Review: Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo, Condition and Hairspray

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

When I go on vacation I usually take the opportunity to bring sachets of samples to use. They're portable and sometimes come in the exact amounts you need for the trip. I had blindly grabbed a shampoo/conditioner sachet when I went to Montreal last August not realizing what it was. When I blew my hair dry I was sort of surprised by how voluminous my hair turned out! I looked at the sample and it was the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner. 

I have to make a point and say I don't go for expensive $30 bottles of shampoo. That's just way too much to pay but a well timed purchase return and a coupon at Sephora tricked my brain into thinking I was paying a lot less. My brain still isn't rational enough to understand the money is fungible, alas. Either way, I was impressed enough with the sample to go ahead and buy the shampoo and condition.The hairspray I have had for a while now.

Shampoo and Conditioner

The shampoo is suppose to build body, moisturize and seal split ends. It comes with a pop top as does the conditioner. It statesnthat a little goes a long way and in general I have found that to be true. It has a nice fresh sea salt sort of scent. The conditioner is really cream and you also don't need a lot of it (but I have very short hair so that's probably why). If you psychologically need a good lather to feel like your hair is clean you will not get it here. There aren't that many suds and I find the shampoo difficult to maneuver once you've put it on your head. To counter that issue, I'll pour a little out, rub it around on my hands and rub it through my hair. This methods helps spread the product around better. 

I'm not sure why but the full sized versions don't do the same thing as the satchet. I don't think the ingredients are any different but maybe there was something magical in my sample that I don't have now. When you blow dry your hair, you do get a bit of volume and you definitely get more if you use a brush but it's not very long lasting. In addition, I find that these products are really drying. When you rinse off the shampoo your hair feels stripped of moisture so you need that conditioner. If I use it daily I find that my scalp gets a little itchy. 

Hairspray

The hairspray is suppose to be used as a setting spray and has moderate hold. Use it while your hair is slightly damp or dry. I had bought this before trying either the shampoo or conditioner because a hairdresser had used it on me. I find that it does a good job of adding volume, nothing amazing but if you know your way around a brush and hairdryer you'll get a nice blow out. The hold is moderate; it lasts an OK amount of time but after a long night your hair may return to its pre-hairsprayed condition.

In General

I would not buy the shampoo and conditioner again. They are really quite expensive and the results are not very apparent or long lasting. I think they smell nice but it just doesn't seem good to use them everyday. I would probably buy the hairspray again. Out of the 3 I think the hairspray works the best and the travel size is great since I don't use hairspray all that often. 

Have you tried a volumizing shampoo/conditioner? Have they worked?