Phyto Plage Range Review - Sun, Sea and Sand Screen For Your Hair?

Having spent my summer in a significantly sunnier spot than London this year I really have noticed the sun damage to my hair. I am much drier than normal, my colour fades three times as fast and each time I re-dye my hair (no bleach involved - see here for how I do it) I end up a couple of shades lighter. I have a beautiful beach 20 minutes away from my door called Villefranche, take a peek, it's paradise for me but hell for my hair:

The Beautiful bay of Villefranhce Sur Mer.

I dutifully sit with at least my head and face under my beach brolly on our twice weekly visits but I simply can not resit the sea and despite my best efforts, my hair always ends up wet. I can't help it! The sea is just so good when it's 30 degrees plus and my poor, palest-girl-on-the-beach skin is feeling the heat. 

The Phyto Plage Range I purchased

So what does every good French girl do? Head to Le Pharmacie of course (For another post on the joys of the French Pharmacie head here). 

I found the Phyto Plage range tucked amongst all the other hair goodies, made especially for the beach. Perfect. I had some experience of the brand too - I really recomend their Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask for Dry Hair - In the UK you can pick it up from John Lewis etc or online here with 15% off too, along with all the other products mentioned in this review. With that in mind I purchased the Apres-Soleil Repair Spray, Huile Protectrice Protective Sun Oil and Apres Soleil Rehydrating Shampoo. 

After Sun Repair Spray

Firstly lets start with the really good. The After Sun Repair spray is great, it really did bring my hair back to a manageable state. It brought back the softness and sleekness that a day at the beach takes out of your hair. It is enriched with keratin and saffron extract and the smell is almost like baby powder. I have this in my beach bag at all times now, the consistency is easy to spray in and comb through, then it sinks in nicely. Once it has been absorbed by my hair I am ready to go, it doesn't need to be rinsed out and doesn't weigh my super fine hair down at all. A highly recommended product for beach babes. 

After Sun Shampoo and Body Wash

Next up is the Okay. The Shampoo and body wash also has a slightly baby powder smell to it, which is quite pleasant after the harshness of a day pool or beach side. The smell reminds you that you are taking care of yourself! As a cleansing body wash it is wonderful, I really did feel that it lifted the salt and sand from my skin and I didn't feel stripped dry afterwards. This product isn't really suitable for my hair type, I got a lot of colour dye run off. For me it's just a bit too good at cleansing coloured hair! I am in no doubt that it cleaned the salt, sand and chlorine from my hair but it is just not gentle enough for my prone-to-fading red hair. My hair did feel in nice condition and very clean afterwards, so I think this would be a good addition to throw in the beach bag for those with unprocessed hair. It's a bit expensive to be just a body wash.

Protective Sun Oil

The consistency of the oil rubbed into skin

Finally, the Bad. The one product I was most excited about was the Protective Sun Oil. I use quite a lot of oils on my hair as it is dry and was really keen to protect my hair from UV, it seemed a perfect match. Again it has a similar scent to the other products in the range, and consistency wise it feels like any other "dry" oil. The directions state to spray onto dry or damp hair and reapply after swimming. I applied this just after arriving at the beach and it was all at once heavy and drying. In order to coat my hair enough to get the UV benefit my hair looked like I hadn't washed it in a month. The product made my hair clump together and look greasy yet it felt incredibly dry. The closest thing I can compare the feel of my hair to at that point was if someone had doused it in salt spray or if I had been in the sea - exactly what I was trying to avoid. Maybe if it produced a wet look it could be used on the beach but the end result was simply that my hair felt and looked dirty, which is a real shame. I can't really tell you if it protected from UV and the sea as it would have needed longer testing. Knowing the brand I am sure it will have done but for me it is unwearable.

Round Up

The after sun products definitely perform the best, since purchasing I have also read very good things about the Pyhto Plage Apres Soleil reparing masque from the same range. The problem with this is that I want to stop or cut down on the damage in the first instance, not simply try and repair it after that fact. That said, I will most certainly be repurchasing the repairing spray, it is a great leave in product. 

How do you protect your hair from the Sun? Can you recommend a UV protective spray for hair?