Product Review: Kérastase Thérapiste Shampoo & Conditioner

I'm a shampoo and conditioner snob.

There are a lot of ways that I am willing to cut corners and save money. Hair care isn't one of them. Well, let me clarify that. It's not the cost of the products - it's the quality. I insist on quality hair care products because I want my hair to look it's best.

When my hair is in great shape, it's easier to style. When it's easier to style, it takes less time to style. And when I have to spend less time on my hair - I have more time for other things.

I know I've talked about my hair before, but for those who haven't read those posts, I'll tell you a bit about my hair. I have long layered hair (about to the middle of my back) that has both highlights and lowlights. I always have the color done professionally (after a traumatic home color experience 30 years ago that I still shudder to think about), about every 8-10 weeks. I also get a trim every time the color is done. I can usually go about 4-5 days between shampoos if I'm not doing anything that makes me get really sweaty. So my hair isn't very oily, but it's also not super dry. I do use a flat iron, but not usually on a daily basis, and when I do, I use a heat protectant. My main issue is that the part of my hair that has the highlights tends to be a lot drier and more fragile than the rest of my hair. It can start to look dry and "crispy", if I'm not careful about the products and styling tools I use.


Enter Kérastase Thérapiste Shampoo and Conditioner. I was so excited when I received the email from Influenster saying that I was getting the Kérastase VoxBox! I had heard of Kérastase, but had never tried it. I had always heard good things about it, so I was anxious to see what this particular Kérastase regimen could do for my hair.

They are the most unusual hair care products I've ever used!


You start with the conditioner! Apparently, it works to protect the fiber of the hair before you shampoo, so that it's not roughened. You leave it on for 1-2 minutes, then rinse out. It looks and feels like a nice conditioner. After rinsing, my hair felt soft and tangle-free.

After squeezing the excess water out of your hair, you put a quarter-sized amount of shampoo in your palm (I would imagine that you adjust this amount according to the length of your hair). And here is where the shampoo part gets funky - you rub your palms together. The shampoo looks slightly transparent when it comes out of the tube, but when you start rubbing it in your hands, it changes consistency and color. It becomes tackier, thicker, and color changes to bright white. The first time I used it, I didn't have any lather at all. I just worked the shampoo through my hair, and it just sort of disappeared! I rinsed, and my hair felt perfectly clean! The next few times I used it, I noticed that I got a little lather near my scalp, but the shampoo still disappeared as I worked it through the rest of my hair. I don't know if this is how the product is supposed to work, or if it's because I go 3-4 days between shampoos and have a good bit of hairspray on my hair - but whatever the reason, my hair still feels clean when I rinse.


My hair is very thick, normally takes a long time to dry with a blowdryer, and it gets a little frizzy on the ends - especially the highlighted parts. But not after using Kérastase Thérapiste. My hair is much smoother, and it only takes a few minutes for it to dry!

But wait, there's more! Yes, there's even more! I like to put a "bump" in the top back of my hair to give it a little height. Usually, right after shampooing, when my hair is super-clean, it's almost impossible to get that bump to stay in. The hair is just too clean and soft, so I have to work really hard to get any height to the bump. After using the Kérastase Thérapiste, my hair was soft and easy to manage, but I didn't have any problems getting the bump to stay in! Yay!!!


I am seriously blown away by these products!! I really have to say that both have ticked all of my "must have" boxes for hair care! If you have damaged or over-processed hair, they just might be the products for you. Now I need to go find a really good hiding spot so Lulu doesn't "borrow" my new shampoo and conditioner...

Do you have damaged or overprocessed hair?
Have you ever tried Kérastase products?