Founded in 2019 by a brother and sister team, French luxury haircare brand Ella Mae is new to the UK, new in my bathroom and newly tested out on my somewhat suffering hair.
The brand uses sustainable, natural organic ingredients sourced in Provence. Everything is paraben and sulfate-free and not tested on animals. Most of them are vegan, apart from the one I’m showing you today, which is suitable for vegetarians.
This is more of a deep treatment range for hair with issues, rather than your every day wash and go. Hence the conditioner is referred to as a mask, and the products are sold in pairs of shampoo plus mask, as they are designed to work together. The brand promises at least 30% less follicle breakage if used twice a week.
Surprise ingredient
Me being me, well, you can probably guess that I went for the most unusual offering in the range: the Anti-damage Sealing Snail Slime Shampoo & Mask. My hair is in need of a cut right now, so I’ve got plenty of dried ends that need rescuing. Plus all the frizz, and the general thinning-ness that seem to happen once you’re past 50.
BTW if snail slime doesn’t float your boat (and I would understand if not) the Ella Mae range also includes avocado, rose water and aloe vera-based products to nourish and repair. You can see the whole range here.
It looks a bit pricey at first glance, but bear in mind you get two products for the stated price, and because I like you I will share my code THUMBSBLOG30 which will get you 30% off.
I haven’t seen snail slime talked about in Western beauty products for a while, though of course it’s a staple of Korean beauty. If you haven’t come across it before, don’t be scared. We are not talking about crushed up snails here. What it is, is the filtrate from the underside of the snail, which is ethically collected without harming the animal. Snail filtrate has incredible powers of repair. It’s great for moisturising and promoting healthy hair growth.
And wow does it leave the hair incredibly soft and shiny. It really delivers on that front. By the end of day 2 after washing I found my hair was starting to get a little weighed down, but that’s not unusual when you use an intensive conditioner.
It doesn’t smell as earthy as its snaily origins might suggest. There’s a hefty dose of fragrance in there which I can best describe as being eau de fancy hairdressers. Leaves the hair beautifully swishy and smelling delightful.
To me this is special occasion haircare, when you want to really bring the softness and shine. And given the lack of special occasions right now, I’ll be using it on Mondays and Thursdays because, well, why not?
Product details & discount code
These products and more can be found online at the Ella Mae website.
Use my code THUMBSBLOG30 to get 30% off your purchase
*PR Samples