What’s worth investing in from the Kérastase Genesis Anti-Hairfall line
Imagine your hair brush riddled with hair after every brushing. Or when your shower drain gets clogged from way too much hair each time you shampoo. This became my story post-partum. I would even wake up to the sound of my husband vacuuming beside our bed because there are strands everywhere and our baby likes to pick them up. Now my doctor did advise me that some hair fall is to be expected after giving birth, so I wasn’t initially worried about the amount I’m losing. But of course, I did not want to lose as much if I can help it!
What I was going through is exactly what the Genesis product line of Kérastase wants to address, so i’m lucky to get my hands on it before the quarantine. Apparently, there are two other types of hair fall to watch out for that you can treat – hair fall from the root and hair fall caused by breakage. Kérastase uses a complex of Aminexil, Edelweiss native cells, and Ginger roots to treat the root and hair fibers to reduce breakage. There are 7 products in total and I got to test four of them: the Conditioner, the Mask, the Serum, and the Blow-dry Fluid. There are two recommended routines depending if your hair is thick or thin. The shampoo from the line varies accordingly while the Conditioner is for thin hair and the Mask is for thick hair.
Kérastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Conditioner (P2,050 for 200ml via HairMNL)
The conditioner has a creamy formula that uses Ginger Root and Edelweiss Native Cells, the latter coming from the Edelweiss flower that can resist the most extreme conditions. This formula is claimed to help "restore the fiber and reinforces its natural resistance to reduce the risk of hair-fall due to breakage." I can only hope that these fancy sounding ingredients really do their job as the promised result should be uniform, shiny, and stronger hair.
I find the conditioning experience from this to be somewhat lacking. While my hair feels admittedly softer, it does not quite reach the same effect as what the Mask gives. This conditioner is recommended for thin hair though and while my hair is low in density, I have been told by my hairstylist before that I have thick hair strands. I’m guessing this is why the conditioner didn’t quite reach my expectations.
Instructions for use: Apply a hazelnut-sized amount on washed and towel-dried hair. Massage through mid-lengths and ends, avoiding roots to ensure lightweight volume. Leave in for 2 to 3 minutes. Emulsify and rinse thoroughly
INGREDIENTS:
Aqua/water/eau, Cetearyl alcohol, Stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, Isopropyl myristate, Glycerin, Glycine soja oil/soybean oil, Helianthus annuus seed oil/sunflower seed oil, Coco-caprylate/caprate, Cetyl esters, Tartaric acid, Caprylyl glycol, Salicylic acid, Limonene, Hydroxypropyl guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Linalool, Benzyl salicylate, Coumarin, Zingiber officinale root extract/ginger root extract, Citral, Benzyl alcohol, Citronellol, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Leontopodium alpinum callus culture extract, Xylitol, Citric acid, Xanthan gum, Dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate, Parfum/fragrance
Kérastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Mask (P2,750 for 200ml via HairMNL)
Similar to the conditioner, this rich formula uses Ginger Root and Edelweiss Native Cells. As the conditioner replacement in the thick hair routine, the mask claims to provide "replenishment to the hair by fortifying damaged zones of the fiber". This can also be used once a week like a regular hair mask. The end result should be easy to comb hair that is soft and shiny.
I love this mask. My hair feels soft and easy to manage. This gives my hair the nourishment it seems to need and it makes combing after an easy experience.
Instructions for use: Apply on washed and towel-dried hair. Massage onto lengths and ends. Leave-in for 5 minutes. Add water, emulsify and rinse thoroughly.
INGREDIENTS:
Aqua/water/eau, Cetearyl alcohol, Amodimethicone, Behentrimonium chloride, Cetyl esters, Isopropyl alcohol, Trideceth-6, Phenoxyethanol, Limonene, Cetrimonium chloride, Linalool, Chlorhexidine dihydrochloride, Benzyl salicylate, Coumarin, Glycerin, Zingiber officinale root extract/ginger root extract, Citral, Benzyl alcohol, Citronellol, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Leontopodium alpinum callus culture extract, Xylitol, Citric acid, Xanthan gum, Dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate, Parfum/fragrance
Kérastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Serum (P2,950 for 90ml via via HairMNL)
A combination of Aminexil, Ginger Root, and Caffeine enables this serum in treating hair fall at the follicle level. It is claimed to help "re-anchor hair follicle more solidly into the scalp while building the optimal environment for future growth" as well as "reinforces the natural protective barrier of the scalp". The end result is healthier-looking hair.
