The Vine: January 16, 2009
Dear Sars,
My husband and I need help with a hair product dilemma.We have both used Aveda Elixir for years to manage hair that is fine, straight and flyaway (his) and thick, curly and frizzy (mine).We’re both extremely smell-sensitive and headache-prone, and Elixir did a fantastic job of taming both problems without being greasy or sticky, and with the major added benefit of having a reeeeaaally mild scent.
Aveda recently discontinued Elixir, and we’re having an extremely difficult time finding comparable product(s) that don’t smell like perfume or chemicals.Do you and/or your readers have any suggestions that could help us?
I can only afford to buy $100 bottles of Elixir on eBay for so long…
Dear Afford,
And AB Chao jumps in here in three…two…
Okay, my first suggestion is to call Aveda or visit one of their department-store counters, and ask for the most similar product.A counterperson will probably give you a small sample, and if the product doesn’t work for you, no harm done — you can just try something the readers propose, which is my second suggestion.
Readers, we need a hair product similar to Aveda Elixir, unscented or mildly scented.Preferably you’ll have some familiarity with the Elixir so that you can speak to what’s similar about the product you recommend; thanks.
Tags: Ask The Readers health and beauty
I don’t know of a product, but I am flabbergasted to hear any Aveda product described as having a mild scent. I mean, I love love love the way Aveda stuff smells, but I’ve never found Aveda-anything that doesn’t eliminate the need to wear perfume. Is (was) Elixir that different?
I encountered the same problem but luckily someone at the store was able to help me. I’m not sure if this will work for you since I also use Confixor but the men’s line of Aveda has a product called Aveda Men Pure-Formance Liquid Pomeade which is a combo of Confixor and Elixir. You might want to try it out – it worked for my fine curly hair.
Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Serum has a really light scent (it’s almost like watermelon gum, but it’s almost completely unnoticeable), and works really well on my hair (curly/wavy, super thick, long, prone to frizz). A friend of mine with straighter (but still thick) hair likes it as well, but I don’t know how well it would work on thin hair – my hunch is that it might be a little too heavy.
Maybe some more info on what Elixir actually is like would be helpful. Is it liquidy or more like a gel or wax? ‘m not sure I’ve ever come across any single product that would work very well for fine flyaway hair and thick frizzy hair, but if there are any recommendations I’ll be interested in them too (I have fine hair, my son has the thick sometimes frizzy stuff).
I used to use Elixir myself (super-fine and wavy), and while I did invest in an expensive eBay bottle, these days I mostly find myself using the Aveda Pure Abundance conditioner instead. It does have a light smell, especially compared to Elixir (I just did a sniff comparison), but I only ever smell it when it’s actually in my hair, and goes away when I rinse. I’d describe it as slippery rather than greasy, if that makes sense–it’s definitely got a lighter feel than most conditioners. If you’re willing to deal with the scent, it’s worth trying.
Try Sunsilk. The stuff I have is pretty perfumey, but there’s quite a few different versions of it and you might be able to find an unscented one, it’s worth looking into anyway. And it does marvelous things managing my ridiculous poofy hair. As a bonus, it tends to be pretty inexpensive and I find it everywhere.
Try Bumble and Bumble’s “Defrizz”. No fragrance, no colors, no nothing.
And I might as well add something helpful to the thread, while I’m asking semi-rhetorical questions…here’s the product that Aveda claims replaced Elixir: http://tinyurl.com/7s9c5b
Haven’t tried it, no other warranties expressed or implied, etc. An Aveda rep claims that, compared to Elixir, the new product is “a more superior performing product than Elixir – a much more technologically advanced plant-based formula with very strong performance benefits, such as 12 hour humidity defense and heat protection.”
You might try CHI Silk Infusion. It isn’t greasy like a lot of serums that I’ve used, and the smell is nice without being overwhelming. Plus it isn’t overly feminine, so your fellow won’t smell girly if that is an issue. I have used it for quite awhile, as my hair is basically how you described your own. It’s also pretty cheap, 11 dollars for a medium sized bottle, and it lasts forever. Good luck!
I’ll second the Bumble and Bumble “Defrizz” recommendation. I have thick hair that’s prone to top-of-the-head frizzies and putting it in wet before blow-drying completely kills them. It can also be used in teeny tiny doses for spot control. There’s no smell to it, at all, which I also like. It can be found on the internet or, if you’re lucky, in SuperTargets, in the “salon” hair care aisle.
Disclaimer- I worked for Aveda for a long time, don’t anymore (went into a totally different field), but still love and use their products. I receive no compensation, etc., etc., for recommending products, and am not affiliated with the company beyond being a customer. Et cetera.
Elixir was marketed as a leave-in conditioner, with no hold, and was actually discontinued long enough ago to not really be “recently.” (At least a year, maybe more.) Given the shelf life of plant-based products, any of it still floating around is probably close to going icky pretty soon. I find most Aveda products to have a pretty strong smell, although I like it because it doesn’t smell like chemicals or fake grapes, just herbal/flowery.
