Featuring a slew of floral-print outfits, gorgeous, dewy makeup, and flawless blow-outs, Blake Lively’s performances during this summer’s It Ends With Us press tour were nothing short of spectacular.
Although she’s a true Hollywood star, the Gossip Girl actress doesn’t always follow conventions – at least not when it comes to her enviable hair.
When the mother of four launched her own haircare line Blake Brown on August 4, one popular product — often considered an essential when it comes to haircare — was noticeably missing: conditioner.
The lack of conditioner wasn’t the result of an oversight, however, but rather a reflection of Blake’s personal approach to caring for her hair, inspired by professional stylists who work exclusively to ensure celebrities look perfectly groomed.
Referring to the hairstylists on Gossip Girl, the actress said To tempt: ‘They were like, “Oh God, no, we don’t use conditioner.” And she hasn’t since.
Actress Blake Lively (pictured), 36, who is known for her sleek and shiny, bouncy blow-dryers, launched her own hair care line, Blake Brown, in the US on August 4.
Blake Brown products (pictured), which are all vegan and free of silicones and sulfates, come in packaging designed to resemble precious metals
From these hairstylists, Blake learned the real secret to shiny hair: hair masks.
And with the Blake Brown line (Brown is Blake’s father’s last name), sold exclusively at Target stores in the US, she’s on a mission to convert conditioner lovers into hair mask lovers.
Because the 36-year-old doesn’t go straight from shampooing to styling: if she did, she’d never be able to blow-dry the hair she has that’s so smooth, shiny and bouncy.
Blake has made hair masks a regular part of her routine, using them after “every wash,” according to Allure . She has two versions in her product line.
In an interview with FashionBlake revealed: ‘It’s not like people in the entertainment industry are blessed with better hair.
“We use a different hair system than what is promoted on the mass market.”
The system, as you’ll see in the Blake Brown range of two shampoos – one ‘nourishing’ and the other ‘strengthening’ – and two complementary hair masks, involves alternating between two sets of products.
Because “your hair needs two things: strength and moisture,” Blake told Vogue, it’s important to use one set when you wash your hair and swap it out for the other set the next time.
Blake learned from professional hairstylists early in her career that it is better to replace traditional conditioners with hair masks. The Blake Brown product line, which does not contain conditioner, reflects this.
For hydration, customers should reach for the Wild Nectar Santal Fundamental Nourishing Shampoo ($19), followed by the Wild Nectar Santal Fundamental Nourishing Mask ($20).
And when it’s time for a boost, the go-to products are the Sandalwood Vanilla Fundamental Strengthening Shampoo ($19) and the Sandalwood Vanilla Fundamental Strengthening Mask ($20).
Blake Brown also offers a pre-shampoo treatment called Milky Sandalwood Rich Reset Pre-Shampoo Mask ($25) and three styling products — Bergamot Woods All-In-Wonder Leave-In Potion ($19), Blackcurrant Vanille Glam Mousse ($19) and Amber Vanille Dry Shampoo ($20).
The products are sold in packaging that looks like precious metals and promise to not only improve your hair, but also boost your bathroom.
You’ll notice that the products, which have been seven years in the making, are all vegan and silicone and sulfate free, with a price tag of $19 and $20, much cheaper than some other premium brands.
Blake was shocked by the price of some of the products she had been recommended during her career, such as Kérastase’s $48 shampoo, and she wanted to make sure her range was affordable.
She told Allure, “It took a really long time to get it right — and to get it at that price.”
The Blake Brown product range, with its two shampoos – one ‘nourishing’ and the other ‘strengthening’ – and two complementary hair masks, was seven years in the making
But it wasn’t just getting the prices right that slowed the process down. Give Back Beauty, the company the actress worked with to create and launch the products, wasn’t keen on dropping conditioner from its lineup.
Blake said: ‘They said something like, “You have to have a conditioner offering because if people don’t see that you have conditioner, they’ll go to someone else who does and then you risk losing shampoo sales as well.”
‘I said, “I know, but that feels unfair because I use masks. Every time I wash my hair. I don’t want to offer conditioner just for the sake of offering it.”
Blake won that battle, but it remains to be seen whether her brand’s innovations in hair care will actually lead to a revolution.