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Please listen. As someone who covers beauty products daily, I have an incredibly simple (some might say primitive) hair care routine. I buy a drugstore shampoo, drugstore conditioner, and the occasional texture spray for under $20, and I’m off. So when I had the chance to try out some hair care bestsellers from Dae, a premium beauty brand founded in 2020 by trained hairstylists and beauty influencers. amber filler rap clarketakes pride in harnessing the power of desert-derived plants. course I got through it all.

Every fall, I notice that my type 2C wavy hair loses a lot of volume and becomes more frizzy. And while my hair was much weaker and limp a few years ago when I had the habit of religiously highlighting my hair, it’s still not quite back to its “original” state (which means I’m always interested in products that promise to make hair stronger, shinier, and healthier with powerful nutrients).

Could Dae’s hair care line deliver just that? I started looking into it over a period of 7 years. Das.

The first product I tried for this week’s top was Dae’s Signature Shampoo and Conditioner Duo. Immediately, I was presented with an ingredient list that was no joke. Coconut oil, sweet almond oil, aloe leaf juice powder, turmeric root extract, shea butter, orange peel oil, and the star of the show, hibiscus flower extract, all make up a blend that promotes hair growth, hydrates the scalp, promotes keratin production, boasts antibacterial properties, and is scent-packed. sacred. Both the conditioner and shampoo feature notes of vanilla, orange blossom, and citrus, and the overall scent can only be described as like being in a fresh salad made with just-ripe fruit.

Customers praised how quickly the Signature Shampoo lathers in the hands and the Signature Conditioner’s pretty pink appearance. Its consistency is similar to that of lotion, making it creamy and easy to apply throughout your hair, no matter how long it is. This means that we didn’t have to use more than three pumps for each product (sustainability-wise, this is not at all surprising, given Dae’s emphasis on water conservation and recyclable packaging).

After using both brands’ top sellers and letting my hair air dry, the first thing I witnessed was how light and bouncy my hair felt. My waves look more defined and split ends left behind when I shower are a thing of the past. Many specialty shampoos and conditioners leave your roots greasy, but after trying Dae’s version, that wasn’t the case. It left an indelible smell that made me think about quitting perfume today.

Once my hair was completely dry, I decided to treat it with Dae’s other hit product, Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream + Taming Wand. It recently secured a coveted spot on WWD’s Best Hair Products of All Time list. This hair essential is all the rage right now, and there’s no shortage of people fooling you on Amazon (so always make sure you’re really buying from the Dae brand). Are styling creams really special? That’s what I thought as I opened the box, and it’s safe to say that this small but mighty item exceeded all my expectations.

Unlike the wand you use every time you apply mascara, the cream adds polish, forces flyaway hair into submission, and smooths out frizz on the go. In fact, this is something that’s small and lightweight enough to stow away in your favorite designer clutch, yet can be applied without the need for a mirror guide.

As someone who has suffered from hair loss since I was a baby, I know how awkward it can be when going outside. thought Your ponytail may look as perfect as possible, but it will prove to be anything but. I tried the Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream + Taming Wand right after my workout (lowest in terms of frizz and flyaways). I ran the wand through the top of my hair and pulled up the thin hair just above my ear. This only took about two minutes, but the results were pretty dramatic. My updo immediately looked more put together, there was a noticeable shine throughout my mane, and it didn’t feel oily, stiff, or sticky compared to other projectiles I’ve tested in the past.

This wand was able to not only separate each strand of my hair, but also push the hair up for maximum smoothness. After all the effort, my hair still retained enough volume on top and I didn’t feel like it was giving me a “wet hair” look. That’s certainly desirable, but the circumstances are different. All of these effects lasted for several hours after using the product with cactus and dragon fruit. This was the most impressive of all.

As the week progressed further and I got what I would call “3 day hair” I decided to try Dae Fairy Duster Dry Shampoo. Historically speaking, I’ve always been a dry shampoo hater, so I think I may have had a bias against dry shampoo to begin with. However, this one does it a little differently and works its magic in powder form instead, rather than as an aerosol.

The amount of product I got on my root area with one pump was unpleasant, so use it sparingly and always keep the bottle 4-6 inches away from your hair (this I learned from experience). The powder is not transparent, but it disappears into the hair when massaged. The formula here is talc-free and features notable features like the aforementioned 3-In-1 styling cream and prickly pear seed oil. Not to mention, it also contains cactus flower extract to improve hair elasticity, Mojave Yucca to balance the scalp, and moringa leaf extract to prevent hair breakage on the back.

After spraying this, I was able to skip my hair wash days and all the while was able to defeat the “I’m skipping my hair wash days” claim. Because once Dae Dry shampoo has worked on your hair, it is virtually impossible to know that it is not clean. Do you always have that oily feeling around your roots? Gone. What is the flatness I have experienced with other dry shampoos? That’s out of the question. This product is small enough to be TSA compatible and According to Dae, it’s good for the planet based on the fact that you get as many uses as four aerosol bottles of dry shampoo, each with a 4.5-ounce capacity.

Finally, I wrapped up my week of Dae testing with Sunsetter Hairspray. The purpose of this spray is clear from its name.[set] As the brand says, “Style until the sun comes up,” and boasts the distinctive, invigorating scent that sets all of Dae’s best sellers apart. It wasn’t the right amount by any means, but I made the critical mistake of holding it too close to my head during my first use (exactly what happened with the Fairy Duster Dry Shampoo Powder), so the finish felt a bit crunchy. Brushing my hair removed the clumps and I was able to quickly fix this. The problem was resolved immediately. Here are some other points: I’ve noticed a huge improvement in the shine of my hair, and when I go outside after applying hairspray on especially humid days, I don’t notice the humidity in the air anymore.

When test week was over, I had no intention of stopping pampering my hair with Dae. In fact, I continue to use the Signature Duo Set, but thanks to the magic of the Cactus Fruit 3-In-1 Styling Cream & Taming Wand, I find myself tying my hair up in a pony or tight bun more often.

Who would have thought that an Arizona-based brand rooted in desert native plants could make a New York-based beauty writer so happy?

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meet the author

Stacia Datskowska Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked as an assistant digital editor at ELLE DECOR, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through the lens of design. Over the past five years, her byline has appeared in USA Today, the Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, the Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Before joining ELLE DECOR, Datskowska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tent pole sale events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskowska regularly tests and reports on the beauty favorites that are trending on TikTok.