Review: Paul Mitchell Express Style Hot Off The Press Thermal Protection Spray

Paul Mitchell Express Style Hot Off The Press Thermal Protector

Product Information: 

-Protects fragile strands from damage caused by heat styling.

-Boosts hair’s strength, fights frizz and provides flexible hold.

-Adds great memory for effortless curls or smoothing with a hot iron. 

-Rice hull extract builds a weightless barrier between hair and heat styling tools.

-Wheat proteins deliver an extra dose of strength.

SELF Magazine Winner of 2010 for the "Best Heat Protectant".

(Source: http://www.paulmitchell.com)

I haven't tried many heat protectors over the years because I had great luck with the first one I ever purchased and I never felt the need to search for another heat protector. The heat protector I use is Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Heat Protector Straightening Spray, which you can find at your local beauty supply (I buy mine from Sally's) or your local drugstore. Really great product - shields your hair as well as makes it feel silky soft and adds great shine. The reason I tried this product was because my friend purchased a bunch of Paul Mitchell products and the salon gave her a travel size of this heat protectant for free. Kindly, she passed it over to me as she had no use for it. Since I just finished my bottle of Fantasia, I decided to give it a try.

My Review: I read the directions a couple times and it said "Spray onto dry hair before using a hot iron. Style as desired. Spray to finish if needed." So, I did just that. I gave my hair a quick spray and straightened my hair as I normally would. After I finished my hair - I didn't notice anything significant. It didn't really add any shine, make my hair silky and it didn't seem to "conceal" my split ends. My hair was though, very manageable with minimal frizz.

I used this product for a week or so, and I tossed it back in my bathroom drawer as it didn't "wow" me. I didn't feel like it was really helping protect my hair from heat damage.

Decided to try it again - this time, instead of doing a quick spray all over my hair, I decided to divide my hair into 4 sections and spray the ends of each section to prevent breakage from the heat. I then, used my hands to work it through my hair better. I noticed the product feels a little sticky - like hair spray. (How is an alcohol based product supposed to shield your hair from heat damage??) I continued on flat ironing my hair. By the end, my hands were left sticky - but my hair was looking very straight and very manageable. I didn't need to finish my hair off with any hairspray - this product gave my hair a lot of hold. Too much hold in fact. I tried brushing my hair and all of my ends were splitting. My hair was very far from being soft and silky.

The next morning, I woke up and my hair looked horrific. All of my ends were going in every which way and several strands were wavy. There was no way to comb through it - I didn't even attempt it because I would of broken off all of my ends. Usually when I flat iron my hair, its the same exact way when I wake up with minor waves underneath.

Overall, I'm disappointed. I'll be sticking with what I know best. This product is most likely only going to be used as a finishing spray. I don't recommend this product for flat ironing - unless you wash your hair every day. I also don't recommend you to use a lot. This may be beneficial for you if you are curling your hair with a curling iron - as if will give you extra hold. This product would probably work better for fine hair - my hair is dry and thick, and this seemed to make it drier & brittle.

What is your favorite heat protector for you hair? Post it in my comments below!
As always, I appreciate all of your comments!