What: Pre-wash treatment to repair the hair from calcium buildup.
What the tester said: Excess calcium in the water, the problem you didn’t know you had. There’s a moment when the hair stops being “dry” and officially becomes “damaged, broken, miserable and lifeless.” That’s the moment when you can practically hear the calcium settling on it, the ends splitting and you finding yourself searching for a hair repair miracle. The Première series from Kérastase promises to be that miracle and clean the hair from the calcium that’s abundant in the hard water in the country. The material for the pre-wash treatment, which comes before shampoo and before conditioner, is applied to wet hair and you wait patiently for a few minutes at least. This is not the time to be weak! Meanwhile the material breaks down the hidden layer of scale, cleans it and returns some flexibility and softness to the hair. Its texture is light, almost gel-like, not very tempting but it gets the job done. After a few uses the hair feels less stubborn, less rigid, and easier to manage. In short, the problem isn’t you, it’s the pipes.
Kérastase, pre-wash treatment | 250 ml for NIS 250.
What: A series to prevent fading in colored hair.
What the tester said: Colored hair is a pile of dreams, heartbreaks and remnants of highlights you swore not to do again. You leave the hairdresser with perfect, shiny color and then within a quarter, in the best case, or two weeks in the less good case, it already looks like a tired version of itself. The Vitamino Color Spectrum series promises to preserve the color for at least 100 days – very ambitious. So what did we have: An excellent shampoo, cleans gently and doesn’t irritate the scalp, which is an achievement in itself after dye and highlights when everything is sensitive. Anyone who prefers her care routine minimalistic can make do with it alone almost 90 percent of the time. The mask is soft, rich, fragrant and a tiny amount is enough for an immediate effect – maintained hair without frizz, without residue and without heaviness. The serum is the star of the series: Its texture is thin, almost watery, it absorbs quickly and leaves a pleasant, effortless shine – but only if you hit the exact dosage. A drop too much and the hair looks dull, as if you skipped a wash.
What counts as exact? Use less than you initially intended. There’s no formula, each woman and her hair. Its scent, like all the products in the series, is gentle and pleasant, but sometimes has a slightly sour, chemical edge, less successful, but it also dissipates quickly. In short: We wouldn’t sign off on 100 days, but this is a very luxurious series that preserves the hair and the color and gives the feeling that you still have some control over what’s happening on your head.
L’Oréal Professionnel, Vitamino Color Spectrum | Shampoo NIS 187, mask – NIS 260, leave-in serum – NIS 137.
What: Nourishing mask for shine and glow.
What the tester said: I’ve tried quite a few masks that promise “salon shine,” but usually it ends in slightly oily hair and a lot of disappointment. The Moroccanoil mask promises high-level gloss and also delivers – it leaves the hair pleasant and shiny, as if someone went over it with a soft light filter. The texture is thick just to the right degree, spreads easily and doesn’t weigh down after rinsing – as long as you have thick or very dry hair. Anyone who drew fine or thin hair might be left with some heaviness until the next wash. The scent is the brand’s classic and familiar one – the kind that fills the shower within a second. Some are addicted to it and some less, I’m somewhere in the middle.
Moroccanoil, High Shine Gloss Mask, 75 ml for NIS 55 or 200 ml for NIS 119.
What: Gas-free dry shampoo, eliminates odors, absorbs oiliness, effective up to 3 days.
What the tester said: I’m not a big believer in dry shampoo. Every time I fall again for a spray that promises freshness but creates the feeling and look of baking powder on the head. The shampoo from K18 behaves a bit differently. It dries instantly, leaves no residue, which is the main weakness of products in this category, and the hair may not look like you just washed it, but if you’re caught in a situation, it can help you stretch things out respectably a bit longer. Its scent is gentle, clean, almost unnoticeable – and that’s definitely a plus.
K18, AirWash dry shampoo – 118 ml for NIS 239.
