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For someone who is constantly preaching the importance of skincare to anyone who will listen, I’ve never really given my hair care routine the same consideration, especially when it comes to my shampoo and conditioner. Always a lover of a good bargain, I do most of my hair care shopping in the drugstore and always find myself gravitating towards the popular budget brands or whatever my sisters, parents or roommates had handy in the shower.
Ironically enough, that’s actually the same kind of vibe that inspired Odele. Designed with various hair types, lengths and concerns in mind, the gender-neutral hair care brand’s product line-up caters to everyone that walks through your bathroom, regardless of their age, hair or preference. With the main mission of democratizing the beauty space and making clean formulations accessible to everyone with their affordable price point, Odele offers quality hair products that are created without harmful or disruptive ingredients, ensuring that even the youngest and most sensitive members of your family can enjoy them.
First Impressions
I have seen ads for Odele all over social media—and you might now too, sorry!—and was incredibly excited to give its aesthetically-pleasing, pastel-hued products a try. Since my hair is wavy and falls on the dry-frizzy side, my hair care needs matched up with the Smoothing Line and I tried the Smoothing Shampoo ($11.99), Smoothing Conditioner ($11.99), and the Air Dry Styler ($11.99). At first glance, these checked off all of my hair care boxes. The Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner offer frizz-fighting control while also boosting moisture in the hair and delivering a sleek shine. The Air Dry Styler, on the other hand, targets damp hair that’s just been washed and allows you to achieve frizz-free, hydrated locks without applying any heat.
Clean formula and hair type match aside, I was really impressed with the size of each bottle as well. In the past, I’ve only encountered fancy-formulated hair care products that were lacking in the size department but these Odele beauts are 13 oz and 6 oz, respectively, providing an adequate amount of product. The combination of the low price point and value-sized bottles is already enough incentive to repurchase.
Testing Them Out
My favorite of the trio, the Smoothing Shampoo offers a slightly thicker texture compared to others I’ve tried. In addition to boasting a calming scent that is reminiscent of cucumbers and aloe, the pH-balancing, sulfate-free formula also provides a satisfying lather that effectively covered my scalp and made my wavy medium-length strands feel cleansed rather than stripped. Prior to using the Smoothing Shampoo, I had been experiencing some dryness and irritation from overusing a clarifying shampoo that was too strong for me. Maybe it was the amino acids-enriched formula, but I found that my scratchy scalp felt immediately refreshed and soothed.
Unlike the Smoothing Shampoo, I didn’t find that the Smoothing Conditioner delivered the same satisfaction. In fact, it reminded me more like a shampoo than it did a conditioner; it was very lightweight and had a similar gel-like feel to it. It also felt like I needed a lot of product to effectively tend to my hair—and even after piling it on, it still didn’t feel like enough. Personally, I prefer my conditioners to be on the thicker side and offer more of a deep-conditioning result since my ends are always in need of moisture. So, if you’re like me and need extra hydration, this formula might fall short for you.
I have never considered myself to be hair dryer-savvy, so I was very intrigued by the Air Dry Styler, which is designed to lightly condition and smooth frizz while also adding shine and texture to create the perfect air dry. I applied this to my damp hair after using the Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner, focusing the products on the mid-lengths and ends and applying whatever was left on my hands to the roots to work it all through. Since the conditioner had left my hair feeling dry, I was really hoping that the Air Dry Styler would replenish the moisture it was craving. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver in the hydration department. But it did, however, do an excellent job at taming frizz and texturizing my waves. My hair didn’t have the perfect air-dry look right away, but once everything settled, I noticed that my flyaways and usual frizz didn’t make an appearance. To add more moisture into my post-shower hair routine, I started mixing a pump of Kérastasse’s Elixir Ultime Oil to the Air Dry Styler, which helps boost hydration and shine.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I am very pleased with Odele’s Smoothing collection. As promised, the trio delivered sleeker strands and significantly smoothed frizz. I’ve even found that these new additions have helped me get more mileage out of my wash days as well. The product I vibed the most with was the Smoothing Shampoo, which not only provided an effective cleanse but also restored balance to my scalp. Second place goes to the Air Dry Styler, which proved to be an excellent styling product and helped make my frizzy waves more manageable and textured. The Smoothing Conditioner, however, did not pass the vibe check and I wish it just offered a teensy bit more moisture so I could be in love with it.
Between its reasonable pricing and quality-made formulas, Odele is definitely worth the try and will make a wonderful addition to your hair care routine.
