Kérastase review
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase.
I might know my makeup (oh, she does~wht), but honestly, hair products sometimes completely overwhelm me. I don’t really know what ingredients do what or what function I need from a shampoo and conditioner that will be best for my hair. Kérastase to the rescue! Now, the names of their products might baffle you. They sure confuse me…and I speak fluent French! But I do understand color-coding. Know that and you can easily maneuver around the 4 main lines; Nutritive (orange) for varying levels of dry hair, Reflection (purple) for color treated, Resistance (green) has fortifying treatments for weak hair and Soleil (red) is for sun lovers. Et voila, Kérastase!
The lucky wht testers got to try a myriad of products from this amazing line…
I received, and am personally really loving, the Nectar Thermique, a leave-in, nourishing thermal protectant for dry hair. That’s fancy talk for a product to use directly before heat styling. Work a thin coat into your hair from ends to roots, blow dry with a round brush and then flat-iron for a healthy, soft-to-the-touch mane. Best part is, no build up (though girls with thinner or finer hair, I’d probably be wary of getting it too close to the roots). It also smells wonderful!
The Bain Oléo-Relax is a gentle, smoothing shampoo for “dry, rebellious hair.” Also good for girls with hair like mine. I only wash my hair 2 to 3 times a week but I still like to use milder shampoos to ease the dryness often induced by detergent-heavy shampoos. So clarifying, yet gentle shampoos such as this often really fit my bill.
Ok, I’m only 23 but I’m going grey. Steadily, not slowly. (Bad genes, totally my mother’s fault.) So, I dye my hair my natural color. I also like to spend time outdoors, and the easiest way to protect your color (whether it was $8 or $80) is to use a UV protectant spray like the Micro-Voile Protecteur.
Want something that works while you don’t? Voile Nuit is a overnight treatment for fine hair. It adds softness and shine, plus gets your hair ready for the day by providing anti-breakage protection.
We also got to try Sérum Oléo Relax, another leave-in for dry hair that concentrates more on smoothing, adding shine and frizz control. And Bain Satin, a shampoo for dry, sensitized (read: fried) hair. Very gentle yet nourishing.
Review team and readers: let us know about your new (or old) favorite Kérastase product!
Cosmetics connoisseur, France fanatic, great gal; this post was brought to you by wht member and friend, Katie.
I’ve known about Kerastase for years and have heard all of the hype, but over $30 just for a smallish bottle of shampoo really stopped me in my tracks. I mean, you rinse it out and it goes down the drain, so how can I justify that? Uh, pretty easily now that I’ve tried it. I got the Nutritive Bain Satin 1 shampoo to test “for Normal to slightly Sensitised Hair”. I have to say that I usually judge a company by its conditioner and not so much its shampoo because again, it’s meant to rinse out completely and clean hair is clean hair, but conditioning is where the real action is. How wrong I’ve been. I’ve been using the Kerastase shampoo for a few weeks now and my hair is growing ridiculously fast now (2 inches in only a few weeks—my bff actually noticed and thought I had put in extensions because it was so sudden). It even feels thicker and stronger and my scalp doesn’t get oily anymore. My nails are even growing ridiculously fast and stronger than ever and I think it’s because of this shampoo. It’s kinda bizarre. Also, like Katie, I have naturally dark hair and have been going prematurely grey since I was 14, so now, at 31, I have to regularly dye my hair. I really couldn’t believe how much longer my color lasted with this and how healthy it looked. I’m officially a convert. When my bottle runs out, I’m heading to Target to pick up some more (it’s with the other high-end hair care). I’m SO in love with this shampoo. 5 stars!!!
I could not heart Kérastase more! I’m a total hair product snob. I’m not particularly proud of it. But once I upgraded from drugstore brands to high-end items, I just couldn’t go back. Especially since I have dyed and highlighted my hair for the last 100 years. I swear, I see and feel a difference immediately whenever I have tried to go back.
