The Best Hair Product Launches in 2021 in the UK
These Are the Most Exciting and Transformative Hair Product Launches of 2021
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No matter your hair type or texture, the long winter coronavirus lockdown provided us with ample time to give our hair the tender loving care it so desperately deserved. Many of us skipped wash days (in our case, a lot of wash days), let our hot tools collect dust, and used the time inside to sit around in deep-conditioning hair masks and oils, whip up hair-nourishing DIY recipes, and try out fancy damage-repairing treatments that had been on our wish lists.
Now that the country has opened up and we're out and about, our hair is back to being curled, braided, blow-dried, and generally battered, so it's important to continue that focus on hair health you may have discovered during the beginning of the year. If you still haven't found the right hair product for your specific strands, however, or you're bored with everything in your bathroom, well, maybe it's time to check out some of the latest and greatest hair launches in 2021. From Ouai's new-and-improved Curl Crème, Bread Beauty Supply, and Monday Haircare, all entering the UK, to Hersheson's innovative Zhoosh Foam and L'Oréal Paris's Wonder Water, which brought the term "lamellar water" into our beauty lexicon, the best hair products of the year have seriously helped bring our hair-care game up a level.
L'Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water
According to the brand, one bottle of the L'Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water (£10) sells every minute in the US, and in January 2021, the miraculous formula makes its way to the UK. Suitable for all hair types (even though it says for long, damaged hair on the bottle), the Wonder Water is a very thin liquid conditioner (no, really, it has the consistency of some high-quality H2O) that helps soften, hydrate, and detangle strands in just eight seconds using a patent-pending proprietary technology called "lamellar technology".
Lamellar water works similarly to micellar water — which uses micelles to trap dirt and remove it from the surface of the skin — but in the opposite way. Instead, lamellar technology delivers active ingredients called lamelles throughout your hair; however, the lamelles only target the areas along the hair cuticle that need to be repaired. They do this not through magic but through chemistry: the positive charges of the lamelles attract to the negative charges of damaged areas of hair, delivering the hair-coddling active ingredients to repair the hair fibre exactly where it's needed.
Bread
Ever since Bread launched at Sephora in the US last year, there's been plenty of buzz about the brand's products for curly- and afro-textured hair. Lucky for us, Bread makes its way to the UK via Cult Beauty, and we couldn't be more excited to start to try the range, like the Gentle Milky Hair Cleanser (£18) and Creamy Deep Conditioner (£26), shown here.
What's so special about the range (in addition to the great formulations and sustainable packageing is the messageing. "Women with curly or textured hair haven't really been included in conversations around 'effortless' hair. I think there's this rhetoric that textured or curly hair is hard, time-consuming to look after, and requires lots of product and manipulation," Bread founder Maeva Heim told Allure in 2020. "But I want our audience to feel like she can embrace lazy girl hair, too — and that goes for all curl types and textures. What that looks like and what that means will look different across the curl type range, but I want all textures to be able to embrace this carefree ideal if they want to."
Hershesons Zhoosh Foam
If your hair texture is in the straight to wavy category, and you prefer a more laid-back vibe, the Hershesons Zhoosh Foam (£12) is just what the hairstylist ordered . . . or created, in this case. It may look like a mousse, feel like a mousse, and smell like a mousse, but the innovative styling products created by hairstylist Luke Hersheson and his team, is actually a bit like a root lifter, a texturising spray, and a dry shampoo all in one bottle. Best used on dry hair, you just massage a large dollop of mousse throughout your roots and ends and it instantly adds volume and texture, all whilst sopping up oily roots so that your strands has more of a fighting chance to stay looking voluminous throughout the day. You can check out our full review of the Hersheson Zhoosh Foam here.
Hershesons Hair-Care Range
Augustinus Bader, the skin-care range beloved by celebrities, makeup artists, and beauty editors alike, expanded into the hair-care category in 2021. The range includes six products, five of which contain the brand's signature proprietary ingredient Trigger Factor Complex, or TFC8 (the one that doesn't is a neem tree comb), which the brand claims is made up of over 40 different ingredients including vitamins, peptides, and amino acids. The complex allegedly activates stem cells in your skin, encouraging them to go into healing mode. "This is about stimulating the everyday turnover that should naturally happen in your skin," Bader told The Cut in early 2019. "The cream introduces molecules that our skin would need to fix the skin properly."
