This New $15 Shampoo Bar Is the Best Complement to a Keratin Treatment
Now that a month has gone by, I can look in the mirror and say my hair looks and feels like a million bucks.
I recently received a keratin treatment from my longtime hairstylist, Nick Flores. He's done this treatment on my hair in the past, but it's been at least three years. Keratins are one of his specialties, and given how exceptionally long his last on me, I had no concerns going into it this time around. I truly recommend keratins (from the right stylist) to anyone. They de-frizz your locks, smooth them out and make your hair easier to flat iron, blow-dry and style.
Because it'd been some time, I forgot how long it takes to adjust to the new formula and how it completely changes the texture of my hair. Therefore, I wouldn't be able to dive right back into my former hair-washing routine because I basically had an entirely new head of hair. Well, this didn't fare too well for my look.
I tried to change things up here and there, but ultimately, my hair looked so greasy after it dried. In fact, it led me to one of my fave new hairstyles: the low bun. I found myself resorting to that style because I couldn't do anything else unless I wanted to look like a greaseball!
Well, it just so happens that a couple of weeks into my debacle, a rep from Lush sent a media alert about new products being launched by the beauty brand. They happened to be hair products! I have so many hair products, and up to now, I've been using the same ones consistently over the last few years. I don't normally seek out new hair products, but on the day I read that email, I was in a bind. I replied frantically to the rep, asking if any of those products would be a fit for freshly keratin-treated hair, and sure enough, a package arrived on my desk shortly thereafter.
The Product
In the box, I received the company's brand-new Flyway Hair Shampoo Bar, and their Coconut Rice Cake Bar—both of which smell incredible, BTW. The rep was also kind enough to send their No Drought dry shampoo powder, too. I wanted to focus on one bar at a time, so I opted to start with the Flyway bar. I've never tried Lush's hair products before, but I had a really good feeling about this.
The algae-colored, sea salt-adorned Flyway bar is loaded with lemon oil, which cuts grease; Roman chamomile oil, which soothes scalps; hand-harvested coarse sea salt to add volume to lackluster locks; and fair trade organic cocoa butter to keep everything smooth. This combo (and their descriptions) sounded like the perfect concoction to aid my issues.
The Experience
Not gonna lie, shampoo bars were a whole new world for me, so I didn't know what to expect. But shampoo is shampoo, right? On the Lush website, it simply says simply: "Rub between hands to create a lather, or directly onto hair. Massage into the hair and scalp then rinse clean." Easy enough!
I went ahead and did some rubbing, making sure all my strands were thoroughly covered with the lather. I didn't apply conditioner or any additional products. I let my hair dry in a hair tie overnight, and voilá! My hair felt good as new in the morning. The extra oil that comes from the keratin was gone, and styling my hair was a cinch.
Oh, and not only did it look amazing the day after washing, but I also didn't wash it again for nine more days (with the help of the dry shampoo, of course)! My only issue, as is the case with bars in general, was that the solution diminishes in the water much quicker than something you'd use from a tube. Otherwise, no complaints here.
Bottom Line
I was so excited to get a keratin treatment, so when I dealt with the temporary after-effects, I was a little bummed. I knew that the look would eventually come together, but it was just a matter of finding the right shampoo to help my hair readjust to its new texture. I can't believe how easyLush's Flyway bar is to use. My hair finally sees the results that were hidden under that first month of trial and error. If you've recently had a keratin treatment, or you're naturally prone to oily hair, give this bad boy a whirl!
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