So I’m a person who has suffered from unhealthy, brittle hair, that just won’t grow for some time now. This is largly due to my going light after dying my hair dark brown for the best part of 4 years (my hair is currently half my natural colour, half a mixture of highlights and old dye cleverly woven together by my hairdresser to try and disguise it as my natural colour).
My hair loves to break. Which means it also loves to frizz up and I just have this layer of hairs sticking up at all times. I have very fine hair, despite having quite a lof of it, and this does nothing to help the problem.
So when I was asked if I wanted to try out the John Freida Frizz Ease Smooth Start range* which promises to transform frizzy hair to smooth waves I was pretty eager to give it a go.
Let’s not beat around the bush here, these products are formulated to smooth the hair folicles and give you smooth shiny hair – and they do this using silicones. There are a lot of different opinions out there on the use of silicones in hair products, and I know that a lot of people like to avoid them, so I just thought I’d throw that out there right away. Some people believe that silicones stop nutrients from penetrating the hair, causing it to grow brittle and break more easily, silicones are also known to cause buildup – although there are soluable and insoluable silicones, and it is the insoluable ones which leave the most buildup. Insoluable silicones require shampoos containing sodium laureth/lauryl sulphates to remove them, which can be quite harsh on the hair.
On the other side of the argument, there are people who say that silicones are beneficial because they seal in moisture, and making the hair hydrophobic (water repellant) mimics healthy, undamaged hair, and is actually a good thing.
Personally I do like to opt for natural products where ever possible, especially regarding things I put on my skin, but I have to admit that my primary concern is how well a product works. I am happy to use the natural alternative when it works just as well as the product full of ingredients I can’t even pronounce, and I am actively searching out such a product, but in the mean time let me tell you about this range.
I have used this shampoo, conditioner and serum a couple of times now, and yes, I still have frizz caused by the top layers of my hair which have broken off, but there is no product in the world that can fix that completely until they grow out. The first thing I did notice, was that my hair didn’t come out by the handful in the shower when I used this shampoo and conditioner combo. That’s something that’s normal for me, and let’s face it, a little bit distressing. I still get a couple of strands breaking off, but we’re talking 4 strands of hair where there used to be a handful. The last time I found a shampoo that did this, it only helped for the first month or so and then my hair started breaking again, so I shall have to wait whether this is a lasting benefit.
It’s much more manageable, because it’s so smooth, and it doesn’t turn into a rats nest at the drop of a hat anymore. I feel a lot more confident using heat on it, because it doesn’t feel damaged to begin with, and while I’m not really a ‘waves’ kinda gal (my hair dries quite straight if I blowdry it – and I don’t like to use serums etc if I’m letting my hair dry naturally) I do find my hair is super ‘sleek’ now.
These products are also very strongly scented. I love having hair that smells clean and nice all day, it’s just that ‘clean girl’ smell that makes me feel more girly somehow, although this really is a VERY strong and lingering scent. If you’re someone who really isn’t keen on scents or is sensitive to perfumed products then perhaps that might be something to bear in mind.I loved how it moisturised my hair, because although my roots get greasy, I find the longer I leave my hair without washing it the drier my poor ends get, which is not nice! These products really helped with that.
It all comes down to personal preference, and whether or not you worry about what goes into your hair products, but if you are just looking for a product that will do a job and none of that concerns you, then this range definitely does what it says on the label. I also can’t seem to stop running my fingers through my hair, because it’s just SO SMOOTH.
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