Over the last year I have spent an unreasonable amount of money and time comparing and contrasting popular, and up and coming brands that are sold at Target. Why Target? Because some of the best haircare these days is no longer the exclusive realm of luxury salon brands.
For those who would like to catch up on my haircare review journey - here are some links:
Haircare is one of those long neglected categories that was ripe for innovation. In recent years it went from a personal hygiene product to booming beauty category.
A shampoo is gonna wash your hair whether you spend $5 or $50, so what I want is a superior user experience. It's the extras like an unbelievable texture or fragrance that I'm looking for.
I have purchased all these products with my own money. I want to make it clear that I've waited for sales. I've couponed. I've hoarded free sachets to refill travel bottles. Because shit's always nicer when it's free and I have a bone to pick with the excessive gifting in the beauty industry. It might be a elephant sized femur bone for incentivized reviews... So here I am with the kind of stupidly, indepth reviews covering all the things I would have questions about.
UPDATE: 2 months later - I've added my thoughts throughout the post.
What I look for in haircare
First and foremost is the user experience. I want the satisfaction of opening the box of a new Apple product. For haircare that comes down to
Fragrance: After a brief stint in the luxury niche fragrance industry, I've developed a nose for the expensive stuff. While I don't wear fragrance regularly, I still enjoy a scent experience via candles, body lotions, and haircare. However, I wanna experience $300 for 30 mls at $30. I am also very sensitive to some fragrances and am prone to headaches.
It's fair to say that I'm very picky. My tastes lean fresh, green, woody, white floral, and warm spice compositions from indie and niche brands. I hate cheap and I tend to not like anything that smells like a bunch of corporates were like, "this is what a women's haircare product should smell like". I was stoked when Byredo did a collab with Ouai - only it turns out it was too strong and bothered me.
But, for the sake of this review, I want to give context into what I vibe with:
★ My longest term love: Diptyque Philosykos
★ My fave popular/hyped scent: Tom Ford Soliel Blanc
★ Permanent bedside companion: MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 candle
★ Signature scent: Maison Matine Avant L'Orage + Phlur's Somebody Wood (layered together)
★ Everyday: I either go scentless, or a spritz of Caudalie The Des Vignes, and dedcool's Milk.
Formulation/Texture: Clean, juiced up formulations with ingredients at efficacy levels not marketing levels. Lush, plush, not watery hand feel that lathers just the right amount, and doesn't feel "squeaky clean" when rinsed out.
Packaging: Don't make me work to get the product out. That's all I'm asking. But some engineering with nice tight tolerances with satisfactory "clicks" can only help.
Performance is also an important factor, but I take it as a given. New technologies are always happening in the beauty industry, you can get some pretty amazing performance at affordable price points these days.
I am also very wary of CPG-conglomerate owned brands because they have a need to grow profit year over year, and a history of making decisions that hold the bottom-line over the safety of the end-consumer.
Haircare is one of those long neglected categories that was ripe for innovation. In recent years it went from a personal hygiene product to a ~beauty product~.
New and independent brands are exciting because to break through the noise they have to be offering a very unique, easily differentiable value proposition. It almost goes without saying at this point that having a celebrity endorsement/partnership/founder is no longer enough. It is very easy to for anyone to launch a beauty brand. It is very hard to launch a beauty brand that delivers high quality at affordable prices which is where I love to dive-in.
I believe when Blake Lively says it took her 7 years to launch this haircare brand. We're looking at 6 unique fragrances across 8 formulations and investment into 5 unique containers. I can only imagine the millions of dollars for a very ambitious launch.
Fragrance forward haircare:
Most haircare lines have one or two signature scents. Ouai, another fragrance-forward haircare line coming in at a higher price-point, brings five signature scents to the table which you can purchase almost all of as an eau de parfums.
Each of the Blake Brown scents are distinct, yet layer and compliment each other, but may compete with other scents you are wearing.
