Remember the first time you went to a real hair salon? Not the chain storefront in the mall or the family barber (no disrespect), but the salon. The kind that smells like a warm, impossible French perfume, filled with the whirring sounds of hairdryers, and lined with chair after chair of chic people sipping espresso as equally chic hairdressers work their magic. The salon is not just about the hair (though, of course, the hair is lighter and bouncier than it's ever been)—it’s about the experience. And once you go once, it feels like nothing less will do. 

That salon experience is something Kérastase aims to bottle. You may have even spotted its products in your actual salon—after all, professional haircare is kind of the brand's baguette and butter. That’s because these products are diagnostic—full lines that would simulate the experience of going to your trusted stylist at your trusted salon and saying, “My hair feels lifeless,” then walking out with healthy hair that couldn’t have more life if you hit it with a defibrillator.

Guillaume Duez, SVP of brand at Kérastase, says that’s all in the heritage. The brand's ethos is rooted in 1960s Paris, where the pioneers of effortless French-girl style—women like Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Jane Birkin, and Anna Karina—reigned supreme. ”It was the swinging '60s. Women were going to the hairdresser to change their look more often than they do now,” says Duez. “'60s hairdressers were really the original influencers.” 

Times may have changed, but that hairdresser relationship remains the same, and Kérastase exemplifies that. “At the core of everything we do is this privileged relationship between a woman and her hairstylist,” he says. “When she goes to the salon, a stylist can help her study the hair and figure out how to achieve the look she wants in the best possible way.” 

The brand's products have evolved over the years, too. While we may not trek to the salon to change our hairstyles with the seasons, we still often express our individuality through hair. It could be a slicked-back ballerina bun or a hot pink bob—Kérastase wants to help you realize your dream hair in a professional way, wherever you are. That’s why the brand has put an emphasis on hair care powered by science, in partnership with the best network of hairdressers from around the world: This way, any woman can achieve her hair goals—even at home. 

“That’s what it’s about,” says Duez. “We put our customers at the core of everything we do.” 

If you’re ready to bring the salon experience into your bathroom, here are nine great Kérastase products for anything your hair could possibly need.

Kérastase Elixir Ultime L'Huile Original Hair Oil

Kérastase’s cult-favorite hair oil is recognizable by the golden, light-refracting bottle alone, and you’ve likely encountered this product as the finishing touch after a salon blow-dry. The formula has seen a few updates over the years, but the results have always been lightweight polish and shine. Today’s version packs an extra punch of nutrition from the antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamins found in marula oil, as well as the elasticity and shine derived from the oleic and linoleic acid in camellia oil. For us, the only struggle was stopping ourselves from touching our velvety hair every 60 seconds throughout the day.

Kérastase Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum Hydrating Treatment

They call it beauty sleep for a reason: because all of our masks, treatments, and serums are hard at work keeping us fresh and radiant (and definitely not because sleep itself is a basic, restorative human necessity we all need more of). This popular hair serum is great for dry hair that needs a full eight hours of nourishing vitamin B to recuperate from environmental stressors. It absorbs quickly (no issues with staining our pillow case) and—dare we say that the scent itself lulled us to sleep? But our favorite feature is that there’s no need to rinse in the morning, so you can maybe squeeze in a ninth hour of actual rest if you put your mind to it.