A lot of shine products make the hair look synthetic, the shine is just too intense in a wet look kind of way. Along with this look comes the expected feel, hair that is heavy and greasy. Shine is supposed to offer an uplifting effect to the hair as does the glimmer of  precious gems to an already stunning gown. Heavy greasy hair is flat, not very uplifting.

Moroccan Oil Glimmer Shine Spray comes in a great fine mist spray bottle. Just a few pumps around the head creates an almost floating mist that settles evenly and beautifully on the hair. The result is a shine that has a very healthy hair appearance rather than a shine that screams “I have shiny hair!” Because it is such a light product, if its not overused, any volume your attempting to maintain will not be threatened. I sometimes use it as a detangler just at the ends after shampooing. With that same amazing Moroccan Oil fragrance, all in all Glimmer Shine Spray is a great product.

Full review coming soon!

Osis Super Hold Mousse, its just great. Period. That’s all it is, great. It provides volume, control and helps to smooth the hair shaft during blow dry styling. It feels rich in the hands, not watery or sticky, and it spreads throughout the hair with ease. I love the smell, part of the array of fragrances that my hands smell like all day. Its what I use on my clients to get that full bodied wavy goddess hair I love to see so much. So all in all it is a great product. It wont cook, it wont clean, it wont drive you home after a long day but it will do what a mousse is intended to do and it will do a great job at it.

I now keep a large bottle of Moroccan Oil on my station. With oil in the name you would expect otherwise but It’s very lightweight, soft and not greasy at all. It provides a smooth surface which is what makes Moroccan oil an excellent  product for enhancing shine. I have used it when the hair is freshly shampooed and towel dried. I have also used it at the end of styling to add just a bit of shine and luster.

I think it’s important to know that Moroccan oil is a Silicone based product. This means that the smooth shiny appearance as well as the softness in the feel of the hair is not necessarily the hair itself through a repairing of the hair shaft but rather is the seal that the Silicone envelops around the hair shaft. I have some concerns with the use of Silicone on the hair, for more information on this visit my previous article on Silicone based products. However, used in moderation along with a regular schedule of clarifying and conditioning treatments I think that Moroccan oil is a great product.

Firstly It is important to understand what silicones are and how they perform so as to better understand why they are used in the formulation of many hair products. Silicones are man made polymer compounds with quite a few interesting properties and uses. They can be heat resistant which is the reason for the use of silicones in many modern cooking utensils. They also have a high electrical resistance which, along with their heat resistant properties, is why they are used in electrical products for insulation purposes. Used as sealants  and caulks, as lubricants and coatings it is their properties of resistance that has made silicones so widely used in a large variety of products in many industries.

It is the hydrophobic property(water resistance) that has made them such a staple in many hair care products. When you smooth your hair out in the morning walk out your door with shiny bouncy locks and see limp frizzy hair by the time you are leaving work this is due to the absorption of moisture from the humidity in the air around you. Which is the reason why women in drier climates get away with doing so much less to their hair to maintain style. Silicones in hair care products assist in preventing this limp frizzy disaster by creating a seal around the hair shaft; A seal that blocks the absorption of moisture thereby preventing the swelling of the hair shaft that is frizzy limp hair. It is also said that the silicones smooth and soften the hair. What I have found is that the silicones themselves are smooth and soft so it is not so much that the hair is becoming smoother and softer but rather that the seal formed around the hair shaft is soft and smooth.

Now this all sounds great. Frizz is caused by the absorption of moisture, silicones prevent the absorption of moisture. I agree, honestly I have used some of these products and been very pleased with their immediate results. However, it is the long term effects of excessive use that I intend to caution here. I liken the regular use of silicones on your hair to deciding that the air around you is not the best air you could be breathing so you tie a bag around your head. To sustain your own life you at some point will need to breathe again and a bag tied tightly around your head would make that quite difficult. Your lungs need oxygen as do your skin and hair need moisture. Winter rolls around and we all see the benefits of the moisture our humid climate provides. The cold dry air of winter brings with it chapped dry skin and dry brittle hair.

Through much hair analysis I have seen that excessive use of  silicone based products lead to the hair under the seal becoming dry and weakened. I have also observed that silicone based products can and often do become difficult to wash out with a simple shampoo which leads to a further inability to absorb the necessary moisture from conditioners and natural secretions of the body. This can be taken care of with a good clarifying treatment. I recommend seeing your stylist to do this and getting a conditioning treatment at the same time. Excessive clarifying can extremely deplete the hairs moisture balance.

So I’m not screaming “Here comes Silicones! RUN!” All I am really saying is be conscientious with what you put both in and on your body. Eat your vegetables but also enjoy your wine. Just maintain a balance and take care of your body from hair to toes. Chase health and beauty will chase you -Clemente

Hmmm…… that’s super.

“FRIZZ!” I scream waking up in a panic, its a nightmare. I’m not a fan of hairsprays, because I’m not a fan of stiff untouchable hair, but I despise frizzy hair. Luckily Kerastase makes a spray that cares: Double Force Controle Ultime. This is a wonderful product. Double Force is actually a protective spray, with its UV filter and Ceramide, as well a unique control spray. I say it’s unique because of the way that it does the job of controlling frizz and maintaining shape while not making your hair stiff or robbing your hair of  its touchable soft feel.

Just as important to acknowledge is the protective benefits I mentioned. The UV filter technology protects your hair from sun damage, a very important step in maintaining beautiful hair. while ceramide is a synththetic version of a chemical by the same name naturally produced by your hair follicle to maintain the hair structure. When the hair shaft becomes damaged this is lost, synthetic Ceramide replaces the lost natural Ceramide. A genius product made by an amazing company. So, if you too are not a fan of hair spray or you just want to love your hair the way it deserves to be loved find your local Kerastase salon and pick up a can of Double Force Controle Ultime.