The part that confuses me the most is the marketing graphic they have for showcasing the top/mid/base notes, but then within the product description, there are additional notes that they highlight (which I've bolded) which are not mentioned. So whether your shop online or in-person, you might be missing the full picture.
Overall, these are all well done, nuanced fragrances that are reminiscent of fragrances that I would describe as niche-leaning designer (eg. Tom Ford), which tracks for some of the inspiration Blake had from interviews I've read (she loves Burberry's discontinued The Beat). Each fragrance tells a story and it evolves as you use it and over time.
The complexity and sophistication in each of these scents really brings to life the tagline, “Because your hair is your most memorable scent". They're not groundbreaking scents, but the team at Blake Brown really brought perfume + haircare together in this line. If gourmand leaning woody florals aren’t your thing, this might not be for you.
Scent | Top | Middle | Base | Description on bottle | Product |
Sandalwood Vanille | Bergamot Juniper Berry | Jasmine Elemi | Sandalwood Vanilla | Infused with notes of vanilla, dry ambers, vetiver, and sandalwood | Strengthening shampoo and mask |
Wild Nectar Santal | Neroli Cardamom | Lily of the valley Nectar | Cedarwood Vanilla | Infused with notes of bergamot, fig, cardamom, and sandalwood | Nourishing shampoo and mask |
Bergamot Woods | Bergamot Green mandarin | Violet Lily of the valley | Cedarwood Tonka | Infused with notes of pink peppercorn, apricot, and tonka. | Leave-in potion |
Amber Vanille | Bergamot Watermelon | Lily of the valley Coconut milk | Sandalwood Vanilla | Infused with notes of woody amber, bergamot, lily of the valley, and vanilla | Dry shampoo |
Blackcurrent Vanille | Blackcurrant bud Pink peppercorn | Peony Strawberry | Vanilla Musk | Infused with notes of blackcurrant, vanilla, pink peppercorn, and peony | Mousse |
Milky Sandalwood | Cardamom Violet Leaf | Coconut milk Cedarwood | Sandalwood Milky musks | Infused with notes of sandalwood, amber, lily of the valley, vanilla, and milky musks. | Pre-shampoo mask |
Fundamental Strengthening Shampoo/Mask Duo Feat. Sandalwood Vanille -
This one had me immediately and I had one of the most beautiful smelling showers of all time. It’s not necessarily unique, as sandalwood has been so overdone, but this fragrance is done really well. My everyday shampoo from California Naturals features dreamwood, a synthetic version of sandalwood, and comes together in a warm, woody, unisex fragrance I love. Saltair’s most popular shampoo (and also one of my least favorites of all time) also features sandalwood, but in a way that smells like a cheap discount candle.
This is one for the gourmand fragrance lovers out there. It’s as addictive, relaxing, and glamorous as wrapping yourself in an overstuffed down duvet in a five-star hotel in 2011.
I loved it so much I didn’t want to test the nourishing duo in my next shower. (And I didn’t. I had to use this one again.)
Fundamental Nourishing Shampoo/Mask Duo Feat. Wild Nectar Santal -
This smells like walking into the kind of department store with beauty counter ladies holding a fan of paper strips and a bottle ready to spritz a fresh sample for you. It’s a deeply familiar scent that I can’t pin to a single fragrance, rather what you get in a cloud of miscellaneous perfumes.
This scent didn’t pull me in like the Sandalwood Vanille scent of the strengthening duo. Nor did it make me want to bask in my shower. However, while it’s not one I would gravitate towards naturally, the way it’s been put together has grown on me as I’ve spent more time with it.
I wasn’t as overwhelmed as I thought I would be by the saccharine top notes you get when you take the lid off. Once you work it into your hair the fragrance really blossoms and deepens, pulling out some of woody and spicier notes.
