Adventures in Oribe: Getting To Know the Oribe Hair Product Line, and Insider Hair Stylist Tips

I experienced, not one, but two major revelations in that class on Oribe hairstyling products earlier today at Corte Madera’s Fox + Stone Salon.

The first, how to pronounce the word, “Oribe.”

Oh-ree-bay? Or-rib-bay? Oh-ruh-hibe?

Turns out it’s OR-bay! — she said, her eyes widening to the size of saucers when she heard Northern California Brand Manager Karen Kerr pronounce it.

I swear the clouds parted when I heard it, LOL!

Karen was there at the salon to teach the stylists there about Oribe’s products, and I was invited, along with two other ladies, to be a hair model.

Which brings me to the second revelation I mentioned — that I now know what it feels like to be a puppy at a dog park, because there was a lot of petting going on…and by that I mean that the stylists in the class were instructed to repeatedly touch my hair and that of the other models.

Yup, another one to cross off ye olde bucket list. 🙂 “Have 20 people touch my hair in one day.” Check.

Three Hair Models, Three Hairstyles

There were three separate stations, one for each of the models, among which the stylists would move to play with the products on each person’s hair.

There were three hair themes — Curl Power, Full-Blown Bombshell (which I was desperately hoping to be picked for, not gonna lie) and Big, Bold and Beautiful, which was the theme I was assigned.

Big, Bold and Beautiful

My hair’s job was to sit there and showcase three products from Oribe’s line — their Foundation Mist, Creme for Style and Maximista Thickening Spray.

I use Oribe’s Shampoos and Conditioners at home and have had really good luck with them, so it was interesting to learn more about the products, the best ways to use them and what makes them tick.

Step 1: Wash and Condition

After washing my mop with Oribe’s Shampoo for Brilliance and Shine ($46) and Conditioner for Beautiful Color ($42), they sat me in my chair and went to work.

Step 2: Prep With Foundation Mist

Oribe’s Foundation Mist ($24) works kind of like a makeup primer for your hair. I found out that it’s not really designed for hold, but rather to prepare hair for styling by evening out the texture of every strand from root to end.

My stylist buddy Alis, who works at the salon and invited me today, explained it like this: sometimes hair has natural dips in the strands, which are like potholes. Foundation Mist does something called “evening out the porosity,” which means that it fills in those potholes, turning the strands into one long, smooth road.

With the strands filled in, any styling products layered on top apply more smoothly and evenly, and basically perform better.

On top of that, Foundation Mist also offers UV protection, which is particularly helpful for color-treated hair.

To use it, just spray it all over your hair, from roots to ends, and don’t be afraid to saturate those strands!

Step 3: Condition With Creme for Style

After prepping my hair with Foundation Mist, the stylists worked in Oribe’s Creme for Style ($38), a creamy leave-in conditioner ideal for thick, heavy hair.

Layering is an important part of the Oribe philosophy, and this lightweight cream adds firm, yet flexible, hold and volume, among other things. You can apply it to either wet or dry hair, curly or straight, for shine, separation and body. It’s also great for giving extra oomph and structure to blowouts.

The stylists squeezed a pearl-sized amount into one of their palms and rubbed their hands together to thin and distribute the product, which they then applied from the mid-shaft, all the way to the ends. Whatever was left over, they ran through my hair at the crown of my head.

Creme for Style also conditions hair, and like Foundation Mist, it provides UV protection.

Step 4: Crank Up the Volume With Maxinista Finishing Spray

Next came the blow dryers! Two stylists dried my hair until it was about 80 percent done. Then it was time for the finishing touches with a round brush and the final product for my big, bold and beautiful look, volumizing Maxinista Thickening Spray ($28), which is used to create BIG volume, like the kind you see in big, puffed-out, blow-dried hair.

It offers light-to-medium hold; they applied it section by section, from roots to ends, before using a large round brush and a blow dryer to finish the look.

I learned that a trick to using Maxinista is to keep a bottle of Foundation Mist nearby, because sometimes, if the hair gets too dry while you’re blow drying with Maxinista, it can start to feel sticky, but if that happens, just spray a little bit of Foundation Mist on the section that you’re currently working with, and no more sticky!

When they were finished, my hair looked bouncy and full, especially at the roots, which is something I have trouble with sometimes because my hair tends to be heavy.

Now if I only woke up with hair like this all the time! 🙂

At the end of the class, the instructor highlighted a few other products from the line…

More Goodness From the Oribe Line

• Impermeable Anti-Humidity spray ($39): Like an umbrella for your hair. If it’s raining or drizzling outside, spray this all over your hair as the last step in your styling process to protect your blowout and/or curls.
• Thick Dry Finishing Spray ($37): This finishing spray reduces oil and boosts volume, and it works great for gals/guys with fine hair! You can also use it as a dry shampoo on second-day hair.
• Soft Lacquer Heat Styling Spray ($33): Apply this heat-styling spray section by section before you flat iron or curl your hair. It’s supposed to really seal your hair style in place. Several stylists there raved about how well it works on hair that has a difficult time holding a curl.
• Soft Dry Conditioner Spray ($35): This one isn’t really a styling product… More like a conditioner in spray form. It’s supposed to be great at detangling and deflating overly big hair, and it can be used on wet or dry strands. Curly girls can use it, too (although I can’t recall the exact reason why).
• Oribe Smooth Styling Serum ($49): A finishing product used to seal the ends of your hair. It also tames flyaways, holds curls and adds shine, body and separation. If you use it, emulsify it in your hands first.
• Rough Luxury Soft ($35): A matte molding paste used to piece out layers and smooth fuzzy hairlines. You can use it to smooth those hard to handle pieces, and it’s also great for brows!

Hope you enjoyed this little tour of Oribe hair products. 🙂

Do you have much experience with the line? Inquiring minds want to know…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen