Tresemme FreshStart Dry Shampoo

Okay, so I’m about to go on a rant here. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Tresemme brand because I think the fragrance they use is absolutely disgusting. It’s so heavy and it never leaves your head. I used to carry around a little Tresemme aerosol hairspray in my purse in case of emergencies, and when I used it my boyfriend was like, “Were you drinking beer or something? It smells like alcohol in here.” Yeah.

But I swept aside my prejudices because I really wanted to try the Tresemme dry shampoo, which I’d just heard about and was thrilled. I mean, dry shampoo has been around for ages, but it’s been making a bit of a comeback in recent times and I figured it had improved some. Well, I was wrong.

I followed the directions very carefully one morning while getting ready for work. I’d woken up a bit late and didn’t have time to wash my hair, so I thought, hell, I’ll use this dry shampoo and my hair will look shiny and gorgeous like it does in the commercials. And that, friends, is why we don’t believe everything we see on TV. You’re supposed to lightly spray your hair with the product, let it dry for about three minutes, then comb through it so break up any residue. Well, it left residue. A lot of residue. Not just a lot, but white residue that looked like baby powder. What I’m trying to say is, the top of my head looked like a baby’s ass. Not a flattering look. And of course I ended up being late to work because I had to wash it out of my hair.

Ever since that experience, I’ve steered clear of aerosol dry shampoos, but perhaps I will revisit them sometime in the future. If you want to take the plunge and buy some, feel free. But take my suggestion; take some time to test it out before spraying it all over your head right before work or school. It will definitely be worth your while.

Fructis Style Brilliantine Shine

I’ve been looking for good shine spray forever. I find that shine serums end up leaving my hair, which is fine to normal, weighed down and somewhat greasy. I use thermal spray every single day to protect my hair and it leaves a nice sheen, but it doesn’t get the super gloss effect I was looking for. So I dropped by the store -- to buy mouthwash, interestingly enough; but let’s be honest ladies, how many of us just walk out with only the thing we needed? -- and found myself perusing the plethora of shine sprays available to the public.

I’m familiar with the Fructis brand and have used a few of their products in the past, like hairspray, pomade and shampoo. As far as the shine spray goes, it’s definitely different from what I expected. The main downside is that it’s missing the delicious Fructis fragrance I know and love. I has kind of a weird chemically smell that is pretty much absent of anything remotely fruity. As far as how the product works, I’d have to give it an 8 out of 10. This is a good product if you’re looking for weightless, non-greasy shine spray. The smell is somewhat obnoxious, but not enough to put me off from purchasing it again. It left my hair super shiny and accentuated my highlights by making them glimmer. Good stuff, it you can handle your hair having a little bit of funk. I’m big on scents, so if it doesn’t bother me enough to stop using it, it probably won’t bother a normal nose.

Renpure Organics Shampoo and Conditioner

In honor of the very first blog post in my very first blog ever, I’ve decided to talk a little bit about my favorite brand of products at the moment, Renpure Organics. Discovered while on a midnight-trip to my local Walgreens after a hair dyeing mishap (imagine the color beige, then make it about ten times more boring … yeah), I picked up Renpure Organics Body & Shine shampoo and conditioner. Now, I’d tried organic shampoos in the past without much luck. And hey, I’m all about jumping on the organic bandwagon here if it’ll make my hair look great. But the majority of the shampoos I’d purchased already would smell great in the container and not so great on my hair. Or I couldn’t get enough lather and would end up using half a bottle in one showering experience. Frustrations galore. So I’ll be honest, I was mildly skeptical at the small, oddly shaped bottle boasting no sulfates, parabens, dyes, gluten, phthalates or propylene glycol. The common cocktail of chemicals found in most shampoos and conditioners. So it was definitely enticing.

At $6.99 a bottle, it wasn’t too bad as far as pricing goes. I’m a thrifty girl, and I rarely like to spend more than ten bucks on any type of hair care product. After correcting my -- eh hem -- hair color oops, I used my new Renpure Organics shampoo and conditioner. And I must say, what a literal breath of fresh air. It smelled amazing, lathered perfectly and left my hair feeling soft and manageable. Not only that, but it did exactly what the bottle said; gave my hair body and shine. So naturally I went nuts and tried all the other shampoos as well. Renpure carries a pretty hefty list of shampoos and conditioners that cater to various hair types with kitchy names like “My Foxy Hair Needs Fixing!,” “My Pretty Hair is Parched!” and “My Stylin’ Hair Needs Strength!” And yes, they each end with an exclamation point. A well-deserved exclamation point, at that. They also have this magical deep conditioner called “Amazing Miracle” that repairs dry, damaged, over processed hair (um … sounds vaguely familiar) in the shower.

In 2011, Renpure released more shampoos and a new line of styling products, including aerosol and non-aerosol hairspray and mousse. I picked up “My Sassy Hair Needs Shape!” aerosol hairspray -- which, by the by, contains no CFCs, gluten, parabens or propylene glycol -- and used it in place of my usual Fructis. Incredible. I got the same luscious smell with great hold, but no crispiness. The combo of passionflower, mulberry and black elderberry fruit was so incredibly yummy that I had to resist the urge all day to pull my hair under my nose and sniff it. I’ve been told that the mustachioed look is not becoming.

That being said, if you’re looking for something organic that is reasonably priced, smells great and works like it says it does, try anything in the Renpure Organics line. I found that Bed, Bath & Beyond has the most selection as far as Renpure goes -- weirdly enough -- but Walgreens also carries a nice selection. I thought for sure that Target would carry that shampoo, but I haven’t found it in a store yet. If you want to get more info about Renpure, check out their website at www.renpure.com. Magnifique!

Cheers! I’m the Owner of Piękny Cookie.

Welcome, my beautiful cookies, to Piękny Cookie, the beauty blog for oh-so-yummy tips, reviews and a bunch of other junk.

I’ve been writing since I was about six (although my subject matter has changed a bit since then … kind of) and my love for everything beauty has sort of merged with that to form this blog. I hope you all enjoy this and I wish you nothing but love, beauty and cookies.