You might want to try the new Style Prep smoother, which is good for frizzies, without any real hold, if you put it in damp hair before drying or air-drying. The men’s liquid pomade has a fair amount of hold to it, which Elixir didn’t, and will almost definitely not pass your mild scent test. The Be Curly lotion would probably work well for you. My hair sounds similar to your husband’s and I use the Pure Abundance shampoo and conditioner (“slippery” is indeed a good way to describe it- it still volumizes but no staticky flyaways), and a drop of the Light Elements smoothing fluid, which is a serum, no hold, but really super lightweight, and hardly any smell. I seem to generate a ton of static (enough to constantly shock myself in the winter), and the smoothing fluid keeps the sticking straight-out seemingly magnetized pieces of hair back where they belong.
Non-Aveda: have you tried Kiehl’s Silk Groom? Tons of people I know of all hair types swear by it.
Good luck- I know how much trying to replace a beloved product sucks.
Aveda also discontinued Sap Moss, so I understand your sadness. By all accounts, the Smooth Infusion is supposed to replace Elixir, but I would definitely talk to someone at an Aveda salon. The man stuff is awesome, too, and smells even better than regular Aveda, so try that one as well.
I used Bumble & Bumble Styling creme for thin, curly, frizzy hair. Wife uses it as well for thick, wavy hair. Light scent. Available at CVS and salons; and oddly enough, the salons around here are cheaper…
@Marie: salon products in drugstores are almost always more expensive than in salons, mostly because they tend to be what’s called “diverted” product. The manufacturers don’t sell directly to drugstores, a third party purchases the product at retail price or close to it, often from salons that are closing or unscrupulous accounts, then sells it to drugstores, who raise prices. There’s also no guarantee as to what’s in the bottles when they’re in drug or grocery stores. Paul Mitchell has one of the most active anti-diversion programs in the industry, so if anyone cares, Google “Paul Mitchell” and “diverted products” to see what the heck I’m talking about.
I used Elixir for years and switched to Tigi Catwalk Curls Rock Curl Amplifier. The scent is just as mild as Elixir’s was, and it actually holds my curls much better with less frizz. It’s so wonderful that I’ve expanded to using the Curls Rock shampoo and conditioner as well. :)
Kerastase Oleo-Relax does the same thing with minimum scent-pervasiveness, and has the all-important not-gross texture.
I’ve got no product suggestions here, but if we citizens of TN can’t come up with something that helps, try over at http://www.naturallycurly.com. You can browse the reviews or the forum or, if you register, you can ask the curlies themselves. Many of them have family members with straight hair, so they might have some ideas.
OMG! I had this same issue when they discontinued Elixir. I ended up buying a couple (VERY EXPENSIVE) bottles off eBay, but I’ve also tried what bossyboots recommended and thought it did a similarly good job as a replacement. I still wish they would bring back Elixir, though…
I second the “Super Skinny” suggestion by Paul Mitchell. It has a very light scent, but it works, in my experience, with all hair types. I have ultra-fine, super straight hair, and my boyfriend has super thick, ultra curly hair, and we both love it. It’s designed to help speed up the drying process (which it definitely does), but it has the added benefit of curbing the flyaways and frizzies. It’s not as light on the scent, but it’s not nearly as overpowering as other products.
@RB. Interesting. I had assumed a large drugstore like CVS would be cheaper given the bulk purchasing power. And that the product would want to partner with a chain for market exposure.
Good thing I buy from salons! No off the truck product for me!
Never used the elixer, but I do use the Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother, and find it works well on my thick, fine, flyaway, slightly wavy hair. It doesn’t do a thing if I don’t blow-dry, though.
I also sometimes use the Light Elements smoothing fluid after drying:
http://tinyurl.com/light-elements
I’m not particularly sensitive to sceents, but I don’t notice a fragrance with either.
LOVED Elixir, and was devastated when they stopped making it. It’s a great leave-in conditioner for my super straight thick-ish hair — it was awesome in controlling the flyaways and keeping everything smooth and finished. Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-in Conditioning Creme is the solution! Excellent conditioning and smoothing, not heavy at all and a fresh scent, not fruity or flowery, which I cannot handle. Best part, find it at any discount or drug store, no more trips to the mall.
See? I *knew* the TN readers would have some great ideas! Unfortunately, the Style Prep smoother and Smooth Infusion conditioner didn’t pass the smell test for us, but I’ll work through the other options until I find just the right thing. Thank you all *so much* for the suggestions!
Late, but I’m a huge fan of the Giovanni Serum. Giovanni’s stuff doesn’t have a strong smell, works extremely well, and is cruelty-free. You can find it at Whole Foods and stores like that, as well as “hair stuff” stores, as I call them.