Review: John Frieda Frizz Ease Leave-In Serum

I know this is the third hair-related thing in a row, but I just cut and dyed my hair recently and I’ve already used about ten products within the past 48 hours and I’m trying to push my blog off to a strong start. Okay, breathing.

Anyways, today’s post is about my (almost!) holy grail but still favorite wet hair product by our beloved John Frieda. As a reminder, I have naturally wavy/curly blonde hair that has been abused in every way.

The serum as I knew it for 3 honeymoon years

The new bottle, sadly smaller

Note: I pictured the “Extra Strength” version as that is what I use, but there is also an “Original Formula” as well as others, so keep in mind your options. Personally, I’m all about go big or go home, so this appealed to me–not to mention the clearly superior purple bottle–and I do not regret my choice.

Well, I have been using this insane product for the past four years, maybe a bit longer. I rarely ever stick to one thing for so long, so take away from that this single fact: this thing is AMAZING.

Because I could go on about it for pages, I will structure my raving (whoops, rating, I meant rating) as follows:

– Nature of Product: heavy, viscous clear liquid that should only be applied in drops, because it goes a longgg way (and I have longgg hair). Do NOT overdo it, or you will be sad. At about $8, it gives good bang for your buck (+1) and will last quite long as a result (+1).

– When to Use: On towel-dried hair, maybe just a few minutes air-dried. That is, mostly wet hair that is not soaking. Appropriate for any style as long as this is going to be your main styling product for the day (ie. don’t use if you are going to gel your hair or whatnot; that’s overkill). Versatility +1. Also, I do not use this every day, and I don’t think you should need to.

– Results: Even if you are simply letting your hair air dry, I guarantee it will feel softer (+1) and look shinier  (+1) instantly. All the more dramatic with heat tools. My reason for buying this for the first time was mainly the feathery parts of my hair that were getting fried from all the abuse I put them through, and Frizz Ease was truly a savior. After a few weeks of occasional use, I was able to straighten my hair to sleek perfection like before. Speaking of, you will definitely notice the difference most when you straighten your hair–just so, so super sleek.

Bottom line? BUY IT. My total here is +5 in pros as well as a personal +1 of gratitude for rescuing my dead hair, so +6 overall. I doubt many will be beating that on this blog.

Cheap Find: Suave Professionals Anti-Frizz Cream

I know, I know. Suave? Really? But really.

Suave Sleek Anti-Frizz Cream, $2.97

I met this little guy when I received a coupon in the mail to try it for free, so I thought: meh, why not? Less than 3 dollars may not be much to save (but +2 on that price!), but you can’t say I would have ever picked this up were it not for the coupon–so congrats, Suave marketing, on doing it right!

Anyway, without any expectations whatsoever, this pretty much blew me away. I have tried lots, lots, LOTS of leave-in conditioners from all walks of life, and we all know most are more or less crap. This is not crap. This is $3 of light frizz-control and shine and a tiny bit of fragrance (I cannot stand the overwhelming majority of conditioner scents) without any stickiness or heaviness or wetness. More precisely, I find myself adding a drop or two when my wavy hair is either (1) about 90% dry and in that “Shall I frizz today?” phase, or (2) styled/blow-dried and needs to be set and shine-proofed. Mostly, for that extra inch of perfection.

Hence, my rating would be +2 for cost, +1 for lightness, +1 for shine, and +1 for frizz control, for a grand total of +5 for its use as a finisher (not as a stand-alone conditioner or styler or mask or anything else).

Bottom line: this is not some miracle product or expensive organic oil, but I would say that it’s worth a try and better than any drugstore “leave-in” type cream I’ve come across (sprays are another story). I keep buying it because it lasts half a year and has yet to fail me.