Fashion

You're About To Be Obsessed With BB Cream For Hair

by Danielle Guercio

Mixing more hair products together was like second nature to me in my hairstylist days. There's no reason why you can’t have softness, shine, hold, repairing qualities, and humidity protection every time you style! All-in-one styling products make this possible to re-create at home — they're basically like BB and CC creams for your hair. Similar to how makeup BB and CCs correct, protect, and enhance your skin, hair beauty balms and correcting creams get the job done in one or two pumps for the sort-of-kind-of low maintenance among us that still want to look our best.

The first multitasking hair product I fell in love with was Quick Slip, a Paul Mitchell product that gave even fine hair what it needed to achieve a style and keep it. Hairstylists have been coming up with their own cocktails for ages, but clients are (naturally) pretty wary of purchasing three or four things to get that salon look. The demand to get more bang for your buck lead to the birth of multitaskers.

Quick Slip by Paul Mitchell, $15, Amazon

Alterna Caviar CC Cream Leave In Hair Perfector, $18, Amazon; Keratin Complex Infusion Therapy Kerabalm 3-in-1 Multi Benefit Hair Balm, $28, Ulta

Now, we have plenty of all-in-one cocktails to choose from. Keratin Complex’s Infusion Therapy line was created for not only keratin treatment users, but for anyone with damaged, colored, or fragile hair. Their brand uses multiple forms of keratin, which helps any hair type absorb what is needed from its products, which in itself multibenefit. The Kerabalm 3-in-1 is just awesome. As a BB cream for hair, it hits the "Three Ps" of hairstyling: prime, protect, and perfect.

This BB Cream primes hair by using keratin to fill in any damaged holes in the cuticle, this helps hair look it’s shiniest and stay free of tangles. Hair is protected by film-forming polymers and styling agents that defend against bad weather and hot tools as well as add memory. The styling agents also perfect by allowing a smooth result that isn’t greasy or heavy. I blew out my hair and air-dried it, both were weightless and smooth!

Rave reviews poured in when I asked about Alterna’s Caviar CC Cream. Its 10-effect formula tackles a whole heap of hair concerns, and I was really excited to test it out for myself. This cream purports to add moisture, shine, smoothness, softness, UV protection, manageability, strength, anti-breakage, heat protection, and light hold. That's quite a mouthful and, frankly, a lot to live up to in a product test.

Fortunately for all of the people who told me how great this product was, I must agree wholeheartedly that it’s awesome. One pump gave me a really great hair day in both curly and smooth looks. Lightweight silicones block humidity and heat while honey, yeast, and minerals soften and fortify strands. Glycerin, panthenol, and algae extract help hair to have volume that is touchable, never greasy or heavy.

Using a product that not only preps hair for styling but also enhances the finished result makes it a step not to be skipped. If you're not stoked on piling product into your hair, just keep in mind that you're exposing your hair to pollution and UV rays every day. A product like this will not only help with styling, but also keep hair in its healthiest state. If makeup and skin care can meet with BB and CC creams, hair treatments and styling product hybrids can be considered in the same light. Save yourself a few bones, and get great hair in the process!

Photos: Darnell Scott