I have no particular preference for L'Oreal products, but Elnett hairspray is something that I can't stop hearing about. For months, if not years, all the fashion and beauty magazines have been raving about how great Elnett hairspray is and there has been a big push for the product with Cheryl Cole marketing it. I've seen it be recommended many times over and it seems to be a permanent winner of beauty awards. Elnett hairspray is available from most supermarkets and high street stores that sell beauty products. I got mine from Boots where you can choose from a range of styles and sizes. The 75ml small / travel sized cans cost £2.03, the medium 200ml cans cost £3.57, and the large 400ml cans cost £6.02. As you can see, the larger 400ml cans work out to be more cost effective, but I find that the smaller 75ml size is more practical for carrying around in my handbag.

There are several different Elnett hairsprays available with different qualities, including:
Satin Supreme Hold
Satin Extra Strength
Flexible Hold Extra Strength
Very Volume Supreme Hold
Very Volume Extra Strength
Satin Absolute Supreme Hold with Pro-Calcium
Flexible Hold
Satin Diamond Hold
Satin for Dry or Damaged Hair
Satin Normal Strength
Satin Extra Strength for Coloured Hair
Satin Unfragranced Extra Strength
It's overwhelming seeing these all spread out on the shelf before you and I really had no idea of what the difference was between all these varieties. Some are more obvious when it states the hair type that it's suitable for, but I had no clue where to start. I decided to try out a 75ml can and picked the Satin Supreme Hold hairspray.

Product description: "Elnett Satin Supreme Hold. Disappears at the stroke of a brush. Our finest hair spray used by the finest stylists.
+ Elnett offers long lasting hold with a brilliant shine and a soft touch.
+ Its unique micro diffuser sprays ultra fine and disappears at the stroke of a brush, leaving hair clean, soft and shiny.
+ Protects your style against the effects of humidity."

This hairspray comes in a standard looking can with a gold coloured design. It can be quite hard to tell all the different types apart, but you should be able to see a small logo near the bottom of the can stating the name of the hairspray. The can has a small nozzle at the top and a large area where you press down to use the hairspray. This is quite helpful as you can get a good grip on the can and it allows you to apply the right amount of pressure when using it.

Recommended directions for use: Remove the security tab and shake can. Spray with Elnett in short bursts from about 30cm away.

Elnett Satin Supreme Hold has a nice smooth spraying action which is easy to control. It is possible to get short sharp bursts, or a more generous misting depending on what your style requires. The hairspray itself goes on clear and has no colour to it. It does have quite a strong smell which can be unpleasant at the time you're putting it on, but the scent does not seem to linger or overpower the hair.

Personally I don't use a great deal of hairspray as I dislike the feeling of products in my hair. I have a simple hair cut with a fringe and my primary use for hairspray is to tame the fringe and keep it in place, which can be quite a challenge sometimes! My hair falls into a natural centre parting and even though I've had my hair cut with a fringe for years now, every time I wash my hair it tries to fall back to the centre parting. A split fringe is not a nice look on me! I have started using hairspray on my fringe every day to keep my style in place, and had expected good results from this Elnett product as L'Oreal is such a well known brand. I find that it is easy to apply onto my hair, although if I don't keep the can at the right distance away it can make my fringe clump into strands and gives it a stringy separated appearance. I normally apply quite a liberal amount as I live in a seaside town and as soon as I step outside my front door the sea breeze completely messes up my carefully straightened and styled hairdo! I have had reasonable success with Elnett Supreme Satin Hold, but in windy conditions it does not stand up to the pressure and my fringe does not stay where I want it to.

On the rare occasions when I wear my hair up I have had good success at using this hairspray to keep it in place. I don't usually go for anything dramatic, but this works wonders at keeping a messy bun up and without losing the nice texture that you get from having the ends of the bun loose. I would say that the hairspray is better suited to this sort of hairdo than it is for keeping my fringe securely in place.

This hairspray lives up to its claims of being easy to remove, and I did find that just by brushing my hair the product did seem to disappear and I was not left with a sticky or crunchy feeling. However, my hair is dry at the ends, greasy at the roots, and I can end up with greasy looking hair if I have applied this hairspray more than once without washing in-between. The 75ml can lasted me a surprisingly long time considering it is a small amount, and I think it would be good value for money to buy the larger can if the product works for you. I like being able to choose which size I want to buy, and having the smaller sized cans allows you to test out different hairsprays within the range so you can work out which one best suits you.

I think this is good hairspray but not quite up to doing what I need for day-to-day use. It feels light and is good for keeping up-do's in place, but it's not strong enough to stop my fringe from budging and it does make my hair greasy if I use it frequently. Certainly not the miracle product I was expecting, but it does have its good points.