A head full of thick, lustrous, shiny hair is as exciting and drool-worthy to me as winning the Powerball Lottery. For as long as I can remember, gorgeous hair has been something that I value highly. I can’t help it. I will see a head full of gorgeous, bouncy curls, or thick, perfect blonde beach waves, or gorgeous natural kinks and something inside me wants to reach out and play with that hair! Inappropriate? Yes. Am I alone? No (maybe).
I’ve been on a hair journey now for a couple of years and I have learned so much regarding how to keep my tresses in tiptop shape. I think the single best thing I did for my hair was incorporating oils into my hair regimen. Using these oils on the ends of my hair to seal them and protect from split ends has pretty much been the secret to my hair success.
Last year, I discovered Leonor Greyl Paris, a company devoted to hair beauty since 1968. I noticed that quite a few bloggers and YouTubers swore by this line, and I was really anxious to try it out.
The Leonor Greyl Institute has created unique hair treatments tailor-made with oils and plant extracts, each made with high quality, natural ingredients which hydrate, soften and strengthen hair along with nourishing the scalp. It’s also one of the first companies to embrace “natural” products way before it was trendy and the first company to incorporate vitamins into their hair products. In addition, these products are cruelty-free and eco-friendly, contain no silicone or parabens, and all of the shampoos can be used on any hair type.
Let me just start by saying that this product is amazing. AH-MA-ZING. It does double duty as a hair oil and body moisturizer, and its handy spray bottle makes this golden oil easy to apply. It smells wonderful too. Such a nice change from the “salad-like” quality of the olive, almond and grapeseed oils I was using before. It smells like a field of flowers – specifically tiare (a type of gardenia), fresh lemongrass and yucca. While the oil is thick and moisturizing, it does not sit on top of hair or skin, absorbing readily into both. The fragrance is long-lasting too (which I love), as noticed by a fellow co-worker who said I smelled like lemon vanilla.
When I applied it to my skin, it gave me a glowy radiance that I hadn’t seen since last summer! My dry, itchy, winter skin felt soothed and moisturized…a welcome relief.
When used on my hair, it made it very soft and extra shiny. Honestly – I can’t say enough good things about this particular product. My hair hasn’t felt this soft in a long time! This product is a major score and – big words here – it’s probably the best hair product I’ve purchased this year, but I guess that isn’t surprising since this line has won the Best of Beauty Allure 2012 award, the Cosmopolitan Beauty Award in 2013 and 2014, and the 2014 Nylon Beauty Hit List. This oil will remain in my beauty arsenal forever.
Treatment Before Shampoo For Dry Hair, Color Protection From The Sun And Water, $59
If you’ve been following along and watching my YouTube videos, you’ll be more than aware that I am a huge supporter of deep conditioning your hair with oils. This particular product is perfect for my hair. I know already that I will be reaching for this oil on the regular during the summer.
First off, it smells divine – like gardenia and soft florals. A nice change from your typical, run of the mill hair product scents.
This treatment works best when applied to dry hair before shampooing. As it was in solid form when I received it, I ran it under some hot water to liquefy it. I coated my hair with the oil and left it on for 15 minutes, as directed. This treatment had a wonderful “slip” to it – meaning that it has a nice “slippery” consistency and made my hair incredibly easy to detangle.
The pre-shampoo treatment contains a mix of botanical oils such as copra oil – an oil cold-pressed from coconut kernels and mongongo oil which is known for its great hydrating and restructuring qualities.
I then washed it out using the Crème Aux Fleurs Cleansing Treatment Cream Shampoo for Very Dry Hair and Sensitive Scalp (review to come soon – Part 2).
As I stood in the shower shocked, I came to the realization that I don’t think I have ever been able to wash my hair and not need conditioner afterwards until I found these products. Wow. Just wow!!!
An added bonus? This oil can be used as a “hair sunscreen” to protect your crowning glory while under the sun or swimming. I’ll definitely be using this before heading out to the beach and music festivals this summer.
So, it’s pretty safe to say that I give these two products a huge A++++ and two big thumbs up. No cons here…I absolutely loved both of these fantastic products.
Have you tried Leonor Greyl? What are your hair care all-stars? Let me know in the comments!
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*Products given to me in exchange for my honest review.
Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.
I love DOUBLE DUTY PRODUCTS!!! More bang for your buck is always the best 🙂
Author
Me too! I agree wholeheartedly!! xo
I have a hard time preventing dryness and think I might give this a try. Really great review~
Author
It is really working for me! Glad to hear you will try it out! It smells lovely too…
Hair sunscreen! That’s awesome. I want some now. As I said before, your hair is absolutely gorgeous no matter what you use in it… although now we know your secrets perhaps!
Author
Thank you, babe! I’m really trying hard to take good care of it. I used to really neglect my hair before and it showed. xo