Photo: Courtesy of Phyto Universe
With summer officially here, I had visions of tossing my deep conditioner out the window and embracing naturally sleek strands. But in spite of saying goodbye to dry air, my dry hair remained—what the heck? Determined to get shiny, TV commercial-worthy tresses, I marched into NYC’s Phyto Universe and promptly handed my hair over to Marina, a Phyto expert. Sitting me down in front of what looked like a mini computer screen, she began studiously rubbing an ultrasound-like lens on sections of my hair. As she did so, my magnified roots and ends appeared on the monitor. The sight of my scalp and hair shafts initially gave me the creeps, but then I couldn’t turn away. (And neither could Marina, who was determined to find a split end to show me!)
When no split end could be found—my regular hairstylist will be so proud!—it was decided that my lackluster coif was the result of inadequate moisture and product residue. Enter Phyto Universe’s new Summer Bliss Treatment. Whisking me away to a private cabin, Marina began brushing my hair with a boar bristle brush and massaging my scalp. Next, she combined egg yolk oil (to restore protein), soybean protein (to restructure), sunflower extract (to protect against UV damage), cashew oil, Shea butter, and pastel oil (to moisturize and nourish). After throwing in a few customized ingredients for my specific hair condition, she applied the entire mixture on my strands.
The following part wasn’t so fun (I get restless easily)—I sat with my head under a steam-filled dome and played the waiting game while the mask worked its magic. On the flipside, the extra 20 minutes provided plenty of time to envision my soon-to-be-sleek hair (and I haven’t awakened from my reverie since, by the way). After reappearing to rinse, shampoo, and condition my strands, Marina blow-dried my hair to a silky-smooth finish. Two weeks later, my tresses still look and feel more hydrated, though I’ll likely have to devise my own at-home concoction or go back for another session soon—I’m so addicted to the results, I don’t want them to ever wear off!
