Today has been a great day. Not only is it Valentine's Day, but I woke up to a huge package sitting on my kitchen table! Now if you've been reading one of my blogs, you'll know that I was sent these little bottles filled with a mystery hair care brand that was being launched in Canada (refresh your brain by clicking here)! As Influenster members, we were asked to use the L'Oreal mystery brand for one week (or until the product ran out) and then let you, our readers, know what we thought. After the time elapsed, we would be sent the products in their full size for review!
Before I dive into this review, I just wanted to let everyone know that this is 100% from the heart. Although these products were sent to me complimentary and for testing purposes, this in no way reflects my views on the products. All reviews are honest and sincere - I do this for you!
And the #MysteryBrand was Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser! I'm going to be honest and say that near the end of the week when more people started posting their reviews, I did read them and see what the general consensus on the product was. I have purchased Garnier products in the past but they have never been a staple in my shower. Their owner, L'Oreal, is used by me in many different departments (most notably, my hair colour) and I have had zero complaints with any of their products. So if this is one of their creations, it's bound to be good!
My hair is a breed of it's own. I'm straightening it one day and curling it the next. It's constantly being pulled back into pony tails when I'm at the gym and sometimes, I swear it has a mind of it's own. Damage and split ends are a constant problem for me. If anyone questions that, I simply tell them to go look at the remains of my hair left in my hairbrush. This product was the perfect match for my hair and it really did some great things for my distressed locks. <3 at first wash sort of thing!
The box that I received contained some super spiffy looking products in bottles that are an out of this world orange colour. The box contained 3 out of the 4 products that were sent to us Influensters in the #MysteryBox and one other product that was not! The two largest bottles (384mL) contain the shampoo and conditioner. The split end bandage is housed in a convenient 184mL pump bottle and the reconstructing butter comes in a colossal sized mini tub. The Garnier Fructis Damage eraser uses a phyto-keratin complex and cupuacu butter to reconstruct hair by up to 90% as well as prevents further damage of those luscious locks.
If you were like me, you were probably wondering what the heck cupuacu (koo-poo-ahh-soo!) butter was and why you were putting it onto your head. A cupuacu fruit is commonly found in the Amazon (regions like Peru, Brazil etc.). It's noted that the fruit smells like a cross between a pineapple and chocolate. I can confidently say that it makes the entire hair care line smell divine. It's listed as a powerful antioxidant was a whole list of valuable nutrients that help in every department. Garnier hit the nail on the head with this one! If you want to know what it looks like, it resembles a potato.
After I got home from the gym this evening, I went straight to the shower and pulled out all of my products. So this review is going to be based on my immediate results, however, I do know how the product works over a period of time. The shampoo felt like any other shampoo to me but the one thing I did notice was the insane lather. A little bit goes a long way with this. I have long blonde hair that is down to about my tail bone and it took me a while to get through the little sample bottle that I was sent. It left my hair smelling amazing and I kind of just stood there for a minute and smelled myself. Amazing.
What really blew me away was the conditioner. I'm a huge fan of instant touchable softness and this was one of the only drug store conditioners that gave me that. Combined with the shampoo, this allowed for a brush to slide with ease through my hair. For once, I wasn't seeing insane fall out at the bottom of my shower. One tip, I love to let this conditioner sit in my hair for a while to really get the full effect. If you're having issues with split ends, concentrate the product on your ends!
The third product that was sent to me from Influenster to initially try was the split end serum. I used it with the other products send and found that my split ends were drastically reduced. I'm used to having the split ends where I can physically break them in two. Looking through my hair as I write this, there are significantly less. I'm not big on leave in treatments simply because I'm always afraid they're going to leave my hair greasy. What I like about this one is it's specially formulated for the ends of your hair. The bottle instructs to apply on towel dried hair. This is important because if your hair is too wet, I found that the product didn't seem to fully sink into my hair. Once again, the smell is divine.
Last but definitely not least, and probably my second favourite item in this box, is the strength reconstructing butter. Like I said, not a huge fan of leave in treatments but this one is applied and left in for 3-5 minutes then rinsed out. A tip, I like to apply this outside of my shower and then slip on one of those clear caps. The big thing with this one for me was the immediate shine it created. You could see my hair shine from down the road. I usually have dull blonde hair but this seemed to give my hair a little oomph and life that it was seriously lacking. I use a decent about of this product simply because I have long hair. Ensure that you cover your entire head when you use this one! This was the one product that was only included in the full size box, so I have yet to experience a weeks worth of results with this one! But I'm super impressed immediately!
My verdict is a positive one. Coming from someone who has dull, damaged, dry hair - this was a lifesaver. The smell took me away to a place where cupuacu trees are a plenty and the product brought my hair back to life. If I were to rank each product on a scale of 1 (the best) to 4 (not necessarily the worst, but my least used) it would look something like this:
- Conditioner
- Strength Reconstructing Butter
- Shampoo
- Split End Serum
Am I likely to re-purchase products from this box? Of course. I think I've met my perfect hair care match! Thanks Garnier, Influenster and L'Oreal Canada for the introduction!
