Courtesy: Living Proof
What is something that most women have but no one knows about? Something that should be easily recognizable but rarely seen? Any guesses? The answer is CURLS. I had the incredible opportunity of talking to Eric Spengler, the Senior Vice President of Research and Development of Living Proof, a revolutionary hair care company that doesn’t leave you with empty promises.
As a Collegiette who is #blessed with extremely curly hair, I know the struggle. I’ve heard all of the back-handed compliments of, “Wow your hair looks so great straightened,” “Oh my gosh, your hair reminds me of Jackie’s hair! She’s my poodle,” and the ever popular, “How long does it take to straighten your hair? Can you even straighten your hair? I bet you I could do it,” as if the mere sight of my hair screams, “TAME ME.” But fear not my fellow curlies! The day has finally come and natural is in, so it’s time to rock what you’ve got whether it’s straight, wavy or curly. According to Spengler, roughly 60 percent of women in the U.S. have either wavy or curly hair so we are definitely not alone. With Living Proof’s newest Curl Line, you can come out of hiding and let your mane run wild.
As I spoke with Spengler, he noted that the number one issue with curly hair is the unpredictability, which makes total sense. You walk out of the shower and it looks great. You put on your makeup and it still looks great. But then you make it to lunch, look in the mirror and it looks like your hair just feasted on a three course meal consisting of humidity, humidity and more humidity. What gives? The people over at Living Proof aim to correct this problem because they believe that this is something that should not happen and with their products will not happen. The secret ingredient is the acronym OFPMA and according to Spengler it’s “a game changer for hair care because of its versatility.”
Living Proof worked with MIT scientist Dr. Robert Langer to create this ingredient to relentlessly create a hydrophobic product which repels water in the air. It’s also oleophobic, meaning that it repels dirt, allowing you to go longer between shampoos. This is one of the most important things Spengler wants users to know. “Most consumers wash and then style their hair much more frequently than either necessary or that is good for their hair. We have coined this behavior [as] ‘the cycle of damage,'” said Spengler. “I also think conditioning hair is one of your most important first steps to realize truly healthy hair [in addition to a healthy diet].”
After hearing about this humidity fighting, dirt repelling, superhero of an ingredient that is solely a member of the Living Proof family, you might be wondering which ingredients you should avoid. Well fear not Collegiettes, because I have the answer. To put it plainly, avoid silicones, sulfates and heavy oils. These cause damage and greasy hair so stay flawless and avoid these hair care villains. I finished off my meeting with the number one question on our Floridian minds: which line works best for this swamp-like humidity? The answer: the No Frizz line. There you have it! Run to your nearest Ulta or Sephora and grab some of these revolutionary products. My thinking is, if Jennifer Aniston is a co-owner (yes, I’m serious), it has to be worth a shot.