Hello all,
I have been sporting straight hair for the past few months and in the process, I have tried out quite a few heat protectants and styling products. Today, I am reviewing one such product – L’Oréal Paris Smooth Intense Straight Perfecting Balm. Read on to find out more about this hair styling product.
Price:
$6.99 for 5.1 fl oz / 150 ml.
Product Description:
Smooth things over with Advanced Haircare Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Perfecting Balm. Not only does the treatment sleek-ify every strand before you use your iron, it also tames and protects, leaving your mane less prone to heat styling damage.
How To Use:
After using Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Shampoo, Pre-Conditioner and Conditioner, apply a dime size to towel-dried hair and spread through from root to tip. Blow dry and, if necessary, follow with flat iron.
Ingredients:
My Experience with L’Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Straight Perfecting Balm:
Packaging: The product comes in a very attractive copper-colored squeezable tube packaging. The tube comes with a flip top cap which shuts tightly and there is no danger of any product leakage. The packaging is sleek and quite travel friendly.
Texture/Fragrance/Results: The product has a creamy texture; it is not too thick and spreads pretty easily through the hair. I apply a little dollop of the peach-colored cream to towel-dried damp hair and then follow it up with my flat iron. I do not apply the cream to my roots.
The cream has a pleasant salon-like fragrance. It lingers on in the hair for around 2-3 hours.
I was initially worried that this product might weigh my hair down as it is a cream and not a spray/mist, but I was relieved to see that it does not. It is quite lightweight and you will not feel like you have applied any product to your hair. The product does not make the hair greasy or leave any residue.
Now, coming to the claims of “sleek-ifying” the hair. Honestly, I did not see too much of a difference after using this balm. A flat iron is anyway supposed to straighten your hair. I did not find this balm to be aiding that process in any way. Nor did it manage to keep my hair straighter for a longer period of time than usual.
It did manage to give my hair a nice finish and also controlled a bit of frizz. While I cannot really gauge whether this cream protects from damage caused due to heat, I can surely say that my hair has not seen any adverse effects of heat.
So, to summarize, I have been using this balm as a heat protectant and for controlling frizz, but the product falls short of living up to its claims of “Intense Straight Perfecting.”
Pros of L’Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Straight Perfecting Balm:
- Does not weigh the hair down.
- Tames frizz to some extent.
- Protects against damage due to heat.
- Travel-friendly packaging.
- Has a pleasant fragrance.
Cons of L’Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Straight Perfecting Balm:
- No visible effect on straightening the hair.
- Does not help in keeping the hair straight for longer time.
IMBB Rating:
2/5.
Would I Repurchase/Recommend L’Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Straight Perfecting Balm?
No, I would not recommend as it does not work as a hair straightening balm. I will not repurchase as it did not really meet its promise.
L’Oreal New Smooth Intense Polishing Shampoo
L’Oreal New Smooth Intense Frizz Taming Serum
L’Oreal Paris Smooth Intense 1 Minute Caring Mask
L’Oreal New Smooth Intense Polishing Conditioner
De Lorenzo Out of Line Styling Straightening Balm
The Body Shop Macadamia Straightening Balm
Nivea Straight and Easy Straightening Shampoo
Wella Professionals Enrich Moisturizing Leave-in Balm
L’oreal Professionnel Shine Perfecting Serum Liss Ultime
Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Oil Free Perfecting Creme
The packaging looks so gooood! :O Sad that it doesn’t work 🙁
I use a smoothing cream from their tecni art range and love it to the core. It controls frizz and keeps hair straighter for longer. This one is more or less like that one though. Seems like they have just improved the packaging.