With the success of its skin-care products, the brand was eager to see what TFC8 could have on hair, and after conducting clinical trials it looks like they were onto something. People reported back that their hair was stronger, shinier, softer, and thicker. It makes sense, though. If TFC8 is helping to repair the skin and regenerate cells and you apply it to the scalp, logic says that the cells on your scalp may potentially be triggered to start regrowing some hair. With that in mind, we recommend trying out the Augustinus Bader The Shampoo (£40) and the Augustinus Bader The Scalp Treatment (£62), both of which get applied directly to your scalp.
Only Curls Cleansing Co-Wash
According to the brand, the Only Curls Cleansing Co-Wash (£8) sold out minutes after launching, and as it is, you can still only buy the 100ml-sized bottle on site (the larger bottle is still out of stock). What makes this cleansing conditioner so good? Good for all curly hair types, not only does the vegan formula do a great job and minimising frizz (a key point made in many of the reviews), but it also manages to moisturise both your hair and scalp while removing buildup — all thanks to a combination of avocado, marula, coconut, and castor oils. Curls ultimately look silkier and more defined after using it. If you're intrigued, we suggest you nab a bottle fast.
Ouai Curl Crème
When Ouai launched its first product, a curl jelly, they missed the mark, something the brand fully admits. It's why for the brand's latest launch, they reached out to 150 curly-haired Ouai fans all over the US (pre-pandemic) and listened to their top hair concerns and desires, and then developed a new product based on their feedback. The result? The Ouai Curl Crème (£15), which comes in both a fragranced and unfragranced version (so that you can use a gel over it without layering too many different competing smells), and in a large recyclable tube.
Tested on curl types 3A to 4C, the rich hydrating and shaping cream doesn't contain silicone, but it does contain a slew of oils including linseed, chia, babassu, coconut, and soybean, which together help to leave curls and coils soft, shiny, moisturised, smooth, and defined.
Undone by George Northwood
When it comes to relaxed, effortless hair, London-based hairstylist George Northwood knows a thing or two. His clients include the likes of Alexa Chung, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, and the Duchess of Sussex, all of whom have hair that always looks luxe, healthy, and perfectly imperfect. Seven years after opening up his own salon in Fitzrovia, Northwood is bringing his expertise to the masses courtesy of his own hair product range called Undone by George Northwood, which is available both at Boots and on Northwood's website.
The collection is comprised of three shampoo and conditioner duos (Undirty, Unparched, and Undamaged), a weekly detox shampoo (Unpolluted), and three styling products. We can't wait to try
the Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted Shampoo (£18) and the Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted Shampoo (£18), two star performers in the range.
Faith in Nature Hair Mask
Known for its high-performance, sustainable hair care, body wash, and hand wash, Faith in Nature is at the forefront of eco-friendly beauty. Adding to its existing successful hair-care line — which consists of shampoo and conditioner in both bottles and bars — are four hair masks: coconut and shea, dragon fruit, shea and argan, and rose and chamomile. Each of the Faith in Nature Hair Masks (£7) is suitable for all hair types and contains an ultramoisturising base of shea butter. As with all of the brand's products, the new hair masks are vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and sulphate-free. Plus, they're housed in 100 percent recycled and recyclable packageing.
Virtue Curl
Virtue is one of our favourite hair-care brands because it really does work. Use the brands shampoo, conditioner, and especially its Restorative Mask, and your hair will never feel softer and look shinier. the secret is that it contains a very special keratin ingredient called Alpha Keratin 60ku. Found in the entire Virtue line, the Alpha Keratin 60ku protein is supposed to be identical to the natural keratin in your hair, which the brand promises latches onto the damaged spots along your hair strands to fill them.
One thing the range was missing, however, were shampoos and conditioners for curly hair textures, which the brand has remedied in 2021. Both silicone- and sulphate-free, the care-focussed Virtue Curl range is comprised of the Virtue Curl Shampoo (£36), Virtue Curl Conditioner (£38), and the Virtue Curl Defining Whip (£34). Yes, they're a touch spenny, but your spirals with thank you.
Babyliss Hydro-Fusion Hair Dryer
Babyliss hair dryers are beloved by professional hairstylists both in the UK and US and for good reason. They're high quality, faff-free hair-dryers that leave hair looking smooth and shiny. Oh, and most of them don't cost over £100. If you have fine hair, Babyliss's newest launch is one to look into. The Babyliss Hydro-Fusion Hair Dryer (£60) was made to be used on fine hair — whether straight, wavy, or curly (it comes with diffuser). But it's not just the tool's two speeds, three temperature settings, and slim nozzle that make it good for those with finer hair. It's the fact the brand has figured out a way to keep hair moisturised whilst you're drying it.
