I recently wrote about my obsession with French skincare brands so I’m excited to now bring you French Girl Chic: The Hair Edition! There is something about the envy-inducing French style that filters down to their hair, perfectly hitting the line between polished and relaxed. The ‘je ne sais quoi’ look that French women are envied for actually requires a lot more work than you’d think! To achieve the perfect voluminous French hairstyle, our friends across the pond rely on a select few cult haircare brands and products that, upon learning about, I obviously had to try! Years of trying and testing later, I have put together a list of my French haircare staples that no longer require a trip to Paris to get your hands on since you can now order them online. Merci.
Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle
The only dry shampoo I have found that is totally invisible, Klorane’s award-winning Dry Shampoo with Nettle leaves no white residue behind and instantly combats grease. I use it to revive a blowout that I’m trying to extend for as long as possible or when I just don’t have time to wash my hair. The nettle extract works to absorb impurities and control oil, leaving hair clean and fresh. A favorite of celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Diane Kruger, the formula hasn’t changed since 1971 and for good reason. Legend has it that Karl Lagerfeld used half a bottle of this dry shampoo every day to keep his signature hairstyle perfectly coiffed.
René Furterer Style Vegetal Finishing Spray
Created by René Furterer, who worked as a stylist in 1950s Paris, this quintessentially French brand is all about combining plant-based ingredients with cutting-edge pharmaceutical ingredients to maintain a healthy scalp and hair. This lightweight dry finishing spray, the brand’s hero product, holds hair perfectly in place without weighing it down. It adds texture, body, volume and shine to my hair without it looking greasy or leaving a powdery residue. It contains cakile extract, sunflower seed extract, and vitamin b5 to retain hydration, enhance elasticity and suppleness, and protect hair from environmental damage. It smells absolutely divine and has a beautiful satin finish. One spray and you’ll be addicted.
Klorane Shampoo with Desert Date
This paraben-free, silicone-free, and SLS-free shampoo is formulated especially for dry, damaged hair. The super creamy formula not only gently cleanses my scalp and hair, but it also deeply hydrates my scalp and repairs my split ends, leaving me with silky, smooth, and healthy-looking hair. The desert date, which is rich in fatty acids and proteins, works to strengthen, nourish and restore hair follicles. The perfect shampoo for hair that has been exposed to excess heat or chemical treatments.
L’Huile de Leonor Greyl
This hair oil is particularly useful addition to a vacation haircare regime as it protects against chlorine and UVA/B, making it the perfect treatment for protecting your hair from the damaging effects of the sun, swimming pool, and sea when on vacation. I use it as a pre-shampoo treatment when my hair feels especially dry and its effects on my hair are always immediate, leaving it healthy, hydrated, and strong from the first use. This hair oil is not only a favorite of mine but also of Peter Butler, hairstylist to celebrities including Claire Danes and Natalie Portman, who actually uses this product on his clients in the days leading up to their red-carpet appearances and claims it works like magic!
Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt
It was love at first scrub for me and Christophe Robin’s award-winning Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt. A healthy scalp is the first step in achieving healthy hair and Paris-based colorist (and hairdresser to stars including Claudia Schiffer and Catherine Deneuve), Christophe Robin’s dense, grainy scrub is the ultimate haircare savior for oily or sensitive scalps. It detoxifies, purifies, exfoliates, hydrates, soothes, cleanses, rebalances, moisturizes, the list is endless… I recommend using it once a week to remove build-up of dry shampoo and give your scalp an intense clean that can’t be achieved with ordinary shampoo.
If you’ve tried any of these products, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear about your experiences with them. There are more of my faves below.
Bisous!
xx,
