Customer Reviews

Fekkai Glossing Starter Kit

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Okay, so I have winter hair...not so great. When I saw this product, I hoped that it could bring shine and luster back to my chemically processed, winter hat-hair, and who better to help me than the stylist to the stars, Frederic Fekkai?

I was a little surprised and disappointed when I read the list of ingredients. It's full of sodium laureth sulfate. Why would a master of hair put in such a dreadful ingredient? Great for bubbles, but not for hair. I pushed past my initial reservations to give the product a fair try. In fact, everyone in the family tried the 3-step system--from chemically processed, salt-and-pepper gray, to a youthful crowning glory. Here's what you need to know to figure out if it's right for you:

We all came away with shiny, silky hair. The salt-and-pepper had been tamed from a wirey mass, into gleeming curls; the unprocessed head of hair was shiny and full; and the colored and bleached hair looked moisturized with a glossy luster,without being weighed-down in the least.

The family overall, liked the fragrance. It's a freshy-cucumber-y scent. I felt it was a little on the perfume-y side, as I could still smell the scent the next day. That's a turn-off for me. Nobody else in the family had a problem with it, and they actually commented very positively on the fragrance. Go figure.

The shampoo and conditioner are unremarkable. They get the cleansing job done, but I don't feel they are the reason that I now have shiny hair. Their best feature? They don't weigh-down my hair.

The real gem in the kit is the Glossing Cream. It hydrates, sleeks, and shines, without flattening the hair. In fact, I got great results from my flippy-style that I can usually only get at the salon. And, the family does have shiny hair that feels soft and touchable. 2 of the 4 family members got compliments on the beauty and luster of their hair while out in public.

A few tips from Frederic Fekkai that would help ANY hair regimen:

1. Wash hair gently and focus on shampooing close to the scalp, instead of roughing-up the cuticle of your hair.

2. After conditioning, blast your hair with cold water to seal the cuticle of your hair. It will lay flatter, and boost shine.

3. When using a glossing cream, use a pea-sized amount, and apply starting at the ends of your hair. Definitely don't glob it at the root end. You'll just end up with flat, lifeless hair.

Last test: You know how a shampoo/conditioner regimen is great the first couple of times you use it, and then it tanks, just like all the rest? Well, even after using the system for a couple of weeks, it's still working. We are not seeing unsightly build-up of product that would spell disaster, and our hair continues to be shiny and soft.

Final verdict? I'd definitely purchase the Glossing Cream if it was sold separately, as it truly is the work-horse of the system. I just wish it didn't smell so strong.

First of all, I have natural blond hair that is very fine. It can get very dry and sometimes has the texture of bleached hair. However, I have to be very careful with "shine" products, because blonds can look greasy easily, too.

I have used all three products together and have also tried the glossing cream with other shampoos and conditioners. First off, the Fekkai glossing shampoo and conditioner have a pretty strong herbal/fresh smell. I think the smell lasts a very long time. I wash my hair at night, and the smell is still strong in the morning. I can even still smell it by the end of the day after work. It is a very refreshing smell.

The shampoo is very thick. As with other thick products I have used, I knew that I could get away without using quite as much and then adding a little water after putting it on my hair, to get that great lather most people like. As soon as I rinsed my hair, I could tell that the shampoo was very moisturizing on it. The conditioner is wonderful, too.

Because I have had trouble with breakage, I use a lot of different products beyond the shampoo and conditioner. I normally use a Nexxus leave-in conditioner, Redken Anit-Snap treatment, Moroccanoil, and then Phyto 9 on the ends after I have dried it. When I first put on the Fekkai glossing cream (used about the size of 2 or 3 peas for hair a couple inches below shoulders), I wasn't sure it would be enough, but I wanted to try it alone without the added products. I made sure I really squeezed it into the ends of my hair. WELL, after drying it, my hair looked great!!! It didn't look dry at all. It wasn't "glossy", but it didn't look dry, so I was extremely happy with the outcome. I did put a little Morrocanoil on the ends after drying it just as a treatment for overnight.