Without a doubt, Kérastase is one the best lines I have ever used, possibly even THE best. It’s pricey, but it also gives instant results. Instant. You can feel it as you are washing and conditioning your hair, you notice it when you comb it while it’s wet. And if you use one of their styling products, you see it staring back at you in the mirror. They make my overworked hair feel and look like spun silk.
I got to try the Bain Oléo-Relax, because dry and rebellious describes my hair to a tee. It’s so gentle. I never feel like I’m stripping my hair of anything. But it really cleans well and smells really great, very fresh.
I’ve also used the Sérum Oléo Relax for years as well, which is my absolute favorite leave-in. For all you silicone hair product lovers (you know, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, all the cones!) this is the best one on the market. A teeny, tiny bit works through your whole head and makes your hair so shiny and soft.
Et voila, Kérastase indeed! (I don’t know what that means, but I’m assuming it’s good.) 5 bright, shiny stars.
.-= stef´s last blog ..Weekly Love List – Linda & Harriett =-.
@stef, was that SÉRUM OLÉO-RELAX they used on my hair Saturday? I was just wondering! Whatever it was totally reduced any frizz added smoothness, and extra shine. It really looked silky and smooth. I know you’ll remember!!! :)
Nope, they used Ciment Thermique and their new Elixr serum (which is the BUSINESS!)
I received Kerastase Voile Nuit, which is an overnight revitalizing treatment for dull, tired-looking hair.
First I’ve got to say that I’ve been wanting to try Kerastase products for years, but they’ve always been a bit out of my price range. So when I received this product to test, I literally said, “Yay! Finally!”
After reading the directions for Voile Nuit, I realized that this was the equivalent to a night cream for your face. If you’re like me, night creams are something I have to remember to use, so I did have to keep reminding myself to use this product. The directions say to apply it to the middle section and ends of your hair, avoiding your roots. It comes in a spray bottle, making it easy to spritz this onto your hair right before you go to bed. The only issue I had with this is that you’re supposed to apply it to clean hair (wet hair is ok too) but rarely is my hair clean before I go to bed. I am a morning shower person, not an evening shower person. So for me, a product like this doesn’t easily fit into my lifestyle, but for Kerastase, I MADE it fit! I either didn’t use hair products on the days when I used this, or I washed my hair at night.
I applied this as directed for 5 nights in a row to clean or damp hair and went to bed as usual. I’ve got to say that the fragrance in this product is strong, but it dissipates quickly. Also, once the product dries, you cannot even tell that you have it in your hair. It’s not greasy, oily, stiff, or crunchy at all. Love that!
So the first night I applied it, I awoke to hair that was slightly softer than usual, and it seemed to have a bit more body. Even after I shampooed and conditioner my hair the following morning, I could feel a slight change in the texture and “life” of my hair. This obviously made me what to keep on using it!
Four days and night later, I am delighted to say that my usual dull, dry ends have more life to them! My hair just generally feels softer, it has more “bounce” and it’s easier to work with.
I am giving this product 4 stars. I am loving the effect it has on my hair, but I’m taking away one star simply because it doesn’t fit easily into my lifestyle. That’s the only reason I might not purchase it in the future. But if you’re a shower-at-night kind of girl, and your hair needs some revitalizing, I definitely think you should give this product a try.
I tried the Micro-Voile Protecteur which is a fancy way of saying UV protection for your hair. This couldn’t have come at a better time. I spent so many days outside at the pool this summer and my hair was taking a beating from it. I love this spray because not only does it protect your locks from the damaging sun rays, but it also gives you anti-frizz and anti-humidity protection…two of my biggest hair issues. I use this on a daily basis right after I style my hair. It helps smooth down strays and give your hair a healthy glow while protecting it from further damage at the same time. It has a very light oily feel to it, but doesn’t weigh your hair down one bit…just adds shine! LOVE this spray and will definitely be buying it again.
