Percy & Reed: No oil oil*

It’s no secret that the summer does a real number on your hair. The heat causes it to go wild with frizz, the sun dries it out until it snaps and beach hair is not the sexy reality we were all led to believe. Wouldn't it be great if there was a product that could help with all these problems? Spoiler alert…there is!

Recently I received a sample of Percy & Reed's ‘Smoothed, sealed & sensational volumising no oil oil’ and was challenged to see if the product provided all it promised. The ‘no oil oil’, which has violet extract, promises you smooth, shiny and silky locks as well as added volume to finer hair. It also uses vitamin B5 to help nourish and repair damaged hair as well as giving heat protection – just what you need for a long day in the sun!

Did I believe what it said on the label? No I did not. Was I proven wrong? Yes I was. I have tried what seems like endless amounts of hair products to try thicken my fine hair without damaging it and have never been successful so I was fairly sceptical when trying this product.

The instructions say to work one or two drops of the product through towel dried hair, smoothing it in from root to tip, then you can dry and style as desired. The first time I tried it I used one drop as I have short, fine natural hair and didn't want it to loo greasy as it does with Argon Oils, but after a few seconds of smoothing the oil in I added another drop as it didn't feel too heavy on my hair.

The texture of the product is absolutely nothing like oils (the clue was in the name really) and is quite smooth and slick, it feels light and almost like nothing is there once you've rubbed it into your hair. After I applied the product I dried my hair and I have to admit my scepticism was unjust, my hair did look a little let frizzier and a lot shinier than usual – score one Percy & Reed.

Another tip for application given in the instructions is to warm a little bit of the product in your hand, run a blusher brush over it and brush through your hair lightly to smooth over any split end or frizzy parts to give your hair a smooth shine. I for one was very reluctant to start sticking my make-up brushes into hair products so ditched their advice and blobbed a teeny tiny bit of the oil onto the tip of my finger, rubbed it in slightly, then pinched the ends of my hair with it to smooth over split ends. It worked a treat and kept the mane at bay until I washed my hair.

The no oil oil was great for taming my frizzy locks and did help to make it look a little thicker and healthier, I didn't see much change on the volume front but I assume it's the kind of product that the more you use it, the more it works so we'll see how it goes! As for heat protection I'm definitely seeing a lot less visible damage to my hair after blow drying and using heated styling tools - go B5!

So over all the product was a success and I will definitely be stocking up for summer! It is a lighter and longer lasting alternative to hair oils and is a must have if you’re travelling to humid locations for your holidays! The product I used was for fine hair which you can get here for a reduced price at M&S. There is also an option for thick hair which is also reduced, you can get it here.

Let me know if you've tried any Percy & Reed products before or your favourite summer hair tamer in a comment below!