THREE OF A KIND: SEA SALT SPRAYS

With long, thick and straight-ish hair, I don’t use sea salt spray very often, as I simply have too much hair for it to really have an effect and make a difference. Still, I like having some at hand. I like using it to spray generously through my long hair at night before going to bed. And while my hair is still damp from the spray, I put my hair into a tight plait. The next morning I wake with lovely loose casual curls, that with a quick mist of hairspray stay put all day. I also love using sea salt spray in my little boy’s hair. His blonde hair is so thin and fine that gel doesn’t do much, while the sea salt water adds a little texture and a tousled look to his hair. These are the Sea Salt Sprays I’ve enjoyed using lately;

MUK Beach MUK Sea Salt Spray

 

Out of today’s selection, the Beach MUK Sea Salt Spray is giving the hair the most matte texture, but I don’t mind, as it is a refreshing change, as if I am not using Sea Salt Sprays, I am usually using heaps hair oils that adds shine to the hair! I love that this one is both oil and silicone free, and it has the most gorgeous fruity scent. The spray can be used in both wet and dry hair, and just a few sprays into my straight and limp hair, and pronto, I’ve got some much needed volume and texture, yet without making my hair feel dry or sticky.

RRP: $24.95 (250ml) – Available from Hairhouse Warehouse and Price Attack




Bangstyle Light Sea Salt Mist

 

As the name suggests, the Bangstyle Light Sea Salt Mist is the lightest formula, so it only adds a touch of subtle definition and texture, that surprisingly lasts quite well in the hair throughout the day. As Bangstyle so nicely puts it “Imagine 10,000 mermaids blowing the ocean breeze from a cool banana leaf. This is sort of like that but without the leaf or the imaginary mermaids." Gotta love that! It is a non-sticky formula and unlike many other sea salt sprays it also gives the hair a nice natural shine. I also love that it is paraben free and that it contains sunscreen to help protect your hair from the sun’s harsh rays!

RRP: $25.95 (150ml) – Available from My Haircare


O&M Surf Bomb Sea Salt Spray

I love using this Surf Bomb Sea Salt Spray in my little 20 month old boy. He has very fine blonde hair, and because it is so fine, I so far haven’t had much luck using other styling products in his hair, as being so fine it back to being flat in no time. But not with the Surf Bomb, it actually works. It adds a little volume to his hair, all while adding a nice texture and hold. It doesn’t go stiff in the hair, so even though me runs his hands through his hair, which he often does, trying to style his own hair, - you can continue to set it throughout the day into an effortless and casual look. I love that it doesn’t leave his hair feeling sticky, and it smells amazing too!

RRP: $23 (150ml) – Available from Miss Pearl Store


So there you go, three different Sea Salt Sprays, all with different formulas and benefits, and at different price points too, so there is something for everyone and for every occasion!
*Product was kindly provided for consideration, and has reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

Do you ever use Sea Salt Sprays? Any recommendations? What do you use to add texture to your hair?

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Product Review: Bangstyle Smoothing Lotion

I have long hair, down to the middle of my back, and although it is in a fairly good condition – probably also because I try to minimise the use of heat styling tools such as my hair dryer and straightener. In saying that, of course I do use it, and when I do, a heat protectant is an absolute must to protect the hair. Here is my thoughts on the *Bangstyle Smoothing Lotion;

 

What They Say:

"Living an unruly lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to have unruly hair. With Bangstyle's Smoothing Lotion you won’t have to worry about frizzy, unruly hair any longer. This product gives you smooth, moldable hold that would tame the untamable".

RRP: $28.95 (150ml) – for stockist call Ozdare on 1800 104 204

What I Say:

Until I tried the Bangstyle Volumizing Mousse a little while ago, I have to be honest and admit that I’d never ever heard about the Bangstyle range of products before.

The Bangstyle hair products comes from the streets of Los Angeles, where this new range of independently produced artisan hair products has been developed by artists for stylists and trendsetters worldwide; providing inspiration for individuals to create their own unique look with a variety of specially formulated, no-nonsense products.

"The range was created by Bangstyle as a simple, high quality approach to easy, liveable hair".

Unwilling to accept the status quo, the Bangstyle group presents a revolutionary take on styling tools and with the mantra "We promise to leave your hair better than we found it".

"If Bangstyle was in a vintage record store, it would be filed under 'indie-alternative'", says Bangstyle Founder and Creative Director Geoff Nelson.

The Bangstyle Smoothing Lotion is intended to be used before drying, straightening and styling wavy or curly hair for sleek straight hair. I have quite long, thick and straight hair….well that is, it does have a few waves and 'kinks' so I always need to use the hair straightener to get the completely straight. And in spite my hair being so long and thick, I only need to use a little amount of the smoothing lotion in my damp hair as it is con concentrated.

I did find that if I used too much, it would my hair feel a little weighted down and sticky, so the trick is definitely to apply in moderation, and little after little to avoid overdoing it. But the good thing is as you need to little, a bottle will last you so much longer!

After hair drying and straightening my hair it is so soft, smooth and shiny, and all signs or frizz is completely gone. Even my otherwise dry ends seem to have been revitalized with a moisture boost.  And my straight style lasts all day, due to a smidge of holding power in the lotion, even on a hot and humid day as well as on a day where it is raining does continue to look as if it has just been styled. Even the flyaway hairs that I usually have, seems to be under control.

The Smoothing Lotion comes in a grey-black plastic bottle with the Bangstyle logo. It has a small twist nozzle at the top, which makes it easy to dispense just the amount of product needed, and also easy to seal again afterwards.

On the back of the bottle all ingredients used are listed, along with styling instructions in various languages: "Made from the joyous tears of frolicsome angels. Honest". How great is it to see a brand with a bit of humour, instead of just a boring list of ingredients and instructions!

