| ARTec's Textureline Volume Gel |
| Jane L. Bullock |
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Introduction I've used ARTec Textureline shampoo and leave-in conditioner, and liked them. ARTec makes a superior product, so I wanted to try the Textureline Volume Gel. This gel is lightweight and made to be used with a blowdryer. I tested it using my blowdryer (the Terminator), and also tested it by applying the gel and letting my hair air-dry. 
There seems to be two schools of thought regarding gels and blowdryers. One is that you can't have one without the other if you want a lot of volume in your hair. The second (and my own view as well) is that if the gel is good enough, it can stand alone and still give the hair lots of lift and volume. This is a big plus when you're somewhere without a hair dryer; it's nice to know you can get a finished look with gel alone. ARTec Textureline Volume Gel certainly fits the standalone bill. Usage Put a generous amount of gel into the palm of your hand and rub your hands together. I generally use a quarter-sized blob, since my own hair is short. Distribute the gel evenly throughout the hair, and either comb to style or blow-dry. Packaging ARTec’s packaging is clean-looking with tall white plastic bottles with black and gray lettering. The instructions and ingredients are easy to read, and there's something about a white bottle that makes you think of clean, well-regulated labs run by knowledgeable professionals.
Fragrance The gel has a wonderful scent of ylang-ylang flowers, fresh and tropical. As with the other products, the fragrance is light and gives the hair a fresh scent without being overpowering. Also, as the gel dries, the scent dissipates. I appreciate this in hair products since I enjoy wearing perfume, and I don't like something else I'm using competing with it. How I Tested The Gel After towel-drying my hair, I applied the Textureline Volume Gel. As I said earlier, a quarter-sized blob usually works for me. The first time I tried the gel, I worked it into my hair and blow-dried it. Wow--does this ever give the hair a lift! After drying, I used a touch more to finish the look. My hairdo of choice these days is the Bed Head, which requires a lot of product to keep it spiked up. Half the amount of the Textureline Volume Gel did what more of my Bed Head product does! The next time I tried it, I used the same amount of gel and just let it air-dry. Although my 'do was not as stiff as usual, I still had a lot of height and control. ARTec's products use a lot of natural ingredients, and I think that helps give the hair additional shine and body as well. Ingredients Water, kiwi fruit extract, ylang-ylang oil (ylang-ylang flowers), juniper extract, chamomile extract, hydrolyzed soy protein, Chinese angelica extract, beta-carotene, phytantriol, pantheol, tea tree oil, PVP/VA copolymer, steareth-10 allyl ether/acrylates copolymer, methyl gluceth-20 (corn sugar), aloe vera gel, PEG-60 almond oil, guar beans, lactic acid, propylene glycol, isoceteth-20, benzophenone-4, vegetable oil, tetrasodium EDTA, potassium sorbate, diazolidinyl urea, potassium hydroxide, fragrance. Animal testing ARTec does no animal testing. Conclusion I'm pleased with this gel. It gives me a lot of volume, control, and shine, and I didn't have the stickiness I get with some other products. I love the fact that it works just as well without a blow-dryer as it does with one. If you were stuck somewhere without your dryer, you could manage to look pretty good just using this gel. Never in my life have I been able to carry a purse smaller than a breadbox. This is because I live in fear of being stuck someplace without the things I need, like hair gel. But ARTec makes the Textureline Volume Gel in a handy purse-size container, so it gets high marks from me. Jane's Rating On my own scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, I give ARTec Textureline Volume Gel an 8. If you have comments or questions on this article you can email Jane. |