As a curly-haired girl living in one of the most humid Caribbean islands, finding a hair product that can maintain my sometimes very wild hair, controlled and frizz-free when it’s heat styled, is a very difficult task. As soon as I heard about ColorWow’s Dream Coat and its claim to be anti-humidity, anti-frizz and anti-everything I struggle with, I knew it was a product I needed to try.
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Product Overview
Hailing from the ColorWow brand, the Dream Coat has gained popularity for its claim of “ultra-moisturizing, anti-frizz” effects. Marketed as an “anti-humidity, anti-porosity spray” catering to extremely dehydrated and curly/coily hair types, it doubles as both a styling product and heat protectant. For this review, I experimented with the ColorWow Extra-Strength Dream Coat.
Initial Impressions:
As far as packaging goes, I’m a sucker for it, and this product’s metallic look definitely caught my attention. It’s very attractive and unique, and made out of a plastic that feels very durable. Its dispensing mechanism, which is a spray nozzle, is very practical and the product is easily dispensed. Another factor that matters to me when choosing a product I’d like to try is its scent. I’m not very good at describing scents, but I am extremely picky when it comes to which ones I like and which ones I don’t. I can confidently say that this product doesn’t have a strong scent at all, it kind of just smells like hairspray, but it’s very faint and doesn’t latch onto or stay on your hair.
My Review
Now that the basic description of the product is out of the way, let’s get into what really matters. Does it work? In addition to having naturally curly hair (3a curls), my hair is extremely thin and takes frizz to a whole new level. On top of that, the humidity and heat of Puerto Rico makes keeping my hair straight damn near impossible. Finding products that work for me is a never-ending journey, so I admit I was skeptical of the supernatural claims of this product. For experimental and consistency purposes, I tried the Dream Coat twice, with about two weeks in between uses. Both times I followed the exact instructions on the packaging, the only difference being the styling method: the first time I only blow-dried my hair and the second time I blow-dried and straightened it with a flat iron.
One thing I loved was that although I saturated my hair with the product, as recommended, it didn’t feel greasy or sticky, rather it felt very lightweight. On my first use, I noticed that immediately after styling, my hair was super shiny and glossy, sort of reflective like, and it felt really smooth. I was so excited that I might have finally found the product that worked for me! However, as soon as I stepped outside my apartment door, I could feel my hair poofing up and regaining its natural texture. I would say that the initial effects lasted for more or less an hour, and I chose to blame it on the fact that I only blow-dried it, which might not have been enough for my curls, so I gave it another chance.
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As I said earlier, this time I not only blow-dried my hair upon applying the ColorWow Dream Coat, I also straightened it with a flat iron. The packaging does specify that you should not exceed 380℉ if using a straightening iron, which made me feel doubtful of it working because I usually use a higher temperature when straightening my hair, but nevertheless, I followed the instructions. Regrettably, the exact same thing happened this second time. My hair initially felt very smooth and shiny, but immediately poofed up and got all frizzy as soon as I stepped outside.
Is it worth it?
In all fairness, my amateur styling skills may contribute to the product’s suboptimal performance. Nevertheless, my honest review is that while the ColorWow Dream Coat does deliver immediate shine and smoothness, its struggle to withstand environmental factors, at least here in Puerto Rico, and preserve the desired effect was a letdown. The restriction on straightening iron temperature might be a limiting factor for those used to higher settings, and despite the mixed results, the lightweight feel and initial aesthetic improvement make it a product worth trying, though its effectiveness may vary based on individual hair types and styling preferences.