I once splurged on the entire line of Kérastase sun-protection products for a vacation. They practically cost more than the trip itself! But my hair thanked me for it!
Wow Stef, really best ever? I’m in limbo right now with shampoo and conditioner. My hair is very healthy but I do low and high light it. I tried to go back to drugstore brands thinking my healthy hair didn’t need high end high dollar products anymore. I’ve come to find that’s not true. I heart Fredrick Fekkai with a passion but I find his products are to heavy for me in the summer. I’ve tried some others but didn’t get the bang for the buck I was hoping for. You girls have convinced me I must get to Target and purchase a shampoo and conditioner.
I tested the Serum Oleo Relax (orange bottle for dry hair)…love the color coding!! This was my first experience with Kerastase and I’m VERY impressed. I was the perfect person to test this product as I have thick and frizzy hair, which I blow dry without a round brush (God forbid!) and then flat iron – and I have at last count 8 bottles of the exact same type of product under my bathroom sink (a smoothing fluid applied after towel drying hair). Well, I’ve reached for this one every day for the last few weeks – and it’s not only because I knew I’d be writing a review for it – it’s GOOD!! What makes it better than the plethora of other products under the sink is that it doesn’t build up and end up removing body from the hair. My hair has been soft and silky and shiny and bouncy and frizz-free and full of body – all those things you get when you leave your stylist’s chair! It has a very light smell – not overpowering so it competes with your perfume – just a light pretty scent that you can detect when you pump it in your hand and then get your nose in your hair. It makes the brush just slide through the hair, too. I can’t imagine how good my hair would look if I actually properly round-brush dried it. I mean I do everything wrong and my hair is still turning out nicely! I’ve used it by applying it only after towel-drying before blow drying and ironing, other times after towel-drying and also again before ironing, and finally just before flat ironing. It works well in any of those situations. Even when applying twice – it didn’t build up too much – that’s impressive. This is a 5 star product for sure!
Susan- yes, really. Best ever. And just as a measuring point, I really heart Fekkai too. That would be one of my top 3 as well.
I can’t believe they sell this at Target. My god, what does Target not sell?
I’ve heard great things about Kerastase. This is such a great review. Thank you for breaking it down for me. Hair products overwhelm me also. All these products sound great. Do you know what stores I can purchase Kerastase?? I really want to try it now. Oh & can the Nectar Thermique also be used on dry hair or is it only to be used when hair is damp?? I was thinking of using it on dry hair before curling it. Thanks!
Why on earth are you gals buying Kerastase at Target how can you be sure they are good fresh products!
Hi Susanne,
I know a lot of people don’t trust high-end products sold at big retailers. Not fresh, watered down, fell off the back of a truck, etc. For me personally, not living close to any beauty shops (no Sephora, let alone a Blue Mercury) I guess it’s a matter of convenience. If I can save a shipping fee, great.
That being said, Kerastase is owned by L’Oreal, so it’s not really such a stretch to see it there. Who own, like half the brands out there, right?
It does feel a bit weird to pick up a $30 shampoo at Target, then grab generic tissues!
Sometimes I wonder whether the “excellent” comments forwarded here are by promoters of the Company. I bought the Slim Smoothing Shampoo and Masque for my frizzy hair. It made absolutely no difference. No reduction in volume. No added brilliance….. Big disappointment.
Definitely not–us reviewers are regular girls! And trust me, I’d tell you if I didn’t like something!
I wrote this post 2 years ago–and I still am using the Nectar Thermique—several bottles later. I notice a huge difference in the frizz level and shine when I do and don’t use this leave-in.
Have faith in your WHT sisters!
Chiming in with @Kate2004rock to say all the comments on wht are from real women without any corporate connections. One reason we have a review team of ladies of all sorts is because we know not all products work for everyone. Some products may work great for me, but not for others.
So sorry the Kerastase products were not a good match for you – I do understand the disappointment when a praised product doesn’t deliver the results I expected. Good luck on your quest for the perfect hair tamer!