African Americans are subjected to a great deal of "hype" from the media about hair care products helping hair grow, keeping hair long and well conditioned, etc. that I always take what I read in the beauty magazines with the proverbial "grain of salt." However, over the last couple of years, I have read about the Ouidad hair care line, so I decided to have a look at the website. I found a great deal of the information presented at the website was fairly consistent with my own views of hair care, with a couple of exceptions. For instance, I don't think that hair can be "fed." All that I have read indicates that hair is "dead"; however, by protecting the outer layer of the hair, we can "encourage" hair length. Ouidad herself is a hair care professional with a studio in New York. She also has very curly hair. The Ouidad product line caters to the "curly tops" and "frizzy haired" among us. As I've said before, my hair in its natural state is strictly AFRO-American. I keep my hair relaxed with Mizhani products.

When reviewing the catalogue, I noticed that the line offered a lightweight, water-soluble hair pomade, and I thought, "This is a lady who knows curly/frizzy hair." So, I purchased the Ouidad Video and Complete Set for $95.00. I was glad I bought the video; it goes into much more detail about the product use techniques than the slide show at the web site or the instructions on the bottles. Although it's not an "Oscar winner", I did appreciate learning about using the products successfully and the suggestions on alternate, gentle ways to treat my hair. The complete set includes 4oz of the Ouidad "Deep Treatment", a protein rich deep conditioner for use once a month, 8oz of "Clear Shampoo", 8oz of "Balancing Rinse", 8oz of "Tress F/X," 8oz of "Styling Mist", 2oz of "Shine" hair glaze, 8oz of "Botanical Boost" and 2 oz of "Clear Control" pomade. I also purchased 8oz of "Climate Control Gel" separately. For the most part, the line is oil free. Here's what I thought of the products.

Clear Shampoo
I was very impressed with this shampoo. Unlike many "clearing" shampoos, it did not leave my chemically treated hair dry and frizzy. It contains proteins (soluble collagen), wheat germ oil and jojoba oil along with a detergent (ammonium lauryl sulfate), among other things. It has a light fragrance and is mildly acidic with a pH of 6.0. (I find pH information very important when dealing with coarse, frizzy hair, so I've included it for others who need to know this information.) The shampoo lathers well, without the "repeat" step. And, a quarter's worth is about all you need, depending on hair length, so this product will definitely last a while, even if you wash your hair every day.

Balancing Rinse
This is a lightweight daily conditioner. It does contain glycerin, but is essentially oil-free. It does not weigh the hair down or make the hair feel oily, unlike many of the "leave in" conditioners I've tried. It smells like sour apples and has a pH of 5.0. It tames the "frizzes" while acting as a slip agent and detangler. This product is another one that impressed me.

Botanical Boost
This spray is basically a "wetting agent" that helps detangle the hair while "reactivating" the styling products already in the hair. Using this product helps "stretch" the other products particularly if you don't shampoo every day. It is basically aloe vera gel with a great many plant extracts included. It's supposed to "shrink wrap" the hair, easing the hair into a smooth shape without "wicking away moisture." It works as another "leave in" conditioner while easing the combing and detangling process. It also contains hydrolyzed rice and corn and wheat proteins as well as a few topical vitamins. Although I don't know if any of these ingredients actually help the hair, it does detangle and works well as a lightweight conditioner and has a pH of 4.0, again to help control the "frizzes".

Tress F/X
This is an alcohol-free styling product. It has the consistency of a gel and a light fragrance. This gel can be mixed with either the "Shine Hair Glaze" or the "Clear Control Pomade", depending on your hair type. It coats the hair without making it heavy, oily, limp or drying out chemically treated hair, making it more manageable and "tame". I love this product! Finally, a mild "holding" gel without alcohol. It has a pH of 6.0.

Clear Control Pomade
This is a clear, oil-based product that (miraculously) does not leave the hair feeling greasy. It contains a full spectrum sunscreen. It is advertised as a "curl definer and sealer", and it definitely does both things, without weighing the hair down. Again, I would highly recommend this product to anyone with dry, coarse hair, whether naturally curly or chemically treated.

Shine Hair Glaze
Although it was not recommended for my hair type, I did try this product. Unlike many of the silicon based "shine" products, this product did not feel greasy at all, no matter how much I used. It gave my hair a nice shine, however, it contains alcohol, so I personally found the product a little drying on my chemically treated hair. However, I was still very impressed with the product overall.

Deep Treatment
This is the "cornerstone" of the Ouidad hair care line. It should be applied to the hair and left on for at least 20 minutes. The hair should be covered with a plastic cap and low heat should be applied to the head. Although Ouidad indicates that a blow dryer or hood dryer should be used, I used a heating cap. I fell in love with the way my hair felt and looked after the first treatment, which I did a week before a new relaxer treatment. My hair was very easy to "clear out"; it shined and had plenty of body. I also noticed much, much less hair breakage on the day my hair was relaxed as well as afterwards. It's loaded with different types of proteins, plant and animal, but is non-drying and has a pH of 5.0. Even my hair stylist was impressed with this product! It should be used once a month, and a full 2 ounces should be used (more depending on hair length), so it's expensive. Personally, I think it's worth it.

Climate Control Gel ($18)
I purchased this product separately from the Complete Set. This product should be used in place of the Tress F/X gel, especially when blow-drying the hair straight. It is supposed to "protect" the hair from blow-dryer damage and stop the "frizzes" particularly in hot, humid weather. The real test of this product will be in the summer, during Maryland's high humidity period. However, for the winter, I found it to be a nice, lightly scented styling gel. It does contain silicone, so it coats the hair making it feel "slick" but it seems to work well. It also contains a number of vitamins, plant extracts and oils. It did not weigh my hair down, however, unlike the other products, I could "feel" that it was there.

Styling Mist
This is the only product that did not really impress me. It contains SD Alcohol, witch hazel, jojoba oil and a sunscreen. I did find it a little drying on my chemically treated hair. I would recommend this product to those who prefer a little extra "hold" to their "coiffures", however personally I found the other products were so effective that the styling mist was unnecessary.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the Ouidad product line and have recommended it to several of my friends with all types of curly hair. I would also highly recommend this product line to women who relax their hair. As a side note, not only was I impressed with the products, but I was impressed with the customer service - I received my order in three days. Any questions I had about the line were answered within 24 hours via email. Keeping in mind that we don't present ourselves as Cosmetic Connection Panelists and shop as regular "consumers," this is impressive.

Ouidad products are available at the Ouidad salon in New York or over the Internet at www.ouidad.com.

Happy Shopping!

review: 11/99