An end to the never-ending story of frizz?

Guest blogger Kate has documented her hair struggles for Sassy here before and now returns to tell us about a new possibly life-changing product!

So we’ve established that I’m never really satisfied with my hair. My seemingly endless quest to seek the holy grail of volume, colour and no frizz has seen me go from natural to straightened to permed and then back again via a Brazilian blow dry. And that’s just in the last 4 months. My poor hair is temporarily tamed, but only for a maximum of 3 months and then what do I do? Do I dare subject my locks to yet another regime of chemical treatments? Should I simply ask to have my salary paid directly to my hairdresser? Or should I give up entirely and lock myself in the house all summer, emerging only for groceries and with a bag over my head at all times?

The launch of yet another new anti-frizz product may have some of us hair product veterans raising a cynical eyebrow, but this one has been causing something of a buzz in beauty circles. It is being hailed as a revolutionary product by the toughest of critics, with US Allure magazine awarding it the prestigious Beauty Breakthrough award, amongst a slew of other prizes. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?

Living Proof’s frizz is a humidity-blocking product that claims to work on the most rebellious of hair, and includes a full styling line for both straight and curly styles. Unlike most products, it contains no silicones or oils that can damage hair or exacerbate greasiness. It works by coating the hair in PolyfluoroEster, a molecule that completely blocks moisture, leaving hair smooth and glossy without the greasy feel I associate with typical frizz-removing serums, even in high humidity. Allegedly.

I say ‘allegedly’ as frizz is not currently available in Hong Kong, so I don’t know anyone who has actually tried it. It is, however, sold in Sephora stores across the US, Canada and France and Mecca Cosmetics in Australia. It has recently been made available in the UK via cult beauty store Space NK, a great endorsement, as they have a great track record of identifying lesser-known brands with products that actually work. Hopefully it will only be a matter of time before it reaches our shores (the Living Proof website claims late 2010 for international shipping) as a quick straw poll of my girlfriends confirms that frizz is a serious preoccupation here in Hong Kong!

As someone who is willing to try literally anything at all to control my crazy ‘do, I think that the cost is pretty reasonable (US $24 for a 4oz bottle of styling cream) and certainly cheaper and less time-consuming than a Brazilian blow dry. The promotional photos on the website look pretty impressive, but then they would, wouldn’t they? I guess that, having tried so many products in the past, I now know to remain cool and unimpressed by the hype until I’ve had a chance to test it out for myself! That said, I’ll definitely ask the next friend visiting the US or UK to pick up a bottle for me. Fingers crossed, it could just be the miracle that HK girls have been waiting for!

Kate is a Hong Kong based lifestyle writer and you can contact her at farrkj@gmail.com.