Author: Michele Raiyne

Six Month Results – The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 9 Comments

I’ve been using the Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density from Deciem’s The Ordinary for 6 months now. I first noticed thinning hair toward the front of my head probably about 4 or 5 years ago and used the system from Stemm, (shampoo, conditioner and hair serum) when they launched, I believe, in 2016. Stemm was discontinued and “replaced” with The Ordinary hair serum. Please read my first impressions, product claims, my use and information about The Ordinary’s hair serum here, and my 3-month results here.

Below are photos from before, 3 months and 6 months of use of The Ordinary hair serum.

Below are before and 6 months of use.

A couple of other photos after 6 months.

I saw some initial improvement in the 3-month photos and it looks like more improvement in hair density at the center part of my hair, but as far as the edges of the hair, general thickness and growth especially at the front of my head, I hoped for more improvement.

Here is a photo before and after using Stemm for comparison (which is why I had higher hopes for The Ordinary hair serum).

The above is the only photo I have of my Stemm use, but didn’t post a review as it was being discontinued. I wish I took photos from other angles as well. I think the results are quite good especially for only 3 months of use.

The time lapse between my use of Stemm and The Ordinary hair serum was about 2 years, and I can only assume that the cause of my thinning hair is the same as it was 2 years ago (though I am not sure what that is), so I would also assume that I would have gotten similar, if not better, results when using The Ordinary. If the cause of the thinning hair is hormonal or autoimmune, a hair serum may not work. I should also take into consideration the fact that I had been getting my hair bleached and then colored while using The Ordinary hair serum and perhaps that is why it may not have worked as well as it could.

I had been using the serum on my eyebrows to 3 months and forgot to continue use (apologies). I didn’t notice any results on my eyebrows in my 3-month update, and actually haven’t gotten results on my eyebrows with lash and brow growth serums thus far either.

While I can’t say for sure, I should also add that this hair serum may have stained my bleached hair a bit yellow. Here are a couple photos of my newly bleached and toned hair after one week’s use of the hair serum. While this is a scalp treatment, it is unavoidable to get some on the hair as it is massaged in.

As it stands now (while I got some result), I don’t think I would repurchase The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density, however, I got another bottle during their 50% off sale and will finish that. If I find that there are significant improvements in hair thickness and density, I will post an update.

I was able to disguise my thinning hair a bit by getting an ombre balayage with dark brown roots fading to blonde ends and got bangs/a fringe so now my hair is not parted in the center where the thinning is noticeable.

Thank you for reading.

My Hair Story in Photos

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 9 Comments

I wanted to document my hair story, starting from a photo in 2016 to now, taking a look at the health and color of my hair (a part 2 of sorts from my post “Brunette to Blonde“).

2016 – Dry and damaged hair. This is how my hair looked for years; I didn’t pay too much attention to it and continued flat ironing my hair every day to get rid of the frizz, leading to more damage.

Grew out color and most of the damage.

Cut out some heaviness and brightened with a color melt. Done at Style Theory in Calgary.

2018 – Grow out from the previous cut; the healthiest my hair has looked in years.

Caramel highlights; I don’t like how this turned out. Done at Style Theory in Calgary.

Going blonde; session 1. Done at Style Theory.

Ashy blonde; session 2.

Every root touch-up and tone, the shade of the hair was slightly different; I could never get it back to that ashy shade.

I left purple shampoo on my hair too long; there are about 4 different colors in my hair at this point.

Old color showing through on the bottom; ashy on the top and yellow on the bottom.

Attempt to blend the top half to match the bottom. My hair has started to look quite thin, damaged and dry at this point, despite my best efforts to keep it looking healthy.

Air dried; looks dry and damaged. Comparing the health and look of my hair to the before and after blonde photos, it looks drier more frizzy and thinner, not to mention the stiff, dry feeling after getting it wet in the shower still after 5 months. The light hair against my scalp made it look thinner as well.

Have had thinning hair for a few years now.

Ombre balayage with chocolate brown roots. This is my favorite technique so far, but could be blended better. I decided to get this color and let my hair grow out (I’ll still need to get grey coverage). It looks much better and is lower maintenance without the damaging lightening sessions. Also, the darker roots fading into the lighter color makes finer hair look a bit thicker.

Cut in bangs to disguise the thinning hair.

New color line at the salon (Max Eli); more brown than I wanted and has a green tinge. Done at Style Theory by a Max Eli color educator.

The above brown hair faded quite quickly. I decided to leave my hair alone, just let it grow and try to heal it. It is dry, thin, breaking and looks quite bad. After numerous treatments, oils and conditioners, there was nothing I could do except cut the damage off.

I went to a different salon to get a cut and color (Industry Hair Salon); I wanted a chocolate brown, but the hairdresser said he was going to go a bit darker as it would look better. This color is darker than my natural color. The cut is just okay; the color is too dark. I will not be going back to this salon.

