Phytodefrisant Review

Introduction

I had previously reviewed some of my favorite Phyto products for the Hair Boutique and Nichole found my reviews through a search engine.

My original Phyto product reviews included Phytocidre Restoring Shampoo, Phytomoelle with Bamboo Marrow and Phyto 7 Leave In Cream.

Note: As of 2002 Phyto discontinued production of the Phytocidre shampoo product.

As Nichole and I exchanged emails I discovered that she had used several of the Phyto products that I had not gotten a chance to try. I was very excited when Nichole agreed to write reviews of Phyto's Phytodefrisant and Phyto S88 products for Hair Boutique.

Nichole has been using the Phyto products since 1995. I consider her an expert on this product line. She told me that she first discovered Phyto products in an article in InStyle magazine. InStyle just happens to be one of my favorite magazines since they seem to always have great hair product tips and recommendations.

Nichole told me that she has dry, naturally curly, neck-length hair. She also told me that she had originally used the Phytojoba shampoo which she liked, but was not crazy about. Then her hairdresser recommended Phyto S88. Nichole reports that the Phyto S88 made her curls behave and her fair feel soft and moisturized.

Note: In late 2002 Phyto retired the original Phyto S88 shampoo and replaced it with Phytonectar shampoo with is a new, improved version of the original S88

If you read my original Phyto reviews you will see that I loved all three products that I tested. My only problem with Phyto is that it is hard to find. The only places I have found it in Dallas is at Nordstrom's and Nieman Marcus. Neither place is easy to get to and the prices of the product are high when you consider that I have to pay sales tax and spend about one hour of my time traveling to and from the store and hassling with parking.

Note: As of 2001 all of the Phyto products are available at HairBoutique.com and are available with no shipping charges or sales tax (except in Texas).

Nichole has written some great Phyto product reviews. They are very informative and present all the facts you need to know about Phytodefrisant and Phyto S88.

Nicole's Review

My first encounter with Phytodefrisant and the Phytologie product line was in December 1995 while waiting for my plane departure to Los Angeles. I was standing in an airport shop thumbing through the latest issue of In Style magazine when I came across the cover article on Jennifer Aniston.

At the time, the "Rachel ‘do" was the hot-selling commodity for the hair-styling industry. I’ll admit it; I too wanted to hop on that bandwagon. There was one slight problem, though: I have naturally curly hair. And guess what? After reading the article on Jennifer Aniston, I discovered that she, too, has naturally curly hair. Instead of purchasing the magazine, I scribbled down the names of the various styling products she used which included Phytodefrisant.

I spent a week in Los Angeles on a business trip. On my day off, I decided to do some sight-seeing and went to the usual places, including Rodeo Drive. One street over from Rodeo Drive was a beauty supply shop, where I purchased the Phytodefrisant hair-straightening balm.

Phytodefrisant typically comes in a 3.3-fl. oz. tube, although I once purchased a slightly larger sized tube in San Diego that was a one time special Phyto deal. Depending on where you find the product line (I’ll get to that part later) you can expect to pay approximately $22 - $25 (U.S.) for the 3.3 ounce plant-based balm.

Note: This cost depends on whether or not you pay sales taxes or if you buy it online and find a place that offers free shipping.

Phytodefrisant is part of a special line of therapeutic hair products developed through the use of plants called Phytotherathrie.

It is a thick, non-oily, clear gel that feels slippery but not sticky and was designed for naturally curly hair, frizzy hair or hair permed with harsh chemicals.

After reading the insert carefully, I applied Phytodefrisant to my naturally curly hair. According to the directions on the insert, to achieve the best results:

1. Squeeze a dollop of Phytodefrisant into the palm of your hand,
2. Coat a comb with product,
3. Comb through hair from roots to the ends section by section,
4. Repeat this operation parting the hair section by section,
5. Hair must be smoothed and relaxed, by rolling up the hair very tightly on large rollers, or better, by using the system of the Mexican set.

System of the Mexican set? To this day, I still have no idea what this means. Use a dollop section by section? They must be kidding.

For the next two years, I used the product in a number of ways. For the first year, I squeezed a couple of dollops of the gel into my palm and worked it into my neck-length curly hair.

I used a blow-dryer and a round brush to straighten my hair and finished my routine by dividing my hair into 18 sections and slowly moving a flat iron from crown to ends.

I found that, while using Phytodefrisant, my hair was no longer brittle, but rather soft and full of shine. This routine worked well for one year, because I traveled a great deal with my company, mostly to states out west where the climate is dry and less humid than Florida.

However, in the rainy summer months of 1997, while conducting business in Dallas, Texas, my usual routine with Phytodefrisant was somewhat less successful.

I started using a dollop of Phytodefrisant with a straightening mold to try and combat the humidity. This mixture seemed to help, but I found myself running from the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned building because the intense humidity would destroy 45 minutes’ worth of work.

I continued using Phytodefrisant through May of 1998 until I realized I had become a slave to my hair. I decided not to fight Mother Nature any longer by letting my hair grow out in its natural curly state. Although I only rarely use Phytodefrisant now when I go straight, I continue to use all of the Phytologie products all the time.

My overall experience with Phytodefrisant was extremely positive. The product might seem a little expensive to some, but it was worth every penny of my money while I was in my straight-hair phase.

As I mentioned earlier, finding the Phytologie product line was an adventure. While I was traveling, I could usually find the product line in big-city salons or fine department stores. However, when I switched jobs and no longer traveled, it was hard, at first, to find the product.

After speaking with a representative of the Ales Group USA, Inc. (the manufacturers of the Phytologie product line) I discovered that Phytologie is a very exclusive hair care line distributed only to high end salons and select department stores.

That explained why the sales associate looked oddly at me when I asked about the product at Sally’s Beauty Supply, a national beauty supply chain. Why? Sally's does not carry any of the Phyto products.

So where did I purchase Phytodefrisant? I called around until I found a beauty supply store that was willing to ship me the product within a week or so.

I would definitely recommend Phytodefrisant to persons with naturally curly hair living in dry, low-humidity states or to Floridians during our so-called winter months when the air is dryer.

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- Revised Publication Date: 10/19/10

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