Product Review: Bed Head After Party Styling Cream

If you've read any of my posts about hair care, then you know I'm pretty picky when it comes to hair care products. I don't mind spending a little more (although I always search for the best deal!), but the products must perform or I'm done with them.

One of the things that comes with aging is drier hair (well, drier everything, but that's a story for another time). Less oil production and grey hair. For someone who had oily hair in their younger years, less oil can be a good thing. It's one of the reasons I'm able to go 4-5 days between shampoos. Grey hair tends to be wiry and less manageable - drier, in a way. If you're like me and color your hair - highlights or a lighter shade than your natural color - it can make for a dry, crispy crown.

I talked about this in my posts Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Hair Products and Does your hair need anti-aging products, and discussed how I deal with this issue. Although my hair care routine helps a lot, it doesn't always smooth my hair as much as I would like - especially when I use a flat iron to straighten it. So I need styling products that will "finish" the job.


(This post contains some affiliate links which were added to make it easier for you to find the items. If you click on the links and make a purchase, it doesn't cost more, but I will receive a small commission. You are free to use the links or not. If you do, I thank you!)

One of the products that I found a few months ago that is working really well for me is a styling cream by TIGI from their Bed Head line called After Party. It's supposed to give you "silky, smooth, shiny, healthy looking hair". You use it on dry hair, then style as you like. It says to use a dime-sized amount, but as always, I just assume that is for shoulder-length hair of normal thickness. I have thick hair that is to the bottom of my bra strap, so I use 2-3 times that amount by the time I'm finished (I'll explain that later).



It comes in a funky neon pink 3.4 oz. airless pump bottle with a round cap. So fun! It smells delicious - kind of like fruit, but not in an overly sweet, obnoxious way. It does contain silicones, as well as mica and castor seed oil.

Ingredients: Aqua (water/eau), Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Propylene Glycol, Polyacrylamide, Phenyl Trimethicone, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Parfum (Fragrance), Amyl Cinnamal, Citral, Hydroxycitronellal, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, PEG-8 Methicone, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Laureth-7, Sodium PCA, Dimethicone PEG-8, Meadowfoamate, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, CI 77019 (Mica), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride)

It's a lightweight, white cream that is easy to smooth over your hair. If you look closely, you can see the shimmery mica in it that helps make your hair look shiny. Don't worry - it's not like the shimmer sprays from back in the 90's! It's very subtle.

At first, I used it by applying the entire amount to my hair before styling - and that worked okay. But then, one day, I decided that since it had so many silicones, it was probably offering some heat protection, even though it's not marketed as such. I decided to apply a dime-sized amount all over my hair, then as I sectioned it for flat ironing, I applied a tiny amount to each section. I flat iron larger sections of hair (probably about 3-4" wide and 1/2" thick), so I put about a quarter pea-sized amount of the After Party in my palm, rubbed my hands together just a little to distribute it evenly, then placed my palms on either side of the sectioned piece of hair and pulled it through my hands, concentrating on the ends. It really makes my hair smoother and shinier than when I just apply all over at once! It also make subsequent touch-ups with the flat iron much easier.

The parts of my hair that are highlighted tend to be drier on the ends, especially after flat ironing, and this product used in this way has really smoothed those sections! I still use a hair oil or other night treatment product overnight to help keep it from getting brittle, but this has made a big difference with my styling. My hair looks and feels so much softer. I'm so happy I tried it!

As I mentioned, the After Party product comes in a 3.4 oz. bottle and is priced at $23. But girl, you know I didn't pay that much for it! I would, but not if I don't have to - am I right? I bought mine on - you know it - Amazon. I paid around $9 for mine. Yep, about a third of the original cost. I do want to mention that some of the reviews said that the product had separated and wasn't authentic. I didn't find that to be true at all. Mine was perfectly fine and exactly like the ones sold in stores. It's sold and shipped by Amazon, so I felt comfortable ordering and I would do so again. There are some 2-packs that are even a better deal (around $16). I will probably go that route next time since I know I love the product.

Have you tried Bed Head After Party? What's your favorite styling product? Let me know in the comments!