What: Delicate and perfumed hair mist.
What the tester said: The divine Parisian perfume house Diptyque offers a mist in the beloved scent, containing camellia oil for protection and nourishment. For expectation management – the mist is pleasant and slightly softening, but it is not a treatment product. The thing here is the scent, and in the case of Do Son it is simply perfect – jasmine, sea and summer wrapping the hair in a magical cloud and at a relatively accessible price compared to the brand’s perfume. Two spritzes and every hair flip becomes a small moment of happiness and an excellent excuse to sniff yourself.
Diptyque, Do Son Hair Mist – 30 ml for NIS 245, available at Beyond Skin chain and online.
What: Gel for flexible curls.
What the tester said: Finding the right product for curls is like finding the jeans that fit perfectly or the precise makeup. The race lasts a lifetime and includes an emotional roller coaster. As a seasoned curly-haired woman I’ve tried dozens of products and even now it’s hard to say I’ve reached the destination. The gel from Olaplex is very liquid, easy to work with and not sticky, which is delightful. It doesn’t glue the curls but defines them gently and skips the unbearable crunchy finish that comes with so many curl products. The advantage of gentleness is also the problem – on wavy hair or loose, big curls it does a good job and holds them nicely, on tighter, smaller curls it makes no impression and its hold fades within a few hours. In short, a gel that respects curls, but only a certain kind.
Olaplex, No.10 Bond Shaper. About NIS 150 for 200 ml.
What: Liquid-texture mask for especially damaged hair
What the tester said: A very liquid mask, almost watery. Out of the goodness of my heart and don’t ask how I know, I recommend being careful and pouring it directly on the hair instead of passing it through the hand, because at this price every drop counts. After a few minutes of waiting you rinse thoroughly and enjoy hair that becomes more flexible and soft – at least until the next wash. It’s not the effect of a buttery, thick mask, but it’s excellent for anyone who needs gentle maintenance regularly.
Matrix, liquid mask from the Instacure Build A Bond series – NIS 150–NIS 170.
What: Leave-in spray treatment hair mask
What the tester said: A mask with a list of promises fit for an election year: Repair, styling, shine, nourishment, color protection, strengthening the structure, and we’re not even halfway. For me it worked great on wet hair after washing or as a touch-up on messy hair slightly dampened – a few spritzes and the hair softened and arranged, without oiliness and without heaviness. On dry hair there was a whole mess of stickiness and frizz, so I gave up. In any case, the scent is very fun.
Jul, treatment mask – NIS 119.
What: Shampoo to strengthen the hair fiber for weak and thinning hair
What the tester said: You had me at weak and thinning hair. At Doctor Or they say their testers reported improvement in hair growth after 4 months, but unfortunately I won’t hold out long enough to find out if it’s true. Already after one use the hair felt too dry and more brittle than ever. I gave it a few more chances, with and without conditioner and mask, but the overly effective formula just didn’t work for me. Maybe it will suit someone with an especially oily scalp.
Dr. Or, dermo hair, NIS 80 for 250 ml.
What: Shampoo and mask for damaged and colored hair from Famirel, an Israeli brand sold in Europe.
What the tester said: I’m not always enthusiastic about brands that for me are completely unknown and whose packaging I’d send for redesign, but this time I went with a shampoo for dry hair and a mask for damaged hair from the black caviar series, rich in amino acids, vitamins and minerals. At an accessible price like supermarket hair products I got a gentle, successful, fragrant shampoo that cleans thoroughly and a thick, excellent mask where just a stroke of it on the hair makes it soft and pleasant a thousand times over. For dry hair it’s recommended to use two to three times a week, but it turned out I used it almost daily. For the adventurous it’s recommended to browse the company’s website and check if there’s something suitable among the many series for hair, face and body.
Famirel, Black Caviar series | Shampoo – NIS 45 for 500 ml, mask – NIS 45 for 250 ml.
