Serums often scare me because I still have trust issues from the truckload of anti-frizz products I bought at age 13 that claimed they’d make my hair as sleek as a Kardashian’s, only to do absolutely fkn nothing for my lovely mop of curls.
Now that I’m an older, wiser version of myself, I know anti-frizz serums are not designed to be these miracle-working potions that change the entire structure of your hair, nor do they really do much if you don’t look after your locks from their very origin — the roots. But, when it comes to taming that little fluffy layer after straightening your freshly-washed strands or giving them some weight to fight that pesky summer humidity, they can be a really good hair product to have on hand.
That’s why, when I was given the opportunity to review Mermade Hair’s new Super Serum that claims to help with both of those things — as it is scientifically designed to do so — I thought, now’s the time to take the plunge back into hair serum land.
If you’ve been in the market for something similar, sit back and enjoy the ride because after trialling it for the better part of two months, it’s a good one.
But first, what is Mermade Hair’s Super Serum?
According to Mermade, its new Super Serum is a weightless and waterless product that styles ya locks, smooths them out, and also injects a bit of delicious shine. It also claims to repair those never-ending split ends and help to prevent any further damage.
Packed full of quinoa extract, vitamin B5, argan oil and castor oil, these potent ingredients are said to aid in promoting hair growth, strengthening strands and nourishing a dry or unbalanced scalp.
So, what are my first impressions?
If I smelled this in someone’s hair after pulling away from a hug, I would say “thank you for your service”
As soon as I tore open the box, and had a whiff of this stuff, I was sent to cloud fucking nine. I want to say it’s got that clean girl scent, but with some floral-esque undertones. For lack of a better description, it’s the type of lingering smell that hits you right in the face (in the best way) after pulling away from hugging someone with delicious-smelling hair. And, I for one, am all about it. I’ve also always wanted to be that girl, and now I can, so wins all ’round, binches!!!
I gave it to my boyfriend to smell too and his review was “it smells like every Mecca store,” considering I’ve never smelled a bad Mecca store, I’d say we’re on to something good here.
It’s the perfect balance between lightweight and imma hold you down all day, girl
I hate thick and oily hair products because a) they make my hair feel really dirty after the first full day of wear, and b) they overpower that light, soft, freshly-blown-out feeling that I love.
Fortunately, the formula for this bad boy is as lightweight as it says it is and doesn’t give my hair the same feeling as a thick, heavy layer of hair oil does. Just make sure you don’t overdo the amount of product you put in, or it will. I’d say a drop or two warmed up between your fingers before running it through is more than enough.
I will mention, though, if you want this purely to hold back or slick down baby hairs, it’s probably better to get an actual slicking product, as it didn’t do crazy amounts for the baby hairs close to my hairline.
It’s a hot tool’s best friend
Naturally, this range has been specifically developed to be used in conjunction with hot tools (especially Mermade’s iconic blow-out brush, which I also have and love), so you’d imagine it’s a pretty fkn decent finisher for a post-straighten or post-blow brush look. But, to leave no stone unturned, I tried it for y’all like the good samaritan I am.
First, I trialled it on freshly washed, blow dried and straightened hair. Usually, as I mentioned before, this method of styling makes my hair a little bit fluffy and puffy on the first wear until it’s settled. But a small lick of this stuff made the first night of styling so damn sleek (as pictured above — I’m the one to the far left). I expected it to wear off within a few hours (aka as soon as I set foot outside into the balmy evening), but when I found myself in the bathroom at midnight, my locks were still sleeker than ever. The only thing only marginally sticking out was my baby hairs, but given they’re an impossible mission even with heavy-duty gel involved, so I let it slide.
Later, I tried the anti-frizz super serum on curled hair (I like to curl over my natural curls if I’m going for a more sleek, less beachy look), and this is where I thought this product SLAYED even harder, y’all. It was a beautiful finisher for my curls and made my hair look shiny as hell.
The cost won’t send you to an early grave
This baby will set ya back $39 which is a far cry from those $100+ Gisou hair oils and serums I’ve seen circulating the internet. Thank me later, gorls.
Humidity won’t scare you anymore
Okay, I lied it might still scare you a little, but not as MUCH, I promise. I won’t lie to you and say it’s gonna end your humidity frizz once and for all (I don’t think anything is built to withstand that in its entirety, at least for my hair anyway), but because it gives your hair some extra weight, it stays sleeker in the face of summer moisture and sweat.
Rejuvenates your chlorine-ridden locks
I spent the last six weeks abroad and didn’t have access to my regular hair routine. To make matters worse, I was also spending every other day in saunas, spas, pools, springs and beaches. The only saving grace for my locks was literally this anti-frizz serum (which is funnily enough, the only thing I brought to keep my locks healthy), so I made sure to run it through my hair after almost every wash and I found it really helped restore its shine and prevent it from getting super dry and crusty while I was living off my cheap, travel-sized supermarket-bought shampoo and conditioner.
How did Mermade Hair’s serum stack up in the long term?
Not to toot my own horn or anything (I just want to be as transparent with you guys as possible) but I’m super lucky to have pretty healthy hair to begin with. Part of it I owe to my (borderline wild) eight-step hair routine back at home and the other 90% probably comes down to the fact I’ve never dyed or bleached it, so I can’t really say this serum completely changed my hair health or fully repaired my split ends because it was already fairly decent naturally.
Despite that, it’s still definitely getting a spot in my weekly hair routine — especially for my post-hot tool styling endeavours because that’s where it excels tenfold. It also adds a nice healthy sheen to my natural hair (as documented by BeReal below), which I love.
If this review has piqued your interest, you can sus the Mermade Hair anti-frizz serum in all its glory here. You can also check out the rest of Mermade’s Hair repair range here, too.