Back to my regular hairdresser (Style Theory) to get a keratin straightening treatment. This process lightened my hair. I will post a review once the treatment fades.

It took 7 months for the keratin treatment to fade from my hair.

2021 – Most recent photo after growing out my hair for a couple years.

October 2021 (photo by styletheory.ca) – My first hair cut in about 2 years (shown above air dried) was done at Edges Salon in Calgary by a level 4 stylist. The hair felt heavy on the bottom and did not have much shape. The cut dried in an uneven frizzy triangle around my head. I went to Style Theory to get it fixed 2 weeks later.

First two photos by styletheory.ca (now at Curious Hair Salon). The last photo is the 2-month grow out air dried.

September 2022 – Not much new with my hair. I had grown it for about a year and have continued to use the K18 hair mask. At my last haircut a couple weeks ago, my hairdresser said my hair felt really healthy, I expect because of K18.

December 2023 – It has been over a year since getting my hair cut. My hair looks thinner, more frizzy, and of lower quality. I have started a new hair care routine to hopefully improve the health, look, and feel of my hair.

I will continue to update as I get my hair to where I want it to be.

Thank you for reading.

NIOD Re:Pigment Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

Re:Pigment (RP) is a skin brightening serum from Deciem’s NIOD that targets hyperpigmentation, uneven pigmentation and overall pigmentation issues.  This product claims to visibly counteract uneven pigmentation, such as spots, and to brighten the skin.

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Ingredients: Lentinus edodes mycelium extract, Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Propanediol, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Butylene Glycol, Acetyl glycyl beta-alanine, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Tetrapeptide-30, Oligopeptide-68, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Algae Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Oleate, Disodium EDTA, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ethoxydiglycol, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl glycol.

RP uses a number of active brightening technologies:  Diglucosyl gallic acid NIOD says is  sixty times more potent than kojic acid in visibly brightening skin tone, acetyl glycyl beta alanine is a  brightening peptide solution that claims to visibly enhance the skin’s radiance, a high concentration of white shiitake ferment claims to target the appearance of dark spots within less than a week of use, potassium azeloyl diglycinate (azeloyl glycine) is used for brightening and anti-redness, encapsulated oligopeptide-68 claims to reduce the appearance of pigmentation from sun damage, solubilized tetrapeptide-30 claims to even the skin’s complexion and red evodia fruit derivative claims to encourage skin radiance and evenness.

To target previous hyperpigmentation from sun damage and breakouts, I have also had IPL treatments (photofacial) and have used the Obagi Nu-Derm system, both with great success. I wanted to try a serum that was less expensive than those above and did not contain kojic acid or hydroquinone.

Directions state to shake lightly and apply in the morning and evening. Use sun protection.

I have hyperpigmentation (freckles) from the sun mostly on my cheek bones, redness to my skin and am prone to postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (these are darkened spots on the skin left behind after a pimple has healed). Hyperpigmentation takes a long time to treat, and I didn’t expect this product to work in just a few months (despite the claim that white shiitake ferment targets spots in less than a week), so took a full year to review.

I applied morning and night, one to two drops on each of my cheeks (the apples of the cheeks to the under eye socket and to the jaw line) as this is where I get hyperpigmentation from the sun and breakouts. There is not really a smell to the product. I don’t find it be oily on the skin, but it doesn’t seem to penetrate fully and on touching my skin, I can feel the product hours after application.

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Above, on the right side of my face, I got a breakout at 3 months, which turned into a postinflammatory hyperpigmented spot. These spots take months to fade on their own. I can still see it faintly at 12 months, but I’m not sure it faded faster with the RP than it would have on its own. My complexion is more even and some freckling has a bit of fading by 12 months. I think for redness, NIOD’s Modulating Glucosides or SDSM is better (perhaps not for long term, however). Some of the scarring towards my chin and jawline looks better, I think due to more evenness of the skin. For evenness and exfoliation, I feel that vitamin C or an AHA or retinol serum does a better job for less cost and with faster results than RP.

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On the left side of my face, the freckling looks a bit faded and there is more evenness to the skin.

I expected more from this product after 12 months of twice-daily use.  While RP claims to fight redness, even the complexion, fade spots and make the skin brighter and more radiant, there was only a slight fading of the hyperpigmentation and more evenness to the skin. As mentioned, vitamin C, AHA and retinols promote exfoliation, radiance and brightness as well as a more even complexion, while other anti-redness serums work better as well.

I will not repurchase this product.

Thank you for reading.

Briogeo Curl Charisma Chia and Flax Seed Coil Custard Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 1 Comment

Briogeo is a brand of hair care products that are 6-free (no artificial dyes, silicones, sulfates, phthalates, parabens, DEA) and color-safe. I have recently been using a few products from Briogeo (the shampoos and conditioners from the Don’t Despair, Repair line and the Be Gentle, Be Kind line) as I’ve been moving toward silicone-free products.

