So now that it has been almost seasonably chilly for a whole three days now, I am rather jealous of my friends who are going on holiday to warmer climes. If you are headed off for a well deserved trip, it’s a great time to check out an excellent hair set we were set for review.

Number4HairCare Hydrating Jet Set comes with Hydrating Shampoo, Hydrating conditioner, Super Comb Prep & Protect and Fleur de Temps Body Lotion and Mini Darlings plus L’eau de Mare Brush (specifically for wet hair).

Ingredients

There are many quality ingredients in the Number 4™ L’eau de Mare™ Hydrating Conditioner.  Some ingredients are commonly seen in small doses even in drugstore brands shampoos, but many of these ingredients are only found in higher-end products. Some notable ones that caught my eye:

• Vitamin B5 for shine
• Gooseberry Oil is one of the ingredients in their Liquid Purity complex cocktail – if you haven’t used a hair product with Gooseberry Oil in it, you are in for a treat. And if you have used Gooseberry Oil products in the past and can’t find a good one (such as all us fans of the discontinued Neil George Gooseberry Oil hair care line) you will really like a shampoo with Gooseberry in it.
• Jojoba similar in structure to the hair, fills in tiny cracks in the hair and makes it smooth and not crunchy feeling
• A bunch of good anti-aging ingredients. Don’t just think of anti-aging ingredients if you are over a certain age think of it as if your HAIR is LONG then it is OLD. If your hair is longer than your shoulder, and it grew that long at the average rate of half an inch a month, how old does that make the last few inches of your hair, plus all the abuse your hair has taken during that time with styling, flat irons, swimming, sun, chemicals, highlights and coloring. If your hair is long, it can use anti-aging ingredients.
• Color protecting ingredients that are also good for scalp health. These include algae, soy, tea.
• Hydrating and Strengthening Ingredients: such as Burdock Root, Oolong Tea, Irish Moss, and Vegetable Protein (Vegan).
• There is also Silicone, smoothing to be sure, but FYI if you are attempting to avoid Cones of any kind.

Scent. Spa like scent, Fragrance Notes: Ylang Orchid, Jasmine, Vetiver and Patchouli. I really primarily smell Ylang Orchid, Jasmine, Vetiver and NOT the Patchouli once hair is dry.Very nice experience while lathering, hair is still scented when dry, but not so strongly as to compete with your chosen fragrances but noticeable when hair is in motion. Smells clean.

1. There is a very nice, rich lather, very thick and full feeling. The instructions say to wash twice, but my hair felt clean with one good head massage and wash, working up a nice lather throughout my hair. (NOTE: I did NOT have styling product or hairspray in my hair before washing, if I did that might indeed require two washes) The instructions indicate that if you want more lather; add more water not more product. A quality shampoo and conditioner like Number 4 Hydrating doesn’t require as much product as some shampoos and conditioners to get a good result. I advise using less shampoo and conditioner than you think you might need and adding more if necessary. For example, I decanted just enough conditioner to apply to one side of my hair, then once I massaged it in it was really enough for both sides. I used it throughout my hair and left it in a few minutes. It absorbs nicely and washes out clean. My hair is past the small of my waist but not hip length and it is a rather thick, so I tend to need more product than some to coat my hair. The bottles seem somewhat small, but based on how little is needed; it is a good deal and a nice size for travel without having to skimp on product use.

Even wet my hair felt different than usual after washing and conditioning, soft of expanded and strong feeling, not quite left with a coating of product per se, but the surface felt different, as if I already applied a leave-in product to smooth the surface. To find out what this affect was, I opted NOT to use any additional product while styling my hair.

ON PRE STYLE ROUGH BLOW-DRY

After using the brush designed for wet hair that comes in the kit (which while my hair did NOT have tangles post conditioning, it is nice to have a brush that is gentle enough for wet hair, especially when you do have to detangle or comb through styling product) I did a quick rough dry“ no real styling and LOVED LOVED LOVED the shine and bounce.  Without any additional product my hair was soft with just a tiny bit of flyaway, but it is the first few days of real cold here in New England this week. Not bad for no product added.

The bounce in my hair was a pleasant surprise since I am overdue for my regular trim, and they are pretty lifeless the week before a trim, so I will be remembering to use Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner the week before a trim to get some life back in dull ends.  The shine and bounce remained with hot roller styling.

The Fleur de Temps Body Lotion is a solid lotion, but the Patchouli scent was much stronger than in the shampoo and conditioner. If you work in a fragrance-free work environment, it might be a bit of a strong scent, but otherwise it is a lovely consistency of lotion.

And if you are headed off on vacation (and even if you aren’t) – the Super Comb Prep and Protect is a great UV/Color Polar Shield – don’t let the sun wreck your color! It also contains the Liquid Purity Complex so you will be conditioning your hair with that great Gooseberry Oil as you protect your hair. Nice multitasking combo.

VERDICT

• SHINE SHINE SHINE!!
• Softness, bounce and swing
• Nice lather, just a bit of product goes a long way.
• Light scent once dry
• My really dry ends that badly need a trim don’t look so dry
• Hair color was not stripped or faded after use
• The brush is incredibly gentle and far less hair is left in the bristles after brushing vs other high end brushes.

Find the Number 4 High Performance Hair Care Holiday Jet Set Pack at Number4Hair.com for $25.