The bottle also has a little print at the back of the bottle saying 'no friggin' parabens' – which I really like, as the less chemicals we use, surely the better it is, so a few bonus points from me for that!

The Smoothing Lotion is creamy in texture, and is neither too runny or too thick. It has a nice tropical and coconut’ish scent, which is very nice and pleasant, without being too overpowering – although I still have to admit that I wish it didn’t have the coconut scent as it is not on the list of my preferred scents! But luckily for me, this scent does fade once the hairs dry.

I usually wash my hair every second day, and try not to use the hairdryer and straightener every day to protect and save my locks. So I also tried to use the Smoothing lotion, and just let it air-dry – and again I was impressed with the result. While it did obviously not make my hair straighter, it did give my hair a much needed moisture boost, especially at the ends, but again also helped give it a bit of control, making it easier to style as well as it tamed any flyaways, all while still leaving it looking healthy and shiny.

The Smoothing lotion contains among others hydrolyzed silk, olive oil and sunscreen (how good is that!!), as well as keratin amino acids, said to help rebuild and protect the hair. Unfortunately, like so many other hair products it also contains silicones to smooth the hair. Silicones often have a tendency to build up in the hair, making it feel and look heavy and limp, luckily that has far from been the case with the Smoothing Lotion.

So all in all, this is another great product from Bangstyle, and I really love that it not only protects my hair while its being heat styled, it also cares for my hair at the same time.

*This product was kindly provided for consideration, and it has been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

Have you ever heard of Bangstyle before? What is your favourite heat protectant product when heat styling your hair?

 

 

Product Review: Bangstyle Volumizing Mousse

I have very long hair, which is also very thick. And regardless of what I seem to put in it, it seems to be flat, simply because it is so long and heavy. And to be honest and admit that I rarely use mousse or any other volumising products in it – but I still dreaming of a more voluminous hairstyle, here are my thoughts on the *Bangstyle Volumizing Mousse;

What They Say:
"This rich foam creates luxurious volume while leaving hair soft to the touch. Perfect when used as a "prep" for blow drying, this mousse maintains body and structure with a memory hold".

RRP: $26.95 – for stockist call Ozdare on 1800 104 204

What I Say:

I have to be honest and admit that I have never ever heard of Bangstyle before, so consequently I did a little research into the brand.

I discovered that the Bangstyle hair products comes from the streets of Los Angeles. This new range of independently produced artisan hair products has been developed by artists for stylists and trendsetters worldwide; providing inspiration for individuals to create their own unique look with a variety of specially formulated, no-nonsense products.

"The range was created by Bangstyle as a simple, high quality approach to easy, liveable hair". Unwilling to accept the status quo, the Bangstyle group presents a revolutionary take on styling tools and with the mantra "we promise to leave your hair better than we found it", how can you resist?

"If Bangstyle was in a vintage record store, it would be filed under 'indie-alternative'," says Bangstyle Founder and Creative Director Geoff Nelson.

From the streets of Los Angeles a group of like-minded independent artists came together to create a new community. Their common goal to share ideas and inspiration led to a global phenomenon where hundreds of thousands of artists and hair stylists interact weekly. Bangstyle’s huge success as THE hub where music, fashion, photography and hair converge makes it the fastest growing culture site in the world! There are currently over 40,000 salons and 200,000 stylists registered with Bangstyle.com and this it continues to grow every day.

How unique and exciting does that sound??

For more information, visit Bangstyle Online.

Now on to the actual Volumizing Mousse  - it comes in a tall grey-black can, which a purple logo, and it looks very simple, yet stylish and elegant.

On the back of the bottle it lists the ingredients as well as styling instructions in various languages: "So thick you’ll be tempted to eat it with a fork.. (uh-oh Lawyers are freaking out) FOR TOPICAL USE ONLY." I love that, such a refreshing chance to see a brand with a bit of humour!

The bottle also has a little print at the top of the bottle saying "no friggin' parabens" – which I really like, as the less chemicals we use, surely the better it is!

 

 

The Volumizing Mousse is foamy white, thick and creamy and has a floral fruity scent, which is very nice and pleasant, without being too overpowering.

It is very concentrated, so even in my long and thick hair, only a little is required. If too much is used, I found that it did make my hair a little stiff and sticky, so less is definitely more, which is a great thing, as it makes the can last longer!!

The bottle does actually not specify if it is best used in wet or dry hair, so I tried both, and both with the same good result. Sometimes when a product is designed for wet hair, and is used in dry hair, it results in the hairs sticking together, and becoming stiff and greasy looking, but that was far from the case.

After giving the can a good shake, it is easy to get just the amount of mousse you require, without wasting any product. I put a small amount of mousse into my hair, concentrating on the roots, I hair dry it and style it as per usual. Afterwards, my hair is smooth, shiny, and I can clearly see that it is more bouncy and has volume than normal. Not a lot of volume, but I also didn’t expect that with my very long and heavy hair.

The volumizing mousse is long-lasting and really great at keeping my hair in place, and taming all annoying those flyaways around my face, without leaving my hair feeling sticky or greasy.

I usually wash my hair every second day, and it usually (unless it has been extremely hot and humid) still looks good the second day without looking too greasy. But I did find that when I used the Volumizing Mousse that my hair looked a little greasier on the second day, although it was no more than a quick spray of dry shampoo couldn’t fix.

All in all, this is a great products, that really does add volume, but more importantly keeps my hair a little better under control and tames those annoying flyaways, all while still making it look healthy and shiny.

*This product was kindly provided for consideration, and it has been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

Have you ever heard of Bangstyle before? Which products do you use to add volume to your hair?