Certain beauty products — think NARS blush in Orgasm or Clinique's Black Honey lipstick — are so good, they're practically famous and have devoted, loyal followings. While we love many of these, we've been wondering why others have been quietly flying under the radar. With that in mind, meet our series, Cult Classics, in which we'll introduce you to the products you should really, truly know about (and try, like, right now). They're not brand-new, but trust us: They've got staying power.
Do you have moments of impact in your life that you can so vividly remember where you were and how you felt that it almost feels like yesterday? Yeah, me too. I have a lot, but one meaningful one strangely revolves around a shampoo and conditioner. Call me vain, but my hair is directly related to my mood. When I touch my hair and it feels heavy, dry, and damaged, it's difficult to not let it rain on my parade. One night, I was scouring the shelves of Ulta and fell upon L'Oréal Paris' Total Repair 5 Shampoo and Conditioner. The gold-and-black bottles caught my attention. I quickly Googled the product reviews on my phone only to find a ton of stellar feedback. I was psyched, scooped up the soon-to-be holy grail hair care and checked out. I jumped in the shower as soon as I got home. Cross my heart and hope to die, this pairing gave my hair the instant quench it needed. At that time, I rarely let my hair air-dry because I hated my natural texture. But with this stuff, my once thirsty, sad, and tired hair was transformed. After just one wash my hair was silky to the touch and didn't need a ton of prep. I was (and still am) thrilled. The years of damage and abuse vanished the moment I stepped out of the shower. Since then, I've raved about it every time I've used it. Being someone who box-dyed her hair one too many times in high school, never used heat protectant spray, and lacked the dedication to get regular trims, I've found this shampoo and conditioning pair to be a thing of magic. The product name is right on the money, too. Over time, I've felt as though my hair has grown stronger. An added bonus: I have a super oily scalp — especially after the dry winter months — but one shampoo with this formula and my style can last a hell of a lot longer than I would ever expect. The bottom line is this: Don't believe you have to drop all your rent money on a good shampoo and conditioner. A completely transformative duo awaits for less than $10.
L'Oréal Paris Total Repair 5 Restoring Shampoo, $4.99, available at Ulta Beauty.
Do you have moments of impact in your life that you can so vividly remember where you were and how you felt that it almost feels like yesterday? Yeah, me too. I have a lot, but one meaningful one strangely revolves around a shampoo and conditioner. Call me vain, but my hair is directly related to my mood. When I touch my hair and it feels heavy, dry, and damaged, it's difficult to not let it rain on my parade. One night, I was scouring the shelves of Ulta and fell upon L'Oréal Paris' Total Repair 5 Shampoo and Conditioner. The gold-and-black bottles caught my attention. I quickly Googled the product reviews on my phone only to find a ton of stellar feedback. I was psyched, scooped up the soon-to-be holy grail hair care and checked out. I jumped in the shower as soon as I got home. Cross my heart and hope to die, this pairing gave my hair the instant quench it needed. At that time, I rarely let my hair air-dry because I hated my natural texture. But with this stuff, my once thirsty, sad, and tired hair was transformed. After just one wash my hair was silky to the touch and didn't need a ton of prep. I was (and still am) thrilled. The years of damage and abuse vanished the moment I stepped out of the shower. Since then, I've raved about it every time I've used it. Being someone who box-dyed her hair one too many times in high school, never used heat protectant spray, and lacked the dedication to get regular trims, I've found this shampoo and conditioning pair to be a thing of magic. The product name is right on the money, too. Over time, I've felt as though my hair has grown stronger. An added bonus: I have a super oily scalp — especially after the dry winter months — but one shampoo with this formula and my style can last a hell of a lot longer than I would ever expect. The bottom line is this: Don't believe you have to drop all your rent money on a good shampoo and conditioner. A completely transformative duo awaits for less than $10.
L'Oréal Paris Total Repair 5 Restoring Shampoo, $4.99, available at Ulta Beauty.