As promised ladies, I will now tell of my very first Asience hair product experience. As you can see by looking at the images, overall, I'm happy with this product.
I received my shipment of Asience conditioner and hair repair mask last weekend. Because I was soooo excited to try it out, I made the (poor) decision of using the conditioner for both the pre-poo and the deep conditioning step. Little did I know, when I first made this decision, that Asience is more of a strengthening conditioner than it is a moisturizing conditioner.
In my haste, I slathered the conditioner on prior to the wash. Shortly thereafter I was mixing the deep conditioning mask (which is one of the thickest conditioners I've ever seen) with the regular Asience conditioner and rubbing it in section by section. So far so good. I do some housework while the conditioner mix does it's thing and proceed to wash out about 30 minutes later. In the shower I rinse out the product and notice that my hair "hangs" slightly straighter than normal. By this I mean that there appear to be fewer tangles and the hair clings to my back, moreso than usual.
My rollerset goes pretty smoothly and I quickly realize that my hair will probably dry straighter than normal simply because the sections remain relatively frizz free as they begin to dry on their own. An hour or so after I've been under the dryer I start to remove the rollers. I'm beaming over with excitement as I can't wait to see the finished product. Finally the rollers are all out and I proceed to rub my oil blend into the hair.
What happens next totally takes me by surprise and I become completely heartbroken........My hair is stiff from protein overload.
I'm so upset that I can't think straight. This is the product that I've been waiting for and this is what I get?I try to calm myself down by reminding myself that even though this is clearly NOT what I wanted to experience, my hair was still very healthy looking and reflected shine like nobody's business. As hard as I tried, I still couldn't get over the feeling of stiffness whenever I ran my hands through my hair.
The good news was that even though my hair felt that way, I wasn't experiencing breakage or any other adverse effects. I just needed a way to balance the protein issue with some good 'ole fashion moisture. That's when I decided to co-wash a day or two later with my Suave Milk and Honey and Biolage Hydrating Balm. I also mixed in some more of the Asience conditioner because I felt pretty comfortable with the fact that the mask was probably the culprit.
After that rollerset was completed, my hair felt much better. It wasn't back to the moisture levels I once enjoyed but it was acceptable. So finally I decided that it would be a good idea to break out my Caruso steam setting system and set my hair. I figured I can benefit by adding more moisture to the hair via the steam and I can get some cute curls while I'm at it.
In the end, I'm happy with the results. Normally with this humidity, my curls would have long fallen or frizzed up but today things are different. My curls are defined and resilient even in the midst of the Florida summer. My hair isn't as soft and moist as I'm used to but I can quickly adjust my regimen to revitalize the hair week after week. I am enjoying the added strength and my hair just looks healthier all around. Now I know to lay off the mask unless my hair is in serious need of some damage control. I'll use the conditioner again next wash and see if I can modify my actions enough to produce both hair that is strong and hair that is soft. Stay tuned for part two of this review. In the mean time, here are some of the raw pieces of information that you should know about this product.
- The label on the product is in Japanese. Other than the ingredients, nothing else is translated into English. That means the instructions are not clearly stated.
- The product is scented with a perfumey-type scent. Although not overbearing, some of the scent does remain on the hair.
- I used my pH strips to test the product before using. Based on the results of the strip, Asience is more of an acidic product, which is better for the hair than alkaline conditioners.
After using Asience, I did truly see a difference in my hair. I feel like the individual strands are thicker and more resilient. When I examine my shed hairs, they seem to shine off the natural light with the greatest of ease. I definitely think that Asience is a keeper as long as I can successfully balance the strength with the softness.
Stay tuned for part II!