naked

Naked Bodycare, maker of a few things I've reviewed recently, are currently running a competition to boost their Facebook fan numbers. Become a fan on Facebook, and then send an email with your name, address, and the date you became a fan to nakedcompetition(at)yahoo.co.uk. The first 100 people to email in will be entered into the draw for a hamper of Naked products worth £50.

Personally, I love Naked, especially for their lovely silicone free conditioners, so I'll definitely be taking part. No word on exactly when the competition ends (presumably when 100 people have emailed in), but in vague terms I think this'll end just before Christmas.

When I gave up using silicone, I resigned myself to not using serum again, as most formulations are very silicone heavy. However, I discovered that Naked Bodycare make two serums, both silicone free - Frizz Fighter, and Extra Shiny. I picked up both, and today I'm reviewing the Frizz Fighter variety.

The most stand out feature of this product is the consistency. Silicone based serums are smooth, silky, and fluid. This one, however, is sort of like a soft, non-sticky gel. It comes out of the bottle in blobs, not in a little puddle of serum like I'm used to, but once it's been spread out it feels much like a silicone serum, albeit one with less slip.

I apply this to my wet hair, along the mid-lengths and ends. A small amount goes a long way - although I don't think it would be particularly easy to overdose on this, as it is quite light textured and absorbable - if you spread a bit on the back of your hand, it's absorbed into the skin quite quickly.

I don't think that this has a huge effect on frizz when applied to wet hair - while it certainly lubricates the hair and adds some moisture, the effect on frizz is fairly minimal. Applying a small amount to dry hair smoothes down any flyaways and imparts a bit more moisture, with pretty much the same effect as with the Extra Shiny serum.

For me, this isn't a HG product - it's nice, and if you're looking for a very light, non-oily serum, or looking for a bit more moisture post-wash, then it might be a good buy. Don't go expecting a major decrease in frizz though.

If you'd like to try this one for yourself, you can get it for £4.99 for 50ml from Boots or from Naked's website.

Naked produce a range of "97% natural" products which are free from petrochemicals, harsh surfectants, and parabens. As a result, their range of conditioners are suitable for my silicone free, shampoo free hair routine, so I picked up a tube of their Rescue intensive conditioner from Boots.

This fresh-scented intensive conditioner contains shea nut butter and olive oil extracts, and is targeted at damaged, frizzy hair. While it is quite rich, the texture of the conditioner is actually quite light; it distributes through the hair evenly, and produces an odd light frothing effect as it mingles with the water in the hair.

The effects are somewhat different from what you usually get from a silicone-heavy intensive conditioner - that feeling of slip and extreme smoothness when you rinse the conditioner out is not there. That's not to say that the hair doesn't feel more moisturised and much smoother - it definitely does. It also doesn't weigh the hair down, leaving it soft and light.

If you're interested, you can try it for the very wallet-friendly price of £3.91 for 250ml at Boots.com.

Naked is a relatively new company producing what they claim to be "97% natural" products. "Natural" is a word slapped upon many beauty products nowadays, often completely meaninglessly, so what exactly do Naked claim is different about their products?

According to their website, the products are entirely paraben, petrochemical, SLS and phthalate free. All of these ingredients are widely used in cosmetics and toiletries, but there are arguments for ditching some of them - for example, SLS is considered by some as too harsh for curly hair. As Naked's products are SLS free, they could be a more gentle cleansing option.

Whether you're a believer in the more "natural" approach or not, Naked have a wide range of products to try including shampoos, conditioners, facial skincare, body care, and bath and shower products. They're also all reasonably priced; most of the range costs £3.91, with none of the products costing more than £7.82. I've just bought a tube of their conditioner, so reviews will be forthcoming!

If you'd like to try out the range for yourself, you can find them at Boots, or buy online through the Naked website.

I'm a big fan of Naked's range of silicone free conditioners, but I'll admit that I've found the styling products I've found to be a little bit disappointing, possibly because serum is a product that just doesn't really feel right without silicone.  Anyway, I picked up a bottle of the Curl Tamer Styling Mousse a few months ago, and am finding that it's not a disappointment at all.

I used to love mousse - dispensing a golf-ball sized ball (why was it always a golf ball?) into my palm, raking it through my hair, and then ending up with perfectly defined but utterly crispy curls.  I never really minded the crispiness really, it was pretty easy to scrunch out.  Since going silicone free though, I've found it hard to locate a silicone free mousse with hold, and I had high hopes that this one would be the answers to my crispy crunchy prayers.

This mousse isn't really in the same category - in fact, I'd probably call it more of a foam than a mousse.  You certainly can't dispense a golf-ball shaped ball into your hand, as it comes forth from the bottle in a light froth.  Two pumps is enough to adequately coat my hair, which is fairly thick and a coupla inches below my shoulders.  I've been scrunching it into my hair from the ends upwards, and have found that it definitely does help to define and hold the curl in my hair as it dries, without leaving a trace of crispiness.

It also plays very well with other products, and being Naked and silicone free, is incredibly light - you can barely feel it in the hair once it's been applied.  There's also no build up, and I've had no ill affects from reapplying a tiny amount to my dry hair in order to tame a bit of wayward frizz, or from applying a bit more halfway through the air drying process.

While it does help to define and hold the curl, there are a few conditions.  It needs to be scrunched in, and once applied, it works best if you don't touch the hair at all.  A little bit of scrunching is OK, but when I touch my hair too much after application, I find that the effects are cancelled out.  

Overall, this product, while not totally lifechanging, has become a firm part of my hair styling regime.  I love the lack of buildup, the lightness, and the way that it leaves the hair feeling soft, not crunchy.  I will be repurchasing for sure.  If you'd like to try this one for yourself, you can get it from Boots.com or Boots stores, at the wallet friendly price of £3.99 for 15ml.