UPDATE: 2 months later (for both shampoo sets) - I still enjoy using both, but it's annoying to juggle the lids. Both shampoos sit with the lids balanced on top, and not screwed on. Both hair masks, make my roots feel (slightly) greasier than other conditioners by day 2. Hair smells great 2-3 days onwards, and sometimes I think I can still smell it even after using another shampoo.
All-In-Wonder Leave-In Potion Feat. Bergamot Woods -
This is the most “perfumey” of the bunch. Out of the bottle it smells like the strip of magazine paper that you peel back to sniff a perfume and revisited after few hours. (Is that still a thing? It’s been a minute since I’ve purchased a print fashion magazine, so I might be thinking back to magazines circa 2009.) What I’m trying to get at is there’s an underlying chemically, synthetic perfume smell there, but it does go away.
It does dry down to a much more subtle scent once the top notes run down.
The texture reminds me of the Ouai leave-in conditioner, which is a creamy lotion. I find it works best when I spray it into my hands and then work it through my hair. It’s very lightweight and kept my strands silky smooth without silicones - yay! While silicones make your hair shiny and smooth, on my hair it attracts a lot of dust and dirt, I end up with more breakouts, and my hair feels pretty gross after day 2.
Dry Shampoo Feat. Amber Vanille -
At first this one reminded me a lot of my beloved, discontinued Playa haircare - A little bit powdery, a little bit beachy, warm, yet refreshing. I got a lot of the amber, sandalwood, with a hint of creamy coconut, and vanilla, the first time, but when I used it a few days later (and shook the can thoroughly before spraying), I got a lot of the watermelon top notes and lily of the valley. Once the top notes wear off, I like it a heck of a whole lot.
There are a couple reasons why I’m not a regular dry shampoo user. One, clean hair + clean pillow = clear skin. Two, I don’t like the fragrance of most dry shampoos and how it lingers like a nauseating cloud around my head when I sleep. Since this one doesn’t overwhelm my nose, I’m much more inclined to use it to refresh my hair on days when I just really don’t want to (or need to) do the whole hair wash routine.
Update: 2 Months later - I am starting to hate the fragrance. The fruitiness is really bothering me and every time I use it I like it less. It also makes my hair crunchy if you use too much of it, and it reminds me a lot more of a texturizing spray than a dry shampoo. I've never had a dry shampoo cause this kind of crunch.
Glam Mousse Feat. Blackcurrant Vanille -
Something about fruity florals puts me off, and upon first sniff, I was already anticipating a slight headache around the corner.
I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it. And that in itself is a huge compliment because I despise the smell of most styling products - it’s the only reason I splurge on Oribe hairspray.
It smells like walking into an expensive hair salon. Instead of generic department store perfume cloud, it just smells like generic cloud of high-end haircare.
In the summer I’m too lazy (and hot) to blow-dry my hair (even though it really only takes me 10 minutes with the Dyson Airwrap to dry my whole head). I didn’t get any noticeable oomph or volume in my hair right-away, as after I dry my hair I get super volume anyways (to the point I’d rather dry my hair before bed and sleep on it). But it did help extend the life and hold of the waves for the next couple days. This mousse gave me so much lift to my bangs I almost deluded myself into thinking I didn’t need a trim after all! (My hair went back to stabbing my eyeballs after the next wash).
Rich Reset Pre-Shampoo Mask Feat. Milky Sandalwood -
Smells like the candle version of Le Labo Santal 33.
It feels like too much work to get in the shower, wash my hair, put on the hair mask (and clothes), and get back into the shower later. I’ve tried products like this and while I liked the results, I didn’t love it enough to do it a second time. (Say hello to the Olaplex No. 3 I used one time). However, I do like this scent quite a lot so it might be enough to push me over the edge to become a regular pre-shampoo mask user.
UPDATE: 2 months later - I think about using it all the time, but I've really only gotten around to it once because it's too much work to get into the shower, wet my hair, dry off, put on clothes, pin up hair, and then shower it all off later. My hair was not noticeably different afterwards.
