The slang word “ouai,” which means “yes” in English, may mean “yes” to hair and skincare fans, and Ouai is the new brand causing all the buzz. “Looking fashionable, no matter how many followers you have,” the company’s tale goes. Jen Atkin, the creator of Ouai, has amassed a network for her professional and personal endeavors. Atkin, a celebrity hairstylist who has worked with Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, and the Kardashians, founded Ouai in 2016.
You’ve probably heard of Ouai, even if you haven’t tried any of their products. Or you may have come across them while scrolling through Instagram. Or while watching one of Jen Atkin’s Snapchat stories or one of her numerous clients’ Snapchat stories, including Chrissy Teigen, Jenna Dewan Tatum, and almost every member of the Kardashian-Jenner family. The line is extraordinarily comprehensive and has exquisite packaging, a little strange name, and a huge celebrity following.
There are the essentials — shampoos, hairspray, finishing crème, and utterly unexpected products (dry shampoo foam, oily scalp supplements, a hat that says Ouai-sted on the front). While Atkin and, by extension, Ouai are visible primarily on Instagram, you should know a few things about the company. Continue reading to learn more.
History of Ouai Brand
Before Ouai could be set up, Atkin’s narrative began simply. Jen Atkin, is a celebrity hairdresser, and the inventor of Ouai Haircare. She was a hairdresser and the founder of the website maneaddicts.com. She also has many celebrity clients worldwide, including the Kardashian-Jenner sisters.
She dropped out of Utah college at the age of 19 and moved to Los Angeles with just $300 in her pocket. Her skill and desire to learn everything there is to know about hair propelled her career ahead. Moreover, her ability to form the appropriate relationships made her a household name. Atkin had a reputation for persuading her way into V.I.P. areas and expanding her network.
Ouai originated as a digital brand, and it remains an essential element of who they are today. A bastion for the company’s advertising and P.R. is created by its enormous Instagram presence and the support of social media celebrities. In this way, Atkin was light years ahead of her competition, establishing a link between her social personality and social networking, and increasing both at the same time. Ouai’s collection of affordable luxury continues to expand. The company’s most recent growth places them in the middle of a booming market: body care and scent. The Dry Hair Foam ($28) and Wave Spray ($26) are cult favorites for the new brand; many have tried and liked them.
Many hair care products are available at Ouai. Shampoo, conditioner, style products, treatment goods, body products, vitamins, and various other items are available. Ouai’s headquarters are in Los Angeles, California. Ouai is now exclusively available in the United States. They do not presently ship overseas, unfortunately.
Key Features of the Ouai Brand
The Ouai Daily Haircare line is a full launch of the shampoo and conditioner offerings to simplify the options. It all depends on your hair type.
Parabens, phthalates, and sulfates are not used in the production of Ouai Haircare products. Ouai is a cruelty-free brand that does not use animal experimentation in the development or production phases. Their shampoos provide volume while keeping the hair silky and smooth without weighing it down. It also has a pleasant fresh scent that lasts all day in the hair. Although the Ouai hair products are pricey, the quality is worth it.
The Name Is Supposed To Be Hard To Pronounce
The term “Ouai” is a tangle of vowels pronounced as “way”, which is the slang pronunciation of the French affirmative oui. Atkin intended its brand to be a conversation starter so that you can be the one correcting your friends’ pronunciation at lunch. Your pals may think you’re a snob, but Atkin has a point; you’ll probably get into a lively debate about her dry shampoo.
The Supplements Are Legit
At the launch ceremony for her three hair supplements (one for oily scalp, one for dry hair, and one to help with hair growth), Atkin explained that she created a haircare business to make supplements. She collaborated with a doctor to develop something that can treat the most pressing hair concerns that styling solutions couldn’t handle. While Atkin’s word on these tablets’ effectiveness is trusted, a few dermatologists were consulted for confirmation, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.
Mousse Is Cool Again
Ouai has a large fan base. On the other hand, mousse does not. People appear to be afraid of the substance. Unfortunately, many are scared of mousse because they’re used to the stiff, crunchy hair of 1990s products. She renamed it Soft Mousse, which was a calculated rebranding maneuver. This mousse is incredibly smooth, touchable, and light on the hair. It gives your hair a natural wave without using an iron. Anything that requires less effort appeals to us.
The Founder Listens to Her Fans
On social media, Atkin has a sizable following. She currently has 1.9 million Instagram followers. Even though it appears to be a complex undertaking, Atkin keeps track of all the comments and suggestions she receives on social media. So far, the most popular request she’s had is for a specific hair prescription, which inspired her to start #myouai. It’s a quick questionnaire about your hair type and needs that advises you just what products to use to get the look you desire — for those who don’t have a Kardashian surname.
