For me, my hair has always been a bit of a problem child. Chalk it up to me never learning how to properly care for my ultra-thick head of hair or growing up in the bone-dry climate of Colorado, but hair has never been my strong suit. I’ve tried many products over the years, and I’ve come to learn that I’m very, very picky about haircare products—I’m results-oriented and many brands just don’t deliver.
Enter R+Co, the high-performance haircare line with crazy good product names and some of the coolest packaging in the game. These products are as effective as they are pretty, which makes them staples for anyone looking to elevate their haircare routine.
To really get a feel for R+Co products, I incorporated its best sellers into my routine for a week. Of course, most of these products I’ve also been using on and off for quite some time, so I’m very familiar with them. Keep reading for my review of the best R+Co products out there, from someone who has a bone to pick with most haircare products.
Keep in mind that R+Co products can run a tad more expensive than other haircare, so this brand does fall squarely into the prestige category, particularly its Bleu line, which the brand describes as its “couture-caliber capsule haircare collection.”
Dry shampoo isn’t always my favorite thing. It often feels chalky and leaves a ghostly residue on my dark hair. In fact, after the recent voluntary recalls of many cult-favorite dry shampoos, I’ve kind of been avoiding it altogether. I reached for this in a pinch, however, and I found that it soaked up all the oil on my scalp without leaving any whiteness. The best part is that it didn’t leave the dreaded chalky dry shampoo film, and my hair was instantly revived.
Good hair spray is hard to find! Too strong and you’ll end up with a helmet head (been there) and not strong enough and you’ll end up with loose strands flopping everywhere. This one is the perfect happy medium, plus it doesn’t smell like hairspray typically does at all, which is a major win, if you ask me.
Consider this a highly efficacious night cream for your hair. After smoothing it on and heading to bed, I woke up with impossibly soft and smooth hair, and my hair brush went through it like butter. The star ingredient is a type of algae called green caviar, which is jam-packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals for supremely healthy hair in the morning. The only reason this isn’t higher on my list is the price tag—I recognize that $165 for a 2-ounce bottle of hair mask is a bit steep. If you have the funds, however, you’ll find that it’s a true workhorse on hair.
You’ve probably used vitamin C for your face, but what about for your hair? This leave-in conditioner is infused with vitamin C, which helps protect hair from environmental aggressors and UV damage, all while also hydrating, softening, and combatting frizz.
This styling mist provides heat protection up to 450 degrees, so you can feel protected when you use it thanks to high-tech polymers. It also makes hair impeccably soft and shiny.
With juniper berry extract to maintain oil balance on the scalp by soaking up impurities and glycerin and babassu seed oil to hydrate and lock in moisture, this shampoo is good for all hair types. It creates a dreamy, weightless lather that makes the cleansing process a sensorial experience.
File this under “coolest-looking product in my bathroom.” I immediately fell in love with this conditioner based on the packaging, but I know better than anyone not to judge a book by its cover. In practice, it smells amazing, makes hair soft and shiny, and doesn’t weigh hair down at all
Hair oil and I have an on-again, off-again relationship. I’ll find that it makes my hair look impossibly lustrous one day, and then it will make it look like an oil spill the next. With a blend of oils like sunflower for shine, babassu for frizz control, and kendi for hydration, this oil is a true triple-threat that leaves hair shiny, never greasy.
I first tried this product in the salon, right after my stylist had given me a classic blowout. “Watch this,” he said, spraying this volumizer in my roots and tousling my hair as he went along. He explained that this spray gives your hair that extra oomph to make a run-of-the-mill blowout more interesting since it adds texture and movement to the hair. I often find that texture sprays make my hair feel gritty or too product-heavy, but this one gives all the benefits with none of the downsides.
The only actual requirement that I have from a blow-dry product is that it protects my hair from heat damage, and everything else is an added bonus. This blow-dry spray not only protects from heat, but it’s also a light-as-air, super-fine mist that doesn’t leave any residue. It’s also technologically advanced—the brand’s Blue Molecule Complex uses micro-encapsulated sugar molecules to gradually impart nourishment into hair through active ingredients, and a heat-activated polymer helps strengthen the hair’s cuticle. It also makes your blowout last, so expect salon-quality results three days after you initially style it.
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