Garnier Fructis Blow Dry Perfector: Day 3

So, I finally did it. I woke up this morning and washed my hair. It had to be done. As you can see by the picture to the left, the ends of my hair were beginning to flip outward. This is stage 1 of my hair's general deterioration process as it devolves into its usual wavy, fluffy mass if I don't input some energy into it.I will admit, first and foremost, that I did NOT use Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair. First of all, I realize that very few people in the population use the same brand of hair styling products for washing, styling

, etc. Plus, I just bought brand new bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Sorry, Garnier. My current brand of choice is Tresemme Naturals. The bottles tout that the shampoo is lower in sulfates and that the conditioner is free of silicon. I don't know what this is supposed to mean for

my hair, but it gets the job done and I figure it can't be bad for my hair.

The minute the water hit my hair, I could smell the ammonia/sulfur smell once again. I had not noticed it while my hair was dry, and I suspect that the odor's presence is due more to the fact that I didn't rinse it well enough after processing than any fault of the parent company's hair chemists. Therefore, I cannot blame Garnier for this unfortunate fact.

While standing in the shower, it occurred to me that there were several styling possibilities that could be addressed at this point. Do I attempt to apply a styling product to my hair to endow it with more volume? Do I simply blow dry it and leave it? Or do I apply no product, but both blow dry and flat iron it? In in the end I decided that keeping it fairly simple was best for now, and chose to go with my latter option. No product, blow dry with a round brush and flat iron. I did decide to blow dry my hair upside down until somewhat dry and then complete the drying with the round brush. This put a little more volume into my hair than

did the initial styling. Today, drying my hair took between 9 and 10 minutes.

The observations I made about my hair after drying were:

1) It is still soft, but I question if it is as soft as it was before.

I asked my husband and he concurs, though he concedes that it is sometimes difficult to remember touch.

2) Drying with a round brush does yield a straighter hair style than if I choose to simply dry with no brush or air dry, but the wave is still pronounced. While this hair style is fine, and I could go about my day somewhat content, it's not what I'm really looking for.

3) Drying time was no less than my usual drying time. I don't know if I really expected this to be the case or not, but I feel that it needs to be mentioned.

I think I had hoped that I would be able to simply dry my hair with a

round brush and be able to fore go the flat iron altogether. Clearly, this is not going to be the case.

So, I spent the next 15 minutes flat ironing my hair. Since it routinely takes me 10-15 minutes to flat iron my hair, I have yet to save myself any time. My hair returned to its previous state. I don't believe that the ends of my hair (the parts of my hair that are attacked with a razor blade when I get it cut--I'm sure there's some kind of name for that, but I don't know what it is) are as well controlled as they were after the initial application, but I do suppose that you could still call my hair sleek and smooth. The fly-aways are still gone.

Now the only remaining test was to determine whether or not the hairstyle would last the day. Typically, if I opt out of using styling products on my hair, the hairstyle will quickly be destroyed by the heat and humidity that typifies the southern spring, summer, and

early fall. Sweat and my general inability to keep my hands out of my hair render the hairstyle wavy once again. So, if my non-product influenced hairstyle can stay put on a September day in East Tennessee, then perhaps all was not in vain.

As of this posting, my hair looks the same as it did this morning. In fact, the ends may have relaxed some throughout the day. It will be interesting to see what my hair looks like in the morning after its been slept on. I can only hope it holds up as well as it did earlier this week. Check back tomorrow when I finally tackle the styling product question.

Garnier Fructis: Blow Dry Perfector

Attention, ladies! Our hair salvation is nigh! Garnier Fructis has released their Blow Dry Perfector--nothing short of a miracle product if you have frizzy, wavy, or curly hair. Supposedly, you can use this product and your hair will stay sleek and smooth (their words, not mine) for up to seven (count'em--seven!) washes. In case you haven't been paying attention, that's one solid week, sister. You can see the nifty video they produced hocking this miracle here.

Price
Hair care products are probably some of the most over-priced items on the market. Fortunately, the marketing geniuses at Garnier were smart enough to offer a $2.00 off coupon, which you can print at the link above. The Perfector was eleven dollars and some change at my local Target, minus the $2.00 coupon.

Items provided in the box.		Extra items you will need.

Instructions

If you have ever had a home hair coloring job go bad, you know the importance of reading the instructions on things like this thoroughly (and usually more than once) before you begin. I've had my fair share of bad dye jobs, so I read the instructions at least three times, and there were a few items that caught my eye and struck me as somewhat odd:

a) "The products do not stain clothing, but you may want to protect clothing by placing a towel around your shoulders." Have I mentioned that this product comes with a pair of plastic gloves suitable for application? It is well-known that the skin on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet is the thickest and toughest on the body, thus it does not instill a huge amount of confidence in me that I need to protect my hands, but my cotton t-shirt will not be damaged by this product.

b) "Continue to blow dry or flat iron after each shampoo to experience frizz-resistant, silky-smooth hair that's easier and faster to blow dry and more manageable for up to 7 shampoos!" Wait. That's my current hair-straightening regimen. This statement makes me nervous and now I'm convinced that I have completely wasted my money.

Beyond this, though, the instructions are easy to read and follow (written in both English and in Spanish), and contain the general safety warnings. Again, if you've never done anything like this to your hair, I would HIGHLY recommend reading all of the instructions thoroughly. If you have sensitive skin, this product is not for you. You'll see why shortly.

Application

The front of the packaging boldly proclaims "2-Step Smoothing Kit". This is a bit misleading as, in reality, there are 4 steps if you want this done correctly (5 steps if you include processing as its own step).

