Time to grow...Stemm Density Stimuli Hairgrowth Serum

...T'Was the time to Lob...

Hi all, the blog is still on...I just need to grow a bit!

In general, but my hair particularly. It was the time to lob when blond-o-rexia had taken the best out of my hair. It had not been my particular blond-o-rexia but an overeager hairdresser. And you know my game: I bring on everything and some that could cure it...I had to bring in some defeat, and the Lob it was...

Good the Canadians at Deciem have not been quiet this year. You might known them from their gorgeous NIOD line (copper serum anyone?) or their affordable Hylamide line. This year they added 'Stemm for hair, and The Ordinary for even-more-affordable skincare (more on that later).

'Stemm Density Stimuli is a hairgrowth serum based on similar premises as Phylia [de M] Connect I have been blogging about [here] frequently: it has Fulvic Acid as it's main component which is a mineral that stimulates hair growth. 

Other hairgrowth-boosters are:

1. Stabilized dihydroquercetin (from larch tree wood)
2. Stabilized epigallocatechin gallate (from purified green tea)
3. Biotin in both free-form and in amino-peptide form (biotinoyl tripeptide-1)
4. Purified pea peptides
5. Very-high-solubility caffeine (5% net caffeine by weight in formula)
6. An organic, stable form of sulphur (MSM)
7. Bio-chelated topical-delivery silica (isolated from bamboo isoflavanones)
8. Highly-refined black fulvic acid (multi-acid organic low-molecular-weight constituent of soil)
9. Naturally-occurring hair amino acids (Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine), stabilized amino acids (Acetyl Cysteine, Acetyl Methionine)
10. Naturally-occurring minerals (Calcium, Zinc, Magnesium, Copper)
11. Niacinamide
12. Purified fireweed in a highly-specialized delivery system of multi-weight, cross-charged hyaluronic acid and soy-derived lysophospholipid.(source: Niod)

Woohooo, hold your horses. I seriously do not know the properties of half of it so I just have to see the growth, health and/or the thickness of it in the longer run. 

But before I'm going to update you on its effects after almost 2 months, let's just see how the packaging looks like:

Doesn't it look like a milk-cart package or takeaway meal or such? I do love their attention to a plastic free case, though the bottle is in a durable type of plastic.

As for applying the serum, there is a dropper you use when applying, the cap is just for closure.

And I still wanted to support the people at Vine video by making a dodgy - how to use the dropper? - video...

 

Yes, the sound is the nostalgic 2010 vibe of the XX 'heart skips a beat'...Let's hope it doesn't skip too much as only to pump nutrients to the hairshaft. 

After 1 and a half month I can say there is a small improvement in the amount of growth. I can measure at the highlights I placed in November, which is about 2 cm. Normally, in winter I only have 1 cm tops...

More importantly, I just love what it does to volume and density. You apply the serum at nighttime, and the morning I feel the roots are slightly lifted. Yes, volume with a Lob goes easier than with a booblength, but my virgin hair (on top) has the tendency to be lanky and heavy. This serum gives the effect of a good volume mousse without any scent or stickiness. It also looks incredibly healthy from the top, especially when you compare it to the blond-o-rexia-ed parts. 

Unfortunately, I have only seen a minor increase in new hairs growing: I had unsuccesfull extensions in May this year which yanked out a big heap of my hair in the back. This hair is still thinner compared to the top. It is called traction aclopedia and it does not only happen to me: See Kim K for it:

Side gap alert! Mine is not that bad because I had them twice but heck, when it happens to someone with sooo much cash and influence...

According to various sources (eg here), it takes 1 to 2 years for the hair to fully recover :(.

Anyway, for the time being I am liking the results I am having from the 'Stemm Density Stimuli. It is not whoppingly cheap, 43.00 EUR for 60 ml, but it will last for about 2 months. It gives me the feeling I am working on my natural [hair] growth without going bonkers about it. It makes me like my Lob [for the time being] as a new style, but does not keep me mentally in limbo on having to keep it this length. 

So yes, there we g[r]ow....

The Argan Posse...

Oils and cosmetics products with Argan have been de rigueur since a while. Basically, they work and they have an excellent blendibility with other ingrediënts.

One of the lesser known hairoily serums I have been loving lately is Goldwell Elixir with Argan & Tamanu oil. Tamanu is probably the Argan of 2014, and both oils are brilliant for dry and damaged hair.

Goldwell is in the cheaper section than its posher sister Kerastase Ultime. Nevertheless, I've been preferring this thicker serum for a while before/during blowdrying in the ends of my hair. It prevents split ends, seals existing dry hair and gives an excellent sheen. I really like it's vanilla-like fragance: quite reminiscent of Morrocan Oil.

It's sold out at Beautybay right now: I got a better deal in this Dutch webshop for about €13. It's available at Goldwell hairdressers too.

Balmain Silk Perfume for Hair: a silky luxury

I gotten myself drawn into another luxury/hair hybrid product...

I was not too tempted into buying anything hair & serum-like. However, the salesgirl had the cutest fringe, a fierce ombre bleach at the ends and all her hair looked like really voluminous, healthy and cute. That's often a good sales-perspective and I was curious about [another] story about how this product would change my life hair and make everything better 1 (1 sarcasm embedded in the sidenote).

Her professional eye guided me to this product that is labeled as a 'Hair Perfume' but it functions as a fraganced serum. The normal serum would be "too heavy for my finer hair" and this one has the added bonus of a gorgeous fragance.

Ofcourse, preference in fragance is really subjective so I will describe it as a perfume that reminds me of Balenciaga perfume with the florally notes of Romea D`Ameor Princesses de Venice, quite haute and not your standard Guess perfume notes.

The mister is an added feature that will bring in that extra bit of luxury (and the delightful *pfffshhh* pffshhh* that you will hear later in my Vine).

The clean bottle of the Balmain (we know them from hair-extensions and fashion high-shoulder jackets) seems reminiscent of Marie-Antoinette's laundry chambers...Ofcourse I have never been in Marie-Antoinette's laundry room, but if I would it would probably reminded me of it...

Ingredients are simple which two sorts of silicones. Also, the hyped hair-ingredient Argan oil (no 3), one of my fave hair products Almond Oil (Prunus Dulcis) and a dash of jojoba.

But most importantly, it is a superthin mist that is suitable for fine hair. Check the micro-ness of the spray in the video:

Ok, seeing a Vine like 4 times in a row is making anyone really simple or slightly *psssst*spssst* in the brain.  So stop or turn of the sound after 3 times, ok?

(Nails: I'm wearing day 24 Ciate Serendipity on a layer of Chanel Red Dream, btw) 

Conclusion: A useful piece of luxury for finer locks that can benefit from a bit of extra gloss and a gorgeous fragance

Kerastase Elixir Ultime Rose Millenaire

After this summer I might even have better quality of hair than before.

How come?

I think one of the reasons that kept my hair at bay (at the bay too) and even lessened the fluffy factor, has been the Kerastase Elixir Moringa Immortelle.

I wrote about testing it here and after 2 months I can only say:

1. "Wow" 
2. At least something expensive and new helps!

 So why new Kerastase? Well, I questioned my readers earlier this August "why not stick to the familiar?"

In this case I felt my hair cured a bit from the heavier Kerastase Moringa Immortelle oil that I could downsize to a lighter oil. Thus tadaaaah:

My first impressions:

• a lot lighter in texture than the Moringa Immortelle

• also lighter in texture compared to the original (gold bottle) Kerastase Elixir Ultime
• thus, better when aiming for a hair-look that involves lots of volume.
• Scent: a light rose scent, lingering between a luxury rose scent and a more drugstore rose scent. 
• Scent: dissapears in 3 minutes.
• Smoothing: slightly less than the Moringa Immortelle but more suitable for finer hairtypes 
• Suitable for hairtypes from normal to dry

Basically, hair/hairstyles with healthy texture, wanting extra gloss/care without comprimising on volume, nor that it would hinder their other volumizing products.

Overall, I like it, but for my dryer ends I feel that it's too light. I prefer to use the green Kerastase Moringa Immortelle on the dryer ends and the Rose Millenaire on top.

testing 1..2: Kerastase Elixir Ultime Moringa Immortelle

Kerastase has been launching 3 new hairoils as more specified alternative on their cult-classic Elixir Ultime hairpotion.

Of the three I hesitated between the thinner Rose Millenaire & this one. It was the fact that I picked this Moringa Immortelle is that it's specified for damaged hair: it's summer and I still can have some more repairing or some extra protection.

They also have the pink version in Rose Imperial with tea extract that is suited for coloured hair. As for the moment I have been using some (see photo) and I kind of prefer the effect over the original golden one. Only thing is that the scent of the original one was a tropical floral that I prefered. Nevertheless,  the scent of the Moringa Immortelle is a fresh, powdery scent that is actually quite good too. I recon it's more neutral when wearing other fragance than the heady florals of the original.

They are on sale in the Dutch webshops and I saw them on this UK site as well. They are featured on the French Kerastase website but not on the American Kerastase site yet, so I guess Europe gets the first scoop.

Finished up: L'Óréal Professionel Expert Liss Ultime Reflexium Thermo Serum &

I bought this one last year when I was more proactive in straightening/curling and blowdrying my hair. I saw they sold this product in the Dutch hairshops, and found a review from Brazilian beautyblogger "Beleza Nada Rara" who gave it heads up.

I hardly speak  Portuguese so I did the Google translate thingy. It seems that L'Óreal Professional is quite big and expensive in Brazil because it is officially not imported. My bestie told me that, as she has been there and saw the prices of the clandistine sold products in the hairdresser salons. Well, from a country where good hair flourishes and Brazilian straightening comes from, that must mean it is quite THE product to have.

Verdict:

• Natural gloss without greaseball effect: 

This is quite important. You like your hair to look naturally radiant and not "oops I forgot to wash my hair for 5 days"-like

• Protection against styling tools? quite good. 

My hair is slightly damaged these days but it's from the times I forgot this product (and my swimming sessions on holidays). Overal, it really brings out an extra layer of protection over your hair

• Scent? slightly spicy but neutral after a while
• Price? Affordable for about € 9.10. 

They sell the ordinary L'Óreal already for about €10 euros over here so this price for a hairdresser-recommended (and used) product isn't that much. 

• lastability? It took me a year to finish it. 

But I'm not the regular straightener/curler etc although I was more regular last year. I think it will take 3 months for the average and daily hairtool-user.

• taming the frizzies?

Quite good compared to other tamers. I am really frizz-prone and it does a fairly good job without the aforementioned greaseball effect.  

Conclusion:

Repurchase! I need this one for taming the frizzies and when I go with that GHB near my hair again.