Kerastase Treatment at Juan Juan & Shu Uemura Essence Absolue

Today was my appointment for the Kerastase complimentary hair treatment and blow out. So I walked over to Juan Juan around the time of my appointment, expecting to have a long wait. But surprisingly there weren't too many people there. Everyone there was very friendly and didn't have any "uppity" attitude at all that one might expect from the way the salon looks. I was also pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to wait at all before they came to get me for my appointment which was refreshing.

The treatment itself was pretty fast. I don't really think it did anything for my hair. The ends still feel a bit dry. So that was whatever. But the blow out was amazing! The stylist was a man probably in his 30s named Octavio. He was very hip and nice. But not too chatty which is good - sometimes I just don't want to yell over the sound of the blow dryer to have an awkward conversation with a stranger just because they happen to be touching my hair. Anyway, Octavio and I chatted about our love for all kinds of hair and beauty products, especially Shu Uemura products. On top of doing an amazing job on my hair (I would say one of 2 greatest stylists I've ever encountered, and I've been to many many nice salons and dropped thousands of $$ in the past), he also recommended the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolue.

The packaging is so pretty!  I guess this product is like a magical elixir for dry hair. It just makes all kinds of hair look good - takes away frizz, adds moisture, adds volume, etc. etc. There was even a wait list when it first came out at the end of last year, because the product just flew off the shelves everywhere. They only had one bottle left at the salon today so I grabbed it. It's a 5 oz bottle for $71 after tax. Price is definitely on the high side. But the good news is that it will last a long time since you only would need one pump for each use. I don't know, mine will probably go faster because my boyfriend already plans on using it to style his hair too. He will probably get mad at me for writing this online but he even uses my Shu Uemura UV Under Base occassional to even out his skin tone and get rid of redness. I mean it's a very very light weight foam thing that's pretty much invisible. But it's just funny that he likes it being a straight guy.

So I'm extremely happy with the result of my freebie hair service. I did donate to the Locks of Love Foundation and gave Octavio a handsome tip. So I left the place over $100 later. But I do plan to go back and get a cut from him in the future. I can only imagine how great he will be! It doesn't hurt that he also gave me a 15% discount for my next visit. So I may be able to get out of there under $100. Lol. Unlikely though.