You might remember that recently I started a 2 week trial of Living Proof products as part of their #YourBestHair campaign. And I have to say, they were right. I’ve been using the products for the last two weeks and I’m able to dry my hair faster, I have more volume and less frizz as well.
While I bought a huge collection of Living Proof products (more on that later), I’ve been pretty pleasantly surprised to discover that I really need fewer products than I usually use. The Living Proof ingredients make it so that products (insert gasp here) really do what they promise to do, so rather than doubling up on hold or de-frizzing products, I only need one.
I’ve been using the PhD Shampoo, Conditioner, Dry Shampoo and Night Cap Overnight Perfector . I’m going to keep using these products, they’re my new favorites!
The shampoo and conditioner both boast ingredients to help your hair stay cleaner longer (they actually repel dirt), and I think it is no joke. I can easily go 3-4 days before washing again, and that’s without needing to use the Dry Shampoo! I had already been using this duo when I travel since they always gave me good results when on the road, so it isn’t surprising that they’d work great at home as well.
The new Living Proof Dry Shampoo is a product that I had already purchased (several times) prior to this trial. In fact, I bought both travel sized and full sized cans when selecting products for this series. This dry shampoo is different than others that I’ve tried. Most dry shampoos rely on powders to absorb excess oils from your hair, which can feel like a residue is in your hair and add a whitish cast. Living Proof’s Dry Shampoo somehow absorbs the excess oil as well, but it just feels (and smells) like clean hair after use. I’m not sure what this voodoo is, but I like it and have stocked up!
Finally, the Night Cap Overnight Perfector is one of my new favorite deep hair conditioners! It just looks like a regular styling lotion. You apply it to your hair at night, combing it through. I used about the size of a silver dollar for all of my hair, which was probably overdoing it a tad. I applied it in smaller nickel sized amounts, distributing it through my hair with my palms. I concentrated the product on the ends, where I have some heat damage and split ends are starting to appear. My hair wasn’t wet or sticky, the product just dried and wasn’t at all noticeable. You just wash it out in the morning and style as usual. After using the Night Cap I had a lot more shine and my split ends were less noticeable. My hair was definitely softer as well! I’ll be adding this treatment to my routine weekly.
After some experimentation (which is still ongoing), this is where I’m at for my current Living Proof styling products.
When drying my hair out straight, I’ve been spritzing the Prime Style Extender Spray throughout my hair and following that up with the Blowout. Both products feature OFPMA to help styles stay put longer (they actually prevent chemical bonds from being disrupted), and to help repel dirt so your hair stays cleaner. And yes, I’m likely duplicating things a bit and could just use Blowout! But, I love the idea of the style being extended. Blowout has some hold and reduces the amount of work you need to do to create the perfect blown out look, as well as helping to lock it in all day. I’ve found that I can skip using my typical volumizing mousse when using Blowout. It offers enough volume and hold to keep even me happy!
When styling my hair in loose waves or curls, the only product that I’ve added in is Flex Shaping Hairspray. This hairspray isn’t the typical stiff hair creating hair spray that we all think of! Instead, it can be used on wet or dry hair, as a styling aid or to help keep a style longer. It creates a flexible web that holds the style in place, so you can brush, touch or style your hair after using Flex and it will still work. Rather than just feeling stiff and making your hair look dull.
This is how my hair looks after a quick morning blowout with the Style Extender Spray and Blowout. I didn’t do any special pinning/rolling to create volume, nor did I flat iron my hair at all. I’m also pretty useless with a round brush and blowdryer.
The products did a great job of preventing any frizz and giving me just the right amount of volume at my roots. I actually took this picture after running around all day at work (so this is about 12 hours post-blowout), and you can see that the results look like I just finished styling my hair!
To convert my hair over to curls, I section it into a top and bottom section. I take random chunks of hair to curl, if I’m too organized about it the results aren’t as pretty, and spray a very light mist of Flex onto the hair. Let Flex dry for about 10-15 seconds and run a brush through the hair. Now it is ready to curl!
I’ve been using a tapered curling wand recently for my hair, but this would work with any curling iron as well. If you’re using a curling wand, be sure that when you wrap the hair around the wand you aren’t twisting the hair as you wrap it. I hold each section in place for about 10 seconds and then slowly release.
Once I’ve curled everything I tip my hair back like this and spray a light mist of Flex all over. I break up the curls with my fingers and I also push up on each curl to help gently break them up.
Once completed, this style is good for about 2-3 days. Days. While the curls do soften over time, my hair does keep most of it! I just freshen it up with a light combing with a wide tooth comb and usually a light spritz of Dry Shampoo on the last day. In all, it takes me roughly 10-15 minutes.
For me, this is a great way to change up my style after work. In the past I’ve used very different hair products to prep my hair for a straight versus curled style. So, I wasn’t able to wear my hair one way during the day and then easily restyle for a different look later in the day. Since this is the time of year that I actually am going out at night, I love to be able to change things up!
If you are going to try out Living Proof for #YourBestHair, I strongly recommend starting out with the Living Proof product selector tool.
I’m a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!