I Tried The New Aveda Invati Advanced Hair Thickening System

In partnership with Aveda

UPDATE: For a limited time (only through Octover 7th!), you can get a FREE Revitalizer ($65 value!) if you buy any two full-size Aveda Invati products. To get it, use code ALYSSAAVEDA and click here. 

Last year, I told you about my post-partum hair issues, and you can read about them here and here, but in summary: I had kid number one, lost a ton of hair, but it came back. A few years later, I had kid number two, lost way too much hair again, and then...it didn't come back. Sure, my hair was still relatively thick (thank god I started life with a lot of it!), but it was nowhere near where it had been pre-baby. 

And maybe it sounds selfish to complain about lackluster hair when you have two healthy, adorable children to show for it, but 1) We all know hair is important and that it often relates directly to how confident we do or don't feel, and 2) Can't women have cute, healthy kids and good hair?!? This has been my quest ever since.

As I told you at the time, I started tackling my hair issues last year with the original Aveda Invati system, and was very impressed with my results. Well now, Aveda is launching a new version, Invati Advanced. They came to me a few months back, and asked if I wanted to try it early, but there was a catch: I had to commit to a full 12-week trial--using the shampoo and conditioner every time I washed and the leave-in product every single day. As someone who basically switches between multiple beauty products for my job, it was a big undertaking. 

But I was excited to give the products a real, honest chance to work (and I wanted thick hair again, post-baby!), so I signed on immediately. From then on, I carried those bottles everywhere--to and from blowout bars, workouts, on vacations--and I used them religiously. I was committed. 

And I experienced some pretty awesome results. 



About a year ago, before I tried the Invati products, my hair looked so much thinner and flatter, and my part was so huge! (WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY TELL ME??) After I gave the Invati Advanced system the full 12-week trial, my hair felt and looked thicker! It had so much more volume, and my part is no longer as wide as the state of Texas. 

The Aveda Invati Advanced system has three steps: the Exfoliating Shampoo, the Thickening Conditioner, and the Scalp Revitalizer. You use the shampoo and conditioner every time you wash your hair, and then the Scalp Revitalizer once every single day. With the previous Invati system you had to apply the Revitalizer twice a day, so this is a huge improvement and makes the whole thing that much easier.

I love that the products are pleasant, easy, and contain naturally derived ingredients, and that the system fits so easily into your life. You're not adding a ton of steps into your beauty routine. And it works! Your hair feels noticeably thicker from the first time you use it, and over time, you start to notice that your hair is stronger and breaking less, so you're losing less hair when you brush, and that thinning spots are beginning to look less thin. Before long, you start looking and feeling a little more like the old you. 

Because let's be honest: It matters. Caring about how your hair looks does not make you superficial or silly or a bad mom. Hair is not just hair. When our hair looks really good--full, healthy, and bouncy--we feel so much more confident. I know I do. And having more confidence--feeling truly, fully condident--translates into every area of your life. When I feel confident, it really seems to make me better at everything I do, whether that's writing, blogging, or being a mom. 

Because I always, always strive to be a great mom. But I'm not ashamed to say I strive to be a great mom with great hair, too. ;)

Me, my daughter, and my newly-fuller hair heading out for school dropoff. (BTW, if anyone is wondering, the "fur" on our hoods is faux!)

All photos by Raquel Langworthy

Want to try the new Aveda Invati Advanced System? For a limited time (only through Octover 7th!), you can get a FREE Revitalizer (a $65 value!) if you buy any two full-size Aveda Invati products. To get it, use code ALYSSAAVEDA and click here. 

Thank you to Aveda for sponsoring this post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Tried The Aveda Invati Hair Thickening System {Plus, A Giveaway!}

In partnership with Aveda.

photos by Raquel Bianca Photography

Last month, I told you about my post-partum hair thinning, and how the hair on my head basically revolted after having my second kid (yes, that innocent-looking little boy above!). I also told you how I was going to be testing out Aveda's Invati system to try and bring my hair back to life.

A reminder: Invati is a three-step system containing a shampoo, a conditioner (there are two types: regular or intensive), and a leave-in spray. So, I've been using the Exfoliating Shampoo, which removes pore-clogging sebum and product residue; the Thickening Intensive Conditioner, which helps thicken and prevent breakage (it also moisturizes like crazy); and the Scalp Revitalizer, which features an Ayuveric blend and stimulates the scalp with massage. 