How the heck does this hydrate you hair whilst blasting it with really hot air"? The brand engineered the dryer with something it calls "Advanced Plasma Technology", a system that combines positive and negative ions to keep hair moisturised while smoothing the hair to fight frizz. And if you're still sceptical, it might interest you to know that during the soft launch of the hair dryer back in January, it's already sold out twice and received multiple five-star reviews.
T3 Curl ID
In 2020, T3 debuted its Luceia ID, a straightener with a smart-sensor interface that allows you to punch in information about hair texture, type, length, and degree of colour treatment, ensuring you are given a heat setting calculated for you based on your individual hair type. In 2021, T3 applied that same technology to T3 Curl ID (£289), a 1.25" curling iron with a clamp and ceramic barrel that promises shiny, soft, long-lasting curls without totally ruining your hair. And whilst not part of the splashy new technology, we have to say we also appreciate the addition of a cool-touch tip, which keeps you from burning your fingers off as you style your hair.
Living Proof Curl Collection
Living Proof has just unveiled its brand new selection of curl products to suit every curly, coily, and wavy texture; since the brand knew that when it comes to curly hair, there's no one-size-fits-all. For the Living Proof Curl Collection, the brand teamed up with hairstylist and curl expert Ursula Stephen to create a solid seven product line-up comprising of: Shampoo, Conditioner, Curl Definer, Curl Defining Gel, Curl Elongator, Curl Enhancer, and Curl Moisturising Shine Oil, with each of the products going through rigorous testing to get the perfect formulas. This included 650 curl tests in the lab, insights from over 250 consumers with curly hair, and over 10,000 developmental hours in the lab.
The end result is a collection designed by those with curly hair, for those with curly hair with the aim of making your hair three times stronger, as well as encourageing curl groupings for enhanced definition, frizz protection, and shine.
GHD Unplugged Cordless Hair Straightener
The latest portable hairstyling tool comes courtesy of GHD and its Unplugged Cordless Hair Straightener (£299). Cord-free and compact, the straightening iron heats up to 185 degrees and comes with a long-life lithium ion battery that provides you with 20 minutes of continuous styling time.
Monday Haircare
When Monday Haircare launched in New Zealand and Australia, six months of stock sold out in four weeks. When the brand reached America in January 2021, it sold over half a million bottles in less than two months, with seven bottles selling per minute. And now that the brand has officially launched at Tesco in the UK, we won't be surprised when the pretty pink bottles once again begin flying off the shelves in record numbers.
If you're not familiar with this Instagram-friendly brand, it sells good-looking, high-quality shampoos and conditioners at more accessible price points (they're 4 quid at Tesco!). There are four formula ranges — Smooth, Moisture, Volume, and Gentle — including the Monday Haircare Gentle Shampoo (£4), which we've already added to our digital shopping carts the morning it launched on the 19th.
Gisou Honey Infused Hair Mask
In June, the gorgeous, honey-infused hair-care brand, Gisou, launched in the UK. The entire range of products — which includes shampoo, conditioner, treatments, and stylers — is lovely and smells divine, but we're especially obsessed with the Gisou Honey Infused Hair Mask (£45), which is intensely hydrating thanks to the honey (which is sourced from the founder Negin Mirsalehi's family bee garden in the Netherlands), as well as sunflower seed, castor, and coconut oils. We also appreciate the large, 250 millilitre-sized jar that really does last forever.
The Inkey List PCA Bond Repair Hair Treatment
In typical Inkey List fashion, the brand has found an exciting ingredient to feature in its newest launch, the The Inkey List PCA Bond Repair Hair Treatment (£13). "We came across this ingredient about two years ago and found it really interesting," co-founder Colette Laxton told POPSUGAR. "PCA is used in Brazilian hair salons because the bond-rebuilding formulas we're familiar with here don't work as well on really thick, coily, kinky hair. PCA, on the other hand, truly works on all hair types."
"PCA is a really short, highly-penetrative molecule, and this is why it's different to other things like out there," says co-founder Mark Curry. "Because it's short and because of the way it interacts with the hair filament itself means that it doesn't just work on disulphide bonds (like most bond-building treatments), it works on the water bonds and ionic bonds as well, which is why it will have an instant effect in terms of smoothing frizz and flyaways." This is a good thing because when it comes to curly, coily hair, disulphide bonds are hard for products to reach. "If you imagine straight hair, product can get to every part of the strand," explained Curry. "But if you put a bend in the strand, you lose about 25% of that surface area." The fact PCA repairs all three types of bonds in the hair means that people with curly and coily hair will see better results versus a product that only treats disulphide bonds.
