STYLING PRODUCT
There are myriad different formats of styling products out there – mousses, texture sprays, gels, salt sprays, hairsprays (and plays on hairsprays, as you’ll see below). Some volumise, some tame… If you’ve ever stood in front of a hairstyling products display in Superdrug or Boots, you’ll know it’s complicated.
So, after carefully perusing the instructions, we dispatched these quite varied products to 10-strong groups of testers who we felt would most benefit from that particular product. We got some good feedback on this quartet of products (others didn’t impress nearly so much).
But if you’re looking for a product to enhance (or tame) curly hair, we’ve a separate category for that, here…
GOLD (JOINT) AWARD It’s A 10 Blow Dry Miracle Texture Spray
For Hold… Created by super-experienced professional hairdresser Carolyn Aronson, It’s A 10 is fast becoming as much of a phenomenon in the UK as it is in the States, winning Gold here with something they describe as ‘a smart alternative to traditional hair spray.’ It offers flexible hold, ‘with zero tacky feel’, but far from giving you helmet hair, allows for separation and texture. There’s silica to absorb oils and provide lift and structure, zeolite (an oil-absorbing mineral that also helps eliminate product build-up), plus vitamin A acetate, to smooth and lock in shine.
£22.50 for 283ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘I really liked that it wasn’t at all sticky, as a lot of products like this are. A few people have said my hair looks nice’ • ‘I love the size of the bottle; it is enormous and lasts ages. The spray delivers the perfect amount with each spritz and applies evenly. I love that it gave my style a little extra bounce and body and did help to add some volume to my hair, which can sometimes look limp and weighted. This product is weightless and undetectable once sprayed and worked in with the fingertips, it even helped prolong the cleanliness of my hair, as a dry shampoo would’ • ‘Better than my usual styling products. I would personally say it has a light to medium hold’ • ‘The fine, even mist is undetectable once sprayed into the hair, helping to give the hair body and texture which reducing frizz and flyaways; my style stayed put for most of the day’ • ‘I have been complimented on my hair since using this product – told that my hair looks healthy and shiny’ • ‘Combined with my new Dyson Airwrap, it gave me the hold I needed, as my hair tends to drop or re-frizz; this was great for natural hold – I don’t want my hair to look crispy, and it doesn’t do that’ • ‘I also found that it prolonged the time between washes, working a little like a dry shampoo.’
£22.50 for 283ml - click to buy
GOLD (JOINT) AWARD TAOH Volume Mousse
For volume… Mousse is enjoying a renaissance – nothing really rivals it for hair that needs extra oomph. This particular version, for all hair types, is from TAOH, a family brand that’s part of the award-winning British salon group ‘Marc Antoni’. Their products were created after two years of testing in salons, ‘listening to clients, stylists and director feedback,’ they tell us. Unlike some mousses, which can be drying, this offers ingredients specifically to moisturise and increase shine – naturally-derived, where possible (‘without any of the nasties’), including, here, glossing pro-vitamin B5. We sent it to a wide group of testers with different hair types, and several of the more curly-haired testers were particularly impressed
£18 for 250ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘A compulsory product for my hair, moving forward. Easy to dispense, wonderful scent, really made a difference. Controls frizzy hair, leaving manageable curls – a complete positive benefit’ • ‘Have had some lovely compliments about shine, and how glowing and healthy my hair looks’ • ‘I’ve tried at lot of thickening, volume boosting products in my lifetime, and I really like this – not just for the volume boost but more for the shine it gives; my hair looks “alive” and not dull anymore, which has made me feel so much more confident. Love it’ • ‘100% will buy again. My favourite aspect is that on days when I want to enhance wave and texture, I can overdose the application to create really good wave separation, bounce and hold. On my blow-dry days, I can use it to smooth and thicken and create a bit of grip. Very versatile’ • ‘Makes the tedium of drying my hair quicker and easier. It gives my hair more volume and my hair look shinier, doesn't leave my hair feeling sticky or crunchy and tames my frizzy hair’ • ‘I rarely use mousse, as I often find it too sticky or that it weighs my hair down and I can´t wait to rinse it out again – but I really liked this TAOH mousse.’
