume Refreshing Styling Powder

I'm not completely convinced about this product. I bought another one of got2b's volumising powders called Powder'ful about a year ago and while it definitely gives volume, it makes your hair feel sticky and a bit dirty, but what bothered me most was the fact the volume lasted about 15 minutes. So I wasn't impressed.
I sort of expected Volumania Styling Powder to be a similar product, but improved and in a spray form. It actually feels closer to a dry shampoo, but without the freshness. It almost feels like I'm not using anything at all and at first I wasn't sure if it even works in any other way than making my hair smell deliciously raspberrish. So I tried to "fluff up" my hair with and without the Styling Powder on each side of my head and it actually does make a difference, which is odd since it feels like nothing on the hair, nor does it give any type of hold or texture. It's not a necessary product, I actually think it can easily be replaced by a dry shampoo, but I do like using it to refresh the volume every day.

Regular price is about 6 € (5.80 € in DM). It's widely available in drugstores and some supermarkets.

got2b Öl-La-La Styling Öl-Spray 
also called Oil-licious Triple Oil Dry Oil Mist

Healthy hair and shine in a can. That's how I would describe this product. But mind you, I mean it just cheats the appearance of having healthy hair, it doesn't actually nourish it much. It's an innovative concept - argan oil in a spray can, even though it's the last ingredient on the INCI list and there are two silicones high on the list. Orofluido has something similar called Sahara, but this is much lighter. It gives an amazing amount of shine, just like using any of the silicone-oil hybrids (Orofluido, Morrocanoil,...) and helps fight the frizz, but without the fear of ruining the hairstyle or curls because of touching (my curls always drop if I touch them). I'm impressed got2b! Another very likeable product.
The scent is a bit out of place, especially after trying the Volumania products. It's far from fruity and it's more like a generic soap or lipstick scent. I actually quite like it. I can spray a ton of it on my hair and it doesn't weigh it down one bit, build up or make it oily, however, my hair is dry and thick. It think it would work for fine hair, but maybe used in moderation. But this is the best way for any of such girls to use an oil product.

Regular price is 6.99 €. I found it only in Müller.

Lee Stafford Hold Tight Hairspray

I really like this hairspray. It has a nice flexible hold without being sticky, doesn't feel crispy or stiff at all and I don't even feel it on the hair. I find it similar to Tigi Mastermind (only that it's cheaper and easier to get) and L'Oreal's Elnett extra strong, but without the Elnett scent that so many people dislike (I actually find it very similar to Chanel n.5). In fact, I tried L'Oreal's and Lee Staffords side by side and I notice no difference whatsoever. Hold Tight Hold Firm has a musky and sweet scent, which is apparently a signature scent of the Lee Stafford products and it reminds me a bit of Thierry Mugler Angel if I remember that fragrance correctly.

50 ml can costs 2.45 € in Müller. I don't know the price for the 250 ml can, but it's about 7-9€.

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Conditioner
also called Honey I'm Strong conditioner

I can't find the Hello Hydration hair mask anywhere (why?!), so I grabbed this instead. For the price it is actually quite good. It's thicker than the Hello Hydration mask and moisturises well even my dried up hair. Of course, I use it in a conjunction with a leave-in conditioner (Sexy Healthy Hair Tri-Wheat Leave In), which makes a massive difference by itself. It doesn't smell as amazing as the Hello Hydration line, but it's similarly fruity-floral with a hint of honey. It will be a part of my Top 5 drugstore conditioners post that I have ready.

Price 2.45 € in Müller.

I've used everything in this post on this pic. A rubbish pic of third day hair is in this post here. 

Have a great day!

Tigi Catwalk Mystique Blow Out Balm

Currently, I have enough heat protection products to last me quite a while. Tigi Catwalk Mystique Blow Out Balm is the most versatile from all of them, but the the same time the most average one. It's the ultimate all rounder heat protection, because I find it's pretty much suited for all types of hair and I believe most people would really like it.

It's a light gel-silicone texture that feels light on the hair and doesn't weight it down. It has a ton of small multi-coloured shimmer that looks stunning when you look at it in sunlight. It's demure enough not to make you look like you have actual chunks of glitter on your hair and it just gives an amazing shine. My cousin complimented on how amazingly shiny my hair looks and demanded to know what I was using. I used to own a similar product with such shimmer and it was the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Shock (now repackaged and renamed Liquid Shine). However, the JF one doesn't work as a heat protectant, but just as a tamer which gives additional shine. Blow Out Balm is basically the same product, but slightly lighter and with the added function of protecting from heat, so it would be my choice instead of the JF one. The picture doesn't give it justice, because the shimmer is amazing in person.

