.:: CybeleSays ::.

As the drama continues to rage on with Brazilian Blowouts (calling it a BBO for the sake of this feature) or whatever name they are going by in your neck of the woods, more companies are coming up with alternatives to the nasty chemicals they use. I mean, I’ve heard of quite a few salons that are turning the other cheek until something solid comes down because it is a huge money maker for them but I’m hoping you will consider this one and this one as alternatives Because at the end of the day, anything that’s going to eliminate frizz, I’m down with.

I recently had the Keratin Express Blow Out over at the B2V Salon in Beverly Hills and this is considered  a friendlier version of the hair defrizz because it uses no harsh chemicals. But the drawback is that it only lasts up to 6 weeks. It’s also not going to set you far back as the traditional one as it’s only $100 and only take about 1 hour to do. So there are a lot of pluses for this one and very few minuses.

It an in-salon treatment that infuses natural keratin deep into the hair cuticle to smooth it so it not only keeps frizz at bay, it also makes strands really shiny. Essentially this chemical-free process is like a super conditioner that deposits protein back into the hair.

One thing to keep in mind – this hair treatment is not a straightener. I know the traditional BBO is also considered a hair straightener but this one for sure does not. I mean, when I had the BBO, I could put my hair on top of my head at night, wake up, let it down and no kinks but with this one, yup, kinks, but no frizz, so just something to make note of.

In order to keep locks smooth for as long as possible, pick up their Keratin Color Care Shampoo ($21/13.5oz), Keratin Color Care Conditioner ($21/13.5oz) and the Infusion Keratin Replenisher ($32/1.7oz, $41/3.4oz). And the brand just came out with a bunch of styling products like a Flex Flow Finishing Hairspray, Lock Launder Strengthening Dry Shampoo and a Volumizing Dry Shampoo Lift Powder that comes in three colors that I have on deck to try. Will keep you posted!

Find a salon that offers it in your area @ keratincomplex.com and book yours during your next lunch hour.

This service was provided to me gratis.

By now, we’ve all heard of the Brazilian Hair Treatment, or the other many names it goes by, and a lot of us have even tried it. And by now most of us have heard the backlash on the treatment because of dangerous levels formaldehyde and other toxic ingredients in the products used. Some salons are banning the treatment altogether and others are turning the other cheek because it is such a money maker. And I hear that this issue is going to the top, the FDA, but until then, how do you feel about it? Are straight locks more important that health? Before you answer that, how about if I tell you about an alternative that seems pretty darn safe and it’s Vegan.

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I’ve had some pretty good luck with conditioners from the DAVINES line and I had the opportunity to try another one. Now I’m not sure if it’s the weather in LA or perhaps the time of year but my hair has been kind of unruly lately and a-typically on the dry side. Their new Lovely Smoothing Conditioner really did the trick in getting my strands back on the right track. It really felt like I used a deep conditioner even though this one only required about 2 minutes on the head.

It contains rice wax and an unusually high level of vitamin E as well as Borage Seed Oil, which helps with the hydration and a little goes a long way.

$25/8.4oz @ barneys.com.

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

PUREOLOGY just put out their Colour Stylist line, which are styling products for color-treated hair. Seems like there should be more of these available for the average person, right? Each of the 6 products contains their patented AntiFade Complex with Keravis, which is a hair fortifier to protect the hair from breaking and they each smell like their signature vanilla, rose and Mandarin Orange scent. Mmm. Product pick – Colour Stylist FortifyingHeatSpray - $22/6oz @ pureology.com.

LIVING PROOF just came out with a new Full line of products aimed at, well, exactly what you think, fuller hair!  And the Root Lifting Spray from the latest collection, called Full, is really rocking my hair right now and giving me some lift just where you think. Maybe it’s the PolyfluoroEster ingredient inside because I’ve tried a few root lifting sprays and they’ve only been ok but this one? I give it two thumbs up – it not only makes the hair strong but it also lasts in the hair. $24/5.5oz @ livingproof.com.

The IT&LY HAIRFASHION line is a new one to the site and was used on the set of Sex and the City 2 and Gossip Girl, so you know it must come with some hipness to it. I don’t use many of those shine serums as they seem to just make my hair greasy but their Purity Design Pure Water Drops don’t seem to grease up my strands than polish them and make them a tad piece-y and it smells like sandalwood. Nice touch. $32.49/1.7oz @ haircarechoices.com.

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

The latest in hair defrizzers is from Global Keratin and it’s called the Global Keratin Hair Taming System with Juvexin. You’ve probably heard of this in some form of defrizzer or hair straightener like the YUKO Hair Straightener or the Brazilian Treatment and from what I understand, the basis of those was to break or rearrange the internal bonds of the hair making the treatment permanent, which I don’t think too many people were down with and what about new growth? Can you imagine the upkeep?

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What do you do with your hair on those in-between days of washing? Putting it up in a ponytail is the lazy way of dealing with it (guilty) but now there’s a product to help you deal. LIVING PROOF No Frizz Restyling Spray ($24 @ sephora.com) is an all-in-one to get your hair presentable for the day by detangling, conditioning and giving a light hold, all without having to jump in the shower. In addition to all that, it also uses their trademarked ingredient, PolyfluoroEster to control that yucky frizz by blocking the humidity from penetrating strands. Simply spray some on to dry hair and then use the hair dryer to restyle it. I can’t tell you how much time this little 3.4oz bottle will save me in the morning when getting just a few more winks is the priority.

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

It’s been truly summer the last two weeks in Los Angeles, so it’s been hard to try any hair styling products because most require using some form of heat! In the case of AVON’s new Frizz Control Lotus Shield ($9.99 @ avon.com), I had to get the hair dryer out and it turned out to be quite worth it. This product totally surprised me! Like a lotus leaf repels water, so does this serum. The technology they infuse in this one claims to keep 97% of humidity out of strands for a full 3 days! and doesn't weigh it down! And just using a pea size amount will make the two-ounce bottle last you quite a bit. I'd put this up against any defrizz hair product anyday.

This one has a lot of ingredients that end in -cone in it, which are all silicones, but nothing deemed harmful. 

Read my ingredient disclaimer here.

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

Now here’s something I never really thought about – I use shampoo and conditioners for color-treated hair but what about styling products made for color-treated hair? Thankfully the EUFORA line thought of this with their Color Locking System, which is a Sculpture Styling Glaze ($23/10.1oz), which has been featured on the site before, and an Illuminate Shine Mist ($20/4.2oz). Both of these help your color stay 30% longer then by using traditional styling products. These contain organic aloe vera gel and squalene, which helps lock the color into each strand. Both @ eufora.net.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were 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.