Beauty Road Test: ARROJO Hair Care from ‘What Not to Wear’s’ Nick Arrojo!

Give your hair a boost with the ARROJO hair care collection from ‘What Not to Wear’s’ Nick Arrojo!

-Lucia Peters

Guess what, Bettys? It’s time for adventures in my ongoing quest to tame my wacky, unruly hair! Those of you have been following the continuing saga know that I’m constantly on the lookout for new ways to keep my wild mane in check. So far, it’s been razor-cut, treated with diamonds, and transformed into beachy waves; now, it’s going to get a little bit of help from master hairstylist Nick Arrojo’s product line, ARROJO. Does Nick’s name sound familiar? If you watch TLC’s What Not To Wear, it probably does—Nick was the show’s stylist for the first six seasons. Happily, he’s got a studio of his own right here in New York, Arrojo Studio, and he’s put out a terrific line of hair care products… which I am about to road test. Ready? Start your engines, and let’s give it a go!

First, I gave my hair a wash with ARROJO’s Gentle Shampoo ($17, store.arrojoproduct.com) and followed it up with a dose of the Gentle Conditioner ($18, store.arrojoproduct.com). Both the shampoo and the conditioner use honey to soothe, agave to revitalize, jojoba to lend silkiness and polish, and vitamin B5 to add moisture, smoothness, and shine. The shampoo is a little thinner in texture than most shampoos—it’s almost a liquid, and it’s totally free from yucky sulfates and sodium chloride—but it suds up just as well, if not better, and with a delightful, herby verbena scent to boot. Technically it’s not a clarifying shampoo, but it’s so light and gentle that my hair felt as squeaky clean as if it had been one. The conditioner did its job without weighing my hair down, with the end result being soft, shiny, gunk-free hair.

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Next, it was time for a little experimentation. For my first experiment, I worked some of the ARROJO Styling Whip ($18, store.arrojoproduct.com) through my damp, lightly towel-dried hair and let it do its thing naturally by air drying it. Like the shampoo and condition, the Styling Whip is super light. The argan oil infused with the product creates shine and luster while simultaneously repairing damage; meanwhile, a little dimethicone smoothes, calms, and fights frizz. Once it was dry, all I needed to do was lightly hit the top layers with a curling iron (like Jill at Butterfly Studio salon taught me!), and suddenly I had awesome, shiny, and wavy yet tame locks. Also, the Styling Whip smells like Linden blossoms. Delish.

Bonus tip: If you’ve got thin or flat hair (this isn’t a problem I usually have, since I have SO. MUCH. HAIR, but hey, not everyone is as lucky/cursed as I am), you can also whip up a cocktail of the Styling Whip plus ARROJO’s Volume Foam ($16, store.arrojoproduct.com). Mix it together, work it through damp hair, blow dry, and voila! Get both the softness and shine of the Styling Whip and the fullness and hold of the Volume Foam.

For experiment number two, I tried something different: After washing, I worked just a tiny bit of the ARROJO Pomade ($20, store.arrojoproduct.com) through my damp hair, blow dried it, and took a flat iron to it. After it was dry and straight, I worked a little more of the pomade through it to add texture and hold. The pomade boasts natural beeswax, which adds fantastic definition while reducing volume and frizz. I ended up with a sleek, slightly piece-y, yet marvelously frizz-free look. Success? I think so!

You can find all of the ARROJO products online at store.arrojoproducts.com. If the products I tested out here aren’t your thing, there are plenty of others to choose from, including Set & Style Spray, Thermal Protector, and the brand-new ReFinish Dry Shampoo.

Enjoy!

Lucia Peters is BettyConfidential’s associate editor.