With all the science-y bits out of the way, here's the TL;DR: This leave-in treatment works really, really well. Just spray it on freshly-washed hair and you'll notice once your hair dries (whether by air or dryer), that it looks smoother and feels stronger — almost like how your hair feels after it's just been cut.
Afroani Rose Hair Combs Set
Not only are the comb and the hair pick in the Afroani Rose Hair Combs Set (£11) absolutely beautiful, and great for your hair (because of how gentle they are), but they're also good for the planet. The combs are comprised of cellulose acetate, which is a plant-based plastic that is made out of natural raw materials and biodegradable.
Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend Shampoo & Conditioner
Also launching at Boots in February is Aveeno's new hair-care range, which includes six different shampoos and conditioners all formulated around the brand's singiature soothing ingredient: colloidal oats. And while some formulas are better for drier hair and others curly or fine, what the shampoos and conditioners all have is common is that they're gentle and focussed on treating and taking care of your scalp as well as your hair. They're also all safe for sensitive skin types. "The new formulas are sulphate free and pH balanced, respecting the scalp and hair's natural pH levels by gently cleansing hair without stripping it of its natural oils and helping to maintain a healthy moisture balance for the scalp," trichologist Stephanie Sey, who partnered with the brand for the launch, said about the range.
We're looking forward to trying the Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend Shampoo (£9) and Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend Conditioner (£9), but if you have thick and curly hair, the Frizz Calming+ Almond Oil Shampoo and Conditioner is worth checking out.
Amika Hair Blow Dryer Brush
The Amika Hair Blow Dryer Brush (£70) launches on Beautybay this month but has been available in the US for quite some time now — and it's gained an impressive fan base. Hairstylist Bridget Brager — who works with celebs like January Jones, Kate Bosworth, Lucy Hale, and Millie Bobby Brown, to name a few — is a fan, dedicating an entire IG post to it. "I've been trying a TON of tools lately," she wrote in the caption of the post. "In the spirit of quick and easy, this @amika Blow Dry Brush towed the line . . . Fine to thick and curly hair. This sucker is strong! I especially liked the cool shot for my last pass through each section, which is so essential to a good blowout." Needless to say, we can't wait to add this to our arsenal of hair tools.
We Are Paradoxx Super Fuel Face, Hair + Body Oil
The newest launch from the plastic-free hair brand is the We Are Paradoxx Super Fuel Face, Hair + Body Oil (£30), which is a dry oil treatment that combines maracuja, abyssinian, and argan oils to create one supremely hydrating and all-natural formula. The multipurpose oil can be used to sooth dry skin (whether it's on your face or your arms and legs) and soften and smooth dry and damaged hair, and whilst the aluminium container looks like a fuel canister (hence the name), don't worry, the oil won't pour out all over your hands. The brand has fitted the canister with a stopper that allows the oil out one nourishing drop at a time.
Shedid & Parrish Afro Butter
Shedid & Parrish is a new hair product range for all types of curly and textured hair, created by entrepreneur Jessica Parish, who grew up struggling to care and style for her spirals. "I am mixed race and adopted, so my parents didn't really know how to look after it," Parrish told POPSUGAR over Zoom, adding that she developed the line because she wanted to see salon-quality products for curly hair on the high street that would be clear and easy for people to use. The result is a well-edited selection of six products that are all natural, vegan, and scent-free; they also come in aluminium containers, which are sold both with pumps and without pumps, allowing consumers to save the pumps from a previous purchase instead of buying a brand new one. Included in the line is a shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, curl serum, cur styler, and the Shedid & Parrish Afro Butter (£29), which is a deeply nourishing product that contains shea butter, sunflower extracts, and coconut and castor oils.
Dyson Flyaway Attachment
The Dyson Flyaway Attachment (£30) is a new attachment for the brand's Supersonic Hair Dryer that promises to give you salon-quality blowouts at home by smoothing and controlling flyaways. To do that, the attachment uses the Coanda effect — the phenomenon in which high-velocity air in round objects turns into a powerful vortex (the secret behind how jet engines work). It's the same technology used in the Dyson Airwrap, but whilst the Airwrap uses the Coanda effect to wrap the hair around a barrel, the airflow created by the Flyaway Attachment attracts and lifts longer hair to the front as a second jet pushes the shorter flyaway strands down through the longer hairs and out of sight. The result? Your hair has a glossy, uniform finish with no frizz or fuzz (you can read our full review of the attachment here). The attachment sold out in one day, but you can sign up for an alert on the Dyson website for when it's back in stock.
