ESSENCE editors have tried what feels like every hair product on the market: the good, the bad, and even the ugly. But whenever Beyoncé launches a new Cécred collection, it feels like our hair is left in Heaven’s hands. Following her first two collections, Foundation and Protection, Cécred’s latest launch, The Styling Collection, is all about making your styles more healthy.
Naturally, the six-product collection has found its home in our editors bathrooms—but all for different reasons. Mecca Pryor, our Style Writer, is partial to products used to style her signature silk pressed bob—that means her hair’s health is in the hands of a heat protectant that actually works. Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, Akili King, on the other hand, has done it all. But, her latest style required something with a hold strong enough to survive a New Orleans wedding. For myself, braids are my default and strong smells are my enemy. That said, having a high-performance hairspray that doesn’t smell like it, is the perfect finishing touch for any protective style.
Read on for the ESSENCE style team’s review on Cécred’s new Styling Collection.
Mecca Pryor, Style Writer
I’m obsessed with the Cécred Heat Glaze—after my stylist applied it, just one pass with the blow dryer had my hair looking silky straight, with barely any need for a flatiron. And, once we went in with heat, it still felt fully protected thanks to the added layer of the heat protectant.
Akili King, Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor
For my best friend’s wedding in NOLA over the weekend, I knew I needed a style that would last in the southern heat. To go with my dress, which made me feel like a goddess charging through the streets of the French Quarter during the second line parade, much like Beyoncé was in her “Hold Up” music video, I opted for a sleek, textured bubble pony. I did this style myself the day of.
I went to a local beauty supply store for the hair, and brought the new Cécred Wrap & Set Foam and Strong Hold Gel with me on the trip. These had the front of my hair super sleek, snatched, and in place for the whole day. I set my hair with the mousse and a brush. And finished it off with the gel to hold it all in place and lay my edges. I tied a silk scarf while I did my makeup, and voila! I was very pleased with the results, and will absolutely be using these products again for future styles.
India Espy-Jones, Beauty Editor
I’m the first to say I’m irrationally picky with the products I put in my hair. I don’t like heaviness. I don’t like stickiness. I don’t like strong smells. Matter of fact, I don’t even want to feel like anything’s in my hair at all. So, naturally, hairspray is the most necessary product in my line up—especially since I almost exclusively wear braids.
Within seconds of spraying Cécred’s Flexible Hold Hairspray, the very first thing I noticed was how incredibly good it smelled. It’s the brand’s signature Temple Oud aroma of course, but it smelled like it could also double as a hair perfume which is the perfect finishing touch for braids. It’s humidity resistant, heat protectant, and good for frizz, which is helpful even between wearing cornrows because my natural coils tend to frizz. It’s has flexible hold, too, which keeps my style looking new for longer.
Cécred’s Styling Collection is available now on cecred.com and Ulta.
