If you read my post on 5 Major Fails From My Purple Hair Dye Adventure, you know my hair went through a lot of damage recently.
While the L’Oréal Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm performed magical miracles on my hair, it was still not 100% where it was before. How could it be? Two rounds of bleaching and two rounds of color in two days.. I’m dizzy just typing that!
Enter L’Oréal’s new hair care line: L’Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil Shampoo, Conditioner, and Serum.
First of all, the name itself is exciting. Oils are the big thing right now. It seems like the old stigma of having your hair or your skin “squeaky clean” (read: oil-free) is a thing of the past.
I got the opportunity to try the new line (which includes shampoo, conditioner, and a serum) and I totally jumped on it.
For my experiment, I took before and after pictures. This was a one-time wash deal. Yes, I wanted to show you how well it worked (or didn’t!) with just one wash.
To provide fair and unbiased results, I did not style or use any hot tools (dryer, flatiron) on either picture. I simply brushed my hair.
I also did not “Photoshop” my results to make it look more impressive, so you could see a fair representation of the outcome.
Ready?!
The Before
My hair has been repairing for about a month now, but as you can see it was still frumpy and dull. There was a lot of frizz happening and it was crunchy. It still had that lifeless, dull quality you get after (shock!) over-bleaching.
Really, my hair was doing nothing for me now and it wasn’t even paying rent.
Ever since I had the baby, my hair has taken a back seat in my beauty regime and it was high time to change this. Fingers crossed, I hopped into the shower to try my new products.
The Process
Starting with the shampoo, I squeezed a big ‘ol glob in my hand and went to town scrubbing my head. I immediately noticed the smell.
Let me just put this out there right now: If you don’t like strong scents, this shampoo is not for you!
It was a big shock, but I liked the smell. To be honest, it smelled like a designer perfume (which, if you know me, you know I love my designer perfumes!) and it made me feel, well… fancy!
(Bonus: Throughout the day as my body temperature rose, it revitalized the scent. Even though I forgot to put on perfume, it made me feel very chic and I knew I smelled good!)
Next, I slathered on the conditioner. I put it on every strand of my hair, and I probably used enough for two showers. It seems to be that I have a “more is better” mentality, which is wrong more often than not.
Anyway, the conditioner was not as strong smelling but felt nice and thick without being too heavy.
After I rinsed my hair, it felt like SILK! I could not believe how it felt after just one wash. I was skeptical but now I was truly a believer.
I am a huge fan of oil serum for your hair (thank my hairdresser) so I was so excited to try this new one out. One squirt did not seem like much, so I did two.
My hair is right at shoulder-length and is very thinned out from the horrible hair dying experience I had before, but I was convinced one pump wouldn’t be enough.
Now, it was time for results. I let it air dry for fair results (see above) and brushed it out…
The After
I know you can’t feel the results from looking at a photograph, but WOW. One wash and my hair was already shinier and the crunch was almost completely gone. You can see in my photos how it looks smooth and sleek; that is all real! No flatiron, no editing. Huzzah!
The only problem was the fact that my hair felt weighed down and slightly greasy. I made a mental note to ease up on the amount of product I used in my next shower.
Tips To Get Your Shine On
I have now had the chance to use my L’Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oils several times and I have perfected my routine. Here are some tips for you to get to your shiniest hair yet:
- Don’t overuse your product. Like me, you might be thinking that more product will make things more shiny. In reality, this can actually be harmful.
For example, if you use too much shampoo, your hair can go into panic mode and start to produce more natural oil. This combines with the oils you are using from your hair care and things start getting greasy.
Ideally, you should be using a dollop about the size of a half-dollar when you use shampoo and conditioner.
- When shampooing, wash your roots, but don’t rub shampoo on your ends. You can let the shampoo rinse down through your ends, but you need to avoid stripping them as possible because your natural oils don’t saturate your ends as much as your roots.
- Likewise, when you use your conditioner apply only to the ends of your hair, avoiding your roots. Once again, your roots produce enough oil to condition themselves, while your ends are practically starving!
- When it comes to serum, one pump is enough unless you have very long or seriously thick hair. Use discretion! Oils can actually make your hair feel soft and weightless if used properly. The secret for shiny, healthy hair... OILS! Go figure! I thought oil on your hair was BAD.… Click To Tweet
Happy Using Oils
I am so absolutely thrilled that I was chosen for this opportunity. I am a huge fan of oils for your hair. My last shampoo/conditioner/serum combination just really wasn’t cutting it for me anymore, so it’s great that I’ve found something that works. I can’t wait to try more L’Oreal products!
Have you ever used oils in your hair? Did you like the results? What are some of your secret tips for healthy hair?
Sound off in the comments!
I love L’Oreal products!
Me too! I was using them long before I got this opportunity.. so it was a no-brainer!