It's primary function is heat protection and it performs well in that department. Because it's a light silicone, it can easily be used on damp and dry hair. I don't like using cream heat protectants on dry hair as it makes it too wet to be straightened or curled right away, but with Blow Out Balm it's just like applying a silicone-oil type of product e.g. Orofluido or Macadamia Healing Oil. I've heard other reviewers say it made their hair sleeker. Personally, I don't notice my hair being sleeker when I use this on damp hair before blow-drying, but it does tame it when used on dry hair. It doesn't help much with the dryness, though. My hair is super dry and I tend to reach for more moisturising/heavy products, but if your hair is normal or oily and you dislike the feeling of having too much product on your hair, I suspect you will really enjoy using it.

The packaging is quite small with 90ml of product. It's really well made and I like the stylish black and red design. It has a handy pump (as a lot of products should have), but it dispenses too little product at a time for my needs, so I have to pump about 5 time to get the amount needed (I have really long, thick hair).

The scent is quite strong as per usual with Tigi's products. It's a mix of fruity notes and wood (rosewood apparently), I think it is like the new car smell (our new Opel smells exactly like this to me). Obviously I got laughed at when I said that and others said it smells like a shoe spray Kiwi Fresh Force. In general, it's a very likeable scent.

It's not the cheapest, but not the most expensive product either. I got it online for a reasonable price of 6€, when it was on sale. You can get it for about 12€ on eBay and Tigi is widely sold in online shops or hairdressers.  

I find it a great all rounder, because I can use it on dry and damp hair, however, for my needs I've already found two product that work best with my mega dry hair, Kérastase Nectar Termique (which I use on damp hair) and Tigi S Factor Flat Iron Shine Spray Heat Defender (that I use on dry hair). Both are better suited for people with really dry hair, while I find Tigi Blow Out Balm to be suited for practically all types of hair, because it's light enough and doesn't weigh the hair down. If you're in search for a nice, simple heat protectant or a shine product give it a go.

Have a great day!

Review: Kérastase Nutritive

Prepare for a long and picture heavy post. It's been more than a month since I got these goodies and after some thorough testing, I'm finally feeling comfortable writing a review. Originally, I was going to do a separate post for each, however, I feel the need to put them all in one for a good reason. The thing is that individually these are all great products, some of the best I ever had, however, when all three are used together the magic happens. I swear my hair hasn't never felt this silky, light and soft then when I use all three/four products together. I just can't stop touching my hair and the effect lasts for three days - normally, the top layer of my hair and the ends get dry fast. You know how on L'Oreal or Pantene commercials when they lift the hair, it falls down like a waterfall, well that's how my hair feels after using these (it doesn't look as retouched obviously, it's still normal people hair that feels amazing to the touch). They must have some very high quality silicones too make it this way. The whole Nutritive line is targeted for dry to very dry hair (the description of my hair type is under about).

I tested each individually (with a combination of other products from different brands) and all together. These are all very expensive products and even though I coveted them for a year, I wasn't really prepared to part from my money until a truly fantastic offer came my way. I got the three products 15% off and was given a full size Elixir Ultime, which retails about 35€. A word of advice, salons really overcharge these, so go online on sites like HqHair, Lookfantastic, Feelunique and other similar ones to find the best prices.

Kérastase Nutritive Bain Oléo-Relax Smoothing Shampoo

It's meant for dry, frizzy hair that refuses to be tamed. Other reviewers describe it as the best shampoo for taming frizz - admittedly that was what sold me. Texture-wise it's a regular, gel type shampoo that has an orange hue, it's more on a liquidy side, rather than a thick gel. It foams lovely and lathers to a rich foam. My hair feels quite silky, when I'm rinsing it off and I can easily comb though the knots with fingers. The comb basically just glides though the damp hair. It's a similar effect to using a light conditioner, which is a consequence of the added silicones. It's absolutely not one of those shampoos that leave your hair squeaky clean (a feeling I genuinely dislike) and is one of the best shampoos for dry hair I tried. It doesn't irritate my scalp which is also a plus, however, I do feel the silicones might build up on my hair, so an occasional use of clarifying shampoo or baking soda is needed. As far as the anti-frizz properties go, I must confess I didn't see much of an effect, my hair was equally frizzy than when using other shampoos, however, what I call frizz on my hair are actually individual shorter hairs that get curly because my hair is naturally curly (the longer the hair the less curly it is in my case).

The scent is similar to that of shampoos you get at the chemist's, something like regular soap (aldehydes), but slightly more sharp. I have a slight gripe with the bottle, because the top twists off, rather than having the one that flips. It's more time consuming and frankly a bit annoying, considering I'm paying a lot for it.

If your hair is either normal or oily, you'll probably find it too heavy because of the silicones. It's expensive for a shampoo and I get though shampoos so fast, so it's really more of a luxury to be buying it regularly.  It was 18€ on Lookfantastic and the prices on most online shops are about the same.

