New John Frieda Frizz Ease products
Left to right: Dream Curls Shampoo and Conditioner, Unwind Curls Calming Crème, and Nourishing Oil Elixir
John Frieda has launched all of these products at once—I received Dream Curls Shampoo and Conditioner, Unwind Curls Calming Crème, and Nourishing Oil Elixir to review—and they can be used separately or together. Each has specific claims: the shampoo and conditioner are “formulated to cleanse, hydrate and minimize tangles” and will “reduce frizz before you even begin to style.” The Calming Crème is supposed to “deliver undone, relaxed curls with a soft—never stiff—feel,” and “elongates and stretches curls as they air dry, while luxurious conditioner eliminate frizz and puffiness.” And the Nourishing Oil Elixir “works into the hair to deliver the ultimate in softness and manageability,” “transforming frizz into fabulous style.”
I used these for two weeks, washing my hair every other day with the shampoo and conditioner and then using either the Calming Crème and Nourishing Oil Elixir on the days that I didn’t wash my hair. Before the John Frieda products, I had been using a L’Oreal shampoo and conditioner duo that I liked—but the difference between how my hair felt with that combination, which I enjoyed, and the John Frieda Frizz Ease products was ridiculous. Even after the first time I washed my hair with the duo, which lathers up well, the change was drastic: my hair immediately felt softer, looked glossier, and lay smoother, not in a flat, volume-less way but in a more manageable way. I didn’t feel too much gunk buildup or an increase in flakiness while washing my hair every other day, and overall I really, really enjoyed the duo. This is definitely going to be a rebuy for me.
Next up is the Calming Crème, which reminded me of John Frieda’s Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Crème, which I’ve used for a few years. The Calming Crème is described as having an “innovative, proprietary styling polymer” that allows your hair to be soft and “luxurious,” and I would agree with both of those claims. This was a really nice product for me on the days that I hadn’t washed my hair; it maintained the smoothness brought about by the shampoo and conditioner, and it didn’t feel heavy or weighed down. The only tricky thing for me was figuring out how much to use; I started out with a quarter-size dollop and then worked down to a dime-size, which worked well for my bob-length hair.
And finally, I tried out the Nourishing Oil Elixir, which was very similar to the original John Frieda Hair Serum that I have been using for years. It is more watery, and like the Calming Crème, I needed to play with it a bit to realize exactly how much to use so my hair didn’t feel overly greasy, but a couple of dots really did wonders. It boosted my hair’s shine and made it feel less dry, and I really liked working it into the ends of my hair to get rid of any frizziness at the bottom of my strands. The company recommends using it in conjunction with the Calming Crème, but I preferred using it alone so my hair didn’t feel too weighed down.
Overall, I really enjoy these new John Frieda products. They seem like revamped versions of originals I already liked well enough, so there’s a nice mix of familiarity and higher quality at play here. I would definitely recommend all of them—I haven’t experienced any issues with them yet, and I don’t think I will.
VERDICT: A for John Frieda Frizz Ease Shampoo and Conditioner, Calming Crème, and Nourishing Oil Elixir.
AVAILABILITY: $6.99 each for Frizz Ease Shampoo, Conditioner, and Calming Crème; $9.99 each for Nourishing Oil Elixir, all at your local drugstore.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The products featured in this post were provided to Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog by the manufacturer or their public relations company for review. Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog posts are inspired by personal experience and opinion, and are not paid for or influenced by the manufacturer, PR company, or any other organization unless mentioned.
Photos by Roxana Hadadi.
In middle school, Roxana Hadadi was a cosmetics-scorning tomboy; in high school, a glitter eye shadow- and black nail polish-loving trend kid; in college, obsessively committed to dying her hair unruly colors that upset her mom. Now a bit older and a bit more mature, she’s trying to figure out what hair, body and cosmetics products will work for her, you and your family in About Face, Chesapeake Family’s new beauty blog — and she’ll leave the sparkle makeup and neon highlights in the past. Roxana also writes movie reviews for Chesapeake Family’s Popcorn Parents blog.
