On National Best Friends Day, we celebrate the bonds that strengthen us and help make our days a little bit brighter. And just like real-life dynamic duos, certain haircare products also have an undeniable chemistry when used together. To commemorate this national holiday, we’ve rounded up our favorite hero products and their styling sidekicks to help your (or your friend’s) strands look and feel their absolute best.
When Is National Best Friends Day?
This holiday falls annually on June 8th, so there’s still time to show your BFF(s) some love. Whether you’re stocking up on these combinations for yourself or gifting them to your closest pals, we have plenty of products from L’Oréal’s portfolio of professional hair brands to consider.
Redken
The Heroes: Acidic Color Gloss Sulfate-Free Shampoo and Acidic Color Gloss Conditioner
Prolong the life of your salon color with Redken’s Acidic Color Gloss Shampoo and Acidic Color Gloss Conditioner. The system’s acidic formulas closely align with hair’s naturally acidic pH levels, helping to lock in color, prevent fading, and restore intense shine. Read more about why the line is an editor’s favorite in our full review (and see some pretty convincing results).
The Sidekick: Acidic Color Gloss Activated Glass Gloss Treatment
The true star of the Acidic Color Gloss collection is the Activated Glass Gloss Treatment. The professional-strength formula, which contains citric acid and apricot oil, helps seal the hair's cuticle and lock in molecular-level shine for up to three days.* In fact, hair can appear up to 76% shiner** when this treatment is paired with the corresponding shampoo, which is a pretty impressive feat.
L’Oréal Professionnel
The Hero: Steampod 4.0
The L’Oréal Professionnel Steampod 4.0 is your all-in-one, steam-powered tool for creating glass hair, mermaid waves, and bouncy curls with 95% less damage.* Plus, the new and improved version features a more ergonomic design. Included in the redesign are wider ceramic plates to reach 30% closer to the roots, as well as a round, curl-locking guide to help create bouncier-looking curls. Use L’Oréal Professionel’s salon locator to try the tool with a stylist in your area.
*²Breakage measured from repeated combing after 15 passes of SP4 on bleached type V hair, compared to SP4 without steam and comb.
The Sidekick: Absolut Repair Molecular Leave-In Mask
While it’s true that the Steampod can help minimize potential damage, you’ll still want to prep your hair with a heat protectant beforehand. This goes for any kind of hot tool, so we recommend using the L'Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Molecular Leave-In Mask. This melt-in cream helps protect from heat up to 450°F while repairing, smoothing, and nourishing the hair fiber.
Biolage Professional
The Hero: Scalp Sync Oil Balancing Serum
There’s no need to let slick-looking roots keep you from having a good hair day: You can reduce the recurrence of greasiness with a few daily drops of Biolage Professional’s Scalp Sync Oil Balancing Serum. This lightweight, leave-in serum helps rebalance an oily scalp by absorbing and reducing excess oil. With continued use, it can help prevent sebum from traveling down the hair strand and making hair appear greasy.
The Sidekick: Scalp Sync Purifying Scalp Concentrate
Every long-term oily hair solution should be paired with a quick fix you can use in the interim. For the latter, try Biolage Professional’s Scalp Sync Purifying Scalp Concentrate. After one use, this gentle pre-shampoo treatment helps exfoliate and clear the scalp from buildup, excess oil, impurities, and dead skin for an instantly refreshed look.
The Heroes: Hydra Source Shampoo and Conditioning Balm
Send dry hair packing with the help of Biolage Professional’s Hydra Source Shampoo and Conditioning Balm. The aloe-infused formulas help balance moisture levels in the hair, increasing softness, improving manageability, and preventing split ends.
The Sidekick: All-In-One Multi-Benefit Oil
Now that your mane is adequately hydrated, restore some shine to help enhance its healthy appearance. The brand’s All-In-One Multi-Benefit Oil is a versatile, fast-absorbing oil that adds weightless nourishment and hydration to all hair types. Our favorite thing about this oil, however, is how you can customize its use in your routine. Try it as a pre-shampoo, leave-in, or overnight serum (or all three) to see what works best for you.
Pureology
The Heroes: Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner Duo
Pureology’s best-selling Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner Duo simultaneously replenishes moisture while protecting salon color from fading (thanks to its patented AntiFade Complex). All hair types can reap the benefits of these fan favorites, from super-coily to pin-straight.
The Sidekick: Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray
If you want to streamline your styling routine, we’d recommend picking up the Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray from Pureology. Like the brand’s shampoo and conditioner, it helps protect your color, but that’s not all. It also boasts 21 other benefits that help care for your hair's every need.
Matrix
The Heroes: Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo and Unbreak My Blonde Conditioner
Blonde hair is an investment of time and money, so you’ll want to ensure everything that touches it will make it bright, strong, and healthy-looking, Matrix’s Unbreak My Blonde Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner can help reinforce weakened bonds from lightening services and revive sensitized, over-processed blonde hair.
The Sidekick: So Silver All-In-One Toning Leave-In Spray
Whichever color or highlighting technique you opt for, lightening up your hair can increase your chances of brassiness. Keep it at bay with Matrix’s So Silver All-In-One Toning Leave-In Spray. The buildable toning formula contains purple dyes to help neutralize unwanted yellow tones on blonde and gray hair. It’s just what you need to get by in between salon touch-ups.
Mizani
The Hero: 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner
Curly and coily hair types often need some extra TLC to help their manes thrive. A few spritzes of Mizani’s 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner is a great way to show your locks some love. The milky spray, which is made with fennel seed oil and sustainably sourced coconut oil, provides a protective shield against heat damage and primes waves, curls, and coils for a perfect frizz-free finish.
The Sidekick: True Textures Curl Enhancing Lotion
Curl cocktailing is a method that involves emulsifying a few different haircare products to create a unique formula tailored to your needs. Many curlies love pairing the lightweight Miracle Milk with the True Textures Curl Enhancing Lotion to help define their ringlets with a crunch-free finish. We recommended diffusing your strands dry afterward for added volume.
Kérastase and Shu Uemura Art of Hair
The Hero: Kérastase Elixir Ultime L'Huile Original Hair Oil
Nicknamed “liquid gold in a bottle,” Kérastase Elixir Ultime L'Huile Original Hair Oil is a staple on the vanities of salon professionals and consumers. It’s packed with precious plant oils (think camellia, marula, and argan) and can be used as a blow-dry serum, dry finishing gloss, leave-in conditioner, mask booster, or hair perfume—just take your pick.
The Sidekick: Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum
If you swear by the Elixir Ultime by day, consider loading up on Shu Uemura Art of Hair’s Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum by night. This multi-benefit P.M. serum helps repair hair’s strength while you sleep, leaving hair smooth and shiny by morning.
Next Up: What Is Overnight Serum? Plus, 5 To Try Now
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