Icky, Sticky Hair (Alberto VO5 Heat Protect Styling Spray)

Member Name: pink_glitter

Product:	Alberto VO5 Heat Protect Styling Spray
Date:	24/03/09 (238 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: smells OK, not too bad when blow drying

Disadvantages: Awful with straighteners, hair sticks together, leaves hair sticky

I use straighteners on my hair at least five times a week, although sometimes it's daily or even worse, twice daily, and needless to say the heat can take its toll and leave my hair looking damaged. My hair is actually quite long anyway, as well as being coloured, so the condition is not as healthy as I would like it to be. To try to prevent it getting any worse, I use a heat protection spray each time I get the straighteners (or tongs, or hairdryer for that matter!) out, and the latest spray I've bought is VO5's heat protect styling spray.

Now, if I'm totally honest, I've used several brands of these sprays in the past and have not seen a lot of difference between them. It's pretty hard to tell if they're working to be honest, but I think it's reassuring to at least feel like I'm doing something to help my hair's dire situation! The sole reason I bought this one was because it was the cheapest one available at the time. I can't say I'm a huge fan of V05 - I have used their products before and although there are one or two things in the range that are really good, overall I find it to be a middle of the road brand, that doesn't stand out in any way, so my expectations of this product were not particularly high.

The spray comes in a red bottle with a white trigger spray. The trigger spray makes it look professional, however I feel it's not the most practical thing ever, as I find I have to swap hands to spray both sides of my hair (not the biggest problem, but a pain in the neck when you have a pair of straighteners in the opposite hand), whereas with a normal pump spray it's a lot easier to spray one-handed.

Other than not being the most practical bottle ever it's not particularly the best looking either. It simply looks cheap, and is another reason I don't tend to go for VO5 products, as there are other products in the same price bracket - such as the Schwarzkopf pro styling spray I recently used - which come in much younger, funkier packaging, that I actually feel proud to have displayed on my dressing table.

The spray states that as well as protecting against heat damage it reduces frizz and creates shine. Apparently it contains a 'heat-activated complex' which will also make styling quicker and easier. Having long, thick hair it can sometimes take up to 45 minutes to straighten (yes, seriously) and so anything that saves me time is always welcome!

The product should be sprayed on damp hair, but I've used it on dry as well and the results are pretty much the same. As you spray the product, you can smell it's slightly sharp citrussy fragrance. It's an OK scent, and is not too strong, which is good.

When spraying the product I find that even with just a few sprays it pretty much soaks the hair, and leaves it feeling slightly sticky.

When blow drying the results I get are pretty good. It doesn't leave any residue on the hair, but I don't think it does anything to make styling quicker or easier as the bottle suggests.

When straightening my hair however, it is a different story. I use GHD's which obviously become very very hot. I find that when I have used this spray on my hair, if anything it makes my hair more difficult to style. Like I said, when you spray it on, it pretty much soaks the hair, even with just a couple of sprays. It leaves my hair with a sort of sticky feeling, which remains even when I brush or comb it through.

As soon as I put the straighteners on it, my hair sort of sticks together, and I have to brush it and run the straighteners through it, in a sort of ongoing loop until my hair actually dries. This also leaves a horrible brown residue on the edges of my straighteners which isn't very pleasant.

Once it is actually dry however, my hair is fine with no sticky residue or weighed down feeling, which I am pleased about, as if the stickiness stayed once my hair was dry, I think I would have had to throw the bottle away.

Now as for actually protecting my hair from the heat, as always with these sorts of products, it's very difficult to tell if it's working. My hair certainly doesn't look in any worse condition since I began using this, however because I am actually having to keep the heat of the GHD's against my hair longer in order to actually dry, surely this is not doing my hair much good?

A 200ml bottle of this spray costs £2.93 from Boots, which as I mentioned is one of the cheapest that Boots sell.

Overall, I am not impressed with this product and I will not buy it again. I really don't like the sticky feeling it gives to my hair, it makes styling take much longer than normal, and I'm not even convinced it is actually doing anything for my hair. I think this product has made me remember why I dislike VO5 so much!

Summary: Personally I'm not impressed