If you’ve walked in to a Sephora store in the past few months, you would have noticed there was a large pink booth and new pastel pink Kerastase hair products on the shelves. It’s the Kerastase Anti Hair-Fall range which launched recently this year in Singapore.
Prices are steeper than the usual Watsons or Guardian’s hair care products that you would find – with a shampoo starting from $43 and a serum at $91. So, before you part with your money, you would definitely want to know: “Does it work?”
After having tried it for a month, here’s our honest review of the Kerastase Anti Hair-Fall shampoo, conditioner, and mask:
First up, the Kerastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Nutri-Fortifying Shampoo ($43). This is a pretty concentrated shampoo. For shoulder blade-length hair, you only need to squeeze two 50 cent coin worth of shampoo. As you massage it into your wet hair, the shampoo bubbles into a creamy, thick foam that stays on peak (like a well-beaten bowl of egg white on peak). The formula supposedly lifts off dirt and residue from your scalp and hair, leaving it cleaner and less prone to congestion.
The Experience: The first thing that will strike you is the beautiful, salon-like fragrance of the shampoo which immediately fills your entire bathroom and calms you down. As you rinse the shampoo off, you’ll realise that the foam runs off your hair easily (and quickly!) – leaving a squeaky clean head of hair. If you’re lazy and decide to skip the conditioner, do it. After you dry off your hair, you’ll realise that your hair is moisturised, lightweight, and refreshed.
The Results: Does it curb the hair fall? After using this shampoo for over a month, there was noticeably lesser hair around my pillow (where I used to find a bunch of hair in the mornings). If your partner is male, you’ll also be glad to know that this works equally well for men. who started experiencing hair loss in his mid-30s. We noticed significantly lesser stray hairs around his work desk.
Verdict: Yes! A great shampoo for hair loss.
Next up, the Kerastase Genesis Fortifying Anti Hair-Fall Conditioner ($59).
The Experience: The conditioner doesn’t spread as well, and you’ll need a little more than two squeezes to portion out your hair, coat with conditioner, and detangle your tresses. It doesn’t feel as thick or as creamy as the usual drugstore conditioners. Again, it comes with the same beautiful salon-like fragrance.
The Results: Expect to have your tresses lightly hydrated, smoother with lesser frizz, and detangled – all the usuals of a conditioner. The great thing? It rinses off easily and leaves your hair squeaky clean. So, if you don’t like the icky and greasy feeling that some condoners leave behind, this one is for you.
Verdict: Okay, this conditioner gives you a salon-like experience and is great if you are concerned about product residue build-up weighing down your hair (causing it to be limp). However, you will be able to find comparable options elsewhere.
Next up, the Kerastase Genesis Restorative Mask ($76) meant for for weekly use. Out of the entire Kerastase Anti Hair-Fall range, this is perhaps the most versatile product that can fit into any haircare routine for any hair type – even if you are currently using a variety of drugstore haircare brands.
The Experience: The hair mask comes in a tub, and you’ll have to scoop it up with your fingers. Unlike the usual heavy, greasy, and dense hair mask pastes, this formula was surprisingly lightweight and spreads really easily – which means you won’t need to use too much product at once. A two-finger scoop is sufficient to coat the mid-lengths to ends of your hair.
The Results: If you have dry, frizzy, or just unruly hair, you will see instant results in your first two weeks of use. We found that our frizzy hair fell into place easily. And after using it for a month, it felt like the hair went through a recalibration or rehab phase. It’s definitely healthier, more supple, and manageable than before.
Verdict: Yes, a great investment especially if you have unruly hair and are struggling with hair loss (we know it gets really frustrating). A little goes a long way so you can expect to use this huge 200ml tub for half a year at least.
We were apprehensive when we first saw the Kerastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Serum ($91)‘s hefty price tag. However, it came in a pretty generous bottle with 90ml worth of serum which surprised us.
The Experience: This is a really fun product. If you’ve ever used the Japanese Kaminomoto scalp serums, or applied XO to your balding spots, here’s the elevated version of those things. It’s not a hair serum – it’s a scalp serum. So, you take the glass dropper, draw sufficient serum up to the demarcated line, and apply the serum directly to your scalp. The serum is lightweight, refreshing and cooling, smells great, absorbs quick, and leaves no residue behind.
The Results: We used this in conjunction with the Kerastase Anti Hair-Fall Shampoo (mentioned above) and over a month’s course of use, we noticed significantly lesser hair loss and stray hair strands lying around.
Verdict: Worth a try if you are struggling with hair loss or poor scalp health. However, if you are currently facing dandruff, eczema, or a congested scalp, it’s probably best to sort that out first lest it affects the absorption rate of this lightweight serum.