Recs for Silicone Serum?

[Fantak]

Hello :) I think my blonde highlights have finally gotten to my hair and it isn't even soaking up oil any more :(

I am considering a silicone serum to coat the hair instead. Can anyone recommend a good one? High end or drug store doesn't really matter :)

Thank you!

[Louise148]

Pureology do a nice serum I use occasionally. I think it's called shine max. It coats without being too heavy and gives hair a nice shine.

[velvetvenus]

I love Giovanni 'frizz no more' serum. It gives my hair incredible gloss and shine :)

[ApatheticFairy]

This stuff. (http://www.amazon.com/FX-Silk-Drops-Hair-Serum/dp/B000MPFKZ8) There's a learning curve for the application amount you put in. I put in a pea-sized drop in my hands, rub them together to warm, bring all my hair to one side, and go over my ends until mid-shaft, then do the same for the other side.

The first 3 or so times, I put too much in and it looked a bit greasy, but I figured it out quickly.

Torrinpaige said something about it in one of her Youtube tutorials, so I was like "this stuff is at CVS for like 3 bucks right now" and bought it.

ALL the shine. All of it. It doesn't weigh down much, either.

[goldloli]

yayyy a product rec thread!

erm for blonde hair i'd go with kerastase chroma riche serum, it's second to none for lightweight glass like shine and covered up my heat damage to the point i didn't know i had any :rolleyes: infact see my avatar, i was wearing it in that pic, my hair is actually red but it shined so much it looks blonde. it's expensive but lasts for like a year and when i had it, i didn't touch my other 10+ serums that i had at the time.

bedhead tigi rockaholic shine blaster is good stuff, slighty heavier though, does impart softness.

Super skinny serum and fx silk drops are very ymmv, some report miracles and fast drying time, some report dryness and tangles, im still on the fence and using these as a scar gel instead.

Morrocan oil is very good for shine but i think it is best as a finishing serum rather than used on damp hair or inbetween washes.

Theres a garnier fructis one, in a round bottle that is highly rated, i cry because i actually threw mine out by accident. It's cheap

Pureology do an amazing serum called smoothing elixir, than is a holy grail serum for many although i havent tried the one louise suggested

Alterna kendi oil is full of goodies for your hair and creates great shine but again ymmv.

[jojo]

CHI silk infusion is a brilliant one!

[SongofLove]

Theres a garnier fructis one, in a round bottle that is highly rated, i cry because i actually threw mine out by accident. It's cheap

Yes, the Garnier Fructis Anti-Frizz Serum is my favorite, because it's lighter (evaporates quickly) than the others. I use it to detangle as it makes the hair very smooth and manageable but it also imparts some shine if you put more. I like it because you don't have to worry about accidentally putting too much---if you put a lot, the hair will look shiny and feel very slippery, but within a few hours it looks pretty normal and it will also feel soft (especially if you braid your hair and take it out later). It has a certain smell that's hard to describe...I like the smell but I'm not sure it's for everyone.

I've also tried F/X Silk Drops. These are good too but as mentioned above you have to be careful not to put too much, or your hair will look shiny and "crunchy". The serum is very viscous compared to the Garnier one (which is pretty much liquid)

[Fantak]

Thank you everyone for the recs!! I'm going to try the kerastase first because I know I can get it here, I can hear my credit card burst into tears but if it works it'll save the bottom 6 inches of hair from a drastic trim!

Wish me luck :D

[Fantak]

Scrap that will try the garnier one first.. Thanks again will let you know how it goes!

[goldloli]

if you live in the states, try proclaim glossing finish, it's in sallys for like a couple of dollars. i forgot to list it because it's not available here. it's a worthy contender to best ever serum and smells amazing. Although i will always have a soft spot for fluide reflections chroma riche on fair or highlighted hair, it is a bit of a splurge that i myself will only justify buying on my birthday.... After i've used up my product stash (which is about 30 products atm) :(

[afu]

I used to use the John Freida Frizz Ease (http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/itemid=94729) heat protection serum and it was amazing, never weighed down my fine, thin hair and made it look healthy despite heat and bleach damage. I don't use it now because I CO wash so avoid cones and I don't straighten anymore, but I would go straight back to it if I started straightening again.

[Fantak]

Sorry if this is a silly question,, but do heat protectors 'work' if you don't use heat? I always thought you had to use heat for them to give you softness/shine?

[BrightEyes]

I really like these two:

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Strength-Plant-Serum-Lanza/dp/B000GI3TXQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1347389929&sr=1-1&keywords=lanza+neem+plant+silk+serum

http://www.amazon.com/Dermorganic-Leave--Treatment-Argan-Ounce/dp/B001NG0TXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1347389988&sr=1-1&keywords=dermorganic+argan+oil

They both give my hair lots of shine and softness. The key with any coney serum is to use a tiny bit:)

[spirals]

It's weird, but the right kind of oil works better for me than silicone. I am currently using a mix of 1 part coconut oil/1 part sunflower oil/1 part glycerin. I need only a couple of drops, whereas with shine serum I could put a couple of teaspoons in and it didn't look any shinier.

[lapushka]

I have a few of the IC Fantasia serums and they're great (the regular one, the olive oil one which smells great BTW). The Chi Silk Infusion one is amazing as well!

[melusine963]

Before I swore off 'cones I had some good luck with Frizz Ease serum. It wasn't expensive, and I found it in both my supermarket and pharmacy.

[thatcrazychick]

I bought some Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal once on impulse. It was $20, but after 6 months of use (dime-sized drop after every wash) the bottle was only half gone (i switched to jojoba oil, which is great on my skin too!) The Soy Renewal has a great scent and cut drying time in half for my hair. It's really a great product. It also contains argan, soy and sunflower (or safflower?) oils. Just rub it all over your palms, then run hands lightly over and through hair.

That said, a certain someone in the household went overboard once, using it like hair gel. Needless to say, he ended up smelling nice, but had super-shiny "wet" hair the whole day. LOL. Not intended as a styling product.

[Fantak]

Ok I went shopping and could only seem to find the Kerastase serum! It wasn't as expensive as I thought so I decided to give it a try. So far so good but I have two questions :/

- Can I oil over the serum or will that just be a waste? I usually oil my hair for 15-30 mins before a shower. I usually also do a light coat of oil in the mornings for protection and shine, I'm hoping I won't need to with the serum but If I do will it do any good?

- Can I use a non-SLS shampoo with the serum, I clarify about twice a month but not sure it will be enough. Serum ingredients if you're interested:
Cyclopentasiloxane, Phenyltrimethicone, Dimethiconol Tocopheryl, Acetate, Ethylhexl Methoxycinnamate, Amodimethicone, Limonene, Butylphenylmethylpropional, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Geraniol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Parfum/Fragrance

Thank you!

[goldloli]

There was a thread about this, it was concluded that there was no way a couple of drops of silicones coat 100% of the surface area like some impenetrable barrier and that oils could still get through and be beneficial... so go for it with the oil.

I experiment with layering products whenever i get a new one, like maybe put oil under serum, then the next time i'll try reversed, then next time i'll mix it in and put a styling creme on top. You'll find the serum quite liquidy and light, 2 drops should cover just fine and works well mixed with a couple of drops oil mixed in.

Another user posted about jojoba, i think that'd be a dream for softness if you have some laying around.


Also as for silicone removal, if you are using als poo or a low poo/cleansing conditioner (most contain cocobetaine but check), it should be just fine to remove inbetween clarifying. http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/whats-the-scoop-on-silicones

[Fantak]

Yay so I did a really light coat of olive oil on my hair and braided it over night and it's so lovely and soft this morning ^.^

Thank you!!!!