I'm back! This time my absence was due to moving (once again) and also going on my very first real vacation. Incoming products to try out also slow down quite a bit over the winter months and because of Christmas, my entertainment budget is non-existent for myself so I can't purchase new beauty products to try out either. Thankfully, Joico's PR reached out to me about a month ago asking if I was interested in testing out this system in exchange for an instagram post and the claims seemed perfect so I agreed and I'm very happy I did. Here's a link to the website if you want to have a look.
The main claims for the system are that using the products will result in 80% less breakage, stronger hair, high maintenance of colours and vibrancy, increased softness and shine, as well as strengthening and building bonds. After reading through the product breakdowns, my interest peaked when I saw that there were claims of the products protecting your hair against pollution as well as UV damage—something I would be exposed to while travelling from winter weather to tropical heat and being exposed to a lot of strong sun.
Defy Damage Protective Shampoo - SRP $24.95 for 300 ml
This shampoo is free of sulfates, which is very important for me since I have naturally curly hair that I am trying to improve the appearance of as I grow out the chemically straightened parts. Even though the shampoo is very high quality, it still does lather up, which I personally like because I find it easier to spread around and use less product. The smell is all right, but that isn't very important for me. This leaves my hair feeling very clean, which I love because I only wash my hair once a week on a normal week, but I did wash it twice the week I went on Vacation to Cuba since I was exposed to so much sun and salt water. This did very well at cleaning my hair and all of the sand that was stuck in it. The price seems on par with my other favourite shampoos and it is very good considering I can use less of it.Defy Damage Protective Conditioner - SRP $25.15 for 250 ml
I like that this comes with less product because I do use much less conditioner than shampoo on my hair (Yes I know, it's strange). I don't like that it's priced higher when you get less product, but I can understand since this conditioner does claim to do a bit more. On top of all of the regular claims, this conditioner is an amazing detangler. After the first few nights in Cuba of swimming around and my hair becoming a rats nest, I used this in y hair to detangle my hair before rinsing it out. Because I was wearing my hair natural and curly the whole trip, I also didn't only add it to my ends and was very pleasantly surprised at how my hair remained looking shiny and feeling super soft and healthy, but never greasy, even with all of the heat and sweating.Defy Damage Protective Mask - SRP $27. 65 for 150 ml
I've only used this particular product twice (once the very first time, and once last weekend) and I can certainly say that I noticed a difference in my hair after the first time. My hair always acts funny the very first time I try a new product, especially after using the same line for a long time. I was surprised after leaving this mask in for a few minutes before rinsing it out that my hair didn't feel like there was a bunch of product left in it and didn't make it become oily before the usual amount of time (about five days after washing). I did notice a small reduction in split ends, but although it claims to protect from heat styling, I refuse to not use an additional heat protectant just to be extra safe.Defy Damage Protective Shield - SRP $27.65 for 150 ml
This is probably my favourite product from the line because I could actually use it while on Vacation and see if it was truly working or not. This claims to protect against UV damage as well as pollution. You can also use this on it's own between washes, so I brought enough for my week away in Cuba and put it to the test. I definitely noticed that my hair wasn't becoming dry in the heat or after swimming if I simply rinsed the salt water out and added some of this to my hair. My hair also wasn't becoming dull like it normally would after several days of being in the sun all day long. The smell is a bit gross (it smells fruity, which most people like, but I hate), but it works so I love it.Here are a few pics of my hair on vacation so you can see how good it looked dry, what my natural hair looks like when fully wet, as well as after I arrived back from vacation and washed my hair (third day hair). You can see how healthy my hair looks considering everything it was going through, and how it was barely frizzy even though I had no products or tools for heat styling during this time.
While these products will be available in Canada as of this month (March 2019), please check out the Joico Canada website to find out when they are released, and where to find them.
Thank you again to Joico Canada's PR team for sending this line over for my to try out and review! As usual, all opinions are my own.
I have a few new exciting things to write about so I'll see you soon!
