Beauty Obsessed

Though I’m becoming more and more of a makeup snob (which I think is in part due to the fact that the more expensive it is, the less able I am to hoard things lol), there are some products that I will generally only spend a few dollars on – and hair styling products are one of them.  Every so often I’ll splash out and buy something pricier, but with the hefty amount of product I need to use in this curly mop of mine, it could get tres expensive.  I’m especially a fan of picking up anything that’s on sale at the drugstore – which is how I stumbled acrossd L’Oreal’s Eversleek Sulfate-Free Smoothing….ah, jeez, just read the title (really, why do they have products with such ridiculously long names?!).Silicone, sulfate, paraben, and protein-free, this leave-in crème seems to be the ideal pick for someone like me who tries to steer clear of these ingredients when I can.  Protein-free might seem like a weird claim, but if you know anything about African-American hair, certain proteins can sometimes make this hair type feel coarse and brittle, because we generally have an abundance of it already.  Where my hair is a lil half-and-half (crazy-curly but fine), I’m not sure if I need protein or not, so I just avoid it to be safe.

Aside from what this crème lacks, what it does contain is a whole lotta moisturizing ingredients, such as various oils like jojoba seed, olive fruit, and argan – as well as emollients like fatty alcohols, and humectants like glycerin.  And boy, you can feel it!  As someone with dry hair, I am loving the way this makes my hair feel instantly hydrated, smooth and soft.  It doesn’t leave a greasy or sticky feel like I find I get with a lot of serums; just control and moisture.  One pump does my entire head – but I wouldn’t recommend using that much for ‘normal’ hair; probably all that’s required would be a dime-sized drop or less.  My hair EATS product so I tend to use a lot.I’ve used this product both alone and with a separate styling lotion, and while I do find it keeps my hair soft and smooth and totally shiny (no more dry-looking ends!), it doesn’t control much on its own, so on a humid day you’ll need something more – even though it’s designed to ‘defy’ humidity.  It does a pretty good job, but not perfect.  I usually use some sort of leave-in plus styler anyway so to me this isn’t at all a drawback.  The fact that my hair stays smooth and doesn’t get flyaways or feel bone-dry during the Winter weather is proof enough for me that I’ll be definitely repurchasing this.

One of the only drawbacks for me with L’Oreal’s product is the fact that fragrance ranks fairly high on the ingredient list (though I don’t find you can notice the scent throughout the day at all).  Somehow I missed that when I bought this (the on-sale cheapy price tag may have had something to do with it).  So far it hasn’t seemed to cause an issue so I’m going to just go with it and keep it in the back of my mind if something crops up.  Additionally, something of note is that because it’s loaded with oils, it might not be ideal for those of you who are acne-prone, as I think it *might* be causing a bit of clogging on my temples (though not yet confirmed).  It’s very minimal, so for me, the pros far outweigh the cons!

Overall I’m quite pleased with this crème and truly look forward to using it every day.  I don’t fight with my hair much, and I’m not even very particular with it, but my main concern is dryness, which I find this alleviates quite a bit.  For that, it earns a big gold star from me   See the ingredients below (please excuse the crookedness, I may or may not have had a couple glasses of wine while taking these shots):What’s your hair must-have?