Having curly hair is the bane of my life. Yes, I’m lucky to have natural curls, as so many people seem to tell me. However, other than the messy, beach hair look, it is nigh on impossible to make curls look effortless and frizz free. I have to admit it, I am envious of those girls with straight or slight wavy hair who swish past me daily, badgering me with their perfect neatness. And when I had more time pre children, I attempted that rigorous routine of waking early and straightening my hair to within an inch of its life. Alas to no avail.
At my age, and with two children to chase after and no time to attempt a curl free “do”, I have learnt to make the most of what I have, and embrace it. So, curls here I come.
I have been constantly hunting for that Eureka bottle of love that promises to make those bad curly hair days a thing of the past, and have tried all the mousses, creams, sprays and waxes one can find that will allow me to embrace my curls. I finally came across an amazing product recommended by a makeup artist working on a shoot in Barcelona, that worked like magic. And, one that comes from a very surprising source.
Balmain, the haute couture fashion brand, has been named as the brand of the moment since Olivier Rousteing became its new creative director in 2011. With cult followers such as the Kardashians, Beyoncé , Rihanna plus many more, Balmain is normally known for its high fashion, not its hair products.
Now, slowly becoming famous in the hair and beauty world of makeup artists and hairdressers, Balmain has launched its own brand of hair pieces and products. Unfortunately, as I discovered from the make up artist on the shoot in Barcelona, these products are not sold to the general public in single quantities. Only salons, and those who wish to buy in bulk, can order directly from Balmain.
Having found my Eureka in a bottle in the Balmain Leave in Conditioning Spray, I was not perturbed in the slightest by this news. Scouring online like a woman on a life changing mission, I managed to find a few websites that sell the curl loving spray.
What’s so fabulous about this product it doesn’t leave my hair feeling well oiled or over conditioned, as curly hair is generally very porous and can absorb a lot of product. This spray leaves my hair feeling soft to the touch, not greasy looking, and I can it apply time and time again to scrunch my curls without it looking wet.
Curly hair can be fine, which means it can look limp if the curls don’t get scrunched. So, with this product, I still shampoo and condition my hair as normal. I then add the Conditioning Spray to help style and texturise my curls. I apply it to the root of my hair and then scrunch. I tend to tip my head upside down and scrunch from this position from the root of the hair. This technique adds volume to the hair and helps separate the curls, increasing curl volume.
Once I have used the Spray, I continue to scrunch the curls.
I have found this product to be consistently good and it works in all weather conditions. Hot weather, cold weather and in hard water, the results are always good. Plus, it is not exclusively for the use of curly hair. Oh no…the conditioning spray works on all hair types. Anyone, from limp, straight hair to Afro locks- this too could be your new love.
Why Balmain and other well known couture brands haven’t opened their doors to fellow curly haired people such as myself before, allowing us to feel a little closer to the haute couture experience, whilst owning a piece of that couture hair pie, I do not know. I hope this will change… making life for fellow frizz heads such as myself fun, for now we are finally able to walk around with our heads held high full of Balmain fabulousness, embracing our curls every step of the way to soft play!
Find Balmain Leave in Conditioning Spray here, here and here
