Well the image above kinda says it all, haha. I have a tough time writing about products I feel ‘meh’ about. It’s been a long time since I’ve tried a product I flat out hated, and because I am pretty good at picking stuff usually, I don’t have too many bad experiences. This wasn’t a bad experience per se, but… well let me get into it.
I first became acquainted with Amika at Cosmoprof last summer. I loved their booth, and their flat irons come in all sorts of pretty designs that are nice to look at. They were giving out tote bags (which I loved because all the packaging and materials from Amika have pretty colors and patterns on them haha) with samples of their hair oil. I like the oil; a little bit goes a long way. Just use a few drops to smooth your hair and add shine & awesomeness. It also smells heavenly.
Okay, fast forward to this past ISSE Long Beach. I was perusing the Amika booth with Krissy from Addicted To All Things Pretty when the rep from Amika told us– everything from the Amika line has the same signature scent. Oh hell yes! That information combined with my love of kits lead me to purchase a kit called the Jet Set kit or something like that…came with minis of the color pherfection shampoo and hydrating conditioner along with some other goodies I haven’t really delved into yet. Since I had to pack up my entire beauty stash I thought having some mini hair care might come in handy, and I’ve been using the stuff since we moved in on the 4th. I just finished off the shampoo so I thought it’d be a good time to let you know what I think!
And, unfortunately, I don’t love it.
The scent is just as heavenly as with other Amika products. The shampoo is the really really liquidy sort, a very runny consistency that I don’t like too much. It also being sulfate free doesn’t really lather too well. I feel like I need a lot of it to really clean my hair, but that could also just be because at this point I have a ton of hair. (FYI, my hair is about cleavage-length) The conditioner is a nice luxurious creamy texture that I actually like a lot.
These products promise to make my hair shiny, soft, more manageable, frizz-free, a whole host of promises. I haven’t really noticed a difference in the shine factor or it being more manageable. I didn’t have a problem with frizz before and it certainly didn’t make it worse, so I guess it fights frizz. It does feel soft though. The conditioner promises to leave your hair with volume, and I can say it definitely doesn’t take any volume out of my big ole’ mane and it seems to even add some – big plus.
So far so good right? Yeah. At first I was feeling fairly positive about it. What I did discover though is that this is one of those shampoo/conditioner pairings that is truly designed to be used in conjunction with other styling products. On the days where I take the time to give myself a good blowout and actually do my hair, it looks pretty nice and feels soft and all those other things. But on days where I just want to wash and go, my hair doesn’t feel very soft or manageable and just feels lackluster. Bleh. I have tried shampoos and conditioners (like the Clean Scalp Therapy, for example) that allows me to just wash and go and still have nice looking hair once it dries naturally. It’s not really a good or bad thing about products necessarily; it’s just about what suits your lifestyle. As I finished up this mini bottle I was still on the fence. I would have filed this under ‘would try again’, but then I saw that it was starting to make me break out a little on my back and shoulders. This never happens, guys. I have to attribute it to this shampoo/conditioner because it’s the only new thing. Bummer.
Sorry this review was so “meh”. I have a more positive review coming soon. ;) I’m still debating on whether I will try the other Amika products in my little kit, because my worry is it’s the heavy fragrance that was irritating my skin. If I do try them it won’t be for a while because I want my skin to clear up again.
Sounds like a brilliant framework. My hair is showing its age so I’m certain it would profit.
My hair has been bleached for years now, and the struggle to keep the cuticles down (aka make it look shiny) is hard…
After a recent trip to the salon, I left with a fresh new haircut and a whole new appreciation for Amika. I had never heard of this brand before but turns out, it was created by the same woman behind celebrity fave Shu Uemura. If you’re looking for high-quality hair products, this is the one for you.
Nia Hayes – ShunCy last blogged..How to Grow Coleus Indoors