Hair care has quickly become another obsession of mine - I used to be one of those people who did nothing to my hair, just washed, conditioned, and maybe spritzed a little leave-in moisturizer if I was feeling in the mood for it - and my hair survived just fine. In fact, it was super healthy and strong. But as my hair grows longer (it's a bit past armpit length now), I've been finding myself plagued by dullness, split ends, and dryness. In this post I'm going to be talking about a new hair care system I've been experimenting with, the new Hask Exotic Oil Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil Collection, which I received free from the brand and Brandbacker (huzzah!) for review purposes. If you already know all about the awesomeness that is Brandbacker, feel free to skip the next bit and scroll down to the actual review.
A little bit about Brandbacker, because I really think you all should know - Brandbacker is an influencer platform that helps bloggers and those who have a reach on social media connect with brands. Much like Influenster or 08liter, Brandbacker has active campaigns for awesome brands (the campaigns I've recently been accepted to participate in are for Hask, Finesse, Neostrata, and D'OR24K). All you have to do on your part is connect your social media on Brandbacker (if you browse my blog, you'll see the Brandbacker logo under my affiliates section), and apply for the campaigns. If chosen, you'll receive an email stating that you're in (yay!), and then the brand will ship out your samples, and in turn you'll have to submit a blog and/or social media review. Most campaigns send out full-sized samples, but some offer monetary compensation, although I haven't been chosen or any of those (I believe there was a paid campaign offered by Derma E some time ago!). Basically, it's just another way for brands to get the word out about their products, and you get free swag and a chance to earn a little extra "beer money". Sounds great, right?
For Hask's campaign, they sent over some products from their new line, the Exotic Oil Collections. There were three different categories of products I was offered to choose from, including the Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil Blonde Care collection, the Orchid & White Truffle Moisture Rich Collection, and the Coconut Milk & Organic Honey Curl Care Collection. I was originally torn - I really wanted to try that orchid and white truffle collection (because orchids), but I decided to go with what I think would perform best for my hair type, which is the blue chamomile and argan oil variety. I have lots of hair, but the strands themselves are thin and prone to breakage, and get weighed down very easily. The blue chamomile and argan oil sounded the least...suffocating for my hair, and I didn't want to choose something that would weigh my hair down and make it even more of a greasy mess. While I'm not entirely blonde anymore (my hair is more of a blonde/brown ombre), I figured it would still work well to brighten the half of my hair that is blonde, anyway.
Just as an aside, blue shampoo is a bit different from normal shampoo. Blue/purple shampoo typically does not contain lifting chemicals, so it doesn't actually lighten hair. What it does is it slightly tints the hair purple, which is opposite yellow on the color wheel, which is why blue/purple tones help counteract yellow/orange brassy tones and help hair look brighter again. Hair that is dyed/bleached blonde is more porous than virgin hair, and therefore it will absorb these pigments easier than virgin hair will. That's not to say natural blondes can't use blue/purple shampoo, it just won't lift any color and you might not notice a huge difference in brightening.
A bit about Hask - Hask is a collection of hair care products featuring ingredient stories from all around the world. Utilizing high quality ingredients and luxury fragrances, Hask collections provide high performance formulas designed to treat and repair all hair types. The ranges include shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, and shine oils based on ingredients that are sourced from around the globe. Hask is used on more film and TV sets than any other hair care brand.
Description: Introducing the new Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil collection for blondes, formulated with blue chamomile & argan oil to banish brassy tones so your blonde locks can shine through! The line features a shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioning treatment to brighten and repair all shades of blonde hair. Known for its nourishing benefits, the deep blue violet coloring of the formula works to neutralize unwanted yellow and orange tones, aiding in the reduction of brassiness. Blonde hair is known to be dry, so the collection has been infused with argan oil to provide the extra moisture that blonde hair craves.
The shampoo and conditioner both come in super sturdy, easy to handle bottles. Hask always has the best packaging (like their Greek Yogurt Collection, which I reviewed here). The caps are made of a sturdy plastic, but they do tend to pop open and don't really stay all the way shut, so you might want to avoid just throwing these into your travel bag without something to prevent spills. The blue-violet coloring is supposed to help neutralize yellow/orange tones and help with brassiness, which a huge problem with bleach blonde hair. Argan oil is also thrown into the mix, since it's known for its deeply moisturizing capabilities. Both the shampoo and conditioners are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, and drying alcohol. None of Hask's products are tested on animals.
Hask Exotic Oil Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil Blonde Care Shampoo ($5.97, 355ml) - The shampoo is a beautiful, pearlescent blue color in the bottle, and squeezes out easily from the tube. The bottles are not too big, so I don't struggle when trying to squeeze out the product with one hand.
Description: Calling all blondes! HASK Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil Blonde care Shampoo is formulated to help protect, hydrate, and tone all shade of blonde hair. This sulfate-free, deep blue-violet formula helps neutralize unwanted yellow hues and reduce brassiness. Infused with blue chamomile to help lighten and boost blonde tones and argan oil to provide shine and strength. Keep your hair brights and healthy looking with this shampoo...now this is what you call a blonde bombshell.
