Bumble & Bumble has been on my radar for quite some time. It took ages for them to reach Sweden; unlike today, where new brands seem less and less difficult to come by. And by the time the brand got more readily available, I had fallen more into natural hair care. Avoiding silicones and such. But for the past year, I’ve gone back to more conventional products with a focus on cruelty-free brands. I was recently scrolling through Bumble & Bumble’s website and noticed the bunny logo next to their products! I had no idea, maybe they just became cruelty-free, maybe they’ve always been? Either way, I got so excited because I’ve always wanted to try out their cult products!
Bumble & Bumble | Summer’s in the (H)AIR SET
I decided to pick up their summer edition travel set from 2017. It contains three of their best sellers for creating that air-dried beachy summer style. There are – or were – three different sets to choose from, one for fine, thick, and curly hair. I’m not really sure what my hair is, it’s probably fine to medium – mind that B&B seems to be referring to hair density. But the only kit left when I looked was the one for thick hair. But it didn’t bother me as I rather wanted to try the new Surf Spray Infusion. I’ve been using these three products throughout the summer and on my travels. And as I’m close to finishing them up, it’s time to give my honest opinions about them!
Bb. Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Primer
★★★★☆
I rather would’ve wanted to try the cult favorite, Hairdressers Invisible oil. But I guessed this could give me a taste of what it’s about. The Bumble & Bumble Oil Primer is a pre-styler for medium to thick hair that’s either dry, damaged, or color-treated. I wouldn’t say that my hair fits the bill, but I gave it a fair try. The primer has a blend of six oils that help to soften, smooth, tame, de-frizz, detangle, and protect against breakage – without feeling heavy. Plus, it has protection against UV rays. This thing comes with a lot of promises!
Experience
I honestly didn’t expect to like it as it’s designed for hair that’s completely the opposite of mine. My first thought was that it would probably feel too heavy on my hair and make it feel greasy faster. My past experiences with any type of leave-in have left me quite dubious about these types of products. However… Surprisingly, I ended up liking it so much that I quickly jumped and bought the full size! I found it to deliver on a lot of the points it promises. However, don’t expect miracles.
Something I found it to fail in, was the de-frizzing part. It had no power to de-frizz on dry hair. On wet hair, it minimized it a bit. But overall, the Invisible Oil Primer has the ability to make your hair feel soft and look healthy. The nozzle also gives a very fine mist that doesn’t seem to clog up. The primer helps a lot in detangling, which is the #1 reason I was interested in a primer in the first place. It’s just a bonus that it also conditions the hair. However, as a refresher and re-styler, I don’t find it to be very good or do anything, to be honest.
Conclusion
I’ve used some other primers in the past. But the Bumble & Bumble Oil Primer just feels a lot more nourishing. I like that it can be used as a leave-in conditioner, as well as, protecting against the sun. With that said, I am unsure if I’d repurchase again in the future. As with all primers, they do get used up quite quickly. And this one’s not cheap. But I do think it’s a great addition for almost any hair type. As long as I find it at a discount I’ll probably jump on it. Otherwise, I’m fine using a more simple and cheaper one just for detangling.
Bb. Don’t Blow It (H)air Styler
★★★☆☆
As the name suggests, this cream is your go-to styler for air-dried perfection. Comes in two versions, for fine and thick hair. The Don’t Blow It “Thick” has a richer cream texture than the cream for fine hair. Described as a texture and body-enhancing styling cream with a product-free feel. It also got UV filters to protect your hair from the sun and will help condition, de-frizz, and add more control for an air-dried look. I’ve become a bit bad at air-drying lately, mostly because my hair doesn’t always dry to the finish I want. So the idea of this product intrigued me and was the second thing I most wanted to try in this kit!
Experience
The first time I think I took a bit too much because my hair didn’t feel very soft and felt almost dirty. Later I read that you’re only to apply a small amount of product. Once adjusting the amount, we became better acquainted.
Things I’ve noticed is that, despite it being for thick hair, it weirdly enough makes your hair feel fuller. I don’t know how people with already thick hair feel about that, but I personally enjoyed it.
The product delivers on its promise! I found my hair to dry more defined with less frizz. But it doesn’t eliminate all frizz and doesn’t really give more definition to the hair as much as I had hoped for. Not the least, it also doesn’t make the hair as soft as you’d expect. I was anticipating softer, shinier, and more defined locks, but got just more of a feeling of fuller hair with less frizz.
I didn’t try their recommendation of applying this and then twisting your hair in sections. My hair never seems to want to stay that way when trying, and that only dilutes its own natural wave. My only option is twisting and then securing it in a bun, but that would take too long for it to dry! So I would just spray some primer and then apply one small dollop on each side up to the midlength, and then let it air-dry. As always, letting it air-dry at home will result in less frizz, than when you let it dry outside in the wind.
