This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.
Want to refresh and green-ify your beauty routine? Look no further: The Her Campus UFL team is partnering with Garnier Fructis to add natural, wholesome ingredients to our back-to-school beauty and skin arsenals. Since 1904, Garnier has been the go-to brand for all things green beauty — and their Garnier Fructis Treats 1 Minute Hair Masks are no exception. These hair treatments are vegan, feature 98 percent naturally derived ingredients (no harsh chemicals here, ladies!) and are safe for color-treated locks.
A few of our writers (each with different hair types) tested out the yummy-scented hair masks and treatments for themselves. Check out their experiences below and get inspired to amp up your eco-beauty regimen.
Viviana
Hair has always been a big topic of discussion in my family.
I grew up with three other women with varying types of hair – from curly and thick, thick and straight — to my fine, straight hair. (Wow that’s a lot of hair.) Just like many women around the world, I was never satisfied with my hair. It was soft and shiny, but it was also very flat and never had that volume that I craved.
When I was younger, my hair was usually kept on the shorter side just brushing my shoulders. Looking at old pictures, my hair appeared thicker and more voluminous, but as I grew older, I found my hair was becoming flatter and less bouncy. I think this also had to do with the fact by the time I was in elementary school, I focused on growing out my hair, hoping for long locks. This long-hair era lasted for a while, but I wish I hadn’t let it get so long. My long length weighed down my fine hair and plastered it flat. I started donating my hair, and I found that having a medium cut usually worked in my favor. This length gave my hair some movement and didn’t leave me feeling weighed down. Today, my hair issues are really just focused on hydrating the random dry patches and strengthening my locks to keep them bouncy and fresh. For some reason, I have a frazzled bunch of strands that often need an extra dose of conditioner to keep them somewhat moisturized. Because of my hair type, I picked up the Garnier Fructis Strengthening Treat 1 Minute Hair Mask with banana extract.
The great thing about the Garnier Fructis 1 Minute Hair Mask collection is that they can be used in three ways; as a regular conditioner, traditional mask or leave-in conditioner.
I opted to use the treatment as a mask. Since my hair is pretty fine, I thought using the product as a conditioner or leave-in conditioner would’ve added too much weight to my hair. A couple of years ago, I swapped the process of my hair care to conditioning first, then shampooing — which has helped give my hair the lift and bounce it lacked.
I massaged the banana mask product from scalp to tips and made sure every strand was saturated. After leaving the mask on for the recommended time, I shampooed like I normally would. I don’t know if this is the best way to get the most out of the product, but knowing my hair, I knew I needed to shampoo after the mask. After applying the mask and rinsing it off, I could already tell my hair was more moisturized and completely tangle-free. My hair felt silky and soft — and even the dry strands I mentioned felt smoother than ever before. I don’t usually have issues with the smell of a product, and this product was no exception. The subtle banana scent was not overpowering, and I appreciated the fact that my hair didn’t smell strongly of it after I rinsed off. The next day, I noticed my hair was sporting a shiny gleam and felt healthier than it had in awhile. Overall, I enjoyed the product, especially because I was adding natural ingredients that gave my hair the boost it needed.
Cayela
My hair is a big part of my identity. I have long, sienna-colored strands, and each wave and curl reflects my Puerto-Rican and Italian heritage. My hair introduces me before I walk into the room. It’s big, it’s thick, and I love every inch of it. However, the weather plays a huge factor in whether or not my hair will look sleek and defined — or like Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries, pre-makeover. In search of a better solution to my frizz fiasco, I searched for a natural and quick alternative to kick my curls into shape.
Lately, my hair routine revolves around keeping my locks as frizz-free as possible. I wash my hair twice a week and use a hair mask on the weekends. For styling, I use regular conditioners coupled with a few splashes of water to keep my hair soft, defined and damage-free. I love my hair routine, but I don’t love that it’s not very natural or environmentally friendly. My current products work well for me but contain sulfates, silicones and ingredients that I definitely can’t pronounce. I was excited to try tried two hair treatments from Garnier Fructis to see how my hair would respond to a more au-natural routine.
