Most beauty companies are well aware of every woman's longing for silkier, smoother hair, and so they launch product lines with key words like "soft," "silky," and "lustrous" to lure consumers in (even if their products leave your hair feeling rougher than a rusty Brillo pad). But, then, most companies aren't Ecru New York. Ecru's latest offerings, the Silk Nourishing Cream and Silk Nectar Serum, deliver commercial-ready hair through the usage of fine ingredients like — get this — silk protein, which is derived from 100% natural Japanese silk and is packed with amino acids that restore elasticity and volume to hair follicles. A product that contains silk protein and, hence, leads to softer hair? How's that for keeping it real? You can't ever accuse them of false advertising!
The Silk Nectar Serum contains cayenne pepper extract to exfoliate and stimulate the scalp (who knew cayenne pepper had these powers? I thought cayenne pepper was only good for the Master Cleanse!), vitamin E to ward off UV damage and nourish the hair, and safflower seed oil to moisturize. Not only does it keep your hair in one place (I managed to walk through the mother of all wind tunnels and, even though my hair was flying about, once I got outta there and fingercombed my hair, I looked as put-together as I did when I left the house, meaning no fly-aways), but it adds the right amount of shine (without the grease). As a matter of fact, your hands won't even feel greasy after your run this through your hair.
But it's the Silk Nourishing Cream that really won me over. This leave-in conditioner moisturizes your hair better than many an "intense treatment" or hair mask (and the convenience of not having to wait 1-15 minutes to then rinse it off can't be stressed enough!), and it's lightweight enough to not weigh your hair down but, rather, increase its volume. Aside from silk protein, the light cream features ingredients like: coco monoi, a conditioning extract derived from Tahitian Tiaré flowers (gardenias), nutritious jojoba oil (which has been popping up in many organic products as of late); conditioning, antimicrobial agent colza oil; and panthenol, a vitamin B5 type that increases the hair follicles' moisture retention capacity.
You can apply it onto damp hair or, if your hair needs a little pick-me-up during the afternoon hours, you can dab some onto your dry tresses. The best part about the Silk Nourishing Cream: it not only moisturizes your hair, but it detangles. Oftentimes, even if you apply a great leave-in conditioner, you'll still need detangling cream/spray to comb through your locks and, in the end, the combination of products can lead to excessively oily hair. But with this product, you can take care of both tasks at the same time. And hey, if it multitasks, I'm all for it!
Ecru Silk Nourishing Cream, $24; Silk Nectar Serum, $32.50. Visit EcruNewYork.com
