Haircare | Philip Kingsley Review

I was kindly sent a super generous haircare bundle from Philip Kingsley two months ago and now I have had ample time to properly test, here are my thoughts! I will start this by saying at the minute my hair is on the normal/dry side due to Roaccutane though I don’t experience dandruff or flaking and I have been washing a maximum of twice a week over the last 6 months. Normally, my roots are greasy and I wash every two days so that has been heaven for me! I also have long, fine, non-coloured hair and find my ends are dry and break easily. OK onto the review! 

 

The cult Elasticizer Therapies Egyptian Jasmine and Mandarin* RRP £37 has been the standout for me which I thought it would! I have tried a couple of minis of this years ago and always thought it was a nice deep conditioner but I didn’t really get the fuss, however, this is one you need to be using consistently to see the difference with. It is a pre shampoo treatment and I love leaving this on overnight so it really sinks in. It contains hydrolyzed elastin which helps reduce breakage by providing stretch and strength and castor oil and olive oil rehydrate hair making it look shiny and healthy. I dampen my hair then apply a generous amount of this all over and wrap in a microfibre towel to sleep in overnight (the heat helps open your hair’s cuticles so they can properly absorb the nutrients).  

 

After washing out and styling I am left with much more manageable bouncy hair and most importantly, my dry ends are hydrated! For me, this means I am noticing far less breakage and also less hair falling out when I am brushing. The Egyptian jasmine and mandarin scent is limited edition and not overpowering at all and the design on the packaging is beautiful! I do use Olaplex No 3 regularly as well so the condition of my hair isn’t just down to this but they really have been a dream team of treatments for me and I can’t wait to see long term results with continued use! I talked about it in my Roaccutane Diaries post too! 

 

Next up, the Daily Damage Defence Leave In Conditioner* RRP £19.50, this protects hair from UV damage and heat damage from styling tools. Another product with my name all over it as a serial hair dryer and straightener user! This is a really lightweight spray that doesn’t weigh my hair down. Like the Elasticizer, it contains hydrolyzed elastin to add strength and elasticity, in turn reducing breakage. Sweet Almond Seedcake Extract strengthens and smooths hair strands, and Pro Vitamin B5 (Panthenol) regulates moisture and plumps your hair shafts, leaving hair shiny. You can use on wet or dry hair but I tend to use on wet hair and this also detangles making it easier to brush! I think it’s so important to have a heat defence spray so I’m glad to have this in my collection!

 

Sticking with the Elasticizer range (you can tell by the colour coding!) the Elasti-styler 5-in-1 treatment* RRP £35 is a leave in serum that contains phytolastin which helps to retain moisture, babassu oil to nourishes hair and olive oil which helps hair look shiny, smooth and healthy. It also contains dimethicone, a silicone, which is a love/hate ingredient for me – love because it adds shine and tames frizz, hate because it does tend to weigh my hair down after a few days, makes it need washed more frequently and it builds up a coating on hair requiring a wash with a shampoo containing sulphates where I try to be SLS free.

 

This can be used on wet or dry hair but I have been using more on dry hair closer to wash day when I don’t want to use heat but my hair could do with a little smoothing and extra shine and it also works well to tame flyaways and make me look a more put together! The serum feels lightweight and this one doesn’t make my hair look greasy or limp but I will be interested to see if this continues when my hair goes back to its normal oily type!

 

Since I gave myself a segue into SLS free shampoo there, let’s talk about the No Scent No Colour Gentle Shampoo* RRP £20.50. This is a gentle, fragrance and sulphate free formula that cleans hair leaving it looking shiny and smooth and is suitable for daily use as well as use on sensitive scalps. Like I mentioned before, if using dimethicone in haircare it is important to use either a cleansing shampoo or one containing SLS as they are the only thing that can strip the dimethicone back out so it doesn’t build up and dry out hair. I am a double washer so have been using a shampoo containing SLS as my first wash then following with this to make sure I am removing any dimethicone build-up! Overall, this is a lovely, gentle shampoo that leaves my hair feeling hydrated!

 

The Body Building Weightless Conditioner* RRP £20.50 is my least favourite of the products I was sent. It contains wheat protein to help strengthen, volumize and plump hair strands, behentrimonium chloride to helps to smooth cuticles, add gloss and detangle and silicone to help add shine and reduce static. As I mentioned, silicone is a difficult ingredient for me and one I prefer to use on dry hair towards wash day! While I find the formula itself lightweight, I don’t notice much in the way of thickening but I do notice my ends drying out quicker when I use this. I think this would be better suited to someone with shorter hair or less damaged ends!

 

Also from the body building range is the Maximiser Root Boosting Spray RRP* £19.50. Containing surface resins to add volume and hold for styling, protein and conditioning agents to smooth and protect hair and UV protectors to help to shield hair from sun damage this spray works to volumize and lift fine, flat, flyaway hair. It is heat activated and I spray onto my roots when my hair is towel dried before blow drying. Although my hair is long and prone to looking flat, I have noticed a nice amount of volume at the roots since using this and it is residue free!

 

The Maximiser Strand Plumping Cream* RRP £22.50 is another lightweight formula that contains wheat protein for volume and a multi-vitamin complex to leave your hair smooth, shiny, and easy to control. It also contains dimethicone PEG-8 meadowfoamate, a silicone that is easier to wash out than just dimethicone. My hair definitely feels smoother when using this but I don’t notice much in the way of volume unfortunately! 

 

Please note that I am not a scientist and my thoughts on silicones and SLS come from personal use (and some googling!) - some people love dimethicone/silicones in their haircare! I have found for me, buildup can lead to my hair getting greasier quicker and my ends looking dull and dry so I try to minimise its use or use closer to wash day. That way, I have already got my “clean” hair days then can maximise the taming and smoothing benefits of it  The elasticizer contains amodimethicone but I find it doesn’t weigh down or dry my hair out at all, probably due to me washing it out yet I still get the benefits of it softening my hair!

 

Overall, the PK range is lovely and my favourites are the Elasticiser, leave in conditioner and root boosting spray! Aside from the No Scent shampoo which is obviously unscented, the products have a lovely subtle scent that don’t overpower! Philip Kingsley products can be purchased directly from Philip Kingsley as well as Look Fantastic, Boots and Cult Beauty and many other retailers!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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