Gifts for friends with (long-ish) hair

The products listed in the article were gifted but the review was written independently.
Read the disclaimer about affiliate links & PR gifting here. 

I’ve been on the road for a bit but came home to some very fun samples from Amika who created a handful of options for holiday gifting. I call them, gifts for friends with hair. But I suppose the gifts can also be for you from you, or for you from Santa. Or generally speaking, some of these packages are just a better deal than buying products individually. So let’s dive in! 

Who are Amika

In their own words, Amika is a group of “creatives, hairstylists, chemists, and product enthusiasts” which includes 11 collections of products inclusive of all hair types and textures. Their formulas are very clean, absent of sulfites, aluminum starch, or any other of the typical chemical or questionable ingredients. The majority of the products contain sea buckthorn, a natural plant-based source of omega-7 fatty acid (typically found in fish oil) that supports healthy hair and scalp. 

Smooth Talker double agent straightening blow dry brush set

This very fun-looking disco gift set (cover image) includes travel-size samples of the Kure bond repair shampoo and conditioner, Flash instant shine mask, the Wizard silicone-free detangling primer, full-size Perk Up dry shampoo, and the hero that is the Double Agent 2-in-1 blow dryer + straightening brush.

There are not a ton of instructions in the box but the brush comes with 3 settings:

1: Blow dryer only used to dry damp hair.

2: Dry and straighten combo. Use this setting to simultaneously dry and straighten damp hair. 

3: Thermal straightening brush setting, which you can use to straighten dry hair or touch up a blowout.

The review:

I have naturally wavy, heavy hair so blowdrying is a time-consuming chore so I was very curious to try this magic tool. What I like most about this piece of equipment is you use it just like a brush. My first try was on air-dried hair. It was very easy and the result was actually smooth, silky hair – colour me impressed. I doubt I’d be able to use it on completely dump hair because it would take way too long but a quick pre-dry followed by the dry + straighten setting was an equal success and did not take long at all. The brush part also makes it easier to reach those back-of-the-head strains of hair. There is a joke somewhere here about early 2000s fashion that I can’t put my finger on… See it in action in this quick IG reel.

Quick note, the Wizard detangling primer is a bit heavy so I recommend applying it sparingly and brushing it out well.  

Buy the kit here

Blonde Boogie bust your brass toning and repair set

Cruelty-free, vegan product made specifically for blondes. This set promises to strengthen, hydrate, and brighten blonde hair while eliminating brassy undertones. In the box are: Bust Your Brass cool blonde repair shampoo and conditioner as well as the Intense repair mask. The products were clinically tested and proven to provide 55% less breakage, healthy repair, and hydration.

The review

All products are rich purple colour, which is a sign that they actually have a tint in that platinum blonde direction. The shampoo is pleasantly fragrant and very foamy, you won’t need a lot. The conditioner is quite thick and becomes creamier once it sits a bit, I know I will be using my standard 1:2 handful ratio of shampoo to conditioner. The purple tint is quite heavy so I would recommend brushing the conditioner through to avoid streaks. The mask is also quite thick but is much smoother.

After using this complete triple combo (+ the brush from the above kit) my hair was well-toned, smooth, and silky with a complement-worthy scent.

Buy the kit here

Sustainability 

The product you will see in this post are quite heavily packaged as gifts but Amika is on a mission to be Net-Zero by 2030, an impressive goal I must admit. The bottles are made with up to 90% post-consumer recycled plastics and the paper packaging is of course recyclable. Your hair care empties can also be returned and given new life with TerraCycle® (more about this program here). Amika also offers refill pouches so you can hold on to those bottles and extend their use cycle for a long time. 

See all holiday kits here. All Amika products can be purchased on loveamika.ca or orsephora.com.