£18 for 250ml - click to buy
SILVER AWARD BondiBoost Sea Salt Spray
For ‘beachy’ hair… This is a very specific look, not for everyone – but if you like that ‘chic, undone’ look with plenty of texture and volume, this spritzable product should be your go-to. Aussie brand BondiBoost’s range is inspired by Bondi Beach – one of the world’s most famous – and is described as being science-led, but also packed with ‘wholesome, natural and native Australian ingredients. The beachifying key ingredient here, though, is ‘Australian Himalayan sea salt’ (their description!), ‘to give instant body and matte texture without being sticky, dry or crunchy.’ Aloe vera, glycerine, finger lime caviar and extracts of chamomile, hibiscus and rice protein also feature.
£21 for 200ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘Smells amazing and is lightweight, doesn't leave hair hard and crunchy but soft, instead. Great as a styling product for hold and volume or to scrunch dry hair for beachy waves. I don't usually use styling products, but I'll definitely be using this again!’ • ‘Great if you want natural beach wavy hair; it makes hair bouncier, with fewer fly-aways’ • ‘I was hesitant to use this as I didn't really want my thick hair to go wild and bouncy but after trying it, I quite liked the slightly mad look!’ • ‘I put a couple of sprays on each side and actually it did give the beachy look it promised. My hair went a bit wavy and had a bit more bounce’ • ‘I think it would be nice in the summer or maybe even for partying. My hair was a little bit too haphazard for every day, but it would look good in a fun situation. I imagine that if you had long hair, it would look quite good’ • Give that messy beach vibe hair, which looked natural, without dropping in volume’ • TBH, beachy waves aren’t something I need or want to achieve – so I didn't use this for that purpose. It does give great volume to the roots and has staying power, with fabulous smell that lingers too. No stickiness or greasiness and doesn't weigh down the hair.’
£21 for 200ml - click to buy
BRONZE AWARD MONAT Studio One Blow Out Cream
This creamy product, delivered from a tube, declares itself to be ‘A frizz-reducing styling cream that helps smooth and soften hair while heat styling.’ We might, logically, have trialled this in the frizz-busting category of this year’s Awards – but Monat actually put it forward for a general styling products trial, since it also promises to protect against damage from thermal styling, while preserving colour. Bottom line: it did well with a group of testers whose hair challenges aren’t restricted to the frizzies. We were quite surprised, looking at the ingredients for this, to see just how many natural ingredients feature high up the list, from clover flower and pea extracts to oils of Crambe Abyssinica, camellia, tomato, carrot and meadowfoam seed, together with an ‘age-defying’ complex used across several MONAT products, called ‘Rejuveniqe’. The scent, meanwhile, is described as ‘fruity, jam-inspired’, with notes of mango, peach, pomegranate and orange, ‘subdued by clary sage, jasmine and vanilla.’ For some reason, although it scored well, testers weren’t very wordy in their comments for this product – so that section is a little shorter than for the other winners!
£38 for 118ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘Reduced styling time; left my hair soft, shiny and gave me a sleek style’ • ‘Really liked it. My style was smooth and long-lasting and my husband even commented’ • ‘Definitely gave swooshy results and unexpectedly, I got an extra day of not washing my hair’ • ‘My hair is prone to frizz and this definitely helped keep that away’ • ‘Smoothed into hair well, blow-drying time was reduced slightly, hair soft and healthy looking, more manageable’ • ‘Lots of volume lovely smell, gave volume, worked brilliantly – a great styling product, especially for dry or damaged hair’ • ‘My hair was easy to style after use with no static; felt silky with no frizz’ • ‘Enhanced my natural curls; I would buy it again. Easy to get the right amount of cream-gel from the squeezy tube a tube; it applies easily from roots to tips. Pleasant, slightly floral fragrance.’
£38 for 118ml - click to buy