Been a really happy girl after receiving some products from famed Japanese hair care brand Essential! This September they've recently launched two new products — my favourite hair care concepts — the Essential CC Oil and Night Care Milk.
These two products are both leave-on hair serums. That means there is no need to wash them off after use; in fact you can just slum into bed with it! Lazy products created for lazy people like me.
Both products target damage caused to hair that people often overlook. Apart from the usual harm caused by dyeing, perming, rebounding etc., our daily activities also causes friction, resulting in our hair undergoing wear and tear without us knowing.
The Essential CC Oil is a non-greasy hair oil that functions the same way as your typical BB / CC cream — it has different multiple functions to shield every hair strand from the five hair stresses that every girl faces.
Aptly termed the Cuticle Care Oil, the sweet smelling serum protects your hair from these five stresses, caused either by external factors or personal habits:
1. Blow-Drying
The heat from blow-drying removes moisture both from inside and outside our hair follicle, and that is the reason why constant blow-drying leaves hair dry and brittle. Girls who blow-dry their hair at night before sleep and in the morning before leaving home are especially susceptible to damaged hair.
2. Combing
Even the simplest and most common of tasks can lead to hair damage! Combing through wet hair, especially, causes great amounts of damage as our hair is in it's most fragile state, after going through all the tugging and scrubbing in the bath. Likewise, combing through dry / permed hair causes hair knots that makes hair prone to unnecessary breakage.
When I still had my long permed hair I got so frustrated combing my hair after bathing. It was wet, tangled and full of knots which got me riled up all the time because I always want to comb through them. Most of the time I just force my comb through the knots... And now I know that causes hair damage as well :(
3. Split Ends
The longer the hair, the older the hair, and thus the driest the hair. Split ends occur because our natural protective hair cuticle is destroyed by every day activities, resulting in the ends of the hair splitting into two. I used to have them all the time when I had my long mane, they were really ugly.
4. Hair Breakage
That means that hair breaks off halfway, or simple falls off from the scalp. Either way, hair breakage is can be caused by seemingly harmless activities such as tugging your hair into tight ponytails (for sports especially) as well as twirling hair with excessive strength (like braiding).
I occasionally braid my hair to sleep for mermaid curls and that's probably the reason why my hair breaks off so easily. A simple tug with minimal strength breaks it off.
5. Dryness
Dry hair is probably the next worst thing that can happen to hair apart from oily scalps. Dry hair feels rough to the touch because of weak hair cuticles that are unable to retain moisture. Constant exposure to air-conditioning is especially harmful.
With all those damage that your hair goes through every day, it's necessary to constantly keep your precious locks protected. And that is exactly what the CC Oil does.
The oil is transparent and (surprisingly) non greasy. It's best applied on towel-dried or damp hair, but you can also use it on dry hair. What I loved most about the product is that it gets absorbed extremely quickly into your hair, and still leaves it smooth to the touch.
It contains Hair Supplement Oil, a type of oil that is similar to your hair's natural oil so that while your hair's natural oils regenerate, the hair follicles remain protected.
I've used certain leave-on hair oils that left my hair really oily to the touch, and that certainly did not leave me impressed. I even had to urge to wash it all off so that my hair doesn't get the greasy feeling reminiscent of an oily scalp.
To use:
1. Pump appropriate amount on palm. (For long bobs like mine, amount equivalent to one and a half pumps should be enough)
2. Spread evenly onto hair, concentrating on the middle length to the ends. (because that's where the hair is most damaged)
3. Briefly finger comb / brush through and you're good to go!
The CC Oil can be reapplied any time of the day, should you feel that you need to protect your hair from the blazing sun, or from the Narnia-like environment which you'll be spending your day in.
The next product is my absolute favourite. It's the Essential Night Care Milk, that protects your hair from "pillow friction". I tried it for jut one night and I am blown away by its effects.
But before that, what exactly is "pillow friction"?
It's the friction that takes place when you toss and turn at night. Most of the time people just flip their heads, it's unlikely that they lift their entire head up to change positions. And that's where the friction occurs, resulting in you waking up to.... Frizzy hair.
I, especially, have the bad sleeping habit of tossing and turning in my sleep. It's impossible for me to lay still in one position, I need to change sides every once in a while. And while doing so my hair keeps rubbing against the pillow, which is why I always have to comb through knots and tangles in the morning. Even with shoulder length hair. Other times I use an anti-frizz serum, but that doesn't solve the root of the problem.
Which is why, I am especially appreciative of this Night Care Milk.
Apart from the fresh floral fragrance that it comes with, the hair milk provides intensive repair and moisturising properties when you sleep, so that you wake up to smooth and manageable hair. It's a rich formula but similar to the CC Oil, it's non-greasy.
It could be used on towel-dried hair, but for best results it's recommended to be used on dry hair. It takes a longer time to be absorbed into my hair as compared to the CC Oil, but after spreading it out it was all taken in.
(Two of my favourite terms; rich and non-greasy. Fried food should be these. Haha ok I digress)
To use:
1. Pump an appropriate amount on palm. (I used approximately four pumps)
2. Spread evenly onto hair, concentrating on the middle length to the ends.
3. Briefly finger comb and you're ready for bed!
True to its word, I woke up the next morning only having to finger-comb my hair and I'm ready to go! Even as I shake my hair it doesn't frizz up. I tried using a rat tail comb to comb through the back locks of hair (because those get tangled up really easily) and they all passed the test!!! It still smelled of the same floral scent in the morning. Definitely scored 5/5 stars from me.
Both products work hand in hand together — apply the CC Oil after washing hair, and after it's dry apply the Night Care Milk. Smooth and manageable locks isn't that hard to attain after all!
They both cost $11.90, but if you want to win weekly prizes from Essential, do try out their Mane Hero Facebook game! All you have to do is to defeat the five pesky Hair Stress brothers and the evil Pillow King to win!
This entry is brought to you by Essential, in collaboration with Samplestore.
Much love,
Chels x.