The Dry Shampoo Foam Has a Learning Curve
Atkin released a dry shampoo foam earlier this year. People are usually up for a novel texture, but dry shampoo foam contradicts them. There is, of course, a technique to making it work. To get the maximum impact, rub the foam into your hair until it’s totally dry. It is volumizing and cleaning, but it doesn’t leave hair with a gritty texture unlike regular dry shampoo powders.
Atkin Designed the Products With Her Busy Celebrity Clients in Mind
For years, Atkin heard the same complaint from almost all of her clients: they just wanted healthy-looking hair without the time-consuming style and treatments that came with it. So she created a solution with healthy nutrients while reducing style time. Sounds familiar, right? It’s the original Ouai Wave Spray formula. It worked: It not only hydrates hair with coconut water and plant extracts, but it also uses rice protein to keep your waves in place.
This year, Ouai will continue to develop additional formulas to complement the dry shampoo foam. However, it will not be limited to haircare items. The people at Ouai polled people to see what they wanted, and as per the results, you should keep a watch out for accessories and travel bags. Also, due to popular demand, the company has brought back its limited-edition Ouaisted Dad Hat. If this is any indicator, what comes next will be what people wish to have in their routines or accessories.
Ouai Specific Hair Type Products
When selecting the correct hair care products, knowing your hair type, fine, medium, or thick (this refers to texture, not density), is critical for determining which products will work best for your hair. In reality, many of your top hair worries or issues may result from utilizing the wrong products. Knowing your hair type allows you to find the perfect balance and the right product for your hair, ending bad hair days for good.
The Ouai brand’s creator, Jen Atkin devised a quick and easy approach to determine your hair type and make your choices. As per this approach, you have fine hair if one strand of hair is unnoticeable to the naked eye, and you have medium hair if you can feel anything in-between your fingers when you take one strand of hair. Lastly, if you can play tug of war with a lock of hair, you have thick hair.
If you’re still perplexed, Ouai has a quiz on their website to help you establish your hair type and decide which products would work best for you.
Ouai Daily Healthcare
This new collection, which replaces the brand’s prior shampoos and conditioners, is made to suit the texture of your hair. The Ouai Daily Healthcare Shampoo makes your wash routine easier by providing a recipe based on your hair type: fine, medium, or thick. The concept is simple, and the product is also good.
The Three Formulas
Daily Care comes in three basic versions: shampoo and conditioner for fine hair, medium hair, and thick hair. The goal is to eliminate convoluted marketing that may lead you astray and provide people with an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand formula that is gentle enough for daily use.
Fine Hair
This shampoo will give your hair a bounce by strengthening keratin and biotin. The conditioner is highly hydrating while being lightweight – no limpness here. And the scent of these products is so appealing that they could be the brand’s future fragrance. The smell is Mercer Street by Ouai, and it has undertones of orange, peony, magnolia, jasmine, musk, and orris.
Whether you style your hair basic and straight or bouncy and curly, this package of products provides the foundation for an incredible amount of fullness. To prevent breakage, the shampoo will further strengthen the hair with biotin (vitamin B7). In addition, because of the properties of chia seed oil, it provides weightless volume and makes hair feel fuller and thicker.
Medium Hair
The medium hair formula includes hydrolyzed keratin, babassu oil, coconut oil, and kumquat fruit extract (loaded with vitamins A, B, and C). The Medium Hair Shampoo lathers wonderfully, which is remarkable for a sulfate-free shampoo. The foamy mixture removes all oil and styling product buildup from the hair roots. The bottles have a plastic design with a top that seems elegant despite its simplicity. Furthermore, plastic is created from recycled resources and is completely recyclable!
The Mercer Street aroma of these products is delightful—it blends with your shower steam to make you feel like you’re in a French spa. The conditioner is equally gratifying, with a rich and creamy texture that does a great job of evenly covering your strands.
Thick Hair
The Thick Hair Shampoo is filled with strand-smoothing chemicals to tame and care for thick, unruly heads of hair. This nourishing product contains hair-strengthening hydrolyzed keratin to provide sleek, frizz-free lengths. A healthy blend of shea butter and avocado oil (rich in oleic and linoleic acid!) provides your hair a great wash of hydration. At the same time, the marshmallow root softens each strand for a silky finish. The classic ‘Mercer Street’ smell is a lovely bonus that stays long after the suds have washed away.
