I've been hinting over the last few posts that there would be an exciting one coming up, so here it is!
I'm what you call a Birchblogger, which means that I am a blogger for Birchbox, an awesome beauty and lifestyle subscription box company. I'm a huge fan of Birchbox because it's only $10/month with free shipping and they send you 4-5 "deluxe" samples of beauty or lifestyle products. Not only do they send you great samples (tailored to you by a survey on their website) but the boxes are pretty much always worth more than that, I've had some worth over $40! Occasionally you get a full sized product, and you also get "Birchbox Points" whenever you review a product in your box or buy something from their website. Collect enough points and you can put them towards a purchase on their site. All in all it's a great deal, so if you're interested in signing up you can click my referral link below. PS: They also have a men's box, which has a lot less beauty products in it ;)
Back to business. So recently, Beauty Protector (Birchbox's best selling brand) created a new product. This product has yet to be released and was sent to just 10 Birchbloggers to try out and review on their blogs. Guess who was one of the 10? ;) This girl! Words can't express the excitement I felt on reading that email, and I'm happy to announce that the new product is:
The Beauty Protector Argon Oil hair serum!*
Now fortunately, I live in an apartment of women who all have different hair textures, which makes testing out a hair product wonderful because you have the opinion of several different women with different hair types. Roommate 1: Long, dyed a good number of times, thick, dark, Eurasian hair with a slight curl when left to dry naturally. Roommate 2: Long, dyed only twice, thick, blonde, Caucasian hair with a very curly (in places even ringlets) texture. Me: medium thickness, colored blonde Caucasian hair, mid length and with a very slight wave.
But first, lets talk aesthetics. I love the packaging. It comes in a beautiful 4 oz matte black bottle with gold writing... so gorgeous. It arrived as is, with just a clear cap and no box, and has all the ingredients listed on the back:
Unlike a lot of other hair oils I've seen on the market, this one has a pump, so it's pretty easy to get the small amount you need. It also smells amazing, very sweet and vanilla-ish (new word alert ;) and the texture is like a gel and oil mixed together.
In terms of ingredients, one thing to possibly be aware of is that it does have silicone in it, which can weigh down fine hair or thicker hair types if it's used in excess. However, I didn't have this issue and neither did my roommates-I just thought it should be said.
The product promises to "[keep] hair healthy, shiny and happy. Beauty Protector Oil will guard against UV rays and heat, while it's smoothing and strengthening qualities work tirelessly".
Reality: Well, it's pretty much impossible to verify the first two claims if you haven't used the oil for a good long while, which for the sake of a deadline I couldn't. Its promise to protect against UV rays and heat does make it unique though. As for smoothing and strengthening, we all felt that it made our hair softer and cut down (though only marginally) on frizz. My hair tends to get weighed down by product pretty easily so I only used one pump and had no issues. #1 used a pump and a half and said the same.
Final thoughts: While #2 and I both liked it, we didn't think it was a miracle worker. #1 absolutely loved it, saying that it made her hair really soft and she loved the smell. She and I both thought that our hair would see more evident results given continual usage. Update: Now that I've used it several more times, I've definitely noted a marked difference in my hair when I don't use the serum.
I promised an update on the price and here it is: You can buy it here for $21.95 and free shipping :)
So, pros:
Smells delicious
Gorgeous and practical packaging
Cuts down on frizz
Leaves hair soft
Adds a little bit of shine
Cuts out the added step of a heat protectant
Protects against UV rays
Will last a long time due to the small amount needed
Cons:
No big results-you will most likely have to wait and use it several times before you see a more noticeable difference
Contains two different types of silicone which could weigh hair down if too much is used
Overall Grade: B. While I won't be shouting from the rooftops about it anytime soon, I would recommend this product to a friend.
I hope you've enjoyed this review, and if you want to learn more or give an awesome beauty and lifestyle subscription service a try, click here.
Disclaimer: By clicking on the links above I will benefit via Birchbox points.While this product was sent to me to review, this is my real and honest opinion.
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