Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

Having been dealt the life card of frizzy and thick hair, I’m always on the market for a product that is going to make my hair feel and look silkier and more nourished. Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer is a hair product that I’ve had my eye on for a while, as it’s such a cult product that I’ve read many a rave review about over the years.

As well as being well known for its hair softening qualities, Elasticizer is notorious for being a pricey addition to any hair care routine. 150ml of this product will usually set you back around £28, however I managed to snap it up when it was on offer to celebrate 40 years of sales and I also had a £5 discount code to use. The limited edition gift set I bought included a 250ml tube of Elasticizer and a towelling wrap to cover the hair while the treatment is on.

The product itself is a thick white cream with no scent that is to be used as a pre-shampoo treatment for dry or heat damaged hair. This cream is to be applied to damp hair, so I wet all my hair in the shower, towel dry it and then comb it through before applying a generous layer all over, from root to tips. I then wrap my hair in the towel provided and leave it on for anything from 30 minutes to a few hours and I like to use this time as a pamper session on a Sunday (I’m talking nail painting, fake tanning, eyebrow plucking, the works).

After the treatment has been on my hair for as long as possible, I wash it out and then shampoo and condition my hair as normal. Whilst washing out the cream, my hair doesn’t immediately feel any softer or silkier, however, as I wash it, the texture changes and my hair feels much softer and less thick and coarse. When I move on to drying, my hair does feel significantly more moisturised and more bouncy and light in texture. I was slightly disappointed that Elasticizer made little difference to the frizziness of my hair, as I expected that the flyaway frizz would have been more smooth after the treatment, however I didn’t notice it to be any less frizzy than when I use my regular conditioner.

Overall, I have enjoyed using Elasticizer, and definitely felt a difference to my hair after use, however I’m on the fence as to whether I would repurchase it at full price, as it didn’t make quite as much difference to the appearance of my hair as I’d hoped.

What are your thoughts on this cult hair treatment? Can you recommend any hair masks to calm frizz and add moisture?

Origins Super Spot Remover Review

This tiny bottle of spot treatment has got a lot of attention over the past few years, and, having taken the plunge a few months ago, I thought it was high time to review Origins’ answer to blemishes. This tiny 10ml bottle costs £15, which, considering it looks small enough to be a sample, felt like a very extravagant buy (especially considering it was £12 just two years ago!)

Anyway, the gel itself is clear and quite thick, which means that very little is needed, and for each blemish I just use a tiny dab. Because of the salicylic acid in this treatment, when the gel is applied, the spot stings for a few seconds until the gel sets in. Oddly enough, I actually like that there is a sensation on application, as it feels as though the gel is actually doing something and contains active and effective ingredients to tackle the blemish.

If I put the treatment on before bed, when I wake up in the morning, there is the usual dryness that is associated with blemish treatment, due to the ingredients drying out the spots. However, the dryness can be easily remedied by a layer of moisturiser before applying makeup. I do find that if I use this product regularly and target a breakout, spots do appear much less red and smaller in size after repeated use.

In general, I don’t think that there is a miracle gel or cream out there that is going to truly banish blemishes, however there are products that will minimise the redness and size more quickly than Mother Nature, and the Origins spot treatment is certainly one of them.

Have you tried the Origins spot treatment? What do you find the best treatment for blemishes to be?