Viral L'Oreal Elvive Hair gloss - Hit or miss?
- sweetnessbeautyrev
- May 17
- 10 min read
Hi pretties! Long time no see...again. Yes, I know it always takes me ages to get these blog posts out. But, this time I have a very valid excuse...I got a job! I recently started my first office job and I can officially say that I work in the beauty industry. Whoo! As you can imagine, I've been crazy busy so bare with me. I am still alive, don't worry. Anyway...
In today's blog post I'm going to be reviewing the Tiktok Viral L'Oreal Elvive hair gloss that Madison Beer (apparently) uses. To be completely honest, I found this hair gloss by searching up "best hair glosses for damaged hair" on google and this was the one that kept coming up. My hair is desperately, horribly and shamefully on another level of damaged. I naturally have silky, straight and frizz-free hair. In the span of the past 4 years, I have so intelligently decided to self cut, box bleach and dye my hair too many times. Hence, I have been left with very dry and frizzy hair (the opposite of everything I was blessed with when I was born). The last time I dyed my hair was around 6 months ago and I used a total of 7 box dyes in the span of 3 weeks. The ghost of L'oreal's founder must have possessed me because this included two sessions of self bleaching. (Disclaimer: do not ever do this). I don't think my hair has been the same since. I remember my scalp being VERY weak and sensitive for a good month after that experience and at the time I didn't even know if my hair would ever grow back to what it was. Anyway, since then I have made a pact to not touch my hair unless it is to trim dead ends. The point of this long story is that I was trying to find a way to make my hair look glossy and less damaged. Hence, come L'Oreal Elvive Hair Gloss. This post will be my review on the lamination gloss as well as the rest of the collection and whether or not I think you should go get it. I have straight, fine hair and I am looking to see how effective this gloss was for my hair in:
Making my hair look glossier (Shine rating)
Rejuvenating my dead hair. (Softness rating)
Firstly, lets go through the product family. The L'Oreal Elvive Glycolic Gloss 5 Minute Lamination comes from a collection of hair products under the 'Elvive Glycolic Gloss Hair Care' family. This family is powered by glycolic acid which (apparently) penetrates the hair's fibre improving shine, smoothness and strength. I bought all 4 of the products within this family including the: L'Oreal Elvive Glycolic Gloss Shampoo, L'Oreal Elvive Glycolic Conditioner, L'Oreal Elvive Glycolic Gloss Lamination, and L'Oreal Elvive Glycolic Leave-in Serum.
I’ve attached a photo from their website that explains the recommended order of use for the products in the collection:
I will be reviewing all 4 of their products- both separately and how well I think this works as a set. Now, without further ado onto the review:
Product 1: L'Oreal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss 5 Minute Lamination
Product number 1 is of course the L'Oreal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss 5 Minute Lamination. This is the product that lured me into trying the Elvive family.
I definitely had the highest expectations for this product...unfortunately this is the one that disappointed me the most. I was really excited to try this product, especially after hearing that Madison beer *apparently* uses this (her hair always looks too shiny for her own good). Let me explain why I wasn't impressed:
The advertising for this product suggests that consumers will achieve salon-like hair lamination. However, I found the results to be short-lived. I used the product consistently over two months, washing my hair 2–3 times a week, and the shine always faded after just one day. Don’t get me wrong, my hair did look shiner after using it but I wouldn’t say it was an extreme difference.
Here is the photo marketed by L'Oreal, showing what the product essentially promises:
Now here is a video of my hair before and right after the first time I used the product:
I know that this video shows a pretty big difference in my hair- and I’m not denying that the gloss helped make it softer and shinier. However, it’s worth noting that in the video on the right, my hair had been washed a second time (compared to the first wash in the left video) and was freshly styled, which naturally makes hair look shinier and smoother. Additionally, if you compare the back of my head, there isn’t a dramatic difference, and I think that view offers a more realistic representation of what the results looked like in real life.
The photos below document the progression of my hair over several weeks of using the product. Each photo was taken the morning after applying the gloss during the previous night's wash:
There isn’t a significant difference between the first and third week of use. In fact, I don’t think there’s a major difference between these photos and my hair before starting the treatment. So, while the lamination effect does work to some extent, it’s nowhere near the quality of a professional salon treatment. If you are expending salon results, then you will be disappointed.
Now let's talk smell and feel. I loved the smell of this product. Plus the actual gloss itself is a sparkling baby pink (almost white) colour which in my opinion really added to the experience! Everything about the actual usage of this product, such as lathering it into my hair and its scent, was really positive. Unfortunately, It was just the actual results which let it down.
Below is an image sourced from ASOS of what the lamination (and pretty much the rest of the products) look like:
Would I recommend this product? Most likely not, but it depends what you are looking for. Let me explain:
if you want significant results then this is not the product for you. Just go to the salon and pay a bit more or get a more expensive at home one that is a true chemical lamination. You will be happier with the results. However, if you love the experience of using pretty things that look nice and that feel good to use then go ahead. It makes a subtle difference, and I’d recommend thinking of it more as a shine-enhancing shampoo rather than a true gloss lamination treatment. Overall, this product was more effective at softening my hair than making it appear glossy. At a retail price of around £16, this product isn’t going to break the bank. I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near cheap for drugstore standards but it’s a very affordable price.
Shine Rating (how well it shined my hair): 5/10
Softness rating (how well it softened my hair): 7/10
Overall rating: 5.5/10
Would I recommend? Probably not
Product 2: L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss Sulphate Free Shampoo
Next product is the shampoo. It's a sulphate free formula, meaning it doesn't contain the harsh detergents that are used in traditional shampoos to create, lather, and cleanse hair. Sulphates can strip hair of its natural oils, which in turn potentially causes dryness or irritation. Sulphate-free shampoos are a good option for those with sensitive scalps or those who want to minimise hair dryness.
