I’ve written long and often about my love for Sunsilk’s styling products; in particular, their Anti-Flat styling cream. Which doesn’t necessarily give my hair extra volume, but does smooth it down and keep it straight and un-poufy – which is what I seek in a stylling product.

But now I’ve found another styling cream, and I feel like I’ve betrayed Sunsilk.

It started innocently enough. I went to my local Target (yes, I tend to go every day. Why are you judging me?) to pick up more Sunsilk Anti-Flat. However, my Target had run out of the ONLY styling product I require them to carry. Bastards.

Normally I’d just go to another Target. As I’ve said before, going to two Targets in a day is NOT a bad thing. But this was Tuesday the 4th, and it was blizzard-ing to beat the band. (Why “beat the band?” Do we hate the band?) So I didn’t WANT to drive to another Target, just to get my Sunsilk fix.

Next to Sunsilk in the hair care department of Target is Herbal Essences. Now, I am not a big fan of Herbal Essences as a rule. First, their product’s scents are insanely strong. Which wouldn’t bother me (I like scent), but their smells tend toward the chemical, not-found-in-nature fruit smells. I do not care for that.

Second, and this is a stupid reason I know, their marketing campaign drives me nuts. It is SOOOOO cutesy-poo-poo and overly tongue-in-cheek. I feel like they’re trying to compete with the fabulously snarky Sunsilk ads. If this is the case, they are failing.

However, I was in a style product bind, so I begrudgingly picked up a bottle of Herbal Essences Break’s Over Strengthening Leave-in Crème. Yes, Crème. Yes, that is pretentious.

The one thing I automatically like about this product is the bottle (minus the annoying marketing messages on it). It’s a squeezy-top bottle, NOT a pump. The thing I hate about Anti-Flat (do you hear me, Sunsilk makers?) is the pump.

Pumps are the most non-user-friendly method of product dispensing ever. They get pump boogers and they’re hard to reseal for travel (you actually can’t reseal Anti-Flat AT ALL). Plus, it’s impossible to use up all the product without screwing the top off, putting the pump and pump straw on the counter (thus getting hair goo everywhere), and banging the remnants into the palm of your hand. I do not care for that, either.

So, the bottle for Herbal Essences wins automatic points. But what about the actual hair crème (ugh, PRETENTIOUS) itself?

It’s thicker than Anti-Flat, so I have to be careful not to use too much, as I am wont to do. It softens and smoothes down my hair, without making it stringy and flat. It didn’t add extra time to my blow-drying schedule. It kept my hair straight all day, without it kinking up into non-Giselle Budchen waves. And the smell, Coco Mango, was not obnoxious. It doesn’t smell anything like coco or mango, but at least it’s mild and not too chemical-y.

All in all, it’s a solid contender against Sunsilk Anti-Flat. I think it might be too moisturizing and not straightening enough to use in humid climates (if you shoot for perfectly straight hair, like I do), but for dry and nasty Minnesota winters, it’s perfect.

Product Of The Day: Herbal Essences Break’s Over Strengthening Leave-In Crème. You can find it at Target for $2.69 (30 cents cheaper than Sunsilk) in the hair product aisle.
Now I think I need to go to couples counseling with my Anti-Flat. Will it forgive me? Will I have to take a lie-detector test on the Maury Show? And will I have to dress like a slut?

NOTE: This blog entry comes to you LIVE from my brother and SIL’s library – while my nephew Piglet crawls at my feet saying HOOT and GOO. So hoot and goo, y’all!