I had never heard of Kevin Murphy until about 6 months ago when my regular hairdresser started using (and selling) the products in the salon. The Kevin Murphy range is a salon brand (like Tigi Bedhead) so you wont find it in your local supermarket or Boots. Apparently Kevin Murphy is a celebrity hairdresser, but that again was news to me.

My hair is quite thick, and therefore its hard to get alot of movement in it. Also, despite being thick it doesnt have alot of volume, especially when straightened. When my stylist recommended the 'Anti Gravity' to be honest I thought she as giving me the hard sell looking to earn a bit of commision on the sale. She had used it on my hair before she started blowdrying, and I have to agree that it did look really good (nothing beats the feeling of getting a new haircut that really suits you) but I dismissed it, putting it down to the fact that she had professionally blow-dried it, and it had just been cut. Plus the In-salon price of £14 on top of the £35 I had paid for the haircut was a little too much for my purser to bare!

However a few week later I was putting in an order on 'Look Fantastic' when I noticed that they stocked the whole range of Kevin Murphy's products. It was a little more reasonably priced at £11.56. Plus, the new haircut shine had gone from my hair and it was back to the same place it had been before I got it cut, thick and curly. So on impulse I added it to my online basket to see if it could bring me back some of the sheen and bring my layers out again.

It arrived in its small square bottle - which is a creamy yellow colour. It kad a large K embossed into the front, and 'Anti.Gravity, Oil Free Volumiser' on the front (its also written in French). It has a while lid at the top left hand corner of the square. The bottle holds 150ml.

The blurb at the back of the bottle described the product as 'An Oil free volumiser and texturiser. For bigger, thicker hair, apply to wet hair and dry in. Helps hold your style whether it is curled or blown out. Adds control to fly aways with an oil free shine. Apply to damp hair before styling. It also tells me to avoid contact with my eyes and if it it does get in my eyes to rinse it immediately with water - it also says for external use only, I dont know what kind of person would not already understand that, but it tells you anyway. The same information is also given in French and Danish. It also lists the ingredients and the distributor information.

So after washing my hair I put a small amount of the Anti Gravity on my hair and work it in. In the salon the stylist really massaged it in, but I am in a bit of a hurry so I just rub it in. The smell is gorgeous - the first thing that hits you is lavender, which reminds me of my Nana who has homemade lavendar bags everywhere in her house so that it overpowers you when you step it, there is a bit of a spicy undertone to it but nothing too overpowering. Its a thickish white lotion, but it absorbs in very easily and doesnt leave a sticky residue on my hands.

I can honestly say that after blowdrying and straighening I can tell the difference, My hair is glossier and it has some definition - I can see some of the layers again, plus there is less of the frizz that I sometimes get around my fringe (too much straightening has frazzled it!) It isnt as fantastic as when the sylist did it, but its good enough or me! It still has the faint smell of lavender too which I cant help sniffing every so often.

One thing that does happen to my hair is that it gets greasy quite quickly if I put product in it, but this didnt happen as quickly as it normally does. I suppose this comes rom the fact that the product is oil free.

I would definately recommend this to anyone with dull hair that thet want to give a bit of oomph to. The product really does what it says it will. It does hold my style so that I didnt have to straighen it the next day (which I normally have to if I use other products). My hair is quite dry too and it seemed to mask the straw like feel it has so that it felt soft to the touch.

The website lists the active ingredients as -

Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Water - Beneficial to all types of hair, its balancing action regulates the production of oil from the sebaceous gland situated at the side of each follicle, which is helpful in cases of dry or oily hair
Honey Extract (Mel)-A natural emollient that seals in moisture and softens hair to add flexibility
Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Extract- Promotes hair growth and is cellular regenerative. It also provides beneficial treatment for oily skin and hair
Cinnamomum Camphora (Ho Leaf) Leaf Oil - A tonic and freshener that has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.

So its nice to know that it has some natural ingredients rather than loads of sciencey sounding words that no-one really understands. As I said before you can definately smell the lavender.

One thing I would say about the product is not to use too much - it can make hair heavy and a little crispy (like when you wear hairspray) if you use too much. I have hair that is a little longer than my shoulders and only use an amouth the size of a baked bean and thats plenty. As I only use a small bit it does last a very long time. I have had my bottle for over three months and it still feels about half full, therefore I dont feel so bad about the price tag.

It can be purchased from the Kevin Murphy website, other beauty websites (such as lookfantastic or beautybay) and from salons.

I cant rate it highly enough, and the only problems I have had with it has been when I have used too much, but this is my error and not the product. Therefore I am giving it 5 stars.

www.kevinmurphystore.com