Hair oils are a dime a dozen, but many are laden with silicones and other quick-fix ingredients that weigh your hair down over time — the pretty sheen they first create giving way to a gunky layer of grime that only powerful shampoos can eliminate. Yet recently a new breed of hair oils has debuted, leaning on purely fruit and plant oils for smoothing. And according to Ulta shoppers, one Black-owned brand's hair oil is so good, it's even better than a keratin treatment.
That's great news on a few fronts, especially because venturing to a salon for a fume-heavy treatment doesn't feel like the best idea in the midst of an respiratory pandemic (especially because hairstylists tell InStyle that treatments like the Brazilian Blowout can mean exposure to formaldehyde, which is a health risk). Instead, shoppers say Flora & Curl's African Citrus Bloom Superfruit Hair Oil delivers all the benefits of a treatment from the comfort of your own home.
The brand counts five uses for the product, among them its ability to seal in moisture, make hair silky, protect it from heat damage, enhance growth, and balance dry and itchy winter skin (which comes to $6 per scenario). People of all textures love it, thanks to the blend of 10 antioxidant-rich oils keeping their hair gleaming and frizz-free. Those who wear their hair straight write that even in the face of daily heat-styling and dull, fried ends, the oil gives them the flowing mane that their heart desires.
"My hair just soaked it up, leaving me a shine and smoothness I can't remember since getting a Brazilian Blowout or other keratin smoothing treatments," one shopper writes. Best of all, the effect doesn't disappear within an hour or two — according to the reviewer, it lasts for days.
Shop now: $30; ulta.com
A drop is enough to add incredible gloss, along with softness and moisture. It's just as good for curls, non-greasy and able to penetrate even low-porosity hair to lock in moisture. Multiple shoppers mention how adept it is for their SOTC step ("scrunching out the crunch" of gels with a hydrating oil), leaving ringlets and coils lush and almost unbelievably soft.
"I cocktail so many products in an effort to achieve the look I want, and no one product [has] ever made as much of a difference," one shopper adds, seconding another that it's the best hair oil they've ever used. "I have a virtual beauty supply [store] for a bathroom, yet I can honestly say this is a standout."
Others write that it's blissful as a scalp massage, which the brand says allows the vitamin C-rich formula to promote hair growth while soothing dry and itchy winter skin. Some say it's even better than straight castor oil for the purpose because it smells heavenly, but still considerably strengthens and cuts down hair shedding (castor oil is one of the 10 oils).
Others agree with the brand on how well it works as a pre-shower treatment, hair left smelling delicious even after showering. Using the abilities of flora, for great curls? The brand name checks out. Someone compares the oil's results to walking in Seville surrounded by the smell of fresh oranges, hair glistening and visibly more conditioned — and that's a fantasy we want in on.
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