Four years ago, I threw away my only flat iron. That hot tool had seen better days. It was super greasy with oils from heat protectants that I spritzed onto my 4C hair, and the ceramic plate was worn. I learned that straightening my natural hair was often best left to a professional: The times that I took a few passes of the flat iron through my fine but dense locks led to split ends and damage.
Pin-curling and wrapping became my go-to techniques to maintain sleek and somewhat straight strands. Yet, I still couldn’t escape having dry, frayed hair within days. My haircare routine desperately needed a makeover so that I could achieve smoother hair. So when I was gifted the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum, I couldn’t get to bed fast enough just so I could wake up and see if this product was worth the hype.
Keep reading for my Shu Uemura Art of Hair review, including a breakdown of the formula and whether the overnight serum held up to its “leave hair smooth and shiny by morning” claim.
What Does Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum Do?
Shu Uemura Art of Hair Overnight Hair Serum is the latest addition to the beloved Ultimate Reset collection, which includes a shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, and daytime hair serum. Like the rest of the lineup, the overnight serum is designed to help address damage caused by styling habits such as bleaching, coloring, and heat styling.
According to the brand, the overnight hair serum can help fight up to one year of visible damage in a single use (!) and leaves hair 95% stronger and three times smoother.* It also provides deep hydration and helps boost softness and shine. The luxurious formula features a blend of good-for-your-hair ingredients, including Japanese rice extract and peptides, and boasts an intoxicating fruity-floral fragrance with notes of orange, jasmine, and sandalwood.
*When compared to non-conditioning shampoo
Who Can Benefit From Using the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum?
The Shu Uemura Art of Hair Overnight Hair Serum is ideal for anybody battling hair damage (which can manifest as split ends, breakage, or even dullness). No matter your hair type or texture, adding this product to your night routine can help strengthen and revitalize your strands.
You won’t have to worry about ruining your fresh salon color, either, as the nourishing formula is designed to be safe for use on color-treated hair.
How Do You Use Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum?
Using the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum is pretty simple—as the name implies, the serum is intended to be used overnight. Apply a few pumps of gel-like formula to the lengths and ends of dry or damp hair before slipping into bed. Keep in mind that a little product goes a long way. We suggest sticking to the recommended use of two to four pumps for fine to medium hair and four to six pumps for medium to thick hair.
Before going to sleep, consider wrapping your head with a satin headscarf before bed or sleeping on a silk pillowcase (both can help protect your hair while you snooze). In the morning, you won’t need to rinse out the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Overnight Hair Serum. Just style your locks and go about the day.
You can use the serum to help nourish your hair when it’s feeling extra brittle, as well as to strengthen your hair in the evening before styling with tools that use heat, such as hair straighteners, curling irons, and hair dryers.
I opted to use the overnight serum on my wash day at home before blow drying. I figured this would be the perfect test to see if the treatment would work wonders once I was planning to flat iron my natural hair the next day for a date. The results were surprising!
My Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum Review
If you have natural hair and apply this treatment post-blow dry, don’t be alarmed if you notice your curls begin to re-emerge. The Shu Uemura Art of Hair Overnight Hair Serum provides deep hydration, the presence of which can make dry, tired curls spring back to life. It was nice to see and feel how well the nourishing formula penetrated my strands.
I used a vented brush to work the serum through my mane before twisting my hair into chunky two-strand braids (I can definitely see myself also using it to refresh my twist-outs). Unlike some of the hair serums I’ve used in the past, this formula didn’t feel heavy on my hair at all—it seemed to sink in rather than sit on top of my hair. And while I typically turn away from hair products with fragrances, I didn’t mind this floral scent because it wasn’t overpowering and didn’t linger inside the satin bonnet that I wear at bedtime.
When I woke up the following day and started unraveling my twists, I immediately saw a difference. My hair was noticeably smoother and shinier—and this was without adding any additional oil or mist.
Naturally, I was a bit nervous about using a flat iron again. But after just one pass of the hot tool through the first section, I knew that my natural hair was primed and ready thanks to the overnight hair serum. I was able to straighten and loosely curl my hair in record time—under 20 minutes. When my date arrived, I was showered with compliments because of my huge hair transformation. Being out and about on what had to be the warmest day we’ve had in weeks, my hairstyle held up into the late night. Not a single curl dropped!
The Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Overnight Hair Serum is clearly a must-have for anyone seeking to fix brittle, damaged hair. Will I officially unretire my flat iron for good? Well, that depends on how this overnight hair serum continues to deliver on getting me back to having stronger, smoother, and shinier hair. But I do know I wouldn’t even be thinking about giving my flat iron a second chance without it.
Next Up: How To Protect Your Hair While Sleeping: 17 Tips
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