I was approached by Kérastase to test drive the new Kérastase Initialiste ($55 for 60 ml, in Kérastase salons) for 7 days at Taz Hair Salon. Initialiste is an advanced scalp and hair concentrate that promises to deliver strength, shine, softness and substance to the hair, with results visible in only 7 days.
Kérastase Initialiste harnesses the regenerative power of native plant cells along with other technologies and ceramides to create a unique formula for stronger and healthier hair.
For the 7-day challenge, I was given two complimentary visits (day 1 and day 7) to Taz Hair Salon for in-salon treatments, and I also took home a bottle of Initialiste.
Here are my “before” photos, pre-treatment at Taz Hair Salon:
I sure know how to take a bad, deer-caught-in-the-headlights, “before” photo.
A few things I noticed and observed before my treatment: my hair — although straight — gets tangled very easily and is very fine. It looks dull and damaged from colour treatments especially in the ends.
I was instructed to use Initialiste 3 times that week after washing my hair. It comes with a pipette applicator to deposit the product easily on to the scalp. For my head of hair, I applied 4 half-full pipette amount. The texture of the product is similar to gel/water based face serums I’ve tried in the past.
After applying the treatment, I was given a 5-minute scalp massage which almost rendered me asleep and drooling in the salon chair.
Fast-forward to day 7 and I gotta say, I look much happier than my “before” self:
Remember the hair in my emerald cat eyeliner tutorial? My hair was blow dried and professionally styled by Duyen Huynh (above). Gorgeous and beach-ready, no? 
Here are my “after” photos:
Yes of course, blow dried hair will look a thousand times better than un-styled end-of-day hair. But after 7 days, I honestly did reap the benefits promised by Kérastase Initialiste. I found my hair to be much more manageable and shiny. I know it sounds kinda stupid, but I feel that overall, there was more substance to my hair, and the strands really feel stronger and more fortified. I will continue to use this product in the upcoming months as I grow out my hair for my wedding, and I am confident that it’ll grow my hair hair strong and shiny.
Have you tried Kérastase Initialiste? Would you? What scalp treatments have worked for you in the past?
All photos courtesy of Kérastase.
Anyways, this stuff is supposed to remove 100% of dandruff, buildup and grease. I admit that I’ve borrowed this in the shower as well, because I love the citrus-y, minty scent in the morning.
