In this edition of ‘what happened to’, we have a look at TIL’s Hyaluronic Acid Hair Treatment, Peptide Treatment and Chia Seed Curl Treatment. (While I wrote – obviously – about the Hyaluronic and Chia Seed Treatments before, I sneakily added the Peptide Treatment into my Inkey List haircare products update, because it is in line with my opinion on the other products.)
Even when I wrote my first review of TIL’s Hyaluronic and Chia Seed Treatments, I wasn’t fully convinced: first, the price is surprisingly high when you compare the dinky bottles to established and high-end hair care brands. Second, I wasn’t convinced about the benefits for my hair. They somehow remedied the first: bottles are now larger (and no longer made from aluminium), while the price hasn’t risen significantly. I’ve come to a conclusion about the second, too: no, it doesn’t have an additional benefit on my hair.
Inkey List haircare products update: My hair
I’ve over-shoulder length colour-treated, fine, wavy (type 2A) hair. I don’t need to wash it a lot – every second, or even third day is totally fine. I don’t use hot tools regularly to style my hair, but will (mainly in winter) blow-dry it with a Dyson hair dryer.
My usual routine after washing is using conditioner, a hair milk after towel drying, and then applying an air-dry cream. I usually wear my hair either in a bun or pony tail – depending on your perspective, it’s either low maintenance or pretty lazy.
Because my hair is so fine (but I’ve got a lot of it), it gets dry and frizzy easily, while at the same time, it lacks volume and hangs down limply.
Chia Seed Curl Treatment
What it does
“(…) we have developed a unique technology that helps define and prolong curls’ bounce and their natural shape by targeting the hair bonds, whilst providing hydration too. This weightless serum has been formulated to also help reduce, protect and strengthen hair against chemical damage and tame frizz.”
The Inkey List (150ml, €/$ 8,99)
I had a lot of application issues with this one: it made my hair greasy when I applied it through my whole lengths, so I ended up using it only on my ends. I didn’t buy a new bottle, because I found it not worth the hassle. Get a nice leave-in for curls, and you’ll get the same (or even better) result.
Hyaluronic Acid Hair Treatment
What it does
“(…) not only hydrates your hair, but also works to reduce frizz, brittleness and protect it against pollution.”
The Inkey List (100ml, €/$ 10,99)
Nearly all TIL hair products work the same: they form a film around the hair shaft, protecting it. The thing is, that’s what every (EVERY!) conditioner does, as well. Having a film around your hair is a good thing, btw – your hair is dead, and with age every strand gets increasingly rough and porous. Smoothing that down makes it look shinier and feel silkier. You can achieve that through various silicones, oils, or Hyaluronic Acid. Again, I don’t feel there’s a specific benefit from having an extra hyaluronic acid treatment in my routine; and again, I feel that a nice moisturizing conditioner and mask give you the same results.
Peptide Volumizing Hair Treatment
What it does
A lightweight serum that helps to increase hair thickness and volume.
The Inkey List (100ml, €/$ 13,99)
I chucked that into a TIL order because fine-haired people on the interwebs claimed that it gave their hair more volume. Liars!!11111
If I would use water on my hair, it would absolutely give me the same volume.
Again, in the ingredients we find a lot of film formers: in this case, polyquaternium. It’s supposed to smooth hair.
Nowadays, polyquats are in A LOT of hair products (including Olaplex), and, say it with me: you don’t need an extra product with them that. IMO they use peptides as fairy dust on top. The key ingredient in the Peptide Hair Treatment is a complex called Keranutri™ that’s made up of proteins and yup, polyquats.
And again: a good conditioner and/or hair mask include them anyways.
Inkey List haircare products update: Conclusion
Waste of money. The end.
Or, not completely. I feel I should clarify two things. The first is that in my old review, I credited TIL hair products to make my hair feel more substantial, not as fine as before. In the meantime, I’ve decided that that was due to a combo of Living Proof’s phd conditioner and Briogeo’s Don’t Despair Repair hair mask. (Recommend!)
And that is because I can see and feel a difference if I don’t use them. Contrary to that, I don’t see any difference when I use TIL’s hair products.
The second is that there IS one single positive thing I can find about TIL’s hair products (that I’ve tried): they work very well as a very, very light leave-in conditioner. If you have very fine hair that gets flat and greasy easily when you use leave-ins, this could be your answer. Don’t expect any serious detangling action when using them.
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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