I have a pretty serious frizzy hair problem and I know I'm definitely not the only Latina with the same issue, so when I was asked to test some new frizz-fighting serums, I positively jumped at the chance. As part of this week's Save or splurge? column, we've put two of the best to the test: John Frieda Frizz-Easy Sheer Solution ($10 in the save category) and Kérastase Cristalliste Lumière Liquide (the $42 splurge version). The neat thing about both of these serums is that they both claim to be lightweight and to give your hair a special luminous shine. I couldn't WAIT to try them out!
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When I first received the John Frieda serum, it looked funny. You have to actually shake it because it's a dual formula (half lightweight serum, half smoothing elixir) before application. I followed instructions and applied it, then styled my hair as usual. Throughout the day, I could definitely see that my hair had a particular shine that it is typically missing. It wasn't dull at all and remained relatively frizz-free throughout. However, the serum made my hands unpleasantly greasy, which took two hand washings to remove, and by the end of the day my hair looked closer to greasy-dirty than shiny-pretty. It also started to weigh down and, although still looked good, I wasn't completely happy. The amazing part, though, was that it made my highlights look brighter–which I definitely appreciated.
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When I tried the Kérastase serum, I immediately liked it. Even just rubbing it between my fingers, it felt less greasy than previous frizz control serums that I have tried. Applying it to my hair was relatively easy, too, and it definitely gave my hair that "intense crystal shine" that they promise and which I was looking for. At the end of the day, my hair still weight weightless and shiny. It started to lose a little bit of the frizz-fighting control, though, which I didn't love as much.
Overall, I actually found both serums relatively similar. However, I will definitely have to give this win to Kérastase for their better weightless effect. One of the biggest problems with my hair, honestly, is that my roots get very greasy by the end of the day, and I felt that the splurge serum could handle that better. The John Frieda serum would probably work best on medium to thick hair, but unfortunately that's just not me. Although both were a good option, in this case the costlier one is just a better buy!
Image via Irina Gonzalez