Directions: Apply to wet hair. Massage into a lather, rinse thoroughly, and repeat if desired. Ideal for daily use. For best results, use the HASK Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil collection.
Review: I've been using this product for about a month now, and I'm almost finished with the bottle. As for brightening/dealing with brassiness, I can't say that it worked miracles to even the tone/yellowness of my hair, but I'm more of a golden blonde and don't suffer from too much orange/brassiness as it is. I can say that it definitely smoothed and soften my dry. brittle strands more than other drugstore shampoos do, likely due to the argan oil. I shampoo every day (I have very oily roots that no amount of dry shampoo will fix), and I do find that this shampoo dried out my hair a bit and left it feeling a tad brittle/straw-like. Because of this, I moved to using it every third wash or so, which completely solved that issue. The best way to use this shampoo is to let it sit - unlike normal shampoos, you have to give blue/purple shampoos a chance to work their magic, so I massage it in, and wait a few minutes before rinsing so it has a chance to truly do its thing.
One thing to note about purple shampoos is that they're essential toners for your hair, so they can be very drying if used too often. So make sure to condition, condition, condition! My hair has been looking much healthier/more lively now that I've stuck to the once-every-third-day regimen, so maybe there has been some brightening going on! Either way, I'm very pleased with the results.
Hask Exotic Oil Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil Conditioner ($5.97, 355ml) - The conditioner has a nice, thick emollient consistency and is a lighter blue than the shampoo. Both the shampoo and the conditioner have a nice, calm chamomile scent that's really pleasant and not overbearing. One thing I love about this conditioner is that it's light enough to not weigh my hair down or make it greasy, but not so light that it doesn't moisturize and condition - a silver dollar-sized amount is enough to thoroughly coat and condition my long hair. I usually wash my hair first thing in the shower, and then immediately apply a healthy dollop of this conditioner and let it set while I cleanse my face, body, shave, etc.
Description: Banish those brassy tones with HASK Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil Blonde Care Conditioner, developed for all shades of blonde hair. This deep blue-violet formula helps neutralize unwanted yellow tones, reduce brassiness and enhance the radiance of your hair. Enriched with blue chamomile to help lighten and boost blonde tones, and argan oil to help tame frizz, increase shine and prevent breakage. The blonder the better!
Directions: Apply to wet hair. Leave on for 1-2 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. Ideal for daily use. For best results, use the HASK Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil Collection.
Review: Did I mention how much I love the fact that these are blue? Aesthetics aside, this is a really solid conditioner at an unbeatable price point. It helps keep my hair shiny, and I feel like I shed a lot less when I use this (does anyone else shed an alarming amount of hair in the shower?? I feel like I'll go bald any day now D:). I wouldn't say that it completely detangles my hair, but it does restore any moisture that was stripped away after using the shampoo, and my hair feels nice, soft, and manageable afterwards. It rinses out easily and doesn't weigh my hair down; in fact, my hair feels very light and bouncy after use, which is pretty rare considering how easily my hair gets weighed down!
Pretty nice lather on the shampoo. They both have such a pretty blue color - and they're super light and rinse out easily, perfect for oilier hair types/thinner hair textures.
Review: These little deep conditioner satchets from Hask are a favorite of mine! This one left my hair feeling hydrated and silky, and restored some much-needed moisture to my dry, brittle ends. My hair were left looking considerably shinier and healthier, and it smelled so, so good - the deep conditioner has the same gentle, relaxing scent as the shampoo and conditioner, and I can't get enough of it! While I do think this treatment would be a bit too heavy to use daily, it's perfect to use after any chemical treatments, or after you've spent awhile in the sun or on the beach (I can see this restoring moisture and hydration to dry, sea salt-soaked hair that's spent way too long frying under the harsh summer sun).
Final Thoughts: Overall, another winning collection from Hask! While I wouldn't say this was the best hair care system I've used, it's definitely the best one for its price point; I know I'm not the only one who has spent double, often triple the price for a product that didn't perform nearly as well as its hefty price tag would suggest. For a wallet-friendly drug store collection, these products more than exceeded my expectations - they did exactly what they promised, were pleasant to use, and won't break the bank if and when I decide to repurchase. I'll definitely get these again once if I ever decide to bleach again - but for now, the Hask Exotic Oil Collection is definitely something I would recommend to blondes who are looking for an affordable and effective blue/purple hair care system.
The Hask Exotic Oil Collections are available at Ulta, Walgreens, Target, and pretty much any of your local drugstores/grocery stores. Have you tried any Hask hair care products lately?
These products were sent to me courtesy of Brandbacker and Hask free for review purposes, all opinions are my own. If you're curious about my press samples, affiliate links, and sponsors, please see my disclosure policies.
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