Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Pre Shampoo Treatment Hot

Over the years I have tried a lot of hair products from so many different brands, but for almost 5 years now if you'd ask me what my favourite hair product is, it's this one without a question.

To get the main downside out of the way, yes it is pricy. However they do some smaller sizes if you just want to try it out first. The first time I tried it was actually when I got a mini Philip Kingsley gift set for my birthday which had a mini shampoo and conditioner, and then 3 little packets of Elasticizer, and I was in love from first use. Given its price you probably are better off trying the smaller sizes first. You can pick up the 75ml for about £14, or if you have more interest in trying new hair products you may be better off with one of the little kits that also has a shampoo and conditioner in as well which are usually under £20.

If you've tried it and do like it then after that the bigger bottle you buy, the better off you are. I have in the past been buying the 150ml for around £22 but after my last one ran out I waited for somewhere to have them on offer again and have recently picked up a 500ml for just under £40. Even when they aren't on offer the 500ml is usually only double the 150ml, so if you're ok to spend that much in one go it's a much better deal.

Now that we've got the price out of the way, on to the product itself.

As far as I'm aware whatever size you purchase this in you'll get a little showercap. Not the most exciting thing in the world but I find it to be a nice addition, because many pre-shampoo treatments & masques work better with a cap but I rarely have one on hand.

To use this you get your hair wet first (just water, no shampoo) and then apply the Elasticizer working it through the hair. You're going to want to avoid your roots because even though you'll be shampooing this out, chances are your roots are still gonna get greasy quickly after using this. When you've applied it through the hair you pop on your shower cap. Now you can either sit around in the bath with it on, or to keep the heat in even more you can wrap a towel around your head on top of the cap as well. On the bottle it recommends to leave on for 10-20 minutes. However this isn't one of those products that you're limited on, you're not going to damage your hair by leaving it on longer. I generally leave it on for half an hour to an hour, though have in the past left it on over night and washed in the morning (been a long time since I've done that though as I'm pretty lazy usually so I honestly can't remember how much difference that made).

However long you've left it on for when you're done you want to rinse well. And they mean rinse well, if you don't you will find your hair gets greasier a bit quickly. After this you just shampoo and condition as you usually would. I believe they recommend using this once to twice a week depending on how much of a treat your hair needs. In the past I've probably only used it 2-3 times a month because of the price, but planning to use it more often now I have a larger bottle and I'll see how much difference that makes.

When it comes to the bottle, the smaller sizes are all little squeezy packets and tubes. The 150ml is a jar type thing, similar to what most hair masques come in. The 500ml and 1000ml are pump bottles.

And so after all of that, what does it actually do? This is one of those products that when you rinse it out you can already feel the difference. It sounds cliche but just rinsing this out my hair does really feel 'elasticized' by which I mean it feels stronger and like it has a little more flexibility to it? I straighten regularly and it gets incredibly dry and damaged and usually when I run my fingers through it, it can feel like bits are going to snap off. After using this it has that extra bit of give and flexibility that makes it feel stronger.

After drying my hair is noticeably shinier, far less tangled around my damaged ends and feels amazing. It's literally that feeling where you can't stop running your fingers through your hair. In general it just seems so much more healthier than before I use it.

Obviously this doesn't work for everyone and I have heard of the occasional person who hasn't noticed any difference with this, but they definitely seem to be in the minority. For those of you with hair that's dry and damaged from heat or chemical treatments (and yes, this is safe for coloured hair) I really can't recommend it enough.

A really effective hair treatment, but best to get a large pot for value per ml.