Many of us have been stressing out about our hair over the past several months when we have been coloring, cutting or just caring for our hair at home instead of visiting the salon. At least, I’ve been stressing out about it. My hair has grown at least 3 inches since it was cut back in January, and if I actually were able to measure it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it has grown almost 4 inches. So there’s just more of it for me to take care of.
A new and new-to-me Leaping Bunny certified haircare brand, Ivy & Elder, made from natural and organic ingredients came my way about a month ago. Right off the bat, I fell in love with the evocative name, Ivy & Elder. It sounds like a bed and breakfast or a resort. But its name, Ivy & Elder, came from the tree horoscopes of the two founders, Gayle and Lisa.
Tree horoscopes, you ask? Gayle and Lisa became fascinated by the forest and trees when they learned that trees communicate with each other as well as with fungi in forests and gardens. (If you haven’t read the book, The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, you must!) From there, they discovered Druid tree horoscopes. Druids who lived in the woods believed that trees had traits, characteristics and personalities just like people. They developed a horoscope based on trees. Gayle’s tree sign is Ivy, Lisa’s is Elder, and mine is Willow “The Observer”. Go to Ivy & Elder’s website and discover your own tree horoscope and what the sign means.
So what do tree horoscopes have to do with Ivy & Elder? The founders love of nature was a guiding principle for their new brand and company. Here’s their corporate philosophy:
“We believe in beauty with a clean conscience. We prioritize ingredient safety over source, meaning that we look for effective, safe ingredients & green processes. While we prefer plant-based ingredients, we will use clean synthetics to achieve the optimal results. We source from partners who share our care for environmental, animal, & human safety. We avoid questionable ingredients & look to the EWG (Environmental Working Group) & CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) for research & validation. We look for organic sources for our natural ingredients & further certifications like EcoCert or Cosmos when ingredients come from vulnerable regions like the Amazon. Ivy & Elder products are fragrance-free & smell only like the ingredients needed for beautiful hair.”
Ivy & Elder Willow Talk Leave-In Hair Mask
Although I didn’t give Gayle and Lisa my birth date, they must have been prescient because they sent me Ivy & Elder Willow Talk Leave-In Hair Mask to try out. As I mentioned above, Willow is my tree sign. Willow is “The Observer”, and the sign characteristics emphasize outer calm and empathy, masking inner strength and wildness. Wind in the willow’s arching branches and swaying seems to mirror healthy hair outdoors in the breeze. Lovely.
But when I saw that Willow Talk is a leave-in hair mask, I got a little worried. I wash my hair every 4 to 5 days in order to help my color not fade quite as fast, and because my hair and scalp are dry to normal. I wondered would a leave-in hair mask, especially one that looks as thick and rich as Ivy & Elder Willow Talk make my hair greasy or make it get dirty faster? I approached using it with some degree of concern that may have been at odds with my Willow tree sign, lol.
Here’s the description of Ivy & Elder Willow Talk Leave-In Hair Mask with White Willow Bark:
“Willow Talk is specially formulated to improve the health of long and growing hair by maintaining length without breakage and split ends. Try it for four weeks and you will never want to go back.”
My hair, that is usually somewhere between chin and shoulder length, is now at least two inches below shoulder length. I would definitely call it “long and growing hair” these days. Since it hasn’t had even a trim in 6 months, I have been concerned about breakage and split ends. So I thought Gayle and Ivy must have known that this was the right product for my hair right now.
Willow Talk Leave-In Hair Mask is a rich, thick white cream that comes in a jar . It is fragrance-free. All three of the intriguing key ingredients were new to me. They are:
- White Willow Bark: provides lightweight but deep moisture
- Babassu Seed Oil: highly absorbent, long-lasting moisture that’s soft, but not greasy. It adds elasticity to hair to help prevent breakage.
- Pracaxi Seed Oil: conditions hair to help repair damage and detangle for less breakage and split ends. Plus adds a healthy, beautiful shine.
After I washed my hair, I towel-dried it with my Aquis turban. Then I scooped out about a quarter’s worth of the hair mask and massaged it on and worked it throughout my hair. Actually, I ended up using a bit more than a quarter’s worth because I have rather thick, coarse hair. I ran my fingers through my hair to distribute the mask and to untangle my hair before using a wide tooth comb to comb it through. And that was it. There was nothing else to do. No rinsing. No styling products either because this worked as a styling product for me, too. Sort of an all-in-one post-shampoo product.
