AURA PERSONALISED HAIRCARE IS UNDERRATED

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When personalised haircare hit the market, there was one product line that seemed to dominate every ad on social media, and don't get me wrong: I had great experiences with it, but was pleasantly surprised by Aura (from eSalon). I hadn't heard much about it until I was asked if I'd like to try a few things and thought 'why not?' Today I'm returning my thoughts!

Aura is by eSalon, who I've had a subscription with (paid for by me) for around about two years now, since the start of COVID. They create customised hair colours so you can get salon-like results at home, and there is a colour-support haircare line from eSalon, but creating this more general personalised haircare brand seems like a pretty natural progression. Although the products ship from LA, you don't get any expensive shipping or customs charges and it only takes around a week or so for them to arrive. Currently there's shampoo, conditioner and a hair mask available from Aura, with savings available if you buy the bundle and / or subscribe to keep your stash topped up. Obviously, to get your personalised routine, you need to establish your hair's needs and your hair goals. It's really quick but actually contains quite a bit of nuance which helped me to really nail down what I was expecting from these products in terms of ingredients and textures.

The shampoo, conditioner and masque are worth £30 each (though - as mentioned - you get a discount if you buy all three).  For context, I test hair care products by rotating products into my set routine for two weeks at a time individually, then using the full system to see how it works for me on both levels. I chose the scent of Island Reverie for my products in a medium scent level and my goals were: scalp care, repair and moisture. I do wish that the shampoo options were a little more in-depth so you can specify what sort of scalp care you want, as I have a dry scalp but not dandruff and the two scalp states need different ingredients. This shampoo contains tea tree, which is definitely helpful for scalp issues, but I'd have liked to see more moisturising ingredients in here. I felt this gently cleansed my hair and scalp, but I kind of look for something that leaves it in a better condition than it found it. I like this but I don't love it, which is why it's my least-favourite product individually from the range.

Pivoting to my favourite: the masque delivered for me as part of this three-step system but also when I used it within my old routine and also when I transitioned into testing out something new after my trial period for this line had technically run its course. This is packed full of moisturising, nourishing and hydrating goodness in castor oil, murumuru butter, fatty alcohol, glycerin, shea butter and Vitamin E. However, at the same time, this has a very light texture; you're definitely not caking on some thick, heavy product that's going to leave your hair feeling weighed down. Somehow this leaves my hair soft, smooth, a little more shiny and feeling a lot more healthy without that heavy, greasy finish. It really is remarkable for me how they combine these deep-conditioning agents with such a lovely feel in my hair.

Then we have the conditioner: again, it's not some thick heavy gloop, it's lightweight and easy for the hair to take but still gives that lovely slip. This honestly has a lot of similar ingredients to the hair mask in my personal formulas, but it's a gentle, light, weightless support to the overall routine. It really is about personal preference: I don't think you desperately need both. If you're more low-maintenance and can't be doing with the faff of a hair mask, then I'd recommend the shampoo and conditioner combination. If you're like me and you really need that deep-nourishing treatment in your life: go for the hair mask. 

I did really enjoy the combination of the three, but if I'm being totally realistic on what I'll go back and subscribe to with my own money (considering how many haircare products I have on standby!): it has to be the hair masque. Overall, I think I enjoyed these products more than  some of the hyped-up products on the market and I'm not sure why I don't hear more about them. They're definitely more on the high-end side of things but even with my liberal application,  they're lasting me an impressive amount of time! If you're interested in personalised haircare: definitely check it out...

Have you ever tried personalised haircare?

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