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First, it must be said that Chris McMillan created the iconic “Rachel” haircut that still feels chic and wearable today, and was the lead hairstylist on FRIENDS for the first 6 seasons. He’s also done hair for Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Reese Witherspoon, Cindy Crawford, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts. So, you know, a few ladies we’ve all heard of. But the point is, he understands hair, and he understands what women want their hair to look like—shiny, voluminous, bouncy, gorgeous.

So before we get into why and how this product is different, let’s take a look at a before and after on one of us.

Ok, so this is freshly washed hair that was rough dried with a flat brush with no product whatsoever:

Pretty horrific!

Ok, so this is another day, using only this product* on damp hair, spraying it from roots to ends (quite copiously), and then using only THIS BRUSH* and a blow dryer. It must be pointed out that this wasn’t achieved with a paddle brush or a round brush—both of which we have no idea how to use and even if we did, don’t have time for:

And it’s important to see them side by side because it’s actually astounding:

The frizz control is totally unlike anything we’ve used before, and it almost looks as though we used a flat iron but we 100,000% did not. We are often in this weird state of worry with hair products where we want to use enough to be effective against frizz and add shine, but typically when we do, our hair is weighed down and looks greasy by the end of the day. Which is why we were struck specifically by a tip on the product page from Chris stating:

“Use more than you think – trust me, it won’t weigh your hair down."

So we LOADED our hair with it and not only did our hair not look greasy, our hair lasted for 3 full days like this—no frizz, no grease, no dry shampoo even. Here is day 2:

And day 3 turned into a ponytail with a scarf but only because it was windy. Plus a pony is a great test for grease and frizz and this was pure sleekdom:

So what’s in it? We’re not smart enough to dissect what’s in this product that isn’t in others—all we know is that it allows your hair to withstand heat up to 450 degrees and smells like the beach. We also immediately bought his STYLING BALM* which we use on towel-dried hair for more textured, beachy waves when we’re letting our hair air-dry—let us know if you want to see a photo dowry of this product, too. It’s remarkable. We also love the MOUSSE* which we use in a more scrunchy way with a diffuser, and the DRY TEXTURE SPRAY* which also enhances natural texture.

We’re also gaga for this mini set* for travel which we can’t believe all companies don’t do.

If your hair has become a frizzy nightmare post-40 and nothing seems to make it look tame and glossy, but you also have zero time to devote to “doing” your hair, you must try this product. It’s made for you. For us.

Price: $36

*BUY ON CHRIS MCMILLAN*

At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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