Radswan Rad Revolution Kit
When Freddie Harrel launched Radswan, her range of recyclable, multitextured synthetic wigs, she wasn't just creating premium coily wigs; she was out to build a community and encourage positive conversations around Afro hair care. In July, she decided to gift her community with three amazing sets. There's the Rad Merch Kit so fans of the brand can show their love for it, The Rad Novice Kit, which is the starter kit for those trying wigs for first time, and the Radswan Rad Revolution Kit (£144), shown here, which contains everything you need to get fully acquainted with the brand. Included in the set is one of Radswan's RadShape wigs, a RadGrip, a T-shirt, a silk scarf, an eye mask, and a soap.
Colour Wow Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer
Unlike most volumising products on the market, the new Colour Wow Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer (£23) doesn't contain the salts or dry resins that can leave hair feeling dry, tangled, and brittle. Instead, the innovative formula — which comes out of the pump a frothy foam and transforms into a nonsticky liquid when you rub it in between your palms — contains flexible bamboo polymers that add fullness to your hair whilst still leaving it touchable and soft. "I love Xtra Large because it gives the hair amazing memory and hold, but also a really luxurious finish," hairstylist Dom Seeley told POPSUGAR, adding that you can still run your fingers through your hair with it in (and as someone who uses a lot of volumising sprays and mousses, I can tell you that's usually not the case). I tried the product and was shocked with the results — it looks like I had double the amount of hair, as if someone had added extensions throughout.
Coco & Eve Super Hydration Shampoo & Cream Conditioner
Coco & Eve is known for its stellar hair mask, so it's no surprise that fans of the brand have been begging for a shampoo and conditioner as well. Well, after three years of development, they're finally here. The Super Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner (£55) launched on 15 June, and are all about adding lots of moisture to your hair, which will help make it look smoother and shinier in the long run. And in case you were wondering, it features the same tropical coconut-and-fig fragrance as the mask.
Kérastase Curl Manifesto Refresh Absolu Second Day Curl Refreshing Spray
In May, Kérastase released its Curl Manifesto collection, which is a range of care and styling products formulated for all types of curls and coils. The seven-piece range includes a hydrating shampoo, a conditioner, an extrarich mask, a leave-in moisturising cream, a multiuse hair and scalp oil, a curl-enhancing gel cream, and our personal favourite, the Kérastase Curl Manifesto Refresh Absolu Second Day Curl Refreshing Spray (£29), which helps redefine, moisturise, and protect curls anytime you feel you need a little zhuzh. While each product is very different, they all share the same three ingredients in common: biomimetic ceramides (which help reinforce the inner cortex of curly and coily strands), manuka honey (for hydration and shine), and glycerin (which helps hydrate strands from the root down).
To create the range, Kérastase worked with 60 curly- and coil-haired women in the US, who provided insights on the existing products and concerns within their current routines. During the development process, they also tried 50 formulas on more than 600 women, and then got the stamp of approval from the brand's global inclusivity and education advisor, hairstylist Vernon François. "Collaborating with Kérastase as Global Inclusivity and Education Advisor is seeing the industry changing," François said via press release. "Making a tangible difference at the core of hairdressing is my career-long ambition becoming reality. The visible impact of Curl Manifesto is the tip of the iceberg — from the models who feature in the campaign, to the photos that have been selected, to the language that is used. One step at a time, through multiple initiatives, we are equipping hairstylists — and other vital influencers — to enable individuals to embrace the beauty and versatility of their hair's true texture. The education is multi-layered. There is a lot of work to be done, it is by no means an easy path, but it is the right one, and I cannot wait for the world to benefit from what we have in store."
Redken Extreme Bleach Recovery Lamellar Water
With all of the extra time at home this year, you might want to give your hair some extra TLC, especially if your hair is colour-treated or bleached. Turn your attention to Redken Extreme Bleach Recovery Lamellar Water (£29). The leave-in conditioner contains a high concentration of cationic polymers in the formula, which attaches to the cuticle of your hair. Whilst most conditioners soften your hair, these hard-working cationic polymers actually bond to hair, which gives it extra repairing and hydrating power — especially on colour-treated hair.
Flower Beauty Hair Tools
Drew Barrymore launched a collection of colourful electrical hair tools that you can nab at either Boots or Superdrug, and that range between £40 and £80. In addition to a couple classic tools like a blow dryer, travel blow dryer, and flatiron, there's also a round volumising brush, a funky looking rotating iron, and the Flower Beauty Ceramic Straightening Brush (£50), shown here, which will help you achieve salon-worthy blowouts in the comfort of your own bedroom.
