I tend to experiment with my hair care routine way less than I do with my skin care, however I recently had a chance to try something new – Nia Helio system from DS Laboratories. If you still remember, a couple months ago I reviewed their amazing Revita system that did wonders for my hair, so I was excited to try this duo, expecting equally great results.
BRAND OVERVIEW
DS Laboratories is on a mission to change radically the personal-care landscape by developing technologies that make a meaningful difference in the lives of their customers. DS Laboratories is a technology company aggressively focused on innovation that lives by the following principles:
- Every product that is launched must deliver certain features and benefits that are not available from any competitor. If a product does not meet these criteria, then it is simply abandoned. DS Laboratories will not manufacture a mere variation of something else just to fill up shelf space.
- All products are rigorously tested to verify all claims through double-blind clinical studies. If a compound or ingredient has not been verified through such means, then it will not be used in any products. DS Laboratories is one of the very few cosmetic companies that conducts its own in-house double-blind clinical testing with human volunteers.
- Innovation will always come before economics. DS Laboratories’ own chemists work on a cost-is-no-object basis to push the envelope of what is possible in technology.
- The company’s primary goal is to create technologies and solutions that make a meaningful difference in the lives of their customers. Profits are merely a side-effect of this paradigm.
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| Closeups of both bottles. |
So what makes Nia Helio so unique? For starters, it took DS Laboratories 10 years of research to come up with this unique formula that physically penetrates the cuticle and delivers active ingredients where they’re needed, rather than working just on the surface, like most hair products.
Another nifty perk is the way some of the active ingredients are obtained. DS Laboratories obtains the extracts from rare botanicals mechanically instead of using chemicals, which helps better preserve their efficacy. It’s the same as the difference between EVOO and plain olive oil, and we all know which one is better.
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| That’s what the caps look like. |
Nia Helio system offers amazing hydration and nourishment for dry, stressed, over-processed hair, and helps take care of the scalp, too. What you might not know is that it also offers sun protection, which is vital for color-treated hair, because a strong dose of UV rays can destroy even the most vibrant color in as little as one day. These shampoo and conditioner fill your tresses with antioxidants that help prevent color changes that result from sudden chemical reactions between free radicals in the air and the ingredients of your hair color within the strands. By the way, that’s one of the reasons why pool water is so bad for colored hair.
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| Each bottle is sealed shut for safety. |
I’ve been using Nia Helio Shampoo & Conditioner for three weeks now, and I feel like it was a long enough time for me to properly evaluate this duo. Both of these lovely bottles quickly became a welcome addition to my Spring/Summer beauty routine, because from the very first use I could tell that something nice is happening to my hair. I feel like my now scalp is more nourished and the hair feels more alive, even after a long day in the sun. And of course, as a sunscreen fanatic, I appreciate the SPF benefits this duo provides to my hair and scalp.
The shampoo doesn’t lather very well, because the formula doesn’t contain any harsh surfactants, but the hair still looks and feels clean after washing, even without the suds. The conditioner can be left on the hair for up to 5 minutes, but I always kept it on as long as I could to ensure proper penetration of active ingredients and deep conditioning effect.
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| The shampoo looks like some sweet jam, doesn’t it? It smells just as delicious! |
THE VERDICT
DS Laboratories Nia Helio Shampoo & Conditioner are good choices for anyone struggling with coarse, brittle, damaged and over-processed hair. Nia system is also suitable for color-treated hair because it doesn’t contain harsh sulfates that wash out the color, and because it significantly slows down the process of color fading. Overall, I am very satisfied with results, and will continue using both of these products.
PRICE & AVAILABILITY
Nia Helio Shampoo – $36 USD for 180ml. Available at Dermstore, Folica.
Nia Helio Conditioner – $37 USD for 180ml. Available at Dermstore, Folica.
Ingredients:
Nia Shampoo – Di Water, Sodium Cocolisethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Polyglyceryl-3 Laurate, Myristyl Nicotinate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Methoxy PEG/PPG-7/3 Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Cocoamodopropyl Hydroxysutaine, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocoamodopropylamine Oxide, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, PG-Propyl Silianetriol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG 150 Distearate, Superoxide Dismutase, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Melanin, Polyquaternium-70, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Amodimethicone, C11-15 Pareth-7, Laureth-9, Trideceth-12, Lecithin, Olive Oil PEG 7 Esters, Linoleanidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Protein, Bifida Ferment Extract, Helianthus Annus Extract, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Wood Extract, Biosaccharide Gum 1, Perseagratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Conchioline Protein, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycereth-26, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Sericin, Amp Acrylates Copolymer, Wheat Amino Acid, Dimethiconol, Polyquaternium 59, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Octyldodecanol, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Benzophonone 4, Betaine, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey, Butylene Glycol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methychloroisothiazolinone, Methyisothiazolinone, Limonene, Linalool, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Color.
Nia Conditioner – Di Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, PG-Propyl Silianetriol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Superoxide Dismutase, Melanin, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tocopheryl Acetate, Oleifera Seed Oil Orbignya, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hydroxycetyl Hydroxyethyl Dimonium Chloride, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Amodimethicone, C11-15 Pareth-7, Laureth-9, Isododecane, Trideceth-12, Lecithin, Linoleanidopropyl PG-Dimonium, Chloride Phosphate, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Bifida Ferment Extract, Quaternium 80, Dimethiconol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycereth-26, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sericin, Wheat Amino Acid, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Dimethiconol, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Betaine, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey, Propylene Glycol, Arachidyl Propionate, Benzophenone 4, Diazolidinyl Urea, Butylene Glycol, Benzyl Salcylate, Methylparaben, Fragrance.
