GIOVANNI Frizz Be Gone Hair Serum Review

This is a review of Giovanni Frizz Be Gone super smoothing anti-frizz hair serum with Eco Chic Technology.

By now you all may be aware of my love for hair care products and how I always keep looking for better products with less chemicals. The same search this time led me to the organic hair care brand Giovanni, which claims 100% Vegetarian ingredients and no harmful chemicals.

I bought this hair serum from an online store where the description said "A super smoothing anti-frizz serum. This liquid style creates the perfect sealant: control frizz, add shine, infuse with conditioners and lock in hair color. Perfect for all hair types, especially dry and colored hair."

Giovanni Frizz Be Gone hair serum comes in a transparent plastic bottle with a lockable pump. Just twist the beak of the pump a little to the left and it locks, but the lock is not tight enough for spill-proof traveling.

 Package Description and Ingredients:  

Click on the pic to see enlarged view

Directions: Rub a few silky drops onto palm of hands and evenly distribute

through wet or dry hair. May be used with blow dryer for straightening.

Eco Chic TechnologyTM: The elements of earth, wind, fire and water represent a unique combination of certified organic botanicals and incredible style. 

100% Vegetarian Ingredients

No Animal Testing

No Pthalates/dyes/sulphates/parabens/PEGs

Consistency: thick and sticky transparent gel, just like glycerin

Fragrance: Jasmine (Not overpowering, but I don’t like it)

Quantity: 81 ml / 2.75 fl oz

Price: INR 495 / USD 9 (??)

Shelf Life: 36 months

I was super excited to try a chemical free product that claimed to give super smooth hair. With very high hopes, I started using Giovanni Frizz be Gone hair Serum in Aug 2012. Aug and Sept are high humidity months in North India, when hair become really frizzy and fluff up in volume. So it was the best time to test this hair serum. 

I used it religiously for 2 months and finally gave up. It fell flat in the face of all its tall claims. 

1. I don't cut my hair at all, so lower ends need a hair serum for smooth combing. It could not tame my frizzy hair. Even after applying this serum, hair remained quite  fluffy and difficult to comb.
2. The directions tell you to evenly distribute through hair, but its consistency is such, even distribution is just not possible. This is one product I just could not figure out the perfect way to get proper application. The serum settles at different places in the hair length. You can see patches where there is serum and dry hair in other places. Even if you run a wet comb to spread it, it does not spread. 
3. You need to literally 'wipe' your hands hard on your hair for the serum to transfer to frizzy hair and spread properly. A lot of product still remains on the palms causing wastage.
4. Contains dimethicone (silicon oil). Instead of getting absorbed into the hair and providing any nutrition, Dimethicone actually forms a plastic-like coating on the hair. So if you already have dry, undernourished hair, it will actually prevent your hair from absorbing any natural moisture from the air, thus worsening your hair condition gradually.
5. The only thing this is good at is hair styling. But that too once or twice after hair wash. Within three usages after hair wash, hair start looking dirty with thick strands of hair sticking together.You look like you haven't washed hair for 10 days!
6. It smooths hair to a small extent but the effect does not even last 24 hours. Each hair strand looks separate yet very thick, hardened and heavy.
7. The package says 'may be used with blow dryer for straightening, but I feel that would make your hair look like you have applied diluted gum or have starched your hair.
8. This serum gives absolutely no shine to the hair. Forget nourishment, all my hair ends look white, starched, dry and wavy like nylon fibers. My hair have become so undernourished that I am shocked to see countless hair strands with 5-6 splits in each hair. Even chemical-based L'Oreal hair serums did not damage my hair like this one did. 
9. I have no idea what their trademarked Eco Chic Technology means.The definition just went over my head.
10. It claims to be America's #1 organic hair care brand. But it is ridiculously high priced in the name of an organic brand. Even if it be priced at 1/5th the current price, I will never repurchase it. I had even bought a hair spray from Giovanni, which also I regret buying within one use, because it burns into my scalp. 

