A fast rinse with H2O doesn’t do much on your hair, but hair waters have a dryness-quenching power that rivals the advantages of a 10-minute mask. These tonics and mists rehydrate parched strands, adding softness and shine without the burden — or the wait, as they work in as little as eight seconds. Oils, masks, and creams once reigned supreme, but you’ll now find an array of liquid options focused on restoring damaged hair and creating mirror-like sheen.

We first noticed the floodgates had opened around 2020, when shine-enhancing, damage-repairing lamellar waters moved from salon sinks to your shower. Lamellar waters take their name from the scientific term “lamella,” which refers to a skinny layer, explains Balanda Atis, AVP of scientific communications at L’Oréal Paris.

Kérastase K Water, a glycol and amino acid skilled treatment designed to assist repair damaged strands while imparting a glassy finish, led the best way with an at-home version by L’Oréal Paris that created salon-level results from the comfort of your bathroom. Since then, liquid glosses, tonic waters, and moisture mists have been pouring into the market, with unique advantages akin to brightening color, reducing signs of injury, and refreshing curls and coils.

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Meet the experts:

• They follow AtisAVP of scientific communications at L’Oréal Paris
• Ginger Kingcosmetic chemist
• Jessica Grigoriouhead of beauty marketing and salon and masstige hair portfolio director at Unilever North America
• Karina Lutzyvp of innovation and marketing at dpHUE
• Millie Moralesa hairstylist based in Miami and Garnier celebrity beauty expert
• Vernon Francois, founding father of Vernon François Haircare and global consultant, educator, and celebrity hairdresser for Redken

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These products are so lightweight, you would possibly wonder at first in the event that they are even working. Hair waters are only as they sound, resembling actual water, so it might be hard to inform in case you’ve applied the proper amount (or if a drop got in your hair in any respect, in some cases). But after you style your hair, it’s clear your hair was rinsed with greater than just tap water, as the outcomes make quite the splash.

Keep reading to study the most well-liked forms of hair waters, what experts say are crucial things to find out about each, and our personal experiences with this intriguing latest product category.

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Liquid Gloss

In need of a color refresh but can’t make it to the salon? DpHUE’s just released Glossy Glaze boosts shine and softness, with the additional advantage of a short lived color refresh that lasts up to a few shampoos. “The pigment within the formula will not be going to be as intense as a cream that you simply’re depositing on the hair,” says Karina Lutzy, vp of innovation and marketing at dpHUE. “Because [the pigment] is in a liquid base, it doesn’t grab onto the hair as much. Consider it like lip gloss versus lipstick.” It adds more sheen than anything.

As a highlighted bleach blonde continually fighting the great fight against brassiness and frizz, the Cool Blonde shade appealed to me (it’s available in five colours, including Copper and Dark Brown, plus Sheer). Using the nozzle applicator, I targeted mid-lengths and ends, massaged it throughout (you may feel the feel change), and rinsed after two minutes. It worked like a purple shampoo on steroids. After my hair air dried, my now silky waves retained their pattern, and my blonde was noticeably cooler.

Lamellar Water

Gone are the times of standing awkwardly within the shower for 10 to quarter-hour while waiting for a deep treatment mask to rush up and work. Lamellar waters are lightning-fast: “Once involved with the water from wet hair, the formula hugs the hair fiber,” says L’Oréal’s Atis. Like magnets, the lamelles are positively charged and interested in negatively charged, damaged areas of the hair, meaning they deliver the conditioning amino acids and lipids exactly where they should be, quite than coating the complete hair shaft with heavy conditioning agents.