Thicker Fuller Hair??

During my occasional nostalgic rummaging through my old hair products stash i discovered a barely touched hair serum- the Thicker Fuller Thickening from Schwarzkopf (i assume). This was purchased about eight months ago, i used it a few times only then forgot about it..well it must have been because it wasn't all that, eeeh...however i decided to do a little research and well, surprise surprise.

According to a bunch of  MUA reviews and websites (Folica), this stuff is supposed to be a wonder product. Decided to give it another try since i have forgotten all about it. My hair is also in a different shape than it was back then, no more permanent-color, aggressive straightening and more serums/heat protective sprays.

I tried this little fellow several times just to make sure i will give my hair a chance to get used with it and make it 'work' its way. Well....

First off, just to clear things up, my hair is quite Kim Kardashian-esque- thick, wavy, long and a little frizzy (whose isn't..), hard to tame, hard to take care of due to the thick hair shafts that tend to soak up color and product and just literally 'pop' (as in cracking or splitting) whenever something bad happens to them. Aye for 'sensitive' hair that looks good, but it's such a pain in the neck to maintain.

What they say about this product is:

• Increases the diameter of the hair shaft
• Improves hairs strength and condition
• Enhances shine, texture, and manageability for easier styling
• Leaves hair revitalized, volumized, and visibly thicker and fuller

Featuring Dr. Hoting Thickening Solutions with Caffeine Energizer:

Naturally advanced and formulated with caffeine to prop up the hair strand to invigorate and energize the scalp. Designed for both men and women, Thicker Fuller Hair is formulated with Cell-U-Plex, a synergistic blend of pure plant extracts, vitamins, and protein that infuses that hair shaft to thicken, improving hairs overall vigor to instantly bodify and amplify fine, thin hair' (quotation from Folica.com).

My tube looks like this:

...whereas the Makeupalley reviews referred to the differently packaged one:

My tube bears no brand lettering, just the name, ingredients, made in USA things, but no 'Schwarzkopf' whatsoever (like the first bottle here). However i think it's the same stuff ; i got it on sale at this huge drugstore/supermarket in Sweden and it wasn't expensive at all (around €5).

Okay so what it did on my hair. I followed the instructions, looking more for a natural hair serum that would protect and add shine to my locks, not necessarily for an '80's puffed coif. I did expect volume, but it was a more realistic expectation..given my previous experience with this stuff. And well...i wasn't wrong.

It has a nice, light and 'watery' consistency- a thinner gel that doesn't present itself in the form of gelatin but is more like 'thicker water' so to speak, a little less dense than egg whites for example. It is very nicely scented, the reviews and websites describe it as having an 'earthy' scent but i sensed pure aloe vera. It's not overbearing at all, doesn't soak up the hair. 

It feels heavy but just a little bit, more like aloe vera gel when you rub it in your palms, that cooling yet 'creamy', sticky sensation. It doesn't leave residue, perhaps a little stickiness before completely drying up (same as aloe vera gel, the best thing to compare it with). 

I distributed a pump all over my hair, 1 cm away from the roots, blending it really carefully and evenly all over the length and not focusing on roots or tips in particular. Tried it four times already, so i guess there's no room for hastiness now. 

I can honestly say i don't know what to do with it, or what to expect from it. The hair feels a tad crunchier and heavier than with my Tresemme volumizing mousse and gets a sort of curl as well, as if i applied regular hair mousse or hairspray in very moderated quantities. It fixes the hair so to speak, and i don't really like what my waves look like when they dry naturally. It adds a bit of shine, but nothing noticeable (unless you squint and really look for it), i wouldn't be surprised if it was just a placebo effect.

My problem with this is that within 24 hours it manages to oil up my roots and scalp and make the ends (actually, all the hair, half down) feel dry and unruly. Hard to comb, though there's no visible residue, you feel it's there, hard to straighten/curl, i quit after 25 seconds-afraid it might amplify breakage.

I don't know why or how this product is supposed to work since it doesn't contain anything in the classic volumizing ingredient family. The Cell-U-Plex 'technology' isn't that fab after all, at least not on my hair. 

To summarize, the effect is that of oily hair styled with mousse...gets crunchy yet it's visibly dirty. And i surely don't like that happening anywhere around my tresses.