I loved this product. It smelt sooo good, felt good and had a fab lather. It foamed up so easily and a small amount goes a long way. It left my hair feeling fresh, clean and revitalised. In my opinion, it’s hard to find good sulphate-free shampoos that actually make your hair feel clean after washing. This shampoo definitely made my scalp feel clean whilst not stripping it completely. I would recommend this shampoo if you’re looking for something a bit fancier than the normal drug store shampoo. This product did everything a shampoo needs to do, and my hair still felt hydrated after using it. The formula is again a sparkly baby pink colour (like everything else in the family, which I love!!). This shampoo felt salon quality, and I think it definitely leaves the hair feeling softer. It seemed like the shampoo increased shine a tiny bit, but nothing extremely significant (hmmm seems to be a running trend within this product family…)
Anyway, all in all I would recommend trying this product out. Would I say using this shampoo was a life changing experience? No, probably not life changing... (in all fairness I've never tried a shampoo and thought "Wow my life has changed") BUT I would still recommend trying it because it is a good product. Even if you don't end up liking it, I think it's one of those things that are worth giving a go anyway to see if it does work well with your hair.
Overall, I’ve given this product an 8.5 out of 10 in the final roundup. It is a solid performer, but it again promises extreme shine—which, in my experience, it didn’t quite deliver. So yes, feel free to try it, but just know that you’re getting a high-quality shampoo that cleans the scalp well, not a product that will give you instant, high-gloss results.
I rated it 5/10 for shine and 7/10 for softness, keeping in mind that it’s primarily a shampoo, not a gloss. These individual scores didn’t weigh heavily in my overall rating, as I based that on criteria specific to shampoos.
Shine Rating (how well it shined my hair): 5/10
Softness rating (how well it softened my hair): 7/10
Overall rating: 8.75/10
Would I recommend? Yes
Product 3: L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss Conditioner
I really liked this product too. 90% of me liking this product is because I am obsessed with the smell. I stood there smelling the conditioner for a good 5 minutes trying to decipher the undertones because it smelt so familiar to a scent from my childhood and just overall really amazing. I would buy this conditioner again simply because I loved the smell so much. Aside from the amazing scent and the eye-catching sparkly formula, this conditioner performed similarly to a standard drugstore conditioner. It did the job and made my hair feel smooth. I will say though, I noticed a small difference in how my hair felt after washing and drying—it definitely felt healthier and more hydrated than usual.
This conditioner goes on the market for a retail price of £13 for 200ml of product so it's pretty affordable. However, if you compare this to other drugstore brands such as TRESemmé, they offer large bottles—typically around 900ml—for just £3–4. From this perspective, you're getting nearly five times the amount of product for about a third of the price. So, if budgeting is your main concern, then I don't think the results of this conditioner are significantly better than those of a regular drugstore option to justify switching.
All in all, there’s not much more to say—it works well, makes the hair feel softer, and adds a subtle boost in shine. I’d definitely recommend giving it a try to see how it works for your hair. Whether the price is worth it really comes down to personal preference and whether the difference in how your hair feels after washing is significant enough for you to make the switch.
Shine Rating (how well it shined my hair): 7/10
Softness rating (how well it softened my hair): 8.5/10
Overall rating: 8.5/10
Would I recommend? Yes
Product 4: L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss Leave-In Serum
This product did a decent job of making my hair feel softer. However, like the other products I tried, I didn’t notice a dramatic improvement in shine. The packaging promises “ultimate shine,” but honestly, I don’t think it lives up to that claim. That’s not to say the product didn’t make a difference—my hair definitely looked slightly shinier and felt a lot more softer—but I’m still on the hunt for the perfect serum or gloss that delivers truly impressive shine. Overall, it’s not a bad product, but I’m confident there are better serums out there. So personally, I wouldn’t purchase this one again.
The main thing to note about this product is that it’s more effective at enhancing softness than adding extreme shine. I also found that it works better on damp hair than on dry hair, even though the instructions say it can be used on both. When applied to damp hair and followed with blow-drying, I noticed a clear difference in how soft my hair felt. In contrast, using it on dry hair didn’t have as much of an effect (on my hair)—aside from leaving a nice scent.
Shine Rating (how well it shined my hair): 5/10
Softness rating (how well it softened my hair): 8.75/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Would I recommend? Sure (I reckon you can find better ones our there though)
Collection overview:
Now that we’ve gone over each product separately let’s do an overall recap of my thoughts on the collection as a whole.
Overall, I actually found this collection pretty good as a whole. The thing is, the products work well together. And when used as a complete routine my hair was left super duper soft, and slightly shinier. The main downside I experienced while testing these products was with the glossing items. They promise “extreme shine,” which I feel sets an unrealistic expectation—especially since the shine they do provide doesn’t last more than a day or two. To sum up, I would personally repurchase the Shampoo, Conditioner, and maybe the Hair Serum—but only because of how soft they made my hair feel, not because I believe any of the products delivered on their promise of added shine. Which, in a way, defeats the purpose of the collection being stated as an “Intense long-lasting gloss” (as marketed on their website) hence I give the collection an overall score of:
Collection Overall Score: 7.75/10
That’s it for today pretties! I hope this review helped you in deciding whether or not you want to try this hair serum collection. I also want to add a final disclaimer that this is just my experience and my opinion on the collection! This is what worked and didn’t work with my hair type, so your experience may be wayyy different to mine.
Ciaoooo!
Miss Priss 💋
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