There was a time, not so long ago, back when I was growing up, that VO5 was THE word in hair care and styling. I remember Saturday afternoons in Boots with friends, trying to decide if I could afford a hot oil treatment, hoping against hope that it would make my straw-like over-dyed hair soft and silky like the swishy girls in the ads.
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But then, all of a sudden, there were other things to be looking at. It’s not that VO5 went anywhere, more that they simply stayed the same while newer and more exciting products came along. This spring VO5 are relaunching with revamped products, shocking pink packaging and very friendly price point, so we thought we’d put one or two to the test.

The new collection contains the full range of hair care products, from shampoo to styling, all of which are made with ‘added heat protection’ to help prevent damaging your hair whilst drying/curling/straightening. The collection is separated into three subcategories: Plump It Up, Smoothly Does It and Give Me Texture, all of which are fairly self-explanatory. Due to time restrictions, we opted to try a couple of the Give Me Texture products, namely the Tousled Style Spray and Choppy Cream Wax.

VO5 Give Me Texture Choppy Cream Wax – designed with shorter hair styles in mind, this works fabulously at defining layers and keeping your hair where you want it. For best results use on wet hair (learn from our mistakes and don’t be tempted to give it a try when your hair is dry... unless you’re aiming for a clumpy sand-blasted look, in which case, go right ahead!), warming a small amount in your hand before application. A little goes quite a long way, so don’t be tempted to over-apply. When used correctly VO5 Give Me Texture Choppy Cream Wax works brilliantly and smells amazing.

VO5 Give Me Texture Tousled Style Spray – If you have longer hair that can’t decide if it’s straight or curly, this could be the product for you.  The directions on the bottle read ‘spray onto dry hair and lift, scrunch and twist,’ which sounds a little too easy to be true, but actually achieves great results, adding waves and definition to achieve that perfect care-free summer style. It works equally well on towel-dried hair with similar results. Again, the VO5 Give Me Texture Tousled Style Spray should be used in moderation to avoid crisping, but that only means that this affordable little bottle lasts all the longer.

VO5 Styling products are priced from £3.36 and are available from Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and independent chemists nationwide.