CNN —
Jennifer Aniston is a woman of many, many accomplishments. She’s of course the scene-stealing “Friends” actress who went on to star in myriad movies (while raking in awards galore). She’s a producer, a philanthropist and a dog mom. She’s a social media convert turned expert — after joining Instagram less than a year ago, she’s garnered an astounding 37.9 million followers (so far). And yes, she’s the stunningly beautiful 52-year-old who is seemingly defying the aging process.
Regardless of all of these things, though, Aniston will forever and always be synonymous with outstanding hair. Beyond “The Rachel” ‘do that inspired 11 million women to copycat the layered cut in the ‘90s, Aniston’s hair has always been flawless, whether it was ultra long and blond in the 2000s or effortlessly wavy and impeccably highlighted, as seen on the current season of “The Morning Show.”
Point being: Aniston is an international hair icon. And with street cred like that, it’s no wonder the actress pivoted and took on an extracurricular activity, specifically as the founder and creator of LolaVie, her new hair line. The direct-to-consumer brand’s very first product to hit the market? The Glossing Detangler, a $25 multitasker aimed at not only detangling but also repairing existing hair damage and protecting against future damage while simultaneously smoothing and adding shine.
- LolaVie Glossing Detangler ($25; lolavie.com)
Like Aniston, I love anything that solves multiple problems for me at once, simplifying — and speeding up! — my daily beauty routine. So, I tried LolaVie — here’s what I thought:
The rundown
“This project has been in the works for a long time and I’m so excited to finally be able to introduce it to you,” Aniston wrote on her Instagram earlier this month to introduce her new brand. “So much hard work from our incredible team went into making this line — and we’re really proud to say it’s been made WITHOUT all the bad stuff… we’re paraben-free, silicone-free, sulfate-free, phthalates-free, gluten-free, vegan… and of course CRUELTY-FREE, because we love our animals.” (Fun fact: Aniston’s friends refer to her as Lola!)
And if the brand’s first release sounds like a hero product to you, it should, because that’s exactly what Aniston was going for. “I wanted to find that product that was a multi,” she told Forbes. “It was figuring out how can we get an all-in-one — a heat protector, give vitamins and nutrients and shine, and help overall bounciness and fullness.”
The lowdown
My initial thoughts on the Glossing Detangler: The packaging feels … A-list. Modeled after Aniston’s personal aesthetic, the Glossing Detangler’s rectangular-shaped bottle is black and white, with a chic, small-print font, and the result is something that’s simple but utterly posh at the same time.
My second immediate observation? The spa-like fragrance of the product. Even before I sprayed it for the first time, I could smell all of the detangler’s many natural ingredients, among them lemon, chia seeds, bamboo, a super fruit complex and vegetable ceramides. Basically, it’s akin to a scent you’d find in a fancy salon, which partnered with the product’s sleek silhouette makes it feel immediately luxurious — and like something Aniston would have in her own beauty arsenal.
Next up was actually testing out the detangler. I followed LolaVie’s usage recommendation by spraying it onto my towel-dried hair and then combing it throughout. My hair isn’t thick per se, but I have a lot of it, which can make brushing a chore. Once the detangler was sprayed on, however, I was able to comb through all of my hair in a few seconds, and then I went about my normal routine, blowing out with the Revlon One-Step Volumizer and Hair Dryer.
The result was hair that definitely looked shinier and felt bouncier than normal, and it also smelled great. And knowing that I had a protectant on my locks (the Revlon One-Step definitely gets hot and can be hard on your hair) brought me some major peace of mind during the blow-dry.
The real test, however, was on my daughters. I’ve got a 9-year-old and a 4-year-old, both of whom have wildly curly, coarse hair. Trying to comb through their locks nightly after baths and showers is a dreaded task for all three of us, often resulting in tears. While I was excited to try LolaVie on myself based on its shining, smoothing and protection promises, I definitely wanted to see just how detangling the spray actually is via my daughters.
First up was the 4-year-old, whose shoulder-length hair often resembles a tangled rat’s nest by the end of the day. After giving her a bath and washing her hair, we met in the bathroom with mutual hesitation. “A famous actress invented this yummy-smelling spray to make tangles go bye-bye and brushing easy peasy,” I told her. She stared at me in the mirror with distrust. I went ahead and sprayed from the roots to the ends, and I kid you not, her hair was tangle-free and completely combed through in under 30 seconds. This is a process that normally takes five or more minutes and is accented with the aforementioned crying/screaming/fleeing. The result was similar for my older daughter, whose long curls reach the middle of her back — her hair was combed and tangle-free in under a minute, and she never stopped chatting once to yell, “Mom, this is the worst!” or “Why do we have to do this?!” Seriously, the spray is that good; it really works to quickly detangle even the snarliest of knotted, matted, messy hair.
Bottom line
While kiddos probably aren’t Aniston’s target audience, they do tend to get the worst tangles out there, so if LolaVie’s Glossing Detangler can easily handle my daughter’s unruly hair, you can be sure it can tackle whatever you’ve got going on too.
Aniston hasn’t announced what’s next on tap for LolaVie, but given the quality and efficacy of the brand’s first drop, she can count on me to be first in line for the next product.