Thoughts on Blake Brown's Packaging:
I love that everything is PCR plastic, and appreciate that all the Blake Brown haircare products can stack. However, my sister ran into some accessibility issues right away when she injured one hand and had a hard time twisting tops on/off in the shower. There is also not enough contrast on the words on the front of the shampoo/mask that makes it hard to read from certain angles in in-direct lighting.
While many high-end haircare brands have conditioners/masks in tubs, Davines and Briogeo come to mind, it is not as common for products at a lower price point. I do find tub products harder to use in smaller showers because it's impossible to not get water in it.
People with larger hands might also struggle with getting product out of the smaller opening on the mask jars. The strengthening mask has a slightly smaller opening than the nourishing mask.
However, short of tossing their entire packaging development investment out the window, it is what it is. The geometric shapes are sure to stand out in an increasingly overwhelming haircare aisle.
Thoughts on Blake Brown's Haircare Performance:
I am one person with pretty unfussy hair, who has been using this for only a couple weeks. Allure did a wonderful job reviewing the product based on how it performs and has a cosmetic chemist give their opinion on the ingredients too.
I think there is truth to the claim that you need more than one shampoo - it's not just a marketing thing that too much of a good thing whether moisture (nourishing line) or protein (strengthening line) because salon brands like Olaplex have salon-only products that have stronger chemicals than the consumer line and come with a risk of damaging hair. I hear people say all the time how their hair "got used" to a shampoo. I keep a dozen skincare serums to tackle different issues.* However, skin is living and hair is dead, so damage to hair is a lot less straight-forward. There's also so many hair types out there and so many cultures have their own hair rituals - hooray to more haircare brands dedicated to black hair!
*Seriously, no one needs this many skincare products and most people shouldn't mess with their skin as much as I do.
My final thoughts
I'll be keeping the original California Naturals shampoo/conditioner because you just can't beat the quality/price, and I really love the richness of the shampoo and conditioner. The conditioner is pretty much as mask-like as they come. These are going to be hard to top as my daily drivers. (If you wash your hair every day, or have a dryer hair, they have a reformulated Daily duo and a Dry duo). However, I'm will rotate Blake Brown into my shower too for days when I feel like something different. I did have a friend that said that the whole line is a bit reminscent of Charlize Theron for Dior's J'Adore, which I thought was hilarious and spot-on. The whole vibe is very peak Gossip Girl (original series) era and will have mass appeal to millennial women. In that sense, it's both nostalgic and trendy (hello the resurgence of Juicy Couture, Von Dutch, and Crocs?!).
Is having an arsenal of shampoo unreasonable? Maybe for some. But I founded a whole company as a result of my beauty hoarding... so this tracks for me. Even my dog has 3 shampoos in my shower 😆 - you'll catch her smelling like dedcool's Taunt, Ouai's Mercer Street, or a simple lavender mint from Buddy Wash).
UPDATE: 2 months later - I've been thinking about if I would repurchase this line and I really don't know. While the smells are very unique, there's a very good chance I'll be bored of them by the end of the bottle/tub/tube. While they are less expensive than the high-end haircare it's trying to emulate, I'm not sure it's worth the almost 2x cost over my usual stuff.
My recommendations:
For people who want to try just one thing:
Go and give the masks a sniff the next time you're at Target (and they have them in-stock). There's nothing quite like it at the price point.
For people who are sensitive to fragrance:
Depending on what you are able to tolerate, this might not be the line for you. The fragrance does linger for a while in the bathroom, and for at least a couple days in your hair. I found myself sneezing a bit to the Wild Nectar Santal scent (the nourishing duo) after my sister had used it.
For fragrance wearers:
Whether you have a signature scent or enjoy using strong scents in your laundry (this eludes me, but I understand is quite popular), this line is going to fight for attention. It may layer well, or it might not.
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