I dried my hair with my beloved Dyson Hair Dryer, and my hair was less frizzy than usual. I followed up with a flat iron as I always do for the sleek, smooth look that I like (though on humid days like we’ve been having, it is a challenge to keep that smooth look!).
My hair felt clean and healthy. My concerns about my hair getting dirty faster were completely unfounded. I have still been able to wash my hair every 4-5 days. Ivy & Elder Willow Talk Leave-In Hair Mask is a delight to use. And because I don’t have to put conditioner on my hair, wait 3 minutes or so, then rinse it out, I saved time in the shower. 🙂
Ivy & Elder Willow Talk Leave-In Hair Mask is vegan, 100% clean, cruelty-free and even Leaping Bunny Certified. Importantly, the mask as well as all of the Ivy & Elder Haircare products are safe for color-treated hair. The jar contains 4 fl. oz./118 ml and is priced at $26. It is sold on the Ivy & Elder website. If you’re not thrilled with your hair after two weeks of use, return it for a full refund.
I was thrilled with my hair, and I have continued to use Ivy & Elder Willow Talk Leave-In Hair Mask. As much as I can hardly wait to go back to Sassoon to get my hair professionally colored and cut, I am delighted that my long hair is healthy, shiny and smooth. 🙂
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Alcohol Denat.*, Cetyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Diheptyl Succinate, Behentrimonium Chloride, Propanediol, Orbignya Speciosa Kernel Oil, Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Extract, Glycerin, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Salvia Hispinica Seed Extract, Salix Alba (White Willow) Bark Extract, Panthenol, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Pod Extract, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Sprout Extract, Behenyl/Stearyl Aminopropanediol Esters, Maltodextrin, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Ethylhexylglycerin. *Organic Ingredient
Ivy & Elder Wear the Wind Conditioning Wave Spray: Giveaway Coming Soon!
Because I am still not going out to many places other than the supermarket every 2-3 weeks and the pharmacy on rare occasion to pick up a prescription, I am going to wait another week or two before I post the giveaway for Ivy & Elder’s other signature haircare product: Wear the Wind Conditioning Wave Spray. I promise I won’t wait too long because I think Wear the Wind Conditioning Wave Spray is the perfect summer hair product. Even if you’re not going to a crowded beach or pool this summer, you can still look like you did. Stay tuned!
Nice to know it doesn’t make hair too greasy! I have thin hair and have to be really careful about any leave-ins I use.
I feel the same way. Although my hair is not oily, I am always concerned about leave-ins. Ivy & Elder Hair Mask was a great surprise!
These products sounds lovely, and I use leave-ins all of the time (including nourishing oils). I would love to try this brand!
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I think you would love Ivy & Elder since you love oils and leave-ins. This Hair Mask was so amazingly lightweight on my hair. It virtually disappeared as I dried my hair. Cool!
I love your bright colored hair. I’m supposed to see my hairstylist this month but she had to reschedule week after my bday in July. Can’t wait for my hair to get pampered professionally
Although I did mine the last two months, the at home color is nothing like the professional colors. And there is no way for me to even approximate the multistep process that my colorist goes through at the salon. Though I wish I didn’t have to go to Boston to get this done, I still can hardly wait for my appointment at the end of the month when she can fix my hair and get me back to my regular shade!
Sounds like a terrific company. I didn’t know about the tree horoscopes. I think a great hair mask is a necessity especially now that we aren’t at salons. And fragrance free! That sold me.
MarciaF recently posted…Au Natural Skinfood Facial Serum and Superfruit Eye Serum plus a giveaway
the tree horoscope was so cool. Did you try it?
The waves spray sound nice!
I’ve never heard of a tree sign, but now I’m about to go down a rabbit hole to read on it! lol
I need to try Willow Talk! My hair is down to my hips and breakage is a big concern for me since I have fine hair. I will certainly have to check this product out!
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How neat! Never heard of the tree horoscope before, but apparently I am a vine. The hair masque looks absolutely lovely and has very interesting ingredients!
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The hair mask sounds like something I need! I need a haircut but I’m not about to head out to the salon right now.
Yes, in AZ, you are smart to stay home!
I didn’t know tree horoscopes was a thing! I absolutely love the idea of a leave in hair mask – didn’t know that existed either! My hair is a bit dry after getting highlights so it would be nice to have a smooth head of hair!