Feed Your Head: Intelligent Nutrients Leave-In Conditioner and Finishing Gloss
A review by Jessica M

My hair is temperamental at the best of times: it has a dual personality (part curly, part wavy) and it reacts to changes in the weather with its own wild mood swings. It recently went slightly crazy after I experimented with some products supposedly made for curly hair. Other people have raved about that particular line of products, but they made my hair feel rough and rebellious.

Fortunately, I came across Intelligent Nutrients just after this episode, and I’ve managed to soothe and comfort my hair with a couple of these new products. Intelligent Nutrients is the latest creation of Horst Rechelbacher, the man behind Aveda: after he sold Aveda to Estée Lauder in 1997, he waited out the terms of an eight-year non-compete agreement and then produced this line of certified organic hair and skincare products. Every Intelligent Nutrients formula contains Rechelbacher’s signature “Intellimune” blend of antioxidant cold-pressed seed oils, while excluding mineral oil, silicones, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, plastics, artificial colors, and artificial fragrances. (Whew!)

I’ve been using Intelligent Nutrients Leave-In Conditioner on a daily basis for the past two months, mixing a nickel-size amount with my favorite styling cream or gel, and it has noticeably improved the texture of my hair. It’s hydrating, thanks to humectant (i.e., moisture-attracting) ingredients like glycerin, but it doesn’t feel greasy or heavy. It’s also chock-full of botanical oils and other natural ingredients like rice bran extract. The Leave-In Conditioner’s scent is a bit unusual and intensely herbal, with oregano oil and rosemary (in a blend called “Restore”), but it fades by the time I finish drying my hair.

Intelligent Nutrients Finishing Gloss is a frizz-taming serum, and it has impressed me by doing its job without silicones. Instead of leaving deposits of synthetic ingredients that work well at first, but then end up weighing down (or even drying out) the hair, this light gloss uses jojoba oil, sesame oil, shea butter, and beeswax to condition hair while smoothing the surface. I’ve been putting just a drop or two on the ends of my layers, and the calming effect on my hair is really surprising. (This product can also be used as a spot treatment on dry areas of skin, like elbows, knees, and cuticles.) The Finishing Gloss is scented with a cheerful blend of light citrus notes (called “InnerCalm”).

I’m hoping to try a few more products from Intelligent Nutrients, especially its Styling Cream and Hair Spray, once I use up some of the other bottles and tubes in my arsenal. My hair has been much happier since I’ve added these two styling products to its diet, and the fact that they’re all-natural makes me happy too.

For more information, see http://www.intelligentnutrients.com/

Intelligent Nutrients products are available at Barneys New York, and the phone number for the Intelligent Nutrients counter at the Madison Avenue store is (212) 833-2508.