Two New Hair Products

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I used to absolutely loathe testing hair care products – other than it being a real faff (if a hair treatment goes wrong you have start over and that’s so annoying) I’m just not that into hair products. I can get them fitted into my routine with no problem now – if it’s offering an immediate result that I can actually see after blow drying then I’m happy but anything with longer term promises is often ruled out on the grounds that I have so much to try that giving myself over to three months of the same hair product just isn’t feasible. Anyway, I have recently given a good go to both L’Oreal Professionnel Absolute Repair Molecule and Tresemme Lamellar Shine Leave In Cream Serum.

Starting with L’Oreal Professionnel Absolute Repair Molecule Serum, it’s definitely very hard to decipher how it works. It’s a masterclass in marketing jargon because although I have failed to fully understand how it does what it claims to do (repair 2 years worth of hair damage in one use) I still felt impressed after reading the blurb. As a brief run down, because it’s not my job to ‘sell’ this to you, apparently when hair is damaged the peptide molecules (found naturally in hair) break down and are too large to be replaced. However, L’Oreal Advanced Research has been able to break down the peptides that are then absorbed by the hair allowing it to be ‘rebuilt’ from the inside. You apply it after washing, leave in for 2 minutes and then rinse out. The product is a very loose liquid – a little thicker than water but still very fluid – and has a very pleasantly clean scent. However, my hair came out post blow dry a fluffy mess – like it was just too soft to hold any shape. Not happy. I don’t doubt that it is able to use peptides and amino acids to help repair the hair but there’s no universal measurement for ‘two years worth of damage’ (I mean, what if you have ten year’s worth of damage – is it incremental? Or only one year’s damage – use half? Or none at all?) so that’s a lovely bit of marketing speak that means nothing at all.

Also, interjecting the word ‘fibres’ into the mix without explanation isn’t helpful either but sounds good. However, it’s more than a surface repair so over the longer term you may see results. Once again though, many of the claims are based on ‘consumer perception’ which is as unscientific as what side you got out of bed on dictating how your day goes. So, it’s a no from me but if you fancy giving it a go, Sephora has £5 off making it £24.50 HERE.

Happier news on the Tresemme Lamellar Shine Leave In Cream Serum because I loved it. Not least because I run out patience after shampooing and conditioning feels like even more of chore. With this, you just add it to your hair post wash and crack on with blow drying. Generally, lamellar technology works a bit like a micellar water – micelles are little oil droplets that trap and remove dirt while cleansing, lamellar works by using drops to deposit good-for-hair things. I’ve only come across lamellar in a water based formula such as L’Oreal’s 8 Second Wonder Water (brilliant.. it’s HERE) so it feels like something is awry that this is a cream. Tresemme says that the product ‘coats each hair fibre to correct, smooth and align your your hair’. Somebody explain aligned hair to me please. In theory what the lamellar technology should be doing is targeting damaged areas on your hair and filling gaps with active ingredients. It’s not a long term fix but it does work well for a better than usual ‘do’. My hair was more shiny and swishy as a result of using it and I’d use it again in a flash. Normally, £7, it’s £3.50 at Boots on an offer.