HAIR TO STAY- NEW KMS CALIFORNIA... RELOADED

The professional hair brand KMS California is celebrating 35 years in the industry and to show that they are not resting on their laurels they’ve relaunched (or reloaded) themselves with new packaging and the introduction of 12 new products including a new sub line called Freeshape.

The Packaging – matt but bright colour blocks are teamed with glossy bold text in a clashing complementary colour.  There’s  yellow green with purple; deep raspberry  with mint green;  orange with bright blue and purple with yellow to name a few - All inspired by the catwalk colourways.

FREESHAPE - The New Sub Line

Colourway – Deep raspberry with a mid mint green lettering.

Here they combine technology with nature. This sub line concentrates on giving shorter styling times whilst providing a longer lasting style.

The key ingredients are Mirustyle which provides heat protection and the Rhodiala Watermint which is thought to help thermal stress protection whilst providing cooling and refreshing properties.

But it is the Thermopolymer KMS are excited about. This they say is more flexible than other polymers and so doesn’t cause the hair to become brittle. It works by solidifying instantly when heat activated which provides a better style retention.

Now I’ve blinded you with science (and myself) let’s get on to whether it produces the results.

The Two hero products in the line are:

FREESHAPE HOT FLEX SPRAY.RRP £15.95

Unlimited heat styling without damage for styles that last until the next wash

KMS Top tip: use on hair before blow-drying to set your style with heat activated technology.

As a woman who prefers to wash and blow dry her hair in the evening, but not actually style the hair until the morning, this is an ideal product.  As the top tip recommends, I used before blow drying so in the morning didn’t have to use again when straightening my hair. It does feel a bit strange not using an extra product in the morning, so you’re really trusting that it does do what it says. 

However what I could gauge was how my hair looked. Usually my thin but frizzy hair goes lank when applying heat protection products before straightening – this time it kept some of its volume because no extra products were used– great result here.

FREESHAPE QUICK BLOW DRY RRP £13

Speeds up drying time by up to 50% while protecting against heat damage.

KMS Top Tip: use your usual products then spray quick blow dry as a last step before blow drying.

I don’t spend a lot of time blow drying my hair because it is so fine it dries quickly, so I didn’t see much difference here. However it did seem a little quicker but we’re really talking about seconds rather than minutes.

Probably best for someone with thicker hair who has to spend hours blow drying it.

Other hero products across the KMS ranges are:

HAIRSTAY – STYLE BOOST RRP £14.50

Colourway: Cadet blue with orange lettering

A primer for the hair to boost the performance of your styling products and help your style last up to 3x longer.

KMS Top Tip: Can use on its own to enhance natural texture and boost body.

This has a very light citrus perfume and is fun to use. Give it a good shake then squirt.  On my 1^st attempt the ‘foam’ bounced out of my palm – maybe I was being a bit too eager to try it out.  Now I say foam but it really looks more like suds. Once squirted out, it makes a crackling noise whilst it disappears in your palm to transform in to a liquid gel.

Smoothing the gel on I instantly felt my hair thicken and so it definitely gives more body.

NEW- HAIRPLAY DRY TOUCH UP RRP £14.30

Colourway: Yellow green with purple lettering

Instant conditioning on-the-go, simply use on dull hair to add shine and revive.

KMS Top Tip: perfect for reviving a lack-lustre fringe before a night out.

With fine but coarse hair I have to be careful with leave in conditioning products. Too much product and I can end up with lank and still frizzy hair. But any less had no effect at all.

So when I tentatively tried this I was quite impresses. I was able to spray on a little at a time and gradually build it up. Plus my hair felt soft and smooth. OK not as though I’d stepped out of a salon but a massive improvement for me.

Last but definitely not least is

HAIRPLAY – MOULDING PASTE RRP £17.30

No 1 worldwide bestseller within KMS range. Provides texture with a pliable hold.

KMS Top Tip: reactivate your style at the end of the day, simply wet hands and reshape.

This has a great smell of coconut and is great for adding volume.

I prefer to use it as in the Top Tip rather than as a styling aid after washing my hair. I find it’s great for scrunching the hair and getting that tousled look.  Probably works best on short hair for the more structured styles. 

The new look and the new sub line Free shape will be available as from Sep

Check out www.kmscalifornia.com