Yes, what they say about having a kid changes your life is true. Most people mean that in a mostly good way, like finding purpose you didn’t know was missing and bonding with your child. Sure, that’s all true for me, but real talk: While I loved being pregnant (why didn’t anyone tell me about the full lips?), the process of finding myself again after birth left me feeling like a fawn on ice. The lack of sleep I could handle (thanks, concealer and iced coffee), but the thing that shook me was the postpartum hair breakage and hair fall.
See, my hair has always been my thing. It’s thick and wavy and trends towards frizzy, but time and a lot of product testing has helped me turn the frizz into soft waves. I color my hair—although, between a newborn and the pandemic, the cadence of my salon visits has slowed from every eight weeks to 12 or 15 weeks. I am a big air dry fan, so hot tools mostly stay in the cabinet. So when I suddenly sprouted what looked like sideburns from breakage, and my hairbrush needed cleaning multiple times a week, I knew I needed help. Enter my friends at Kérastase who generously gifted me products from the Genesis line. Desperate to not see what felt like a toupee of hair on my brush, I upped my washing schedule from two or three times a week to four or five times a week for a month.
Read on for my complete Kérastase Genesis review and to learn how the product system helped me regain postpartum confidence.
Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Fortifying Shampoo for Weakened Hair
A fortifying gel shampoo for weakened hair.
Genesis Fondant Renforcateur Fortifying Conditioner for Weakened Hair
A fortifying, lightweight conditioner for weakened hair
Genesis Serum Fortifiant Fortifying Serum for Weakened Hair
A daily fortifying serum protectant for weakened hair
Genesis Defense Thermique Fortifying Blow-Dry Fluid for Weakened Hair
A fortifying blow-dry primer for weakened hair
What does Kérastase Genesis do?
This hair care collection addresses hair fall due to hair breakage from brushing. The Genesis line is a dual-action fortifying system professionally formulated to strengthen hair and reduce hair breakage. Kérastase Genesis reduces hair fall due to breakage from brushing by 97 percent when used as a complete system.
During my month of testing, I used four core products in the line: shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, and blow-dry primer. If you’re dealing with hair breakage from brushing like me, this line might be the answer you’re looking for to help stop hair fall.
Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Fortifying Shampoo for Weakened Hair
A fortifying gel shampoo for weakened hair.
Shampoo
It’s essential to start your routine with a clean head of hair. The Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Shampoo is a delicate fortifying shampoo that is gentle enough for daily use and is an ideal formula for normal to oily weakened hair that is prone to falling due to breakage from brushing. In addition, this shampoo addresses oily hair and scalp by preventing oil build-up on the scalp.
The range also features the Bain Nutri-Fortfiant Shampoo, which is meant for thick or dry hair. This fortifying shampoo for normal to dry weakened hair that is prone to falling due to breakage from brushing.
Genesis Fondant Renforcateur Fortifying Conditioner for Weakened Hair
A fortifying, lightweight conditioner for weakened hair
Conditioner
The line’s Fondant Renforcateur reinforces the hair fiber’s natural resistance to reduce the risk of hair fall due to breakage from brushing. It provides immediate strength and softness without weighing it down.
When your hair needs deep nourishment, use the Masque Renforcateur Hair Mask’s rich formula in place of a conditioner weekly or as often as needed. This rich mask intensely nourishes, detangles, and reinforces the hair. It restores intense softness for beautiful, healthy-looking hair.
Genesis Defense Thermique Fortifying Blow-Dry Fluid for Weakened Hair
A fortifying blow-dry primer for weakened hair
Blow-Dry Primer
Heat styling can magnify breakage problems, so it’s important to prep damp hair with a heat protectant like Défense Thermique Blow Dry Primer. This primer spray is light enough to leave hair without weighing it down while also leaving strands silky and shiny.
Genesis Serum Fortifiant Fortifying Serum for Weakened Hair
A daily fortifying serum protectant for weakened hair
Strengthening Serum
Another option is to apply Serum Fortifiant Hair Serum to damp hair after using the line’s shampoo and conditioner. While I didn’t personally test this product, it’s designed for damp, towel-dried hair before a blowout or letting your hair air dry. The serum has a lightweight formula that will not leave a residue when hair dries. It works to strengthen hair while leaving a lightweight, non-greasy finish.
What type of hair is Kérastase Genesis good for?
The beauty of this line is how versatile it is—working for all hair types. That’s especially helpful because breakage from hair brushing can impact every hair type. So if you’re seeing more hair fall in your brush or noticing an extra-clogged shower drain, consider this fortifying system of products professionally formulated to strengthen hair.
How I Use Kérastase Genesis in My Routine
To start, I worked the Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Shampoo in my roots and was pleasantly surprised when it quickly produced a satisfying lather. I’ve had some tangling issues with shampoo in the past (what can I say, I am an intense shampooer), and while my hair still had a few knots, I was impressed with how smooth it felt overall.
After a quick rinse, I stepped away from the showerhead to wring out as much water as possible so that the conditioner could sink into my hair. The Genesis Fondant Renforçateur Conditioner was creamy in my palm and made quick work of the remaining knots in my hair after I let it sit for the recommended two to three minutes.
My hairbrush before using Kérastase Genesis
This to me is the hero moment for this line and the reason I’ll be reaching for it long after my trial ends. Leaving the shower with knot-free hair was always my goal, but it was rarely achieved without a proverbial mountain of conditioner that would weigh down my locks. However, with my newly smooth hair, I brushed through my hair with little to no resistance.
The products in this line have a scent described as a “bright, invigorating scent of bergamot and a hint of aromatic green.” When I first used the line, I was wary that it was too much, but I found myself subconsciously sniffing my hair by the end of the week, and my husband even commented that my hair smelled nice.
Twice a week, I swapped the conditioner for the Genesis Masque Reconstituant Hair Mask and spread it from mid-shaft to the ends of my hair, allowing it to work its magic for five minutes. These days, a shower longer than three minutes feels like a real luxury (#selfcare), so I was happy to linger in the shower in the name of work.
My hairbrush after using Kérastase Genesis
On days when I knew I needed to blow dry my hair, I sprayed Genesis Défense Thermique Blow Dry Primer into my palms and worked it through my damp strands. Then, after allowing it to air dry in a microfiber towel as much as possible, I found soft, manageable locks that gave little resistance to when I used a paddle brush with a hairdryer or my round blow dryer. Even better: there was less hair in my brush and while my postpartum hair breakage days aren’t totally behind me, my hair feels stronger.
After a month of testing the Kérastase Genesis line, I gave it my ultimate stamp of approval: I recommended it to my fellow new moms in the group chat.
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Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Fortifying Shampoo for Weakened Hair
A fortifying gel shampoo for weakened hair.
Genesis Fondant Renforcateur Fortifying Conditioner for Weakened Hair
A fortifying, lightweight conditioner for weakened hair
Genesis Serum Fortifiant Fortifying Serum for Weakened Hair
A daily fortifying serum protectant for weakened hair
Genesis Defense Thermique Fortifying Blow-Dry Fluid for Weakened Hair
A fortifying blow-dry primer for weakened hair
