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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter.

Attention all hair care lovers! At one of my shopping trips to Sephora this past June I spent over $50 in store (a fairly easy feat if you ask me), and earned myself a bag of hair product samples. I have yet to test them out, so I thought I would take the opportunity to provide a review on some products I received to help you guys out with your future hair care choices. I was super excited to try these products because hair care is something I often neglect while simultaneously wishing I had better hair.  Some basic info about my hair…

Hair Colour: Brown with Blonde Balayage 

Hair Type: Wavy-Straight 

Hair Thickness: Medium 

Hair Concerns: Frizziness, Split Ends, Dead-Looking, Limp 

1st Product: Moroccanoil Moroccanoil Treatment, $41 for 50mL @Sephora 

 

I put it on when my hair was fairly damp, as per the product instructions, and then went straight to bed. When I woke up I LOVED the results!! One of the concerns I face with my hair is having the dryness and dead ends appear obvious when I don’t style it. The problem is that this usually means using heat, which causes more dead ends, and it ends up being a dangerous cycle. However, this was not a problem this morning because my hair looked AMAZING. It looked healthier than usual and wavier than usual, which lasted throughout the day. I will 100% use the entire sample I got and am seriously considering purchasing a bigger size.

2nd Product: Alterna Haircare CAVIAR Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond Repair, $42 for 125mL @ Sephora 

 

 

 

This product is said to be great for split end repair so I eagerly tried it since the other products so far had yet to focus on that. Again I put it on damp hair as per instructed and when applying, it was super light. I also found it to be closer to a liquid texture as opposed to a serum which made it slightly challenging to actually get and hold in my hair. Most of my dead and frizzy hair is underneath so I really focused on that area to try and make more of an impact. I definitely did notice a difference once I woke up! The frizz was minimized and the overall appearance of my hair was so much better. I have yet to decide if this is a product that I will go forward and invest in, mostly because I want to have a few more uses and determine if I see incremental improvements with continued use.

3rd Product: Playa Everyday Shampoo and Supernatural Conditioner, $37 (each) for 250mL @ Sephora

I hadn’t heard about this brand or these products before I got this package but I decided to give it a try because I’m always looking to explore different shampoos and conditioners. After reading into it more online, I discovered that the ingredients used are natural and beachy. As soon as I opened them I definitely felt the beachy vibes. They had slightly different smells but both were coconut-based mixed with honey and fruits. It honestly transported me straight to Hawaii. The next morning I didn’t really notice a huge difference in my hair compared to when I use my typical shampoo and conditioner. This is still definitely a great product and I will use the rest of the sample, but I’d prefer to stick to my more price-conscious drug store shampoo and conditioner for this one.

4th Product: Bumble and bumble Fine (H)air Styler, $41 for 150mL @ Sephora

When I saw this product in the bag I thought it would be a great one to try because I am definitely one of those people that prefers to have no-styling hair days. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love straightening or curling my hair, but that requires extra effort and an extra 20 minutes in the morning that I could have spent sleeping. My hope with this product was to start me on a journey towards self-love of my natural hair to make my life just a little bit easier in the morning. Even if styling, I prefer to air dry over blow dry because of how frizzy my hair gets after blowdrying, so I knew this would be a good product for me. After a shower, I towel-dried my hair then put this in while scrunching it up a bit and twisting it to add a wave while it dried. The product page on Sephora has a great video that shows how to do this effectively. I definitely loved the results of this one when I woke up! My hair looked super fresh with great volume, and even achieved those beautiful natural waves that I’ve long desired to have. The resulting texture was GREAT and the frizz was minimal. The super beautiful waves didn’t last ALL day, but that is honestly a difficult feat when faced with an hour and a half commute each way and an 8 hour workday. I can definitely see myself using this product more and I will consider purchasing the full size to continue to achieve those dream waves.  

 

When it comes to hair care, Sephora provides several effective options that don’t break the bank. What better win is there than having luscious healthy hair and money left to spare? 

 

Alexandra is a third year business student at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She loves spending her money on concerts and clothes that she doesn't need. She believes that life is about creating unique experiences for yourself and finding what makes you happy.
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