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My hair... complex subject. I've always had a love/hate relationship with my mane. I'm often told by hair stylists that I have great hair, but I can't say I agree. Being both fine and wavy it's very frizzy, difficult to style and keep in place, and it gets insanely tangled very easily. I gave up on styling a long time ago and most of the time I just let it air dry, which results in flat roots, a good amount of frizz and fly-aways, and a general dull "I have a mop on my head" effect.
I've tried a lot of products to add volume, shine and body, and the improvement is usually barely noticeable. That's when there is any... These days my hair is layered and long, reaching the middle of my back - I've realized that my waves look best and less messy when my hair is longer - and I have damaged tips. Complicated, I told you!
A few weeks ago, I was offered the opportunity to try the Clean & Condition Set by Keranique, a hair care brand that focuses on replenishing aging hair with formulas containing keratin, the protein our hair is mainly made of. I was happy to test the Scalp Stimulating Shampoo and Volumizing Keratin Conditioner with an open mind, but I wasn't really expecting a major breakthrough - no hair care product has ever done much for me, so why would this line be different?
And then, I shampooed and conditioned. Let my hair air dry. Saw myself in the mirror, and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I thought it was beginner's luck, or just a coincidence at first (yeah I'm hard to convince), but wash after wash, for several weeks now, I'm still seeing an amazing improvement. Very little to no frizz, even the second day, a nice amount of shine, much more volume, much more body. My hair looks like... human hair rather than animal fur or straw like it often used to, and it's so much easier to manage. It looks and feels healthier, thicker and stronger.
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| After about 2 weeks of using the Keranique Clean & Condition Set Hair was air dried and I used no other product (no leave-in cream, no styling product, nothing) |
Trust me, I'm very surprised, as I wasn't expecting to ever find hair products that would work so well for me. Keranique has opened the door to a new possibility that I never thought would be within reach, considering my hair type: the good hair day. I've had multiple good hair days since I started using the set. Without having to go the salon. Unbelievable! Let me summarize my experience with Keranique Clean & Condition Set:
The Pros
- Nice, elegant bottles that look good in my shower.
- Both Shampoo and Conditioner have an uplifting, refreshing minty scent. I hate minty fragrances in my skincare, especially in lip balms, but I love it in body and hair products.
- The shampoo tingles very slightly due to the presence of menthol and peppermint. While I carefully avoid using anything containing these fragrant natural extracts on my face, it's perfectly welcome on my scalp: the cooling effect would cause irritation and redness to the skin on my face, but on the scalp it stimulates local blood circulation, ensuring hair follicles receive all the nutrients they need to grow healthy hair.
- Neither products contain the dreadful SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), a very drying cleansing agent still often found in shampoos. The bottles also mention that they're free of sulfates, dyes and parabens.
- The shampoo cleanses well without drying out my hair. I can easily go 3 days between shampoos.
- Using this duo leaves my hair frizz-free, shinier and much easier to manage. It gives it a lot more body. And I've tried A LOT of products that were supposed to do all that but never did anything. This stuff just works, by itself, without the need to follow with leave-in creams.
- The shampoo/conditioner combo also provides a good amount of volume. It makes a very visible difference on my fine hair, usually very flat at the roots. It gives me about the same amount of volume at the roots as dry shampoo used lightly, and the lengths appear thicker too.
The Cons
- The conditioner is gel-like and doesn't feel super rich or nourishing, so it's not enough for my very dry damaged tips. What I do is use it from the roots to about 1 inch from the tips, and I use a creamier conditioner for the very ends.
- The price. I really love how this duo makes my hair look, but the idea that I'll have to fork out $60-70 to repurchase the Clean & Condition Set ($30 to 35 per product) is daunting. Currently the brand has a special offer on their website, selling the Set for $49.95. It's better but still much pricier than what I'm used to.
Overall
Keranique is the first and (so far) only hair care system that makes my frizzy, limp hair look significantly better, with just a shampoo and conditioner. If you have fine, dull hair that lacks volume and body, I strongly recommend this brand - if you can stomach the price - especially if you don't have time to apply a multitude of post-shampoo leave-in products.
Where to buy? Keranique's website, or the following retailers:
The products featured in this review were sent by PR for consideration. I received no compensation other than the free samples to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links.
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