.:: CybeleSays ::.

Smooth hair is such a luxury and I was starting to take it for granted the other day until it started rainin and my strands bulked up. With all the controversy continuing to swell over the Brazilian Treatment and whatever else name it goes by, smoothing products have reared their head as a temporary alternative. One in the game that I’m giving kudos to is the Agave Smoothing brand from Bio Ionic. The products have serious frizz-fighters in the form of the Agave Smoothing Shampoo (color safe) ($12.50/8oz), Smoothing Conditioner ($12.50/8oz) and Agave Healing Oil ($20/4oz) @ agaveoil.com.

Shown here: Agave Smoothing Home Trio sampler.

The PUREOLOGY line is one of my favorite hair care lines out there as their products seem to always break new ground. Take this latest product, the Precious Oil Versitile Caring Oil. It has a lot going for it, so much so that I will list it!

• First ever Green Seal certified beauty product.
• 100% biodegradable, silicone and parabens-free oil.
• Features oils from Sunflower, coconut, olive, and jojoba.
• Contains their exclusive oil-based OleoAntiFadeComplex made to amp up color-treated strands.

And I love the versatility of this one as it can be used many different ways, depending on your hair type – a few drops on dry hair before shampooing, as a finishing serum for after blow-drying and my favorite way, a few drops through towel-dried hair before the blow-dry.

And because the whole line is made for those with color-treated hair, you don’t have to worry about color fade or unevenness.

So how does this Green Seal play into this product? They have pretty strict standards so this is a big deal and means that this product and its packaging and ingredients have a minimal environmental impact, imparts the highest health and safety standards, has outstanding quality and performance, among other traits I mentioned above.

So how does this one feel in my hair? Really nice and my thing with the onslaught of these hair oils has come down to the ingredients and most are just silicones. This one? It open with Sunflower Seed Oil and showcases more oils down from their. Yeah! Finally, someone gets it. $28/4.2oz @ pureology.com for salons nationwide.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

My girlfriends love stopping over my house when they can, just to gawk at the products I have and when one of them saw REDKEN’s relaunch of the All Soft collection, she recommended I give them a good try out. She shows and grooms dogs for a living and the original line is one of the ones she uses quite regularly! Seems strange to use people products on the dog’s coats but she swears by just a handful of lines/products so I’m listening.

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My hair is all over the place right now; this in-between season always seems to wreak havoc on my strands. Does it need more moisture? Maybe not use the blow dryer so often? I’m not really sure but these below three seem to be helping me keep is steady Freddie until the cold comes on.

NEXXUS Color Assure Radiant Color Care Leave-in Conditioning Spray ($14.99/10.1oz @ Walmart stores nationwide) – I’ve learned the hard way that not all leave-in conditioners are created equal. This one uses grapefruit extract, coconut oil, and honey extract to add extra moisture to strands to keep hair color longer.

PUREOLOGY ColorStylists Antibreakage Twist ($24/2.5oz @ pureology.com for salons nationwide) – one of two new products just added to their ColourStylist line, this paste provide a mild hold and texture and totally safe for color-treated strands.

DAVINES OI/OIL ($39/4.56oz @ davines.com for salon locations) – I’m a huge fan of hair oils and this one seems like the next generation of them. It’s pretty light and its main oil comes from a beta-carotene and antioxidant-rich Roucou Oil.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

Ok, you get your ubber-expensive Brazilian Blowout or whatever your salon is calling the Keratin hair treatments these days and now what? How do you keep the super-straightness of it for as long as possible? Yes, sulfate-free is now your main business but two new companies have not made it their business to help you keep it straight for as long as possible too.

KERATIN PERFECT – Exclusive to Sephora, this line contains:
PerfectCleanse Keratin Enhanced Shampoo ($24/8.5oz)
PerfectSilk Keratin Enhanced Conditioner ($24/8.5oz)
PerfectRenew Daily Keratin Replenishing Spray ($34/6.7oz)
PerfectRescue Intense Keratin Repair Serum ($40/1.7oz)
PerfectShine Keratin Oil ($40/1.7oz).

This line uses a very tech-forward process called ReBonding Techology, which penetrates the hair to repair any weak Keratin bonds and keeps strands frizz-free and manageable. The Repair Serum has been my go-to for the past few weeks and I really feel this one fills in the nooks and crannies as my straightening treatment slowly washes away. Get them @ sephora.com.