Kérastase Nutritive Masquitense Épais - Thick

There are three different hair masks in Nutritive line and this one is targeted for thick hair, which mine are.  The texture is like a medium thickness silicone-heavy cream that just glides on the hair with such ease. Due to that you actually don't have to use much, which is a relief because the pot contains a quite stingy amount of 200 ml. Curiously, there are no instructions as to how long you should leave it on, I do at least 45 minutes. When I'm rinsing it off my hair feels truly silky and it has a lot of slip, it's a very similar feeling to when I use Tigi's Serious Conditioner, but here it's less intense. Once my hair is dry it feels very soft, manageable and moisturised, but the biggest difference is that amazingly my ends stay moisturised for four days. Usually they get dry either on the second day if I use a cheap drugstore conditioner, or on third day if I use a more expensive one and I have to use an oil to condition it. It smells exactly like sunscreen, a scent that I love. 

The packaging is a nice simple pot, nothing special but functional. The price is a shocking 26€ for a 200ml - honestly it could a least be 300ml. 

A little advice: Be careful not to get any water in it, this applies to all products actually, it can affect the effectiveness of the product. So no sticking your fingers into pots under the shower or with wet hands.

Kérastase Nutritive Nectar Thermique

This product excited me the most with the results. It's a heat protection and leave-in conditioner in one meant for dry hair. It's a light cream, truly nothing too heavy, in fact I find it hard to overdo on my hair, but others whose hair aren't so dry might find it heavy if used too much. It glides on the hair with ease and even before blow drying you can feel how your hair feels more silky. During and after blow-drying my hair feels incredibly silky and very soft, the only product that I can compare the feeling to is Tigi's Serious Conditioner, but this goes to an even higher level. My hair looks shiny, but not much less frizzy, I tame frizz with a bit of silicone oil like Elixir Ultime (or Macadamia, Orofluido,...) and Tigi's Spoil Me. The feeling lasts for three-four days and my hair remained soft and silky, but my ends did get a bit knotty as usual.

I really appreciate it for it's moisturising properties. If I had to choose my favourite heat protection, this one and the Tigi S Factor one are neck to neck, but I use them in two different ways, Tigi on dry hair because it's more oily and Kérastase on damp because it's a cream (I use a lot of heat protection, I apply it every time I use a heat tool, so before blow drying and then again if I'll use a curling iron). 

It's 19 € for 150 ml which is actually a very nice size, since it just glides on the hair and you don't need to use much. For example TIGI Catwalk Sleek Mystique Blow Out Balm contains only 90ml for 15€ (well, I got it for 9€ on offer) and I have to use quite a lot pumps. If you really want something from Kérastase, I would definitely go with this first.

Kérastase Elixir Ultime gives the final touches to the hair and makes it look more polished. In my original review I stated it's too light for my hair and it leaves my ends dry, however, in this case because the other three products leave my hair in such great condition this works perfectly. Because it's so light, it doesn't weight my hair down, it just tames the frizz and gives lots of shine. I actually keep a travel size in my bag all the time for frizz taming emergencies. I already raved about the scent, which is just divine, a mix of floral notes and coconut, almost like a high-end beach scent. And the pump is a giant plus. I'm not sure I'd pay a full price (I got it for free), it depends on how long the bottle will last or if I have an unexpected windfall, but it's certainly addictive.

In general my hair does look healthy and amazingly shiny, my mother even commented on how super shiny my hair looks and that it's even noticeable in a dimly lit room. How my hair looks depends more on how I style it using heat tools and the serum I use, but this gives one hell of a base. I am absolutely loving how my hair feels. It truly hasn't felt as silky and soft in like ever. It just stays awesome for days and I've already talked about how my hair is practically never soft in my Macadamia Deep Repair mask review, so this is a huge deal for me. It doesn't get super tangly, nor do I need to use Alverde hair oil to condition the ends and the shine is outstanding. I do, however, use Elixir Ultime daily to make it look more polished and to tame the frizz (the latter is still a nuisance, but I can live with it. There is no need for everything looking perfect).

(You can also see my hair while testing Kérastase in my last months posts: Essence Guerilla Gardening and Ardell Demi Lashes, both are second or third day hair)

I'm a hair care junkie and I've tried my fair share of products, so considering how expensive Kérastase products are, my expectation were very high and I wasn't disappointed. What I can say is that if you have such problematic, dry hair like me and you really want it too feel more like normal hair, I can't recommend this enough, but to get the maximum effect they work best when you use all together, which does mean it's very, very expensive. This does make your hair very silky, which means that some people will need some sort of a texturing product to style their hair. This is heavy-duty stuff, so if your hair is in a relatively nice condition, you don't desperately need it and there are some cheaper options that won't make your hair feel as great, but close enough.  Some links to my posts about hair: My Tips for Dealing with Dry Hair, My Current Hair Care - Part 1, My Current Hair Care - Part 2 and Hair Oils Series. So far my experience with Kérastase has been nothing but positive and I'll probably try more of their products.

Congratulations to everyone who managed to get through this long-winded post. Have a great day!