Cécred’s Styling Collection Has Me Using Hot Tools For The First Time In Years

In our series Trial Run, TZR editors and writers put the buzziest new beauty products to the test and share their honest reviews. This week, beauty writer Eden Stuart is testing the buzzy Cécred Styling Collection.

When the opportunity to try Cécred’s new styling products hit my inbox, I was momentarily apprehensive. It had nothing to do with the products — I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with the brand. And if there’s any celebrity I trust to know more than a thing or two about maintaining hair health while heat styling, it’s Beyoncé.

I was hesitant because I hadn’t straightened my type 4 hair in years. And that’s no exaggeration: Apart from using a blow-dry brush to stretch out my hair a few times for braids or trims, I quite literally could not remember the last time I had worn a straight style.

But when you get the chance to try out new products from one of the most innovative hair care brands out there, you take it. So, on a Friday afternoon in late February, I hopped on a train and headed to a cozy salon in Manhattan. There, I had the pleasure of learning more about the collection directly from the experts — Beyoncé’s stylist (!!!) Neal Farinah and Kari Williams, trichologist and Cécred’s director of education — before experiencing the products firsthand during a styling session.

Read on for a full breakdown of the products and my experience with them, both in and out of the salon.

Fast Facts

• Price: $18–$38
• Size: 5 oz–8 oz
• Clean/Cruelty-Free: Yes
• Best For: Heat styling for all hair types
• Ingredient Highlights: StemShield Complex and Thermal Gloss Blend
• What We Like: Every product offers heat protection, products cater to a variety of styles, great fragrance
• What We Don’t Like: So far, so great
• Rating: 5/5

How TZR Keeps Score: 1/5: Making a return; 2/5: Keeping as a backup; 3/5: Finishing to the last drop; 4/5: Recommending to my group texts; 5/5: Already on auto-replenish.

The Products

The brand’s debut styling collection includes six styling products (and an edge brush). The big headline is that every one of the offerings protects hair from heat and humidity up to 450 degrees, powered by the brand’s StemShield Complex and Thermal Gloss Blend. Other ingredients that pop up include hydrolyzed silk, panthenol, and jojoba oil, all of which support strength, shine, texture, or some combination of all the above.

• As the name suggests, the Thermal Mist Shield is a pretty straightforward heat-protectant: It’s a super fine mist that you spray on damp hair ahead of heat styling to, well, shield your strands. It targets humidity, pollution, and frizz, too, and is ideal for silk presses and blowouts.
• Speaking of silk presses, the Heat Activated Silk Glaze is formulated to deliver “glass hair” in as few flat-iron passes as possible. Situated somewhere between gel and liquid in consistency, you apply it to damp hair before blow-drying. It then harnesses the heat and tension of the hot tools to deliver frizz-free, mirror-like shine.
• The Volumizing Mousse is all about that body ‘ody, ‘ody. Applied to damp hair ahead of blow-drying, it’s a whipped cream-esque confection of a product (but of course, don’t eat it) that adds the weightless volume and bounce everyone thinks of when they hear “supermodel hair.” You apply it to damp hair from roots to ends before blow-drying.
• Another must-have for a bouncy blowout, the Flexible Hold Hairspray is a lightweight mist that creates a soft cast over the hair to lock in the style. Upon initial spritz, it provides a relatively light hold — and that’s a feature, not a bug. She’s designed to be workable (without getting too ahead of myself, my stylist applied the spray both before and after styling) and to layer without stiffness or flaking.
• The Wrap & Set Foam might be the most versatile product of the lot: It can be used to mold and set styles as wide-ranging as roller sets, braid-outs, and wraps (and in a few months, I’d wager #HairTok will have discovered even more). It has a bubble-like consistency, can be used with or without heat, and is formulated to control frizz for a whopping 72 hours while providing hold and body.
• Lastly, there’s the Strong Hold Gel, designed to provide both firmness and flexibility for up to 24 hours. The brand says it “delivers a balanced moisture-to-hold ratio,” and I think that’s apparent right out of the tube; it feels much more malleable than your standard edge gel, but with a tackiness to the touch that makes it clear you’ll get that hold.

