Do you have colour treated hair, or does your hair just feel a little limp and lifeless? Your hair may be in need of protein! After recently bleaching my own curls, I’ve been looking for protein products to strengthen my hair and I came across these fabulous products from Curlsmith!
Curlsmith is a multi award-winning brand loved by the curly haired community for their hard working formulations and gorgeous ingredients that bring curls back to life. They’re also ethically sourced, cruelty free, sulphate and silicone-free and vegan… love!
If you want to find out more about if your hair needs protein (and why) do check out our feature here.
So let’s talk about the products….
Bond Curl Rehab Salve
This is an intense pre-shampoo treatment that targets hair bonds to strengthen and repair from the inside out! It works by fortifying the three types of bonds that make up the hair structure (disulfide, salt and hydrogen bonds).
This is something I was really excited about as I wanted to do everything I could to make sure my bleached hair still feels good. I have been using this product regularly and this has been one of the contributing factors keeping my bleached curls feeling and looking good: they look shiny and haven’t lost their shape, without being too much for the hair. I’ve also found that after using this, I have a lot less wet frizz and I have better curl clumps… love!
Some of the key ingredients include…
- Chia seed extract – a liso-peptide protein designed to have a repairing action on the hair
- Prickly Pear – has moisturising properties to tame frizz and hydrate
- Shiitake Mushrooms – packed with nutrients essential for strong, healthy hair.
Buy the Bond Salve from Curlsmith
Core Strength Shampoo
This is a lovely rich shampoo. It’s has a very thick which made it a little hard to squeeze out the packaging to be honest! But even though it’s a more natural shampoo, it stills foams which I appreciate, and the hair feels nice and clean afterwards. It works well if you emulsify it on your hands before applying it to the hair. It’s a gentle foam and won’t strip the hair and it also has a lovely scent. The low level of protein to strengthen the hair won’t cause protein overload if used regularly… just an added boost!
Some of the key ingredients include…
- Hemp Seed and rice protein – a Curlsmith unique blend as a plant-based alternative to keratin to make the hair feel stronger and more elastic.
- Blackcurrant – rich in antioxidants and polyphenol to help reduce water absorption into the hair to make the fibres stronger.
- Prickly Pear – has moisturising properties to tame frizz and hydrate
- Kale – rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that nourish strands
Buy the shampoo from Curlsmith
Multi-tasking Conditioner
This is a bit of a superstar! You can use this product as (deep breath) a regular conditioner, deep conditioner, a leave-in… phew!
It’s protein-rich, makes hair feel soft and lovely! I like to use a small amount as a leave-in on my hair (and sometimes as a deep conditioner) as I feel like it’s just too good to use as a regular conditioner. You don’t need to use a lot, you can emulsify it in your hands a little to make it easier to apply and it also has that lovely Curlsmith smell. I’ve really loved the versatility of this product and that it works beautifully in different ways.
Some of the key ingredients include…
- Hemp Seed and rice protein – a Curlsmith unique blend as a plant-based alternative to keratin to make the hair feel stronger and more elastic.
- Blackcurrant – rich in antioxidants and polyphenol to help reduce water absorption into the hair to make the fibres stronger.
- Castor Oil – lightweight, moisturising and sealing.
- Murumuru Butter – Softens hair, improves manageability and seals in moisture.
- Babassu Oil – Moisturises, detangles and adds shine
Buy the multi tasking conditioner from Curlsmith
Shape up Aqua Gel
You know I love a good gel! This gel has quite an unusual texture: it’s quite watery but also has substance to it. The gel spreads really easily to completely coat the hair easily and evenly. This is a fab gel for those looking for light to medium hold with a little spike of protein in it to give strength to the hair.
The Shape Up Aqua Gel has a light to medium hold and I like to use this with another gel on top to seal everything in and give me an extra bit of hold. It feels quite weightless on the hair – so if you enjoy natural, bouncy curls without that hard cast, this is the one for you!
Some of the key ingredients include…
- Hemp Seed and rice protein – a Curlsmith unique blend as a plant-based alternative to keratin to make the hair feel stronger and more elastic.
- Blackcurrant – rich in antioxidants and polyphenol to help reduce water absorption into the hair to make the fibres stronger.
- Shiitake Mushrooms – packed with nutrients essential for strong, healthy hair.
- Kale – rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that nourish strands.
- Guava – rich in vitamin B and C, to nourish from the inside out.
You can use all of the products together if your hair loves protein, but I found it a little too much to use all at once and would intersperse my use of these within my other routines (usually pairing it with more moisturising products) to get that perfect balance in my hair.
Jess x
(*PR gift/sample)
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