Putting Evo’s styling product cocktails to the test

How do they hold up against my old faithfuls?

I am by no means an expert when it comes to styling my hair. I tend to shy away from anything that takes time, effort or heat, and settle for a low-effort scrunch and go approach after a morning shower.

When I had the chance to trial four products from evo’s styling range, I was definitely intrigued. The products were grouped conveniently into two pairs or ‘cocktails’ that work together to create two very different looks. Whip It Good and Haze are designed to work with your hair’s natural texture, creating the more natural look I’m used to, while Day of Grace and Icon Welder are used for heat styling.

I used the natural-boosting duo first to see how they’d hold up against products I’ve used in the past. Whip It Good is a moisturising mousse that promises less frizz and more shine. Haze is a styling powder designed for root volume and a matte texture.

The first is a fascinatingly modern mousse, toning down the vice-like grip and resulting crunchy texture that mousses of the ’80s and ’90s were known for. The product’s hold was strong enough to create more curl definition, but light enough to keep things looking soft and natural. Its rich, moisturising content also cut down on my usual frizz and left my hair looking super shiny.

By itself, Haze delivered on volume by creating a noticeable lift at my roots. It also mattified any oiliness from my scalp, making my hair look really nice and clean. The bottle itself is really convenient too, as the powder is dispersed in a fine, wide cloud that’s easy to apply directly to the hair without making a mess or concentrating it too heavily in any one area. Without any wet styling products to define my natural texture and keep things in place, applying the powder did create a slight static and frizz on my baby-fine curls, so I probably wouldn’t use it solo again for my own specific breed of hair.

Combining the two was kind of genius, however. The moisturising qualities of the mousse reacted with the matte finish of the powder to create a really subtle, natural-looking shine, and Whip It Good’s holding power kept my loose curl pattern intact throughout the day. The extra boost Haze gave my roots kept the mousse from weighing down my mids and ends, stopping the top of my hair from looking flat and lifeless.

To get the best result, I mixed both products in my hand before applying them to damp, towel-dried hair. Once it was dry and I knew the mousse was doing its work, I felt comfortable spritzing a little extra haze on my dry roots to double down on volume.

In order to try out the second pairing, I pulled my straightener out of a lengthy hiatus in my bathroom cupboard. Day of Grace is a leave-in primer that prepares your hair for styling, and Icon Welder is a heat protection spray, so I wanted to see how they’d hold up to a thorough heat styling job.

Sprayed on damp hair after a shower, Day of Grace definitely softened my hair and created a very healthy-feeling canvas to work on. By the time it was dry, my usual messy texture was replaced with smoother, albeit less curly, strands that I could see being easier to tame with a straightener. It was also a breeze to run a comb through, even in areas that usually prove a little stubborn like my dry, bleached ends.

Icon Welder did the thing I associate with all heat protectant sprays that both terrifies and fascinates me, where the added moisture content creates a sizzling sound as you apply heat. But after I straightened each strand, I’d run my fingers through it and be pleasantly surprised that it didn’t feel fried or damaged. Applying the spray to each section as I went, I found that all but my most stubborn curls were smoothed out with only one swipe of the straightener.

As a team, I can see Days of Grace and Icon Welder being really helpful in the long term, particularly for anyone who straightens or curls their hair regularly. Not only did my hair stay straight throughout the day without any increase in frizz, it felt very healthy despite having heat applied to it. It felt reassuring to touch it and not notice any signs of damage or dehydration. It didn’t get knotty or raggedy as the hours passed, either, which I think speaks to both products’ moisturising and detangling qualities.

Effectiveness aside, however, I think my favourite thing about this duo is each product’s scents. They both have a really classic haircare smell that I associate with going to a salon, which I found inexplicably comforting as it lingered in both my hair and bathroom all day.

evohair.com