| Review of LA Looks Hair Gels |
| Jane L. Bullock |
| Date: 8/30/2000 |
Introduction  As part of my ongoing search to try out all the hair products I possibly can before I go bald, I tried the L.A. Looks gels-in purple, pink, and green!
The purple gel is the mega volume, and is touted as a "revolutionary styling gel" that adds body, holds hair without making it stiff, and works for all hair types, especially fine or thinning hair.  The pink gel is extra super hold, and is supposed to give super hold and control to the hair (all hair types).
The green gel is mega hold, and claims to have the best holding power of them all; good for hard-to-control hair and styles that require a lot of control. Well, you know my policy is honesty above hype, and here's my take on all these gels, purple, pink, and green-they all worked the SAME for me! I found no discernable difference in using them. Oh sure, they look neat in the bathroom because they're colorful, but shoot, you want color, go buy a glass jar of M&Ms.
Usage  As with any gel, apply a glob (size depends on how much hair you have) to damp hair and work it.
Style with fingers and air dry, or use a blow-dryer. You may also use these on dry hair LA Looks is great for creating any type of spiked styles.
Packaging The packaging for L.A. Looks gels is simple and functional-clear plastic bottles with gray tops and colorful lettering.
Fragrance All the gels smell about the same-fresh and clean, and the fragrance does not linger on the hair.
How I Tested the Gels With each gel, I tested it on my own freshly washed damp hair. Since my hair is short, I use about a quarter-sized blob of gel and distributed it evenly. My hair is in a Bed Head style, so all I do is finger-style, and let it air dry. Each gel did a good enough job of styling and holding my hair, but I really couldn't tell one from another.
Ingredients Purple--water, PVP/VA copolymer, panthenol, sorbitol, carbomer, aminomethyl propanol, dimethicone copolyol, keratin protein, PEG-75 lanolin, propylene glycol, fragrance, methylparaben, benzophenone-4, diazolidinyl urea, tetrasodium EDTA, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, EDTA, EXT. D&C violet #2, D&C red #33. Pink--water, PVP, sorbitol, carbomer, triethanolamine, oleth-20, fragrance, potassium sorbate, PEG-75 lanolin, keratin protein, propylene glycol, methylparaben, benzophenone-4, diazolidinyl urea, tetrasodium EDTA, EDTA, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, D&C red #33. Green-- water, PVP, sorbitol, carbomer, triethanolamine, oleth-20, fragrance, potassium sorbate, PEG-75 lanolin, keratin protein, propylene glycol, methylparaben, benzophenone-4, diazolidinyl urea, tetrasodium EDTA, EDTA, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, FD&C blue #1, D&C yellow 10.
Conclusion L.A. Looks gels are decent-enough products, and do the job of holding the hair well, and I didn't experience any stickiness. The price is right, and you can pick these up at most supermarkets, so they are a good inexpensive hair care alternative to the pricier stuff. On the plus side, there is no animal testing, the gels are safe on color-treated hair, and they are all alcohol-free, which means they do not dry your hair out. Jane's Rating On my own scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, I give L.A. Looks gels a 7. Each gel did a good enough job of styling and holding my hair, but I really couldn't tell one from another. |