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A newer product from Briogeo and their Curl Charisma line is the Chia and Flax Seed Coil Custard targeted toward those with curly, coiled and tightly coiled hair. This product claims to leave curls soft and supple while defining curls with a flexible hold.

Ingredients: Water, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Rice Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Keratin Amino Acids, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Lactobacillus/Tomato Fruit Ferment Extract, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Acyl Coenzyme A Desaturase, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Fragrance

This product contains a number of moisturizing alcohols and oils, along with the following key ingredients; shea butter that softens and hydrates the hair, rice amino acids to prevent frizz, flax seed oil for conditioning and chia seed oil that nourishes and strengthens the hair. This product contains protein as hydrolyzed quinoa and keratin amino acids.

The directions on the Briogeo and Sephora websites differ a bit from those on the container. On the container directions state to apply evenly through damp or dry hair and style as usual, whereas on the websites it states to apply in small sections of damp hair while twisting and stretching the strands to activate the curl pattern (I suppose how to apply might depend on hair type and preference).

This product goes on a bit white and dries invisible. This is a thick, creamy leave-in treatment that smells light and fresh.

My daughter helped me review the Coil Custard. She has curly, coarse hair that is dry and prone to frizz. She has used it a number of times now; the first application she used too much and the curls, while defined, were crunchy and a bit flat on the top of her head. On subsequent applications she used less.

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curl charisma

 

For the before photos, the hair was shampooed and conditioned using the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair shampoo and conditioning mask and air dried with no other product. Some of the curls are not well defined (especially on the top of the head) and the hair is frizzy.

For the after photos, the hair was washed and conditioned with the same Briogeo products and the Coil Custard was applied throughout the damp hair with no twisting or stretching and air dried. It goes on slightly sticky and white, but as it dries, the stickiness and white color disappear. The curls do not feel stiff or crunchy and still have movement and bounce. Looking at the photos, the curls look defined and there is no frizz. The softness of the hair is improved. Scrunching my fingers through the dried hair I can feel a bit of the product. I wouldn’t say residue, but not like a leave-in conditioner that seems to absorb into the hair; however, not an off-putting feeling. I put a bit of product on my fingers, rubbed it in and let it dry and there is kind of a smooth, protective layer on my fingers that leaves no friction and they feel a bit moisturized.

My daughter’s next-day curls lose definition and become quite frizzy. With this product, the hair in the above 36-hour photo, while messier, is not frizzy and still has the curl.

I tried the Coil Custard a couple times on my hair as well. I have thin, wavy, frizzy, bleached, dry hair. I’m not sure my waves were more defined, but the curl custard took away the frizz (which probably enhanced the waves). One thing I am very happy about is how the product helped my longer bangs. They are not quite long enough to tuck behind my ears and turn into a frizzy, dome-shaped mess when air dried. I usually have to straighten them or clip them back. With this product I let them air dry and they look great; I don’t have to do anything else with my hair. At night I put my hair in a high bun and when I take it down in the morning, my hair has volume, some bigger waves and looks quite good just left down with no other styling.

In the before photo above my hair was air dried with a leave-in conditioner. The after photo is next-day hair after washing and applying Coil Custard in the morning and air drying, then putting in a bun overnight. These bigger, voluminous waves stay all day, and last multiple days if I put my hair in the bun overnight. This is an easy, no fuss hair style that, before Coil Custard, I had achieved using a flat iron, curling iron and hair spray.

I don’t think my hair was softer after using the Coil custard, but I’ve not used this long-term and my hair has a number of issues with being bleached.

I would prefer this product in a tube.

My daughter and I will continue to purchase this product.

Thank you for reading.

Three Month Results – The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 10 Comments
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I’ve been using The Ordinary Hair Density serum for thicker, fuller, healthier hair (and eyebrows) for 3 months. Over the summer I got my hair colored blonde and while I like to change as few variables as possible while reviewing products (I had been using the hair serum for 3 weeks before going blonde), I also wanted to see how my hair grows and let my roots grow in a bit so it is easier to see the results. You can read about the hair serum ingredients and use in this post. I’ve used about half the bottle so far and will post the 6-month after photos in the coming months.

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I kept forgetting to apply the serum to my eyebrows, so I probably used about every second evening. I don’t think there is much difference in growth or thickness.

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Looking at the front of my hair, I think I can see a bit less of my scalp in the after photo. Toward my forehead in the next photo there is definite hair growth.

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The edges of my hair have shown some growth and thickening as well. Looking at the root grow out, the edges and front of my hair seem to grow slower than more towards the back (or there is just such thin hair the grow out is not seen as well).

I was surprised to see that I got results with hair growth after 3 months, as I definitely did not notice any results in the mirror. I will continue for another 3 months and write an update at that time, so keep an eye out in December for those photos. Click here for the 6-month results.

Thank you for reading.