Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Live Clean Age Resist: eco-friendly products provide irresistibly soft hair

By Giselle Wedemire

Considering that our skin absorbs about 60 per cent of the products we apply to it, it makes sense that I'm a bit picky about having natural, vegan beauty products at all times. My fascination for vegan haircare and skincare is not quite an addiction yet, but it's safe to say that I'm always on the lookout for new vegan products to add to my collection.

One of my favourite vegan brands of all time is Live Clean (LC), an environmentally-friendly Canadian brand that originally began as a haircare company in 2007. Since that time, the company has expanded exponentially and now offers lip balms, skincare, and bodycare for babies, kids, and adults.

Many Live Clean products are vegan and gluten-free, and all products are completely vegetarian, making them a great bet for any Picky Bitches out there. Plus, they're pretty affordable and easy to find in many Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Walmart locations across Canada, which means you can look and feel fabulous while on a budget. It really is a win-win situation.

Speaking of win-win situations, I had a chance to try out LC's latest haircare line Age Resist and it was amazing!* Here's the lowdown on this new product range.










LC's latest haircare collection, Age Resist, was formulated to address, treat, and prevent the symptoms of aging hair. These symptoms include: 
-a change in hair's texture
-dullness/lack of shine or vitality
-dry, fragile strands
-breakage
-thinning hair

To combat these evil, tell-tale signs of aging hair, the Age Resist collection combines extracts of fruits like goji berries, blueberries and pomegranate with what I like to call the collection's holy trinity of ingredients: avocado oil, rosehip oil, and hydrolyzed wheat protein.

Together, these formulas work together to soften and nourish hair from the inside out. While aging hair isn't a concern for me right now, I was thrilled to try this collection out and see if it lives up to its claims. I used these products for a month, but I saw results after just the first use. Here's what I think about each of these new products:




LC Age Resist shampoo
A clear and fresh-smelling formula, this shampoo feels a bit thin when poured out of the bottle. On its own, I don't feel like it did a whole lot in the way of the company's promises of moisturizing and thickening my hair. 
However, it did clean my hair gently yet thoroughly, which is sometimes a hard balance to strike with natural shampoos. 
Plus, this doesn't contain harsh stripping ingredients like SLS or other sulfates, which means it's easy on dyed hair like mine.









LC Age Resist conditioner**
This product is the bomb! 
It's so thick and creamy when it comes out of the bottle and by some means of witchcraft and wizardry (or, more likely, with the help of the Age Resist collection's holy trinity of ingredients), this conditioner turns my hair into a mass of silky smooth goodness.
With that being said, it's obvious to see why this is my absolute favourite item in the Age Resist collection.
This conditioner also contains a plant-based silicone alternative which helps it treat your hair like traditional conditioners do without the heaviness associated with real silicone additives.




LC Age Resist multi 10-in-1 treatment
This versatile beauty balm is enriched with the Age Resist collection's holy trinity of ingredients and it works to protect hair from UV rays while softening each strand. 
I've been working this through my damp hair as a curl enhancer as well as smoothing it over my dried hair as a finishing product, and I've found that it really helps to combat frizz and gives my curls definition that's styled but not stiff or heavy. 
Of the entire collection, I'd have to say this is my second favourite item and is right behind the conditioner.








LC Age Resist miracle nutrition oil

This pre-shampoo oil treatment contains all the great ingredients we've by now come to expect from the Age Resist collection, as well as jojoba oil. The dual layer oil is formulated to 'rescue' hair and improve your mane's shine and manageability while making your hair appear thicker and fuller. 
While this product's really cool looking with its two layers of separately coloured oils that need to be shaken to be activated before application, I didn't really see what all the hype was about this product. 
I tried this pre-wash treatment two separate times and was let down on both occasions when my freshly washed hair dried to a somewhat stiff and crunchy finish. So not sexy.
For me, at least, this product totally reversed all of the amazing smoothing results the rest of the collection delivered.
As far as oil-based pre-wash hair treatments go, I think I'll stick to my beloved coconut oil mask.



Overall, I give this entire collection 4.75 stars (out of a potential 5). The three products I loved have earned permanent residency in my bathroom and have changed the way I look at natural hair products. (Plus, thanks to these products, I can't stop touching my hair, which is not a bad problem to have.)

Have you tried any of these products? Let us know what you think of them by commenting on this post or by tweeting us at @PickyBitchez.

*Live Clean Professional Age Resist products were sent to me to review
**This product contains beeswax which may conflict with certain vegan's ethics. Depending on your views on veganism as it pertains to beeswax, this item may not be a good fit for you.

2 comments:

  1. Dang! I just bought shampoo/conditioner and I hated the ones I got. I'll have to look out for this brand when I run out again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh no! What brand did you get?
    If you hate it, you should absolutely return the products to the store. I do that every time I buy new products that turn out to be duds.

    ReplyDelete