Trying & Liking: L'Oréal Professionnel's Texture Expert

So, I have a confession to make: I hardly ever blowdry my hair. Not because my locks are magic and wondrously fall into place of their own accord, but because I am a lazy cah and can think of better ways to spend my time than wrestling with a hairdryer for ages at night to achieve sleek locks, only to wake up in the morning with to find that the slight natural kink in my gruaig has mysteriously reappeared and I have to flippin' well get the straighteners out anyway, doubling the heat damage.

Complete and utter pain in the arse!

All that might be about to change, however, with L'Oréal Professionnel's brand spankin', hot-off-the-presses new Texture Expert range. This is a luxury line of homecare products which combines dual-action ingredients to both style and condition hair. All contain pearl proteins to smooth the hair's surface and enhance shine, and something called Incell - ye wha', Gay? - which apparantly protects and strenghtens the shaft. The hair shaft, you dirty mares...

The range features products formulated for:
Fine hair - Expansion, €18, (a luxurious volumising cream-mousse) and Smooth Essence, €22, (a light, anti-frizz blow-in protection treatment);
Medium hair - Shine Perfection, €20, (a light blow-dry serum), Smooth Velours, €22, (a creamy heat protection milk) and Lumicôntrole, €20, (a finisher to accentuate layers or add definition to shorter styles);
Thick hair - Smooth Ultime, €22, (to tame rebellious hair and define curls); and
All hair types - Fixing Mist 4, €18, (for hold, voluptuous volume and a veil of shine).

Phew! So far, I've given Smooth Essence a whirl and am well impressed: lightweight and gel-creme in texture, you just apply a hazelnut-sized amount (what is it with haircare types and their nuts, eh?) to towel-dried hair and blowdry. After the easiest home blowdry in the world - seriously, I didn't have to bother dividing hair into sections and barely had to wield my brush - my hair was as smooth and perfectly straight as if I'd used my trusty straighteners. There was no need to break out the glossing serum, which I'd normally have to use after a blowdry to tame frizzy-looking ends and it felt so super silky that I couldn't stop playing with it. Even Himself was moved to remark that it was "very shiny!" - high praise indeed.

Best of all, hair looked as good the morning after as it had done the night before. Fan. Feckin. Tastic!