Step 1: Prep. Wash but do not condition your hair. I can only assume this is to ensure that your hair is not only clean, but also removes any styling products you may have put in your hair earlier in the day.

Step 2: Smooth. The product which accomplishes this feat is called the 20-minute Smoothing Serum, and the strong, abrasive odor which assails your nostils is reminiscent of perming lotion(is anyone still getting perms anymore?). The instructions do warn that this product contains thiol and that anyone with a known allergy or sensitivity to thiol should not use it.

Science lesson: A quick google search for "thiol" yielded the information that the most commonly used thiol-containing product used in hair processing is ammonium thioglycolate. This compound contains a strong ammonia/sulfur odor and explains why my bathroom smelled like a rotten egg. While the box does not list ammonium thioglycolate in its list of active ingredients (though it does include a looooong list of other $20 words), it does include "fragrance". Trust me when I say that that the "fragrance" in the Smoothing Serum does little to mask the overwhelming aroma of stink bomb. Do as I say and not as I do and undertake this project in a well-ventilated area.

Apply the serum to your hair, comb it through, and let it sit for twenty minutes. Very thick or resistant hair can increase the processing time up to 30 minutes, however, the instructions do not say what qualifies as very thick or resistant hair. I assume that if this applies to you then you know who you are.

At the end of 20 minutes, RINSE your hair only--do not shampoo. Apparently, you are supposed to rinse in lukewarm water, but I've never been entirely sure how hot exactly "lukewarm"is. That, combined with the fact that I don't enjoy standing in a shower the temperature of warm drool, means that I'm pretty sure that I rinsed in water hotter than simply lukewarm. I haven't noticed any ill-effects to my hair from this.

Step 3: Seal. The Heat-Activated Perfect-It Cream has this going for it: It smells about a million times better than the Smooth-It Serum. Towel-dry your hair and apply a thin layer of the cream onto your hair. Before I had completed this step, I felt that my hair was all ready beginning to relax and straighten. Maybe this was true or maybe it was wishful thinking.
Step 4: Style. Here is where the catch comes in: The cream you applied in step 3? Yeah, it doesn't work until you blow dry your hair. It requires heat. There's really no way around it--the kit merely instructs you to style your hair as you usually do by blow drying your hair straight. The italicized "tip" directly beneath the instructions recommends then flat ironing your hair to "ensure long-lasting results".

An hour after I began this process, I finished flat ironing my hair. My initial impressions?

First, I cannot begin to explain how impressed I am with how smooth and soft my hair is. I would never have called my hair "frizzy", but I did always have those little fly-aways that never seemed to want to cooperate. No more. I would definitely call my hair sleek and smooth. For now. I am satisfied with the way my has turned out even if it took longer than I expected.

Unfortunately, my hair has absolutely no volume, and it appears that the only way I am going to achieve volume is to use Bump-Its (another review for another time), or dump a bunch of products into my hair. This sleek and smooth look is not something I could rock everyday.

Day 1: So you thought the review was over, huh? Not hardly. The product claims to tame frizz and leave hair smooth and shiny for up to seven washes. I would hardly be doing my review justice to simply leave it with my initial impressions. I want to know (and I want you to know) if I'm getting my $10.00 and seven days worth.

I completed stage 1 of this project (We'll call it "Application") at approximately 1:45 in the morning (hey, moms have to do these things when they can find the time). So, after collapsing into bed and sleeping on it for roughly 7 hours (actually, 7 hours and 45 minutes, but who's counting?), I awoke to find it in the same general condition it was in when I went to sleep. Still sleek, still smooth, still soft, still straight, still flat. I ran a comb through it and went about my day. Since it was washed and accosted by chemicals a scant 8 hours before, I didn't feel the need to wash it just yet so we'll have to save the wash test for a later time this week.

Day 2: I went to bed last night without washing my hair, thus, as one would expect, my hair was in the same state it was in yesterday when I got up this morning. Sleek, smooth, soft, blah blah blah. My mom saw my hair for the first time today since I've straightened it and she actually asked if I got my hair cut. My mom knows that I tell her everytime I get my hair cut. She even commented on how soft my hair felt!

Tonight, though, my hair MUST be washed. Admittedly, I am hesitant to wash my hair because, up to now, I've been fairly pleased with the results and I hate to wash them down the drain. If this product fails and tomorrow morning I wake up with the same crazy, voluminous, wavy hair that I usually have, then I know I will have wasted $10.00 that I could have spent on 2 Grande Mocha Frappacinos at Starbucks or put towards the new lip slip and lip scrub currently on my Amazon wishlist. And I will be disappointed.

The Inaugaral Post...

If you've read my profile information located to the right of this post, then you'll know me in a nutshell. I am a stay-at-home mom of my 2-year-old son and my 1-month-old daughter.

As ridiculous as it sounds (or maybe it doesn't), I like to write product reviews. I tend to stick with what I know: beauty products, hair care products, baby, and household products. Occasionally, I might stick a random tech gadget on here, but that's not the primary focus of this particular review site.

So, what makes me qualified to review products? I'm a consumer, and there is nothing I hate more than buying a product and being disappointed. I also hate that there are reviews out there that tell me, essentially, nothing. I believe in being thorough and accurate. What can I say? I was a science teacher, "thorough" is my middle name.

The only catch is that I have to find time to catalog these products in a very limited amount of spare time. So, I can't promise a review everyday or even every week, but I do intend to publish quality reviews so check back with me often!