Sometimes, you wake up and realize you’ve gone far too long between salon appointments, and worse, you don’t foresee making it there in the reasonable future either. You have weeks of frizzy, badly-behaved hair with no redeeming hope in sight. And by ‘you,’ I mean ‘I,’ of course. With this bad hair month in mind, I tested Redken’s Real Control Slim Supreme Slimming Serum (www.redken.com for salons).

The serum packs cationic conditioners, protein, ceramide, and shea butter to hydrate, then smooth the hair cuticle, temporarily reducing volume derived from frizz and dryness. The company directs the user to apply the serum to damp hair and blow-dry, then reapply the serum for added smoothing, depending on how badly it’s needed. I found that the serum does its job a little too well – I over-applied the first time and ended up with limp locks. For the next go-round, I kept the product on the last two inches of my hair, and it worked perfectly to seal off my split ends. Depending on your level of damage (and by ‘your,’ this time I actually mean ‘your’) you can customize the level of treatment – anything to preserve sanity in those harrowing weeks before a much needed haircut.

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– Katharine McKenzie