Howdy doo!

Today I bring you a review of a recent product from Influenster. If you haven’t already signed up for Influenster, you should! It is free, really easy to use and best of all – they send you free things. Sign up here!

This time it was the new L’Oreal Elvive Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm.

I have zero complaints about the packaging, smell and consistency. This product smells nice, has a nice weight to it and comes in large tub making it easy to scoop.

After showering and using the Melu Shampoo from Davines, I busted out the balm and coated the ends of my hair. I let it sit (per the directions) for 3 minutes and then rinsed out with hot water.

I immediately noticed how soft my hair felt as I rinsed the product away. MUCH softer than the Melu and Oi Conditioners I’ve been using. However, I didn’t let that fool me! SO many drugstore conditioners use ingredients that create a silky soft feeling when rinsed out (…PANTENE…) but actually just coat the hair in wax. Then the product just builds up on itself but is really doing nothing for the hair.

I also am not an idiot. I know that a split end is not repairable by any product, no matter how expensive. The only way to effectively get rid of split ends and damage is to CUT THEM OFF.

For reference, here is the ingredient list and as you can see, the fourth ingredient is wax. I did a bit of research on this particular one and it isn’t necessarily “bad” but I discovered it is typically “added for increased lubricity and to keep liquids and oils from separating”.

So how did it work?

Meh. Being a somewhat educated woman in the realm of haircare has taught me that (as with lots of things in life) you absolutely get what you pay for. And this product costs $6.99 for 8.5 ounces. Although I do not think it did any further damage to my already damaged hair, I do not think it lives up to it’s “damage erasing” claims.

See evidence:

Still some damage there, me thinks.

All in all, it was fun to try out and my hair kinda smells like marzipan so #winning.

*I received this product complimentary for testing.