Ahhhh hair! I was struggling with how to open this blog post, because I don't even really know how I feel about my hair at this point. About a month ago, I decided to lop off a foot of hair and get rid of pretty much everything that was damaged from my perm last year. Note to self... Never get a perm again. Currently, my hair is uncoloured, shorter than I've had it in years, and taking a little bit of getting used to. Time to try a new set of hair products, right? Recently, I've been testing out the Marc Anthony Grow Long Strengthening Hair Care* line and it seems like basically the perfect time... since I really, really want to grow my hair out and keep it nice and healthy and strong in the process.

Keep reading for more!

So basically, the formula of these products contains caffeine, ginseng and vitamin E intended to promote hair growth and lower the risk of breakage and split ends while resisting dullness. Sounds pretty much exactly what I'm looking for at the moment. This does say that it's for extra dry, brittle hair... that's not what I'm working with, but I still wanted to give it a go because everything else sounds great!

Marc Anthony Strengthening Grow Long Shampoo & Conditioner*

Before I talk about how this works, I just have to tell you a little story. The first time I used this I said, out loud to myself under the spray, "Well.... This smells delightful!" There's a fruitiness to the scent that somehow manages to still smell high end... Don't ask me how they made that work, just trust me that they did it. I love the smell of this, both for the fact that it smells delicious and also because it still has that edge of professional hair care scent to it. 

Anyway, now for the products. I basically love them. The shampoo does a good job of cleaning my hair without leaving it feeling stripped and tangled while the conditioner adds a ton of softness and shine. I was genuinely surprised the first time I used this about how soft it left my hair feeling and how much shine I really got from it. Another thing that really impressed me about this combination is that it rinsed really clean while still giving me a lot of hydration. Because my hair is fine, I do struggle with products that are too heavy on my hair, but this definitely didn't do that. 

All in all, since I've been using this combination, I've been definitley noticing the softness and shine and I find that my hair isn't really getting tangled at all so it's really easy to brush and I don't worry that I'm breaking it. Also, I don't think my hair has been shedding as much as it was before, which is a HUGE plus for me since my hair texture is fairly fine. I'm definitely giving this combo two thumbs up.

Marc Anthony Strengthening Grow Long Rapid Gro Leave In*

For me, leave in products have always been something that I've used to detangle my hair when combing it out but currently my hair has been in such good condition and the shampoo and conditioner pairing in this line have done such a good job of keeping my hair really soft that I've not really needed it. That said, I have been using this consistently because I do want to reap the strengthening benefits of it and I like the rest of the line so much that I feel confident that this is imparting moisture and helping to protect and strengthen my hair. I particularly like to use this if I'm going to be blow drying or flat ironing my hair, because I really want to nourish it as much as I can.

I can't really say yet if this product is doing what it claims because I think that'll require longer term testing, but I am enjoying using it. I think that this might be better suited to the extra dry and damaged hair that the line is intended for, but I will continue using it as well.

Overall, I'm really, really happy with the shampoo and conditioner in this line and would highly recommend it to people who are looking for lightweight hydration, softness and shine to the hair. I can't speak for any hair type other than my own, obviously, so I don't know how this will work on thicker, drier or more damaged hair than mine, but I can definitely say that I'm really loving the results.

The Marc Anthony Grow Long Hair Care Products with Caffeine and Ginseng* are widely available at drugstores nationwide and tend to retail for around $10 each.

Thanks for reading!