What’s your favorite beauty treat? Personally, I always seem to gravitate toward skincare, while some of my friends profess their love for makeup or nail polish. But if luscious mane is your pride and joy, or having shiny, well-maintained hair is important to you, then look no further. Shtrands is a bi-monthly subscription service that offers a unique opportunity to try a full range of luxurious, salon-quality hair care products, tailored by hair stylists to fit your needs. The packages are individually customized for every client, so there’s almost no risk that you won’t like what you get. If you need to change your hair profile, or would like to receive more products from a certain brand that you enjoyed sampling in the past, Shtrands will adjust your future shipments.
The package ships in a USPS Priority box, and the products themselves are placed in a large and sturdy cloth pouch with Shtrands logo, that can be reused for other needs. The size of the pouch makes it perfect for traveling – it can easily fit all four full-sized products, and maybe a couple extras, like a hair brush and a tube of body lotion.
Here’s what my hair profile looks like, in case you’re wondering:
- Fine
- Flat
- Limp
- Color-treated
- Straight
I also noted that I prefer more natural products, which I think is a great option to have for the ingredient-conscious.
HOW IT WORKS:
For $59/bi-monthly fee Shtrands subscribers will receive a collection of 4 specially selected, full-sized haircare and styling products to address their individual hair concerns. Click here to check it out.
COUPON: Save $10 off any plan with code ANASTASIA.
CONTENTS:
All four products in my Shtrands box were from Abril et Nature, a new to me brand that I had never heard of before. The company was started by two professional hairdressers, and is now one of the leading salon hair care brands in Spain. One of the first things I noticed about this line was the scent: everything smells like the Juicy Couture perfume I used to love in my early 20s. It’s a very fun, bright, and youthful fragrance that made my hair smell incredible.
1 // Abril et Nature Age Reset Bain Shampoo Botox Effect ($33 for 250ml) – This shampoo was designed to thicken weak strands, add volume and shine to lifeless hair, and it did just that. It’s a clarifying treatment that I would use a once or twice a week to give my hair and scalp a thorough cleanse to remove excess oil and product buildup. I noticed that my hair gets a lot drier if I use a shampoo with sulfates daily, so I try to stick to my once or twice a week approach, and it’s been working well for me so far.
2 // Abril et Nature Cell Innove Instant Mask ($30 for 200ml) – Masks are a great way to reduce frizz and flyaways, but the biggest challenge is to find a product that won’t weigh down my already flat hair. Happy to report that Cell Innove mask is both deeply nourishing and lightweight. I like that it makes my thin hair feel moisturized and heavy, so it cascades beautifully if I wear it down. If you have the same hair type, you know exactly what I mean by that, since usually we walk around with a full head of peach fuzz that sticks out from all sides.
3 // Abril et Nature Technical Mousse ($20 for 200ml) – The styling mousse provides thermal protection, adds shine and body, reduces frizz, and makes the hair more resistant to humidity. So really, this is a pretty impressive multi-tasking product that can replace several bottles on your bathroom shelf. Most heat protectors are oily or too siliconey for my liking, but this one is different. It’s a runny foam that turns into a liquid, coating hair with ease, even if it’s prone to tangling. Unlike old mousses from the 80s, this one offers very light hold, ensuring that the hair can still move.
4 // Abril et Nature Age Reset Finish Spray ($20 for 200ml) – This non-aerosol hairspray was designed to add volume, thickness, and body to fine hair. The instructions say to apply it while the hair is still damp, then style as usual for best results, which is what I did. Just like the mousse, the hairspray offers flexible hold, and doesn’t make my hair sticky, so I can easily run my hand through the entire length of my hair and not catch on any snags. I have a pretty nice hairdryer though, so maybe that’s part of the secret, too.
BOTTOM LINE:
The scents!!! I know some people prefer unscented haircare, but for me a pleasant aroma was a big part of the experience. Everything just smells so delightfully fruity, and my hair smells nice as a result, too. I was also impressed with the curation of my package – even though the products were from different lines, they complemented each other nicely and directly addressed my hair concerns. Of course, nothing can replace a visit to the salon, but using the correct products made my hair look amazing: very shiny, strong, silky-smooth and frizz-free. Abril et Nature is not a brand I would have ever tried on my own, so I’m glad that I had this opportunity.
If you’re still trying to figure out how to help your hair look its best, maybe this subscription is just what you need. The products are obviously high quality, and the company is constantly bringing in new brands, so you won’t be stuck using the same thing for months. Unless that’s what you want, of course. 😉
From what I hear, Shtrands has excellent customer service, too. I had the opportunity to chat with the founder a little bit, and she was very sweet. When the owner is passionate about what they do, that’s when the magic happens!
And don’t forget, you can save $10 off any plan with code ANASTASIA.
What is the fanciest hair product you used? Would you like to improve the condition of your hair? Is Shtrands a subscription box you’d be interested in trying? Let me know in the comments below!
