hold on!

So I’m at a national sales meeting for a major hair-care company a few weeks ago, where, in the name of beauty research, I’m ushered into a series of “sessions” (code for: my turn to hear really technical industry explanations of all the new products, without a mode of escape). I’ve been in this business a long time. I was not expecting greatness.

After doodling on a scratchpad for a while–and trying very hard to look like I understood everything coming out of the lab expert’s mouth—they started passing around the products. Now I perk up. After all, guinea-pig beauty’s my thing.

Industry folks, seated at round tables of ten, are politely taking their time to read the label and put on their requisite I’m-so-very-impressed-with-the-packaging-and-ingredients face…and then handing it to their neighbor, who does the same.

The silver can of Joico Power Spray makes its way over to me, which is when I begin wondering if it would be considered rude  to spritz the stuff onto my hair right in the middle of the session. (Without a mirror, my aim might be off…but how else to try/smell/feel a new hairspray?) So to hell with propriety—I hit the nozzle and go for it.

Well, monkey see, monkey do…because next thing you know, everyone’s spritzing the stuff onto their hair.

A few hours later, I head to my room to freshen up for dinner; only to my amazement, there’s no freshening up needed. My hair has this just-stepped-out-of-a-salon-chair look to it, and feels even better to the touch.

How to explain this? Most hairsprays, especially those in the firm-hold category, leave my fairy-dust-fine-hair crunchy. The style is held in place, but the entire head of hair sort of moves as one. Worse, if I drag my fingers through to loosen things up a bit, I start to hear the sound of breaking strands. (This is not a good sign, as I have little enough of the stuff to begin with.) But Power Spray—which, I’m told, utilizes a technology known as AquaLastik—delivers this unique “slip,” allowing even the finest, frizziest strands to swing, while a) locking in your blow-dried style, b) providing UV protection and a humidity fighter, and c) managing to smell nice at the same time.

Unlike most hairsprays, the product can be reapplied over and over–no caking issues to be had. (Spritz once, and you have Level 8 hold; spritz two more times, and you have a Level 10 on your hands.) Joico Power Spray, about ($17) is available at salons only; info at joico.com.

From one monkey to another: You will go bananas for this stuff.