True Smooth by Coolway

I have been dreading writing this post.  I really have.  It isn't as bad as that introduction makes it sound, but when I have high hopes for a product and it doesn't end up working out I always feel a little bit bad saying it.  It's one thing when you can say it in passing as you roll through multiple products, but when the entire post is dedicated to the one product you are disappointed in it feels a lot more dramatic to say you don't really care for it.  That being said... I don't really care for it.

What is the product?  It is a product called True Smooth by Coolway.

Now, Coolway is the winner of 6 beauty awards including Allure's Breakthrough Product of the Year.  True Smooth is supposed to feature a "new technology that allows you to avoid using a flat iron altogether."  This technology is the Amino Lock MAB molecule which is activated by your blow dryer and is supposed to hold your style from the inside of the hair as you dry it.  You are supposed to get the same smooth, frizz-free results that a flat iron would give you without all of the damage of actually using one.  It's being described as "a blow-dry bar in a bottle."  It is also clinically proven to strengthen hair up to 4Xs and reduce breakage by 75%.

The claims on the bottle also include:

*Smooth, frizz-free, weightless hair with body and movement

* A significantly reduced blow drying time

I was so excited about the claims because who isn't looking for a product that makes them look like they just had a professional blowout?

Now, my first concern came when I read the instructions which state to shake well, apply generously, 25-50 sprays evenly depending on hair length... there is more but can we just pause for a moment to say 

HOLY GEEZOWIE!  25 to 50 sprays?!?  This entire bottle is the exact length of my hands (which happen to be on the smaller side).   3.3 oz or 100 ml to be exact.  That is a LOT of product to use at one time.  A diagram that was sent to me along with the product basically shows approximately 25 sprays for bob length hair, 35 sprays for hair that goes just at or below the shoulders, and 45 sprays for long hair.  Now, my hair is below breast length which is quite long, but it is very very very thin.  I ended up using about 20 sprays or so which was about all my hair could handle and honestly about all I could handle spraying for reasons I will explain in a moment.  Anyway, you are supposed to squirt it on wet hair, comb it through and then blow your hair dry using a brush to smooth it.

Side note:  My favorite part of the bottle is the ingredients listing which starts with "Aqueous Infusion of Anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower..."  This actually made me laugh out loud.  Nothing like a super fancy way of saying ~this product is mostly water but we dropped some chamomile in so we wouldn't have to just say this product is mostly water.  There are quite a few natural ingredients in the list actually but there are just as many manufactured ingredients to go along with them.  It is, however, free of formaldehyde, sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and synthetic color.  It is not tested on animals, is color safe, and is made in the USA.  High five for that!  

So... here is a photo of what my hair looks like blown dry with mousse and after a curling iron is run over it to smooth it out similar to what you might do with a flat iron although not as severe.

Excuse the other products in the photo and the goofy face I am making.  They are not related to this post.  I just needed a photo where you could see the majority of my hair and what it looks like styled.

Now, I was asked to take before and after photos so you can see how my hair looks with the product in.  Since this product is supposed to make you look like you flat ironed your hair just from blowing it dry I decided to take the before photo blown dry without any styling products and the after photo also blown dry without any styling products except for the True Smooth.  The before photo is on the left and the after photo is on the right.

BEFORE                                  AFTER

Now, I will say that after using the True Smooth my hair was slightly less limp than it was without using it, but honestly the results were so slight that it almost isn't even worth commenting on.  You can clearly tell that my hair does not look as good as it does after being straightened and it definitely does not look as good as it would have if I had it professionally blown out.  I definitely would not describe it as smooth.  I missed my mousse and I missed my heat styling tool.  End of story.

Now, did it strengthen my hair and reduce breakage?  I don't know... maybe?  I can't tell a difference either way.

I also need to say that I wish the nozzle controlled the spray a bit more than it does.  It sprays nicely but it sprays wider than I really think it should.  It's not hard to control necessarily but I did find that because it sprayed a bit wider than I needed it to, not only did I lose product around the sides of my hair, but it ended up places I didn't really need it to like the sides of my face and neck.  It just needs a bit more precision like the Tressemme Heat Protectant bottle nozzle has.  I should mention though that 25 sprays doesn't use up as much product as I thought it might because each spray is a controlled amount of spray, but it is still a really small bottle that I think you could potentially use up more quickly than you would like with a price of $24.95 per bottle.

This product also really stinks... I mean literally... it stinks which is why I could only handle about 20 sprays.  It smells like a very synthetic attempt at coconut combined with a strong form of rubbing alcohol.  It doesn't permeate the room necessarily, but it does linger slightly in the hair throughout the day and it is really just yuck.

It also didn't really cut down on my drying time, but in all fairness, my hair is so thin that it only takes about one to two minutes to completely dry anyway.  It's not a fair fight when it comes to my hair in this category.

The final point I want to make is that we were warned that amazing results don't come with just one use, so I did make sure to use it multiple days in a row before I took the before and after shots.  It still just didn't do what I was hoping for.  Sorry guys, but this one just didn't really work for me.

You never know until you try it for yourself though.  It could be just the thing you've been looking for.

Now for the business part of the program:

Use code BeautyStat14 to receive a 10% discount on all Coolway purchases at getcoolway.com (not including shipping revenue and taxes).

This item was provided for review courtesy of BeautyStat.com.