I usually dry my hair straight and then use a flat iron in the morning for straight hair or use a large curling iron for big, loose curls that I pull apart with my fingers. After using the Fekkai glossing kit, I will say that my hair did not look dry (love it) and my curls were "bouncy". It sounds weird to say that, but it's true. However, I definitely didn't have any volume to my hair, so if you like lots of volume, this product probably isn't for you.

I will definitely continue using the cream --- GREAT FIND!!! While I do really like the shampoo and conditioner, I'm not sure if I like it enough to spend that much money on it. I may end up getting more when I run out and use it once a week, or something like that. The cream is absolutely incredible, though. Because you only need such a tiny amount, it is definitely a good deal for the price on the cream.

I would recommend these products to people with non-oily hair and for those who do not wear their hair with loads of volume. The smell is refreshing and invigorating, the products remove the appearance of dry, brittle hair, and the cream can really take the place of a lot of extra products!!

The Fekkai Glossing Starter Kit I received contained shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in glossing cream; there was no tote included. I see in product description for this item currently mentions a finishing hairspray and a travel comb, but I don't believe those are meant to be included with this kit. That could be made more clear to buyers.

The scent of these treatments is very pleasant - citrusy and herbaceous. It is slightly like the original Clairol Herbal Essences from the 70s, but more refined and elegant. It is light, pleasant, and fresh without being at all overpowering. I don't think it would conflict if one wore scent.

Both shampoo and conditioner are quite thick, so not much is necessary to give ample sudsing and conditioning. The conditioner felt like it rinsed clean, but as another reviewer mentioned, I could already tell that my hair was going to be tangle-free.

I used a pea-sized amount of the glossing cream applied to my towel-dried, short-ish hair. Again a little seems to go a looooong way. My hair is very fine and straight, and I was worried the glossing cream would be overkill after the conditioner. I needn't have been. While blow drying, my usually unruly hair was unbelievably manageable, doing exactly what I wanted instead of poofing out all over the place. When dry, my hair was soft and silky, yet with lots of body - not at all oily-feeling like one sometimes ends up experiencing with silicone products, and not at all flat.

It is winter here as I write this review, and I normally experience an itchy scalp from dry indoor air. It is almost 24 hours after my last shampoo, and my scalp is not itchy at all. My hair still feels fresh, and is still not poofing all over the place. Truly, very manageable!

The only reasons I didn't give the products five stars are 1) the packaging doesn't seem to be recyclable in my area (the box tray isn't marked that I could see, and though the bottles are marked with a recycling symbol, the only number I can find is elsewhere on the bottles and it's a "3") and 2) the price seems a bit steep for the size of the kit. But perhaps if mine was supposed to have included a travel tote, that would seem more appropriate.

Then again, a little goes a loooooong way, and these products will thus last much longer than the less expensive ones I used previously! Nice indulgences that actually do what the makers say they will. Would make a very nice gift.

My friend describes my hair as "Sheep's-a$$-head" and to her point, I do have thick, dry wavy hair that I don't take care of. Once at work, a colleague came into my office and asked me if I had done my hair with "salad spoons?" So you know where I am coming from. Fekkai is a seriously high end brand that I would NEVER consider spending that much money on. I'm the disheveled mess in front of you in line at Costco. Got the picture? So I can honestly give this product an honest review.

1. The smell is reminiscent of the 1970's Herbal Essence shampoo - remember the green bottle with the girl with flowing hair? It's a lighter smell, but nice. It's definitely balsam.

2. It doesn't lather up very much. I LOVE a huge, rich lather, so this was a bit disappointing. Maybe you have to use a huge squeeze?

3. It rinses very easily. I followed the directions and did the shampoo, the conditioner and then the after treatment styling cream. The conditioner felt barely adequate - but remember what it is working against here! The cream goes only to the ends and then work up from there - which I didn't even have to do - the ends absorbed almost all of it immediately.

4. After blow drying, my hair was SUPER shiny - yes - you could even say GLOSSY! And easy to brush. I went CRAZY and got out my $400 English hair straightening tool. (Purchased after a haircut I got three years ago - to help me resolve to actually do my hair every day. I did my hair for two weeks. End of story.)