Plus, all the products have the brand’s signature Temple Oud fragrance, a very clean-smelling blend with notes including Australian sandalwood, warm musk, and blooming jasmine. So, if and when you layer them, you don’t have to worry about any conflicting smells.

My Salon Experience

At the salon, guests were invited to choose from a catalog of styles, including a silk press or a roller set. I went for The Cécred Signature Blowout: A straight style with bouncy volume turned all the way up to Level Bombshell.

After washing and conditioning my hair, my stylist went in with the Thermal Shield Mist and Volumizing Mousse before blow-drying. I was a bit suspicious at first; I have textured hair and a lot of it, so I didn’t see why I would need a boost in that department. But it was absolutely the move: After she flat-ironed — using the Flexible Hold Hairspray for added heat protection and hold — my hair had so much movement and energy.

She used the flat iron to curl my hair, then pinned those curls as she worked through the rest of my head. Once the last curl had been cued, she used her fingers to comb through and release them, then locked everything in one last time with hairspray.

As for the results… well, dear reader, even though I quite literally write for a living, I don’t know if I can put into words how happy I was with my results. My plush, buoyant bob looked so effortless, yet sophisticated. As I told everyone in the salon, the new style made me feel like an ‘80s TV star (complimentary). I wanted to find the nearest high-end bar and throw a martini in a man’s face before storming out in a puff of expensive perfume. Alas, I had to settle for swinging by Target before going back home to Brooklyn to take a bunch of selfies.

So pleased I was with the results that I ended up hanging on to my blow-out entirely too long… as in a full two weeks. Criminal, I know, but I was that obsessed with the style and the flood of compliments I received from it. And honestly, it was so easy to keep layering on the hairspray. Even when I reached my long-overdue wash day, my hair was still pretty flexible and low on the crunch factor. But nothing good can last forever, and I did have to let my salon-crafted bob go.

My At-Home Experience

After washing and conditioning my hair with the Cécred Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub and Hydrating Conditioner, I applied the brand’s Moisture Sealing Lotion, towel-dried, and surveyed my coils. I’m thrilled to report that they appeared to be perfectly intact, with no heat damage in sight.

In an attempt to recreate the magic at the salon, I sectioned my hair, applied the Thermal Shield Mist and Volumizing Mousse, and dried it using the Shark FlexStyle, specifically the round brush attachment. After my whole head was dry, I sprayed it with the Flexible Hold Hairspray, flat ironed, then went back in with the FlexStyle — this time using the Curler Attachments — to add a little body and bounce.

Keeping it completely honest: I am simply not patient enough to do straight styles on my own hair. My sections were just too big, and ultimately, I didn’t get my roots straight enough. My at-home bouncy bob was a bit of a bust; however, thanks to the Flexible Hold Hairspray and more than a handful of Flexi Rods, I was able to salvage the endeavor a bit. I’m currently rocking a bit of a “bouffant, but make it chic” situation that I’m really vibing with.

It feels crucial to note that my blow-dried hair had plenty of luster, shine, and body. And again, my initial blowout bounced right back as soon as the water hit it. So I’m already plotting my next move with this suite of products: A flexi-rod set using the Wrap & Set Foam, the FlexStyle round brush, and just a tiny touch more patience.

To make sure I was properly test-driving as many products as possible, I also asked my younger sister (who also happens to be my roommate) to get behind the wheel and try out the Strong Hold Gel and Wrap & Set Foam. For her twist-out, she started by twisting with the Strong Hold Gel, before “setting” everything with the Wrap & Set Foam. Initially, she was both impressed and concerned by the gel’s relatively light weight — she’s usually a curl cream girlie — but after it dried, she was super impressed by how little frizz she had, how shiny her twists looked, and the lack of flaking. Once she unravelled them, they still looked really shiny. “It’s not sticky or heavy either,” she said. “It kinda feels like I used a cream, but with more hold.”

Are Cécred’s New Styling Products Worth It?

The Cécred Styling Collection offers heat protection for every step in your post-wash routine (and even a couple for maintenance), with solutions that can help you create a wide range of styles and innovative formulas that smell pretty fabulous, too. If you heat style regularly— or, like me, do it sparingly, but really, really care about the integrity of your curl pattern — these products are absolutely worth adding to your cart.

The Cécred Styling Collection is available now on Cecred.com and at Ulta Beauty starting April 5.