On test: summer hair products

Keeping your hair super smooth and hydrated in the summer sun is easier said than done. We've tested this summer's hero products to help you keep your cool

 

Bed Head Tigi Some Like It Hot Heat and Humidity Resistant Serum
£9.90, www.tigihaircare.com

This product works like it promises and actually does resist heat and humidity. I look it on a weekend trip to the south of France and my hair stayed frizz free, even in temperatures reaching 30 degrees. The previous week it spent a few days in Ireland with me and managed to preserve hair sleekness through misty showers and seaside gales.

But a word of caution; it can be tricky at first to work how much your hair needs. Applied to wet hair after washing and conditioning, too much will leave you looking like you've been at the Brylcreem, too little and the frizz will creep back. It is very rich however so be careful. I find I need to apply most serums quite generously to get an effect, but not this one. And something that tames frizzy hair through both heat and moisture is definitely a godsend.

Berni, 8/10

 

 

AAY Reader Review

No 7 Hair Protecting Spritz

£5.25, www.boots.com

I colour my hair every six weeks and found this product helped turn it back into healthy, silky hair that was lovely to touch. It was not at all dry, but also not greasy. I am also pleased to say when I comb my hair there is no longer a lot of hair left in the comb. Even my husband remarked on the shine, and he is normally not very observant. During the summer months my hair usually gets very dry and brittle and the colour fades very quickly. After using this product for just a few weeks, my hair looks good. I will recommend it to friends and family. It does what it says. It's pricey so I might not buy it very often, but it will go on my birthday and Christmas wish list.

Sheila, 8/10

 

 

 L'Oreal Solar Sublime after-sun nourishing balm

£11.95, www.lorealprofessional.co.uk

This cream smells of peaches, is beautifully thick and kept my naturally course hair soft as silk in the punishing sunshine of Malta (40 degrees!) for a week. I was swimming every day in the sea and the pool and washing my hair every day. You don't need much of the stuff to keep your hair gorgeous, so I've brought it home and I'm finding I use it as a conditioner now. Thoroughly recommended for dry curly hair. Not sure how it would be on fine straight hair but it is a gorgeous product.

Carol, 9/10

 

 

Mashooq deep penetrating oil treatment

£6.99, www.mashooqhair.com 

My hair is coloured, well overdue for a cut and therefore in need of some help. And until I can make it to the hairdresser, a conditioning treatment could be what it needs.

Mashooq deep penetrating oil treatment is an all-natural mix of oils including sweet almond*. As you'd expect from a mix of oils, the product is a golden colour and oil consistency, with no smell after from a just-perceptible tang of ever-so-slightly rancid oil. I didn't find this a problem as part of the reason I wanted to test it is that it contains no preservatives, so it smells of what it is! (And I do have a very good sense of smell!)

The instructions require you to squeeze out about half of the tube, and apply it to your hair, making lots of partings and working it into the hair along the parting. Then you need to wrap your head in a towel and leave, preferably in a steamy bathroom, for it to work. After my 30 minutes' pottering, I applied shampoo, as directed, to emulsify the oil, and milky liquid cascaded down me.

The treatment left my hair softer and sleeker, with much, much less of the fluffiness and frizziness at the for-too-long-uncut ends. I might not have rinsed it out completely, as it seemed to need washing sooner than normal...

Adrienne, 6/10

 

 

AAY Reader Review
Charles Worthington Take Aways Sunshine shampoo and conditioner

£1.75, www.boots.com

My hair is long and coloured with light blonde highlights. It is straightened daily, and is particularly prone to a frizz effect when wet with rain. I normally use John Frieda sheer blonde products. I was testing the Charles Worthington "take aways sun-shine" shampoo and conditioner priced at £1.75.

The compact packaging of the 75ml products make them idea in size for taking on short breaks.

The shampoo had a pleasant but not overpowering smell, but made my hair feel really dry in texture. 5/10 - I wouldn't use it again.

The conditioner made my hair feel really nice and soft, but the shine effect stated on the bottle failed and instead I was left a greasy film, particularly noticeable in the root area. By day two it looked limp and greasy and by day three had to be washed again. The de-tangle promise was totally ineffective when my hair was wet after washing, however when caught in the rain, my hair didn't appear quite as frizzy as normal, this was perhaps owing to the greasy film present.  7/10

In all fairness perhaps these products simply did not suit my hair, but owing to the drying texture left by the shampoo, together with the greasy film (in-spite of spending a long time washing off the conditioner),

Little Bear

 

 

Click here for more of our summer hair product reviews

 

Want to take part in our product reviews?

Every month we invite readers to join the panel of AAY reviewers to test a different product. We post details on the Beauty & hair forum here, so keep an eye on this if you would like to get involved.

 

 

 

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