As a beauty editor, I come across the same guides to healthier hair all the time, from hairdressers, trichologists and dermatologists. They all say you can stop dyeing or bleaching your hair, stop over-washing, avoid hairstyles that cause breakage, and minimize heat styling. But even though I have this information and wish I had healthier and longer hair, I'm still guilty of all hair sins, very guilty.
You definitely won't see me letting go of dyeing my hair anytime soon, and I've never had the kind of hair that could be revived after a workout class without a full shower. However, reducing my almost daily drying or frizzing seems doable, but only if I can find a way to do it and still like how my hair looks.
Oribe has just launched its new Heatless Styling Balm which aims to help strengthen hair and help shape and define waves without heat. So, I had to check it out and see if I could become a blow-dry convert and possibly even get back on the road to hair redemption.
Fast facts:
- Mark: Oribe
- What is the product? Hair Alchemy Heatless Styling Balm
- price: $48
- Who is it for? The styler is formulated for medium length hair
- Key Ingredients: Vegetable protein to strengthen, tomato fruit ferment
- and chickpea extract for style retention, and golden oak mushroom extract to smooth the hair cuticle
- Specifications: Dermatologist tested, formulated without sulfates, color treatment and keratin safe, vegan and PETA approved
- Where can you buy? oribe.com
The product:
How to use:
The uncertainty that comes with air drying made me anxious, but diligently, I showered with my usual shampoo and conditioner (most recently it's been Necessaire Rosemary Shampoo and Conditioner), dried my hair with a I toweled off with my handy Aquis microfiber towel and then started combing. – or rather, not styling.
I spread a quarter-sized dab of the product between my palms before applying it to my hair working from the ends. I made sure to distribute the conditioner evenly throughout my hair, to create an even texture throughout. I then used a couple of clips to set my bangs into a curtain shape and then scrunch, scrunch, scrunch my hair all over. Finally, it was time to take the most important tip that Oribe hairstylist and global educator Adam Livermore gave me for my air-drying journey: don't touch your hair. (He says it just causes frizz and messes with your texture.)
Impressions:
When my hair dried, I was pleased (and honestly, surprised) that my hair formed waves that looked both beautiful and intentional. When I've tried air drying before, my hair tends to feel like it's going to form a bit of texture while it's wet and the product has just been applied, but it ends up drying mostly straight with a few weird bends. I did a full 360˚ check of my hair and happily saw a generally even wave pattern around my head. No weird bends!
My hair felt exactly as promised – very soft and healthy feeling, no stickiness or crunchiness.
Is it worth it?
At $48, the Oribe Heatless Styling Balm is more expensive than similar products on the salon-brand market, such as the $35 Bumble and Bumble Air-Dry Hair Cream or the $37 Hairstory Hair Balm dollars But I personally found that this one boosted my normally frizzy waves, so to each their own depending on their hair type.
Final Verdict:
I can't say I'll be ditching the blow dryer anytime soon, but I definitely feel like my hair has learned a new trick. Seeing different texture and looking for my hair has been fun and it's great to have a new option to wear. In my ongoing adventure of hair health and growth, I'm making a resolution to heat my hair only once a week (okay, maybe twice a week), but now I think it's a realistic perspective.