Well, I've been using it for several weeks now and I'm ready with my report: I do notice a difference. My hair feels noticeably thicker, and when I look at these photos now, I feel like it really looks fuller, too! The immediate benefits of the product are the real deal--your hair will feel much "bulkier" even the very first time you use it. Mine definitely did. But I'm starting to notice some other benefits, too, which is cool. For one, my hair seems to be breaking less easily, which means I'm losing less hair when I style, so BIG PLUS there! 

I also really appreciate that there is nothing gross or medicinal about the line. Products of this nature aren't typically accused of being super appealing, but these really are. Everything smells awesome (they have that great, herbal, "Aveda" smell) and feels good going on. Even the leave-in (which, truth be told, I was nervous about) is nice. It's very light and feels cooling and kind of refreshing--it's not heavy or slimy or anything like that. I also really like that all three products also come in adorable travel-size bottles (that's them in my "what's in my makeup bag" pic above). It's great because you can totally take them to the gym or on vacation and not miss any precious hair-thickening, scalp-stimulating time. 

Anyway, I'm very excited to keep using the line and see where my hair goes from here. Stay tuned...

So, would you like to try it now, too? Well, you're in luck! Once again, I've partnered with Aveda to give away five complete, full-size sets of all three products, valued at $123. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and good luck!

Thank you to Aveda for sponsoring this post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Hair Is Thinning--Yes, Really!

In partnership with Aveda

My hair has always been my thing. As far back as I can remember, it has always been thick and full. And during pregnancy, it was even fuller! But as any mom can tell you, the lush, estrogen-fueled hair you enjoy during those nine months doesn't last forever. The cruel reality is that, at some point after giving birth, it falls out. Mine sure did. After having my daughter, my hair did eventually back to its normal level of thickness. But then I had kid #2. And things...changed. Around three and a half years ago--right around the time I stopped breastfeeding my son--my hair was suddenly noticeably different, and much, much thinner.

My part has grown way wider, there's an obvious thinning patch behind my left temple, my ponytail is much, much skinnier than it used to be, and every time I wash my hair, scary clumps collect in the drain. (I've actually had hairstylists ask, "Oh my gosh--are you okay?" as they stand there holding a fistful of my hair in their hand.) Don't believe me? This is my hair in 2011 (R.I.P., sniff sniff), and the photos above are my hair now. 

Now, do I still have thick hair? Yes. Obviously. I'm not bald, I know that. I started with very thick hair, so I still have relatively thick hair. But it is much, much less thick. It's nowhere near what it used to be, and I want to stop the thinning in its tracks. Like, yesterday.

So, I recently visited my dermatologist and primary care doctor to see if it was anything to worry about, medically. And drumroll...it's not. It's just an unfortunate, normal, natural side effect of having kids and getting older. (Yay?) 

But that doesn't mean I'm going to take it! So, recently, for the first time in my life, I started researching shampoos, conditioners, and treatments that would add bulk to my hair and maybe even help encourage new growth.

As a longtime beauty editor and writer, I've seen it all and knew there were a lot of crappy products out there. I didn't want something gimmick-y. I also didn't want anything super chemical-y or medicinal. I wanted something with natural ingredients that still had top-notch technology and research behind it. And it actually had to be pleasant to use.

So I was thrilled when Aveda approached me to partner with them and try out their Invati system. I had been hearing good things about it and was intrigued. I've been a fan of Aveda since high school, and from my beauty-editor life, I know they have amazing ingredients and really know their stuff. (Plus, does anything smell better than Aveda hair products? That would be NOPE.) I looked into the Invati line a little more and knew I wanted to give it a try.

So, I'm trying it! Here's the deal: There’s three products in the system: the Exfoliating Shampoo, which contains salicylic acid to remove pore-clogging sebum and product residue; the Thickening Conditioner, with arginine to help prevent breakage, guar and rapeseed to help thicken, and Densiplex, an Ayurvedic blend of herbs (think tumeric, gingseng) that energizes the scalp when massaged in; and the Scalp Revitalizer, which is a leave-in scalp-stimulating product with that same Ayuveric blend, plus vitamin E. (Note: There are two options for the conditioner: the Thickening Conditioner, and the one I’m using, the Thickening Intensive Conditioner, which is super rich and feels more like a masque than a traditional conditioner, which I love.)

 

All photos by Raquel Bianca Photography

I just started trying them and can already report that the instant effects are the real deal: My hair was noticeably thicker the very first time I used the products. I’m now excited to see the effects over time!

In fact, I’ll be coming back soon with a full report after using it for a few weeks. And in the meantime, if you’d like to test it along with me, here's your chance: I've partnered with Aveda to give away five full sets of all three products, valued at $123. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and good luck!

Thank you to Aveda for sponsoring this post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway