I recently joined BzzAgent.com and was sent a sample of Garnier Fructis's new Hydra Recharge shampoo, conditioner, and hydrating treatment.
I have dry, curly hair. My life got a whole bunch easier when I stopped fighting the curls, put down the flat iron, and learned to embrace my natural look. I'm very low maintenance with my hair, preferring to mash in a few curl-enhancing products after a shower, scrunch a bit, and let it air dry. If I'm going to a formal event, like a wedding, I'll splurge on a blow-out; it always looks WAY better than anything I could manage.
I work out almost every day, and I pull my hair back in a ponytail and use a headband to keep it out of my face. Basically, I pull, pinch, and punish my hair daily. I do not shampoo every day, though - usually once a week or so - because that will send my hair directly to frizzville. However, I do shower and condition daily, but frizz and dryness are still my mortal enemies. I was excited to try this new line of products that claims to hydrate even the driest strands! All products contain goji berries, kiwi, and passion fruit - ooh la la!
The shampoo is clear with bursting blue beads. It seemed to do the job just fine - foamed a bit and rinsed clean. The hydrating treatment is to be slathered on your hair for 1 minute, then rinsed. This seemed odd to me, as I usually apply conditioner and let it soak in for over a minute while I do my other showerly duties. So what's the difference between the hydrating treatment and just letting plain ol' conditioner sit on your scalp for a while? I'm still kinda unclear on that.
Anyway, the hydrating treatment and conditioner, both of which are moderately thick and light blue, did a great job of softening my locks, and they rinsed off much more cleanly than some of my more expensive conditioners. No residue, so nothing to weigh down my hair! The conditioners detangled and left my hair feeling smooth and silky.
However, when my hair finished air drying, it was pretty frizzy, and the curls were not defined. I needed further product to make me look polished. Alas!
Another minor issue for me is the smell. I've always been particularly sensitive to fragrances, and Garnier uses a fairly strong, fruity, sweet fragrance that I'm not incredibly fond of, kind of like sour green apples. I also color my hair (which can exacerbate dryness!), and the shampoo does contain sulfates that could fade color.
If your main issue is dryness, this might be a great product for you, as it did hydrate nicely and felt weightless in my hair. I particularly liked how easily it rinsed clean. However, if you have curly hair and frizz issues, you may need to look into Garnier's other lines, like Sleek and Shine.
In the end, I decided to return to my usual hair care regimin, but I think I'll keep the Hydrating Treatment in the shower in case I need an extra moisture boost!
While it's not the perfect product for me, I still enjoyed trying the Hydra Recharge and would give it a 6 on the Awesome Meter. One big plus: it's extremely affordable, even for the luxurious Hydrating Treatment. Find it at your local drugstore, Target, or on Amazon.com.
Views expressed here are my own, but I was provided with the products free of charge.
