In partnership with Dae.
I’ve always had pretty easygoing hair. It’s somewhere between blonde and brunette with a subtle wave. My hair care routine has remained incredibly minimalist, despite years as a beauty editor. Sure, I’ll find myself on a hair mask kick for a month, but then I forget to apply for a week and the bottle takes up residence in the back of my beauty closet.
Despite being easy to care for, my ultra-fine hair is prone to feeling oily. The last thing I’m trying to do is douse my strands in excess oil for the sake of softness. When I was approached to try Dae’s hair oil, I expected the same mediocre results I’d experienced from the dozens of hair oils I’d tried before.
My Relationship to Hair Oils Of The Past
Hair oil is one of those beauty items that *seems* easy to apply. Just a pump in your hand to dry or damp hair, and you’re ready to go! In reality, too much product can leave hair feeling sticky or greasy. Not enough and you’re bound for frizz by 4 o’clock. My personal strategy has always been to apply a single pump to hair that’s halfway dry.
Hair oil has long been the antidote to dry hair. This includes general dryness, breakage, like split ends, and dry hair due to a certain climate’s temperature. Hair oils protect hair follicles by filling the gap between cuticle cells. While I understood the hydrating benefits of the products, I generally found them too hydrating to the point where they would weigh down my fair locks.
Enter Dae.
Amber Fillerup, perhaps the most recognizable head of hair on Youtube at some point in the 2010s, is the founder of the Arizona-based hair care brand, Dae. The brand is a tribute to her love of travel, but more than that, the beauty of coming home. With $2.6M raised in seed round in 2021, the brand’s clearly on to something. Fillerup’s hair-based ventures have ranged from a line of extensions to collaborations with hair accessories brands. Dae gets back to the basics with products like a texture mask and shampoo/conditioner kits. The star of the show, and the brand’s bestseller, is Dae’s Prickly Pear Hair Oil.
Hundreds of five star reviews agree, the hair oil’s unmatched. Prickly pear seed oil’s been having a moment in the industry for a few years as an unsung champion of moisture. Cruelty-free, vegan, and loaded with moringa seed oil plus false daisy extract – Fillerup’s expertise in hair care is on full display with this product. “Haircare doesn’t have to be complicated,” she muses on the site’s about the founder page. And in the case of this hair oil, it’s true. Part of this product’s charm is its universality. It’s just as effective for curly hair as it is for straight hair. While it doesn’t deliver curl-enhancing benefits, it does upgrade every kind of texture to something softer and more luscious.
Dae, Meet Tulum
Without knowledge of the brand’s desert roots, I packed my bottle of Prickly Pear Hair Oil for a recent trip to Tulum, Mexico. Long days in the sun, ocean spray, and plenty of chlorine from the pool took their usual toll on my hair. Since it was vacation, I tried to pack only the essentials, which meant hair care was limited to shampoo and conditioner. At the last minute, I slipped in Dae’s sleek bottle out of curiosity. Turns out, dried beach hair and Dae are a match made in heaven.
Turns out, dried beach hair and Dae are a match made in heaven.
I made a habit out of applying one squirt of the oil on my ends out of the shower before my hair dried for dinner. I was delighted at the way the scent, which out of the bottle can be quite intense, settled into something softer over time. On nights when I planned to shower in the morning, I used the hair oil as a mask overnight. I woke up to a great hair day.
The TLDR on Prickly Pear Hair Oil
Whether you’re a hair oil obsessee or reluctant user, like myself, Dae’s Prickly Pear Hair Oil is the perfect addition to any hair care routine. If your hair tends toward the dry side, try applying a half pump to dry hair after styling to lock in moisture. Use the hair oil to slick back a bun at the gym for super soft hair on the other side. This versatile hair oil is the first step toward the sort of summer hair Amber Fillerup has long been known for.
Once you're ready for the next, grab Dae's Bestsellers Bundle ($124). A five-in-one purchase – which includes the brand's Shampoo, Conditioner, Moisture Mask, Prickly Pear Hair Oil, and Cactus Flower Leave-In Conditioner – it leaves hair strong, hydrated, ultra soft and shiny. Shop it here before it sells out...again.
5 More Reasons to Love Dae:
- Every product in the line is vegan, cruelty-free, sulfate-free, paraben-free, and never uses phthalates or artificial coloring.
- Dae’s packaging, besides being very much on-brand for those warm Arizona sunsets, is totally recyclable.
- Excess product can double as moisturizing skincare anywhere on the body.
- Why prickly pear? “It’s a very drought-resistant and tough plant that is very common in Arizona,” Fillerup says. “Which makes it perfect for curing dry hair. It has so many benefits both internally and externally.”
- BFB, Fillerup’s other venture, offers clip-in hair extensions for the occasions when hair oil just isn’t cutting it.
