The Gratis Thread 🛍🎉

[cianni]

A place to say thank you, provide reviews and first impressions, or follow up on gratis received after more use!

Many of us have been very lucky to receive gratis (thanks Sephora!), and I’ve been finding that while it’s easy to initially post about receiving it and initial reviews, it’s not as easy to follow up! 

I thought maybe we could have a dedicated thread to follow-ups and reviews with products we’ve received after we’ve been using them for a while, especially because it’s sometimes hard to find the original thank you and first impressions threads.

[eshoe]

The skincare I’ve tried from them seems best for normal/oily skin @curlychiquita I agree. I bought the Watermelon Moisturizer but use it as a serum in the winter. Love that everyone has had a positive experience with it so far!

[lmaster]

@curlychiquita @eshoe I still need to try this!! I have just a little left in a ds volition celery, maybe another week

[eshoe]

You are extraordinarily patient, @lmaster! 

[lmaster]

Hardly ever lol @eshoe 🤣

[lmaster]

Great reviews! @eshoe I'm really loving theamika Reset Scalp Clarifying Gel Shampooand amika Reset Scalp Cooling Gel Conditioneri know the scent of the conditioner is not everyone's favorite, but I actually like it, and love the cooling sensation it gives! I'm also very much loving the Virtue The Perfect Ending Split End Serum 1.7 oz/ 50 mL, I'm still not convinced the price is justified quite yet

[ather]

@lmaster  I’ve been looking at those shampoo and conditioners!! Glad to hear a great review 

[lmaster]

@ather the conditioner has a menthol cooling scent and feel, I personally love it

[eshoe]

That’s good to hear about the Virtue, @lmaster. Im going to focus on that one in the next couple of weeks 👍🏼

[KatieBT]

Happy Friday BIC! I wanted to jump in and share my thoughts on the amika Reset Scalp Clarifying Gel Shampoo and amika Reset Scalp Cooling Gel Conditioner since I've been testing both out for about 1.5 months now.

I wash my hair 1-2x/week so have used this pair 3-4 times yet I can already tell a difference and feel like my scalp is in better shape than it was two months ago. To be honest, my scalp has been was dry and itchy so I thought it would only get worse with the "cold" weather we've been experiencing in San Francisco. I also wasn't sure something that's meant to absorb oil would help balance my scalp.

I use a lot of dry shampoo so think that the clarifying shampoo has been helping with product buildup. I see less flakey texture in my hair as well! I haven't been needing as much dry shampoo and feel like I haven't needed to shampoo my hair more than once/week. This is a plus for me because my hair is super dry and I prefer to skip shampoo whenever possible! I am excited to continue using this and definitely recommend to anyone with scalp dryness or oiliness they want absorbed. I feel like my scalp is so much more balanced using this duo!

[ather]

@KatieBT  Sounds awesome!! 

[PrettyPaint]

@KatieBT  That sounds just perfect! I have some trouble with my ends getting dry from too much washing, so I'm tempted to give this a try to see if it will help me decrease how often I use shampoo. 

[KatieBT]

@PrettyPaint If your ends are dry I would avoid washing them with shampoo if you aren’t doing so already! I only scrub my scalp with this shampoo and smother my ends with the conditioner. I feel like water + any in-shower hair product is all you need to get your hair clean, but that’s a personal opinion! I know some people feel the need to wash their ends with shampoo. 

[PrettyPaint]

Thanks @KatieBT. This is going to sound ridiculous, but I think I need to make a conscious effort next time I shampoo to know for sure what I usually do because it's second nature at this point. I think I usually just kind of massage it into my scalp moving upwards, but I'm wondering if a bit too much shampoo gets on my ends this way. I'll definitely give your suggestions a try! 

[Guessgal]

Chiming in to say I agree with you, @KatieBT! Not only are my ends dry, but I’ve also grown it to waist length (who am I trying to be?! Rapunzel? 😂) so those 2 reasons have kept me from shampooing my ends. I find that my ends are less dry this way and I end up having to apply less smoothing/nourishing treatments to the ends as a result

[KatieBT]

@Guessgal I didn’t know you grew your hair to waist-length! I feel like you must have a lot of great tips to maintaining hair health - I cut my mermaid(ish) long tresses and feel like I’ll never get back to what I had... I’m also impatient since it’s only been 4 months 😄

Any and all pro tips on how you grow out long and healthy hair are always appreciated by me! 

[Guessgal]

@KatieBT Sorry for the late reply! I was trying to find where my dry styling oil wandered off to 😉 I keep my super long hair nourished using the Marc Anthony Strengthening Grow Long shampoo + conditioner. I switched to this after my dyed hair faded and my priorities became less about colour-safe products and more about anti-breakage, which I find this duo combats well! Additionally, for the ends I alternate between Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme (this gratis item is still in my regimen, thanks again @TeamBIC ) and Marc Anthony Dry Styling Oil. This oil smells amazing and I’ve repurchased it many times! These latter two products really help when my ends feel a surge of dryness, probably attributed to the chlorine from swimming weekly. Hope this info is useful to you!!

[KatieBT]

Thank you so much for sharing @Guessgal this is incredibly helpful! And I have never heart of that brand but “grow long” is a name and goal I can get behind!! 

I have the Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme and definitely need to use it more. My ends need the extra TLC as I have gotten into the habit of using heat tools much more since the holidays. 

[lmaster]

I'm impressed as well @KatieBT glad to see it's helping in those areas you need most

[KatieBT]

@lmaster 'twas a pleasant surprise, indeed!

[naturalooks15]

@KatieBT  @faeriegirl  How does this Amika shampoo compare with Living Proof Triple detox? My daughter's scalp gets so oily even the second day so thinking this might be a good milder option. 

[faeriegirl]

@naturalooks15  The Amika is definitely a milder option. LP triple detox cleans much deeper. I like the Amika shampoo but I don’t like the scent of the conditioner at all. The shampoo cleans well but I still have to wash my hair daily or it gets oily.