For my hair concerns and texture, I selected the Garnier Fructis Nourishing Treat 1 Minute Hair Mask with coconut extract in the shower as a mask and the Garnier Fructis Smoothing Treat 1 Minute Hair Mask with avocado extract as a leave-in/styling product. My typical shower routine turned into an island paradise as soon as I applied the coconut-infused conditioner to my hair. As I let my hair soak up the product, I shaved my legs and exfoliated, leaving the mask in for longer than a minute to try and get the maximum amount of moisture. As I rinsed out the thick, creamy mask, my hair immediately felt softer. While styling with the Garnier Fructis smoothing mask, my curls were defined and impressively frizz-free. These products were so easy to use and only took a minute of my time. Garnier’s new line of conditioners is a total must for any busy college girl.
Carolina
For as long as I can remember, my relationship with my hair has been ever-evolving. My Brazilian mother’s long history with her curls afforded me to create my longest standing relationship to this day: my blow dryer.
From second grade to middle school, blow drying and straightening my hair were sacred rituals where I could spend much-needed quality time with my mom.
It got to the point where by the seventh grade, I couldn’t remember what my natural hair looked like aside from pictures of my large dirty blonde curls from my toddler-self (no longer dirty blonde, and no longer as largely rung).
My love for my artificially crafted straight hair had turned into an addiction. It wasn’t until halfway through high school that I started appreciating and treating my natural hair the way I needed to –– something that I still struggle with to this day. It seemed like no matter what I did to my hair, it would come out different every day.
It’s because of this unhealthy consistent routine that I maintained for nine years, that I developed a multi-faceted scheduled procedure for my hair –– my routine of multiple routines. Consistently switching up my hair regimen (supposedly) prevents my hair follicles from getting used to its routine. Regularly switching shampoos and conditioners depending on what look I am trying to achieve, not only is affordable in the long-run, but doesn’t take any extra time out of the busy girl’s day, except for maybe the shopping trip to get multiple products.
When it came to selecting how I wanted to use the mask, I decided that in the spirit of breaking routine, to use the Strengthening Treat 1 Minute Hair Mask with banana extract as a traditional conditioner.
With it, I used the Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Shampoo, a staple I heavily rely on for nourishing my natural waves and curls, and the Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Butter Cream as a leave-in treatment, post-shower. Heavy reliance on heat styling tools can occasionally cause breakage on curls, so I was excited to combine the strengthening product with the other Garnier nourishing products to have nourished, strong and shiny hair.
When applying the treatment, I loved the natural smell and the clean feel of the product.
After air-drying it, I was a little disappointed in my not only my hair’s texture, but its appearance. The would-be curls, weren’t even attractive beach waves. Instead my hair resembled that of Princess Anna in Frozen when she woke up on the day of Elsa’s coronation. Though disappointed, I wasn’t going to give up.
The next day, I tried the same regimen again but with the Nourishing Treat 1 Minute Hair Mask with coconut extract as a conditioner. The results were better, but still not as good as using the traditional conditioner product.
But when I used the Smoothing Treat 1 Minute Hair Mask with avocado extract after the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo and Conditioner, my hair had attained a look that I have never been able to achieve on my own outside of the salon. With my best friend by my side –– my Babyliss Volare V1 Dryer –– my hair was sleek, shiny and frizz-free despite spending the whole day in 83 percent humidity.
Although using the mask as a conditioner wasn’t exactly what I expected, I loved trying it. As a leave-in conditioner, I was enamored — and I’m happy Garnier already makes dozens of great green beauty shampoo and conditioners. BRB: buying this by the gallon right now.
How do *you* greenify your beauty or haircare routine? Let us know on social at @HerCampusUFL — your answer may be featured!