5. I asked everyone in the house if they thought my hair was shiny/glossier - and they all heartily agreed that it was. Although, most of them were not even used to seeing my hair brushed - so grade on the curve...

All things considered - this product does what it says. It doesn't lather great. It has a pleasant smell. It did make my sheep's a$$ head soft, shiny and manageable.

The downside - you can't go two days without washing - my hair was DONE by the next morning and needed shampooing. Usually I can go two-three days, no problem, especially because it is so dry and over processed and under brushed. It's a nice product.

My wife and I both tried this, and both liked it. The set absolutely creates very smooth hair. We didn't really notice any particular glossiness, but the smoothness was definitely very striking.

The only downside we saw was that the conditioner was very thin. We like to apply conditioner much more thickly, so we ended up using the whole bottle of conditioner before the shampoo was 1/3 done.

For those to whom this matters, the products do contain. sodium laureth sulfate (SLS).

These products are flat out wonderful. The shampoo will clean, rinse thoroughly, and the smell is fresh (not lingering) but not overpowering. I have never liked strong fragrances, especially since they normally bother my allergies. This was a pleasant surprise. Secondly, I have very thin, limp hair. The conditioner left my hair feeling great and not coated as so many products can. Fortunately, my hair is very short, so I don't have to use very much of the product at each use. I hesitated about trying the Shine because my hair can get oily. As with the other products, less is more, so I just used a very little amount (half a pea), and what a treat. I like the feel, and it does not make my hair oily.

This package is called a "starter" kit, but I immediately thought "travel" kit because of the sizes. At $24.97 for these three products, I had to wonder what the full sizes would cost. You don't want to know. Also, I thought the starter kit price was bad until I found it at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $27.99, plus tax. Just a 16 ounce size of the shampoo alone costs $35 there. That is why I deducted a star; these products are pretty pricey. However, they are so good that I am mentioning to family and friends that these are welcome gifts for me for birthdays and Christmas.

I'm a Fekkai Girl now, but I wasn't always. I didn't see how higher priced products made a difference until I tried this set. I have VERY frizzy hair and the glossing cream completely eliminates that and boosts shine. I use the shampoo and conditioner and the glossing cream, it's good because I no longer have to put heavy products in my hair.

I recommend this if you have been thinking about trying Fekkai, but you will probably end up buying to full sized bottles.

My wife has long, thick dark hair and used this set of Fekkai products with great results. Her hair was noticeably glossier with fewer errant fly away hairs. Without having read the ingredients, she guessed at the olive oil component, not because her hair was greasy but because it seemed so much healthier. It didn't cause her any difficulties with complexion or anything like that. All in all, a great product for women with long, straight, thick hair who want to increase shine and manageability without feeling like they have loads of goop on their hair.

Summer humidity turns my hair into a Brillo pad, only not quite so cute. I have relied on another name brand's products for years and was satisfied with the results. I purchased this starter size just to try out Fekkai products after hearing so many people rave about them, esp the Glossing cream. The shampoo was okay, but I immediately loved the Glossing conditioner and the Glossing cream was terrific. Having short-medium length hair, I can probably use the Glossing cream for a long time as it only takes a tiny amount. The next time I had my hair professionally colored I tried the Frederic Fekkai Technician Color Care Shampoo (8 oz) instead of the Glossing Shampoo while still combining it with the Glossing Conditioner and Glossing Cream. Wonderful results! Healthy, shiny, manageable, no frizz or fly-aways. I can't believe I finally truly tamed the Brillo pad! Granted it is more expensive than my previous products, but what a difference it has made!

My hair is lately dull and dry thanks to over-processing, so when I saw the Fekkai Glossing Starter Kit, I thought I found the answer to shiny, healthy looking hair. Instead of giving my hair a healthy glow, I ended up with frizzier hair. I used all three products exactly as directed over a period of 2 weeks - which is about as long as the product lasted. Still, I did not see any improvement to my hair as far as a "shiny, healthy" look. I did love the citrus (lemon/lime) smell but that was about all I enjoyed about the product.