While the other three products address hair fall caused by breakage, this serum addresses hair fall concerns from the root. I have to admit, I used this for almost two weeks straight, consistently applying every night before I go to sleep. And then I stopped. Why? Because I didn’t “feel” any difference. I just thought that my hair looked good from the conditioning effects of the other products but I still got some hair fall so was it really working?
Apparently it is, because during that two week period, I noticed that my husband wasn’t waking me up with the vacuum. And it quickly resumed after I stopped applying the serum. So I continued using the serum for another two weeks and that’s when I started to notice the changes happening in my hair. My hair felt stronger and it looked fuller. So much so that I’m trying to convince my husband to figure out how to do the Korean long layered hair cut from YouTube! I feel like using this serum for the recommended period will really strengthen the hair against hair fall but having to apply daily can get a bit tedious.
Instructions for use: Use once daily in the morning or before going to bed during a 6 week period. Apply 4 doses on dry or towel-dried scalp, section by section. 1 dose = 1 pipette until the mark. Massage gently. Do not rinse. Style as desired.
INGREDIENTS:
Aqua/water/eau, Alcohol denat, Diaminopyrimidine oxide, Ammonium polyacryloyldimethyl taurate, Aminomethyl propanol, Citric acid, Peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil, Piroctone olamine, Caffeine, Arginine, Limonene, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine hcl, Linalool, Safflower glucoside, Benzyl salicylate, Coumarin, Citral, Benzyl alcohol, Xylitylglucoside, Citronellol, Benzyl benzoate, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Zingiber officinale root extract/ginger root extract, Resveratrol, Tocopherol, Bht, Sodium citrate, Parfum/fragrance
Kérastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Blow-dry Fluid (P1,900 for 150ml via HairMNL)
As the name suggests, the blow-dry fluid protects the hair from heat which can cause hair breakage. The blow-dry fluid also uses Ginger Root and Edelweiss Native Cells in its formulation. It is claimed to "hydrates, reinforces and protects the hair from heat up to 220°C to reduce the risk of hair-fall due to breakage". The end result should be soft, shiny, silky hair.
Instructions for use: Use this fortifying blow-dry fluid before using heating tools to protect from heat up to 220°C or on dry hair to tame frizz and soften the hair.
Do I feel like this fluid does its job? Yes. But I don’t really use any heated tools on my hair so I can’t test how well it protects against heat. It does make my hair more manageable and less frizzy. I have to use quite a bit though to really get my hair to the condition I want it to be.
INGREDIENTS:
Aqua/water/eau, Cocos nucifera oil/coconut oil, Amodimethicone, Polyquaternium-37, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, Xylitylglucoside, Sodium hydroxide, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Dimethicone peg-7 phosphate, Ppg-1 trideceth-6, Trideceth-6, Behentrimonium chloride, Limonene, Xylose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan oleate, Linalool, Isopropyl alcohol, Cetrimonium chloride, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed vegetable protein pg-propyl silanetriol, Benzyl salicylate, Coumarin, Zingiber officinale root extract/ginger root extract, Citral, Benzyl alcohol, Citronellol, Benzyl benzoate, Leontopodium alpinum callus culture extract, Potassium sorbate, Tocopherol, Citric acid, Xanthan gum, Dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate, Parfum/fragrance
Overall, I will invest in 2 out of the 4 products I tried because I find that they do work in lessening my hair fall. The Kérastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Conditioner will probably work wonders for thin hair but I feel that if you take care of your hair and use a good conditioner, you will be able to minimize hair fall due to breakage already. As for the Kérastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Blow-dry Fluid, if you use any heated styling tools, then this is for you. Because while it can be used for air drying hair or for controlling frizz throughout the day, I’d rather go for the Kérastase Discipline Oléo-Relax Hair Oil for those purposes.
The Kérastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Mask is a clear favorite and it suits my thick hair. I will probably alternate it with a hydration-specific conditioner though to get additional benefits like nourishing and anti-frizz. The Kérastase Genesis Anti Hair-Fall Fortifying Serum is the obvious star of the show as it treats right at the roots. You just have to be diligent in applying daily. I wonder how long the effect lasts after you finish up one bottle’s worth of treatment. Hopefully, it will be quite a while!
Let me know if you have questions!