Conclusion
My only gripe with this product was that it felt somewhat drying to the hair. I don’t know exactly why or how, it doesn’t seem to have any drying agents in the formula. I still like the idea of the product and it did, in fact, make my hair dry faster and look a bit more polished than without this product. But nothing overly impressive. I bet that a really good leave-in would give the same if not better results. I haven’t given up hope on it yet, I will try the other Don’t Blow It for fine hair, to see if I like it better. But I’m a bit afraid that it will feel even more drying(?).
Nonetheless, I have been reaching for it a lot during the summer and even right now. It lasts a long time as you don’t need a lot, I still have about half of the tube left. I do wonder though if this product could’ve been formulated better. Focusing more on shine, light conditioning, and definition. I’ll probably report back when I’ve finished this one and if I try the other one!
Bumble & Bumble Surf Infusion
★★★☆☆
Although the fine hair kit would probably suit me better, I was not so keen on using the original Surf Spray, which I’ve tried years ago. I personally, did not like it very much as it made my hair feel gritty, matte, and dry to the point that I wanted to wash it the next morning. Also, the nozzle would get clogged up. Which made the mist more concentrated than fine.
Surf sprays are supposed to mimic a day at the beach. While it definitely can be individual and, depending on which ocean you jump into, I for once have never experienced my hair being as gritty and dry from swimming in the ocean as these “beach sprays” make your hair feel. Quite the opposite! So when they came out with their Surf Infusion, which is supposed to be more conditioning, I got really excited and wanted to give it another try!
Experience
The Surf Infusion from Bumble & Bumble is definitely a better and softer version in my opinion. I enjoyed this one a lot more than the original. It has a very fine mist that covers a lot. The nozzle hasn’t gotten clogged, but instead, it has had the ability to collect oil and become slippery. But you know what, I rather deal with some excess oil dripping through than a clogged and useless nozzle! But it’s quite disappointing that there’s even a problem with the nozzle on both versions!
The hair does look a bit shinier and healthy thanks to the added oils in the formula. Still, the hair does get this gritty and dry feeling. This makes it easy for my hair to get tangled and it gets less easy to brush through. To combat some of that dryness, I’d recommend using it together with something conditioning, such as the invisible oil primer. And speaking of the primer, the Surf Infusion gets used up almost as quickly. My last complaint with this product is that it tends to make the floor slippery after use!
Conclusion
I wouldn’t mind getting the travel size again. However, after this, I’ve just come to the conclusion that salt sprays aren’t my thing. The honest truth is that this wasn’t something I would reach that much during summer. But when I did, I enjoyed the texture for a day or two before I felt the need for washing. I still feel like salt sprays dirty-fy your hair faster and it would be something I’d reach for the day before washing. The only problem is that the hair would just look even dirtier. So as much as I wanted to use this last, it’s definitely more of a first-day styling product.
My hair is naturally wavy. These beach sprays are touted to enhance that texture, but I personally don’t find them better than a curl cream. I rather focus on definition/separation, softness, and shine. Salt sprays don’t make the hair look healthy and polished. And that’s more of the look I’m trying to aim for. While Bumble & Bumble’s Surf Infusion does come close, I just find that a product like the Aircraft mousse from R+Co gives me more of that more polished and soft beach waves that I’m looking for. Which I mentioned in my Empties Vol.3 review that you’ll find here. So when it comes to beach hair I’ll go for products, like creams and mousses, that enhance my natural texture from now on. However, I would like to try the Surf Foam Spray as a last attempt to like anything from this line.
But if you do like salt sprays but would like a softer and shinier look, this is a great option that also delivers UV protection!
Bumble & Bumble kit – Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this set of products and felt it was perfectly curated to give you easily achievable summer hair. All of the products can be paired together or used separately. The price and value are worth it if you like to try things out or just stock up on travel sizes of your favorite products. As I got my kit I got the urge to buy myself another one. But I’m saving myself to try one of this year’s Getaway sets as well as having an eye on their holiday sets. I love that B&B offers a large majority of their bestsellers in travel sizes. So if you only liked one of the products in the set, but not sure you like it enough to buy the full size yet, you can just go for another mini size.
Also, none of these products have been overly fragranced, which is a huge plus for me! The scent of the Oil Primer smells like coconuts and the Don’t Blow It styling cream has a fresh “ocean breeze”-smell to it. The Salt Spray smells like the original, quite soapy-men’s-fragranced. Not really my liking and think they should really change that.
I recommend picking up one of their sets if you’re interested in the brand! You’ll find them at Sephora, Ulta, Bumble & Bumble’s official website. In Sweden/Europe: ASOS and Lookfantastic are offering the latest B&B travel sets.
Related Articles: Bumble & Bumble Get Away Curl Kit
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