Product test: Kérastase Soleil collection

HELP FOR HAIR: Kérastase Soleil collection - retail from $36 to $62 each.

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As a bottle blonde not known for her hair care regime, my ability to find products to deal to my bleached, broken and brittle hair was always going to be a challenge.

Given that I normally buy all my hair products from the supermarket, I find it really hard to part with my hard-earned money for a product that washes down the plug hole.

Enter Kérastase.

After I put my eye balls back into their sockets when I saw the price tag of the four products (they retail from $36 to $62 each), I got straight into testing.

The Kérastase Soleil collection, released in October, was designed to look after the special needs hair has in summertime by nourishing it after sun exposure.

The red bottles were surprisingly underwhelming in appearance, but that was made up for with the screeds of French which requires a high level of codebreaking to decipher between a shampoo and conditioner. 

The Gelée Fraîche and UV Défense Active are repair masques that replenish and protect from UV damage.

While generous in size - the pottles are rather large - they can be hard to scoop product out of, especially in the wet conditions of a shower.

The product itself is rather odd in consistency and I likened it to putting strawberry dairy food on my head.

But the results were something else.

If I were a goat, I would definitely be described as the wiry-haired, billy variety.

But billy goats gruff no more, I had been promoted to angora.

I literally could not stop stroking my hair as if it was that of a sleeping cat.

Both of the masques gave great results, leaving my hair feeling really healthy and strong.

Even my rebellious spit ends were well behaved.

The Micro-Voile Protecteur, a light mist spray that acts like a sunscreen for the hair, was also very good.

However the benefit of using it was hard to reflect on - given that it acts as a protection, rather than something where the rewards were seen after one wash.

Overall the Kérastase Soleil collection left hair feeling clean and fresh, without stickiness or overbearing fragrance.

It also made me realise the very large difference compared to supermarket products - and it's not just the price.

Kérastase Soleil collection  - retail from $36 to $62 each.

- © Fairfax NZ News