My Week with Monat

**The following is a sponsored post.
Disclosure: Samples were received in order to share an honest opinion about Monat products. **

When I was pregnant, my hair was a frizzled, ball of yuck. Sure it was nice and thick, but it lacked luster. I’m convinced my daughter stole it all from me. Even after delivery, my hair looked less than mediocre. I threw it up in a messy bun most days then postpartum hair loss hit me like a ton of bricks. Being a first time mom, my hair was the least of concerns. I used drug store shampoo and condition, let it air dry or blow it out (if I have time) then possibly straighten with a flat iron. Just enough was my motto. Besides, I have my daughter’s hair to worry about now. Have you seen her locks?

My mom would always tell me to brush my hair so people wouldn’t think I don’t take care of myself. You can tell a lot about a person about their hair. Your unspoken résumé. Your personality and cleanliness.

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My friend contacted me about her small business and how I needed to try it out. Knowing that I’m all about the #nontoxic life, she knew I would be willing to give it a go. I may have changed my makeup and skin care to cleaner options, but I have yet to switch over to cleaner hair products. Progress over perfection, y’all.

What is Monat?

Monat is luxury hair care brand with special attention to natural ingredients. Their mission states, “It is our mission to help people everywhere enjoy beautiful, healthy, fulfilling lives through our exceptional, naturally based products, a fun and rewarding business opportunity, and a culture of family, service, and gratitude” (Monat, 2018). I love how their mission clearly states that it more than just selling, its about bringing more to the consumer as well as the marketer.

What makes them different than your drug store brand?

No toxic ingredients. As a clean beauty advocate, I appreciate careful research on what is in our beauty products. Like Beautycounter’s Never List, Monat states they will not include :

• Parabens
• SLS/SLES
• Cyclic Silicones
• BHT
• DEA/MEA
• Polyethylene Glycol
• Phthalates
• Phenoxyethanol
• Petrolatum
• Mineral Oil
• Paraffin Wax
• Triclosan
• Plastic Microbeads
• Formaldehyde Releasers

Plus, no gluten, harmful colors or fragrances, animal testing or animal origin ingredients.

I think it’s important to point out that there is no harmful fragrances in their products. Personally, I have had allergic reactions because of “fragrances/parfum” listed in ingredients so I’m very particular when it comes to personal care products. Upon further investigation, the fragrances included in Monat are approved safe by the Research Institute for the Fragrance Material (RIFM) and the International Fragrance Association (IFRA). In short, these companies verify that fragrances used are safe for the consumer. (Interested in learning more on why fragrances are harmful..read this article!)

Who will this benefit?

Everyone! Kids, men, your parents, grandparents, your neighbor, you, everyone is included…EVEN YOUR DOG! Can you really exclude anyone when it comes to safety for your family?

It’s expensive, though.

Like I tell my clients, your health is an investment…not an expense. It’s time to take care of yourself. That means spending more money where your health needs attention. If you spend enough time picking out the healthiest food options, then you should do the same for your personal care products. It only takes 26 seconds for your products to enter your bloodstream. Like your skin, your hair will represent you for a long time.

Is this a pyramid scheme?

Absolutely not. It is a MLM (Multi Level Marketing) which presents opportunity to each marketer when something is sold. Essentially, each marketer is a small business owner trying to support their family, while spreading the joy of something they believe in. Like all MLM businesses, we bypass the retail world and emphasize the conversation between people. After all, social marketing is on the rise.

Can I test it out?

Yes and I encourage you to! Leave a comment below and I will get you in touch with my friend!

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Before Emily dropped off a few products for me to try, she had me take a hair quiz so she can procure the perfect products for my hair type.

My happy hair formula came back with the Effortless Style System consisting of the Smoothing Shampoo and Smoothing Deep Conditioner (and Blow out Cream.) It’s marketed to control frizz and bring back sleekness. It’s exactly what I needed. (Take the quiz, here!)

Emily curated a bag with other products including those to try. She was so flexible with my schedule and left the products at my door so I could try it once I got home from work. She even left me some great graphics to read and walked me through each product she lent me. Definitely different from your traditional shampoo and conditioner instructions, but totally worth it in the end!

The Secret to Washing

It’s important to let the shampoo sit in your hair for a couple minutes. You only need a nickel size amount of product to lather in. After 2 minutes, rinse your hair then repeat again. Next, the conditioner. Using a nickel size amount, work the product into your hair making sure you cover from top to bottom. Let it sit for a couple minutes before rinsing. It’s a process, I know. But you will be thankful in the end. Emily had also included the Thermal Protect Styling Shield. After towel drying my hair, I worked the product into my hair and used my Revlon One Styler to style my hair. (P.S. If you don’t have this, you are missing out. Run to Target now!)

You can definitely tell the difference from Before, Washed, and After. My frizzy hair returned back to its former glory of sleekness. Truly a transformation. And, it lasted for a few days before washing again!

First Impression

Once I stepped out of the shower, I immediately noticed how light my hair felt. Possibly because there isn’t any yucky ingredients weighing my hair down! It was easy to comb through and work the thermal protect shield into. Once blown out, I was truly amazed on how shiny my hair looked but more impressed on how my hair felt so soft and weightless. Moreover, my hair lasted through the heat and humidity of Fourth of July celebrations. So much, that it still looked salon ready at work the next day.

Through the week I also tried out…

• Super Moisture Masque: bring moisture back into heat damaged hair. Used between shampoo and conditioner and utilized once a week, its main purpose is to bring sleekness back. I used it once and noticed that it left my hair velvety smooth days later.
• Air Dry Cream: when you don’t have time to style so you leave it to the hair gods to do their magic. I actually appreciated this when I was on the go with no time to tend to my hair. A quick run through my hair and as the day went by, my hair dried so well without the frizz it usually gets.
• Rejuvabeads: for split ends, considering my hair was just trimmed recently, it didn’t really apply to me. But I’m confident this would be magic for those with uneven ends.
• Conditioning Dry Shampoo: I have to say, I don’t have the magic touch with dry shampoos. Apparently I didn’t let it set for enough time before fluffing. Word to the wise, let it sit for a few minutes before touching your hair. But reading the 4 star reviews convinces me it is a #momwin for any mama on the go!
• Rejuveniqe Oil Intensive: a multi-tasker. Can be used on hair, skin, or your dog’s paws. The options are endless. Super luxurious!

Lasting Impression

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a new line of hair care that is focusing on natural ingredients, no animal testing, and gluten free. It truly is luxurious and gives you that perfect salon hair. I was really impressed with how well it transformed my hair, bringing it back to it’s former glory.

It’s an investment that will last you a while, but you will be paying for what you get. Remember it is a commitment, beautiful hair doesn’t happen over night.

In the end, I noticed that I haven’t been losing any more hair. My hair felt stronger, lighter, and most importantly, healthier. Plus, I’ve been getting more compliments on hair than before! And I wasn’t washing my hair as often as before!

Your hair is a non-verbal impression of how you take care of yourself and moreover, how you treat yourself. Believe it or not, your hair does all the talking before you get a chance to speak. Take care of it and give it nice brush before you leave the house. After all, momma knows best.

Interested in learning more? Maybe a little window shopping? Check out Emily’s page at CovetedHair.

OR

Would you like to try a sample pack and only pay for shipping and handling for only $7.99? YES. Try it out now, click here to invest in your hair! This is the best way to get started!