My personal experience with this one has not been good. I am sure other hair serums contain dimethicone too, but this one just did not give me any positive results.

I have not tried this on wet hair yet, as I use Vidal Sassoon Color Care hairtreatment on wet hair. But I will try this on wet hair and update the review, if I see any better results on wet hair. If you have very healthy thick hair, this may work for you, but I still won't recommend it because it is just not worth the price you would be paying for.

L’Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Serum Review

This is a review for the L’Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Instant Smoothing Serum for unmanageable, dry hair.

Product	Unisexual Hair Smoothing Serum – NOT a Professional Hair Care Range
Quantity	100ml
Price	MRP Rs 240. Available for Rs 216 at both goodlife.com and medplusbeauty.com.
Shelf Life	36 months/3 yrs from Pkd. Date
Packaging	Comes in a golden plastic bottle with a flip open brown cap.
Fragrance	Smells nice but a little strong. Perfumed, different from the Liss Ultime Serum.
Consistency	Thicker than than the Liss Ultime Serum. This is a transparent serum very silky in touch.
Speciality	Leave-in serum, instantly transforms unruly hair to smooth manageable hair. The effect lasts up to 48 hrs.
Brand Claims	*The texture and shine of your hair is instantly renewed. * Immediately your hair feels smooth, silky and manageable. * Test conducted in laboratory after application of shampoo, conditioner and serum vs ordinary shampoo.

Oiled, gelled or dry frizzy flying hair are out and beautiful natural hair are in - thanks to hair serums. You have a different serum available for different hair needs and just need to find the right one for you. 

I had been a using the L’Oreal Paris Liss Ultime shine perfecting hair serum (reviewed here) for 2+ years, when I saw this serum on goodlife.com. I didn’t realize that the one I was using was from a professional range and thought that this one was just another variation. The price was quite less than the Liss Ultime serum and this also claimed to manage unruly hair and add shine. So I thought of giving this a try.

From my experience, I would like to reiterate here that the results of a product depend entirely on how you use it. Many times a good product may not give you good results just because you didn’t use it the way it was supposed to be used, and that makes all the difference. Use a very small quantity of this serum and you will get good results. See what happened in my case.

On first time use, I liked the scent and my hair did smooth down instantly. But later hair looked weighed down. Forget 48 hours, I had dry hardened hair the next day. So I reapplied the serum and hair looked more weighed down. (I was actually using the same quantity as I use for liss ultime and this one is thicker and 'less is more'.) Ultimately I washed my hair and decided I didn’t like it. I gave it one more shot and applied to washed hair and same bad results. 

To add to it, the bottle slipped from my hands and its neck broke, wasting a considerable amount of serum. I had to take out serum from the broken large opening, which poured out large quantity on my palm. I couldn't pour it back in, so instead of wasting, kept applying whatever amount it delivered. Applying more serum made my hair sticky, weighed down and dry and I kept wondering how could a renowned brand make such a bad product.

It kept lying in a cupboard shelf for months, till I gave it another try recently when my regular liss ultime bottle emptied. This time I got the desired results. I have very long, color treated hair, that tangle and become frizzy easily. I am using a very small quantity of this serum, and I do get smooth, managed hair for 48 hrs. Each hair strand is separate, healthy and untangled and it adds volume to my hair.

I have finally been able to get the proper quantity out by transferring this serum from the broken bottle to the empty Liss Ultime pump bottle.

THE PLUSES:

1. Since it is thick in consistency, you need a very very small quantity to make your hair smooth.
2. The effect lasts up to 48 hrs, which means you need to apply only on alternate days. So great long lasting effect and less maintenance.
3. Dry, hard, frizzy hair become manageable in a few seconds by using just a few drops of this serum.
4. If you have very long hair and braid them, it is a great daily use hair serum, instead of hair oil or not applying anything at all. This serum contains argan oil.
5. Hair feels very soft, healthy and voluminous for two days.
6. This serum is very silky in touch (doesn't make hair silky though) and keeps hair strands untangled.
7. It's a great styling serum as you can easily style your hair in any way after applying this. It does tame all flying frizzy hair strands.
8. Good value for money. One bottle is enough for the entire family for many months use.

THE MINUSES

1. Your palms become silky and slippery after applying this serum, and rest the picture says it all. Very bad quality breakable bottle. The broken bottle neck stuck inside the cap and the lid never closed after that.
2. The bottle is not transparent so you have no idea of the quantity.
3. There is a small opening under the flip cap but even careful pouring takes out more quantity than you may actually want. It would make a great product in a different, more user-friendly packing.
4. This is not safe to carry during travelling due to poor packing unless you shift it to another container.
5. Though pleasant, the scent is a little strong for my nose. It's more of personal choice. Some people may like that.
6. While it does make my hair very soft and comb-able, it stands nowhere close to the professional Liss Ultime Serum.
7. The brand’s claim of shine is completely exaggerated. This just gives a slight shine to your hair. Makes them look naturally beautiful though.

Directions for Use (As given on bottle):

• Apply onto washed and dried or dry hair.
• To open, flip open the cap.
• Pour several drops of serum into the palm of your hand. (for longer hair more serum may be required)
• Rub hands together and distribute evenly along the length of the hair. DO NOT rinse out.

Or refer to detailed instructions in the Liss Ultime Serum Review here.

Do I recommend? Only to people with very long and coarse hair, or for shared use. It will be good value for money for them. 

If you want to keep your hair loose and straight, or you have straightened /rebonded /color treated hair, add a few more bucks and go for the professional Liss Ultime Serum that gives both intense shine and smoothness. 

The quantity is way too much for people with short hair, so you can share with friends and family, making it more economical. Since you don't touch the serum inside the bottle, sharing won't be a hygiene issue.

Will I buy again? I had a lot of it left even after the spillage, which I shifted to the empty liss ultime serum bottle. But that bottle too developed a crack in the base and I lost even the remaining serum. I have not bought it again for serious packing issues and also, my color treated hair need less oily serum. For people with natural/untreated virgin hair, this is a good product.

AVAILABILITY:

Available at many online stores. You may also find at local stores in the market.

Have you used any hair serum? Which one and what was your experience like? Would love to know. Leave your comments and notes below.

L’Oreal Professionnel Paris Liss Ultime Reflexium Serum Review

This is a review for the L'Oreal Liss Ultime shine perfecting hair serum - conditioning, styling and shine, all in one.

UPDATE Aug 27, 2013: Please do not buy this serum as L'Oreal has changed the formula. It is now just watery and performs very poor as compared to the older formulation I have reviewed below.

Product	Unisexual Hair Serum – Professional Hair Care Range
Quantity	125ml / 4.2oz
Price	Rs 580 for 125 ml. Also available in 50ml transparent glass bottle packing (Price Unknown)
Packaging	Comes in a Purple transparent bottle with a pump mouth. The pump can be locked to avoid spillage during travelling
Fragrance	Smells really nice
Consistency	Slightly thicker than water
Speciality	Leave-in serum, adds shine to hair, manages extremely unruly hair
Brand Claims	*Contains Reflexium technology – a mixture of active shine ingredients and taming agents designed to coat the hair surface with a light protective film.  **Designed to nourish, smooth and add shine to curly, frizzy or unmanageable hair. It’s a non-greasy, lightweight formula which will promote softness and control without weighing hair down. ***Featherweight conditioning leave-in serum that works on the most difficult frizz-prone hair, leaving a perfectly polished finish. Makes hair controlled, soft and shiny.

Liss = Shine, Ultime = Ultimate. Reflexium= extreme shine that reflects light. This product truly lives up to its description. While I had been using the L’Oreal Professional Hair Care range since 2005, I was introduced to this lovely product in Dec 2009 when I got my hair rebonded. It made my rebonded hair all the more silky and manageable.

I have used this continuously from Dec 2009 and finished my second big bottle in Jun 2012. I could not manage to buy it online after that, so am currently not using this serum. It kept my hair quite straight even after 2.5 years of rebonding, without any hair spa. Chemical treatment to hair does cause damage and this product is fine to be used on both chemically treated and virgin hair. 

I have color treated hair and my permanent color used to wither off very quickly, which I guess was because of the oil in this product. So I have decided to move on to something for color treated hair. But for virgin as well as rebonded hair, this is a great product, except for the extremely bad packing.

If you have dry, bad, unruly, frizzy, unmanageable hair that you can barely comb through, this IS the product for you.

THE PLUSES:

1. The pump helps in avoiding wastage. Depending on how hard you press, you can take out the required quantity. The pump can be locked to avoid accidental wastage.
2. The transparent packaging helps see how much quantity is left.
3. The fragrance is pleasant and does not bother even the sensitive nose.
4. This product is watery, light and non-greasy. Does not make your hair heavy. You don’t even feel you have applied it except for beautiful hair everyday.
5. Just a small quantity is enough even for very long hair, though it depends on hair length. I have very long hair and have used only 2 bottles in the last 2.5 yrs of daily use.
6. Instantly smooths hair like magic and gives beautiful intense shine to the hair ( the Reflexium technology).
7. It is leave-in. You just apply it and leave it on your hair, without having to wash it.
8. This is also a styling serum. You can use a small quantity on your hair daily and just style your hair as you like.
9. This prevents hair breakage by smoothing frizzy hair and helps in running the comb easily through them. Even the worst of hair tangles are untangles within a few seconds.
10. Good value for money as one bottle lasts very long.

HOW TO USE:

Use it after shampooing and conditioning, when the hair are just slightly moist or use it immediately after blow-drying. Works perfect in both the conditions and I have used it both ways.

Pump a small quality on your palm, rub both the palms together, including fingers, expand your fingers like a claw, and run down your hands through the length of your hair a few times, one by one, till all the serum is gone into the hair length. Do not apply to hair roots. This is not hair oil.

If your hair are damaged at the ends and badly tangled, pour another pump on your palm and apply again to the tangles to untie them. Comb and style as usual. You can feel the silkiness on your palms later. The fragrance stays on the hair for some time and makes you feel good.

If you have oily scalp, apply only to the middle and lower length of your tresses.

For daily use, pump on wet palms to make it more watery and apply as described above. If you apply to unwashed hair without slightly wetting your palms, you will end up using a lot of serum, and your hair may look weighed down or heavy.

THE MINUSES:

While most people feel it is a costly product, I think it is value for money for the salon perfect hair you get at home, and also because one bottle lasts really long. So I won’t say price is a minus. If you have short hair, go for the smaller bottle. The best before date I think is 3 yrs from mfg, though it is wiped out on my bottle now.

My only complaint is with the packing. The pump stops working after some time. For my second bottle, it was broken right from the beginning and later stopped working altogether. I discovered later. Just check the pump before buying. The second bottle also cracked after a few falls. The crack was so small, I couldn't discover the leakage till the whole storage shelf became greasy. If the pump stops working or breaks, you will need to open the cap every time which delivers more serum than you may need.

Availability:

This is a salon product and is supposed to be used by L’Oreal certified professionals only in their salons. But many local shops, beauty parlours and hair salons sell this and the other variations of this serum. There are many other variations depending on your different hair needs. This one is to soften unruly hair and boost hair shine.

At salons you can even negotiate with them to give you the dealer price which is Rs25-40 off on MRP. Available online on Slassy.com, Purplle.com, Iwasugly.com and a few more online stores.

Update on Feb 24, 2013: I recently bought from a local established outlet and was horrified to find that the serum was mixed with water. I have returned it and got my money back. I recommend buying online only as even most reputed salons refill their empty bottles with duplicate cheap serum and sell to customers.

Indulge yourself and add shine to your hair and personality!