Product Review: Totally TLC Hydrating Mask

I haven't bought magazines for awhile as none of them have seemed worth it. However, I spotted the new issue of Glamour and in a typical girl move, I bought it because a) it was pink and b) it had free beauty stuff with it. The magazine had a choice of four products: a shampoo, conditioner, mask and finishing polish. I went for the mask as my hair is colour treated and not in the best condition.

What they say:

'Try this decadent treat for stressed-out locks. It contains marshmallow to nourish and coconut oil to condition'.

What I say:

This was a smaller product than the one I found online but definitely a good size for a free product. I like the no nonsense packaging and think it makes it look expensive (which for my budget, it is). I loved how the product smelt, I think it was the marshmallow scent which came through the most. I find it tough to keep hair masks on for as long as they tell you to as I rarely have any time when I take a shower. For the sake of a fair trial I sat and twiddled my thumbs for the required ten minutes, with a towel wrapped around my conditioned hair.

I was also dubious of the instructions to smooth in from root to tip as I always avoid my roots to prevent greasiness. Again, I decided to follow the instructions rather than my own intuition and lathered it all the way up. The first thing I noticed when I was finally allowed to wash it out was how silky my hair felt. The product seemed to wash out really easily and left my hair really nice and soft. I wrapped my hair in a towel and left it to naturally dry for a couple of hours as I usually do, before blow drying it and running the straighteners through it briefly.

Upon drying it, I noticed how heavy the top of my hair felt. Drying it was hard, even having left it for so long to dry naturally. My hair felt heavy and greasy towards the roots and I was a bit annoyed with this as it meant that straightening it also left my hair feeling a bit like I hadn't washed it for a few days. I also didn't feel like my hair was that much softer once dried and styled. The thing the product did seem to do to my hair was make it even thicker. This wasn't something I had thought the product would do, and not something I wanted to happen particuarly as I already have very thick hair. However, this might be a bonus for other people who maybe don't have such thick hair. I also feel that my hair may have been repaired slightly from the product and that, if I had done as I usually do, and avoided the root area, it may have worked better and not made my hair feel greasy.

I will be using this again but only on the mid lengths to ends of my hair and see if it works better for me. For a free product I think this is great, however, I would definitely not purchase this myself for the full price of £12. In my opinion there are much better products out there for cheaper (namely my own Aussie Miracle intensive conditioner).

Did you get this month's Glamour magazine? Which product did you choose?

Rating:

3.5/5 This is a good product, but not worth its price tag and not the best out there. Nice scent and silky soft hair upon application but I was left feeling disappointed with greasy roots and thicker hair