GLOSS MODERNE - Line contains:
High-Gloss Shampoo ($27.50/8oz)
High-Gloss Conditioner ($28.50/8oz)
High-Gloss-Serum ($26/4oz)
High-Gloss Masque ($32/4oz) and you can purchase all four products for $114.

Their products contain Keratin, panthenol and botanicals like coconut and passion fruit extract among others to help keep hair 180 degrees from frizzy. And these have a Coco de Soleil scent to them, which is a blend of coconut, almond and rum and was created in a fragrance house just for these products. Nice. Get them @ glossmoderne.com.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

I think at this point just about everybody is familiar with the force that is MOROCCANOIL hair products. Ask anyone about the treatment oil and pretty much the first thing out of their mouth is, “I love the way it smells…” and so do I. I heard from a reliable source that the scent inside their products is actually the woody oriental classic JEAN PAUL GAULTIER Le Male Eau de Toilette. So I did my own smell test and lo and behold if it doesn’t smell almost exactly like it! Give your nose the sniff test next time you’re in Sephora let me know if you agree.

I’m really into these hair oils and Moroccanoil is not the only brand out there to choose from anymore. There are quite a few I’ve come across and I think we’re at the crossroads for a new breed of one. One that I think fits this bill that recently came out from the AFFINAGE line is called Kitoko Oil Treatment. It’s enriched with omega oils, Shea Butter, antioxidants and vitamins to not only strengthen hair but bring it back from whatever has been ailing it. It can be used as a hair finishing product as it tames frizzies and it also contains naturally derived UV filters. Let’s hear it for a product that protects hair color! $26.70/3.2oz @ affinage.com.  

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

SHU UEMURA Art of Hair Essence Absolue has pretty much taken the hair product world by storm. It’s sold out three times since it made its debut last fall and celebrity hair stylist like Chris McMillan are pretty gaga for it too. The secret ingredient to it is the Camellia Oil, which they call “liquid gold.” I knew this had to contain more than just Camellia Oil and I couldn’t seem to find the ingredient list on the packaging or their website so I trolled the Internet and finally found one it on makeupalley.com, go figure. Basically, it contains two common silicones (cyclopentsiloxane and dimethiconol) and ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate (sunscreen) and then fragrance ingredients (it does smell really nice. Maybe they’ll bottle it and sell it??) Like these, it seems like this is how these hair oils are put together – a majorly hair beneficial oil sandwiched between, so to speak, a few silicones. Now some peoples’ hair does not react well to silicones, like those with thin or fine strands. Mine reacts more than ok with it and it won't build up on hair.

Use this one as a pre-shampoo treatment, a finishing serum to add luster and shiner to hair or even to protect the hair from the sun this summer. And to answer the title, yes, it really is as great as they say it is. $65/5oz @ shuuemuraartofhair.com.

Disclosure: A sample of the following item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

I’m totally into the hair oils these days like this one and here’s another one taking up space in my bathroom. They’re so great for so many different things when it comes to the hair like taming frizzies and fly-away strands, restoring moisture, enhancing color, protecting hair from free radicals or just smoothing  it the hair after styling. This latest one is WHITE SANDS Orchids Oil ($20/3oz @ whitesandsproducts.com) and they tout it as especially beneficial for those with course and curly hair.

And check out all four ingredients: Cyclomethicone (a silicone), Dimethiconol (used in a lot of hair care products to impart shine), Bulbophyllum SP. (the largest group of the orchid family), and fragrance. That’s it! What’s also interesting is the way it smells. It smells like the name says, like an orchid but I guess this particular strain or orchid, Bulbophyllum SP smells pretty bad, so they add a synthetic fragrance, which is fine since it’s the ingredients I’m after in the first place.

Disclosure: The following item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

We’re definitely on the brink of a new hair trend – oils, as in, using nourishing oils to keep hair healthy and here's a new one to sink your teeth, or rather strands, into. 

MACADAMIA NATURAL OIL’s Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment ($36/1.5oz, $6/.35oz @ macadamiahair.com) is taking center stage of this feature. The line came out this month and I really think it;s going to be garnering quite a few accolades.

What it is: combo of Macadamia Oil, Argan Seed Oil and special botanicals.

How it’s used: 1 to 2 pumps in damp hair or dry hair and even as an added nourishing kick in most hair treatments like coloring. This one will also help with frizz and UV protection. Big recommendation!

Disclosure: The following item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.