I am not the sort of person to be faithful to any one particular brand when it comes to certain cosmetics and household products, one of which is hairspray. This means that I regularly buy a lot of different ranges and brands and have found that the results can vary quite considerably between brands.

One product that I have tried out recently for the first time is the L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray, which was given to me by a friend who had bought it but hadn't used it. I happily took it off her hands and have found the product to be one that I quite like!

There are various 'strengths' or types of the L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray available, such as 'Flexible' and 'Supreme' but the one that I have is the 'Normal' variety. I believe that the L'Oreal Elnett range of hairspray products come in various sizes, with the largest size being 400ml, however, the size that I own is 200ml. The current price for this product (as @ October 2011) is £3.79 in store in branches of Superdrug, or you can purchase it online at www.superdrug.com, although I am unsure if postage and packaging charges apply.

The packaging for this particular hairspray consists of a rather 'glam' looking gold-coloured metallic canister, with a sort of 'built-in' plastic aerosol nozzle at the top of the can. This of course means that there is no outer 'lid' to the aerosol which is a slight plus-point for me personally, as I find such plastic lids can be slightly cumbersome and difficult to remove at times, given the limited mobility and strength in my hands. Other than that however, the packaging is fairly unremarkable and I actually think it is slightly outdated in its style and appearance when compared to other brands available.

The product itself however, is one that I have grown to like quite a lot and it's fair to say that I will be purchasing it for myself. Firstly, I find that the Elnett Hairspray is not at all 'thick' in its appearance or consistency when it is sprayed from the can. It comes out in a sort of mist which is actually quite fine and so it feels quite pleasant and quite light when it is sitting on my hair. This is a huge difference to the last 'budget' branded hairspray product that I bought that felt very heavy on my hair!

Furthermore, I find that the hold in the Elnett Hairspray is quite sufficient to hold my hair in any style that I choose to wear and the effect is fairly long-lasting. On no occasion have I had to 'reapply' the product to my hairstyle due to the initial application wearing off which is not always the case with hairspray products in my opinion. Furthermore, I find that the Elnett Hairspray is strong enough to control any loose hairs or any frizz that may occur around my hairline with a solitary spritz from the canister. As this is the main reason that I use a hairspray product on my hair, it is not difficult to see that the L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray is going to last me quite a long time, which is probably just as well, because I don't generally pay over £2 for a hairspray product at any one time, and this spray costs around double what I would normally pay. I am pleased that the higher price tag for this product seems to be justified in this instance.

When it comes to removing the product from my hair, I find that this is quick and easy to do, as the Elnett Hairspray simply brushes out. I don't need to use excessive force or effort. I was impressed to note that my hair didn't feel at all dirty or 'heavy' after the hairspray had been brushed out which is what I had expected given my experience with similar products. I found that there was absolutely no residue or grease left behind and I thought my hair felt how it normally does. I know that some people have found that this product gives a sort of 'conditioning' effect to their hair and find that it makes their hair more manageable and leaves an attractive sheen to it, but I can't honestly say that I have noticed any such results after using the product myself.

As with most hairspray products that I use regularly I am not a huge fan of the smell and find that it is quite over-powering and highly perfumed. I also find that it has a sort of 'lingering' quality to it and so it is noticeable in the bathroom for quite a long time after I have used the product. I also think I can smell it on myself when I have applied the product, but this tends to fade once I have applied my perfume and certainly after an hour or so it seems to have calmed and died down quite a lot. I won't be deducting any stars from the product rating for the over-powering smell as I think most products like this one can smell quite strong and I am, after all, only applying it to my hair and not spraying it on my person.

Overall, I was pleased to try out the L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray for free and was rather impressed with the results. I'm not sure that I was so impressed that I would be willing to pay nearly £4 for a can of the hairspray, but if it was part of a promotional offer or special deal then I wouldn't hesitate to buy the product as I felt it performed very well and lived up to its claims.