The shampoo is available in a stylish 300ml bottle or a 946ml refill bag – equal to little more than three full-sized bottles. The creamy conditioner is likewise ample in size and glides smoothly through the hair. You will notice a more manageable wash after using it and combing it through your hair. The conditioner also contains marshmallow root, shea butter, and the popular protein keratin.
Following are the 4 standouts of ouai shampoo products that you should consider buying.
Ouai Detox Shampoo. Clarifying Cleanse for Dirt, Product, and Hard Water Buildup. Get Back to Super Clean, Soft & Refreshed Locks. (10 oz)
The Ouai Detox Shampoo is a shampoo that uses detoxifying apple cider vinegar with hair-strengthening keratin to cleanse grime, oil, and product buildup thoroughly.
Benefits
This concentrated clarifying shampoo containing apple cider vinegar puts your overworked locks back on track. Wet hair, lather, and rinse thoroughly. Melrose Place is the fragrance of Ouai Detox Shampoo. Rose, bergamot, lychee, cedarwood, and white musk are ingredients. To soothe your squeaky clean hair, you can use any Ouai conditioner. This shampoo leaves your hair smooth and shining, just like conventional shampoo. It also feels luxurious to have because, although being sulfate-free, it lathers nicely. Furthermore, it is also color-safe, contains no harsh chemicals, and contains Hydrolyzed Keratin, which helps control frizz and flyaways.
Ouai Fine Shampoo. Bring Fine Hair to the Next Level With Strengthening Keratin, Biotin & Chia Seed Oil. Hair Is Left Clean, Bouncy, and Voluminous. Free From Parabens, Sulfates, and Phthalates. 10 oz
This Ouai Fine Shampoo cleans, strengthens, and revitalizes fine hair, so dial up the Ouai factor with this thickening shampoo.
Benefits
This Ouai Fine Shampoo revitalizes fine hair, cleans strands, and adds bounce and volume. It’s the perfect ‘pick me up’ your hair has been looking for. Furthermore, the strengthening keratin, nourishing biotin, and moisturizing chia seed boost fine hair volume. This thickening shampoo is scented with Mercer Street, a rose fragrance with Italian Lemon, Jasmine, and White Musk notes. Moreover, this Ouai shampoo has been meticulously created to reduce style time while nourishing your hair’s health. The excellent material is placed while the poor stuff is left out, never losing quality.
Ouai Super Dry Shampoo. Cleanse, Remove Product Buildup & Refresh Hair Without Water. Adds Instant Volume & Shine to Fine, Oily Hair. Free From Parabens & Sulfates (4.5 Oz)
The Ouai Super Dry Shampoo is a super-absorbent dry shampoo that rapidly absorbs excess oil and revives volume and body while leaving hair clean and healthy.
Benefits
The Ouai Super Dry Shampoo has an innovative solution that removes product buildup, cleanses the scalp, and adds volume to even the oiliest hair. It is also colorfast. Melrose Place, a velvety-rich rose smell mixed with a swoon-worthy blend of bergamot, lychee, white musk, champagne, and more, scents this exceptionally absorbent shampoo. On days when you don’t have time to shower, shake the can vigorously and spray at a 6-10 inches from your head. Rub the dry shampoo into your hair until it is no longer visible. Then, flip your hair over and spray it for even additional volume.
Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and maintenance System Kit
The Olaplex Bond Maintenance Shampoo is a reparative and moisturizing shampoo that makes your hair easily manageable, healthier, and shiny every time you use it.
Benefits
This product made through a cruelty-free process assists in eliminating frizz and flyaway and reducing breakage and enhancing the bonds within the hair. Olaplex is a color-safe shampoo and due to its repair and maintenance capabilities, it is the perfect hair product for damaged hair and those with split ends and frizz. The shampoo is free from gluten, paraben, sulfate, and formaldehyde. You can apply and massage the shampoo on your hair and then rinse it to leave your hair feeling fresh and new. The ingredients present in the formula provide your hair with a silky texture and protect, nourish, and restructure them internally.
Final Thoughts
Ouai hair products are fantastic if you actively pursue high-quality hair care. You can tell they are unique compared to others on the market. While the prices are significantly higher, they are still lower compared to other luxury shampoos. You also don’t have to utilize every product in the collection to achieve your desired look. Instead, you can determine which products work best for you and stick to them.
In addition, the packaging of the products is also quite slick, and despite its simplicity, it appears to be premium. The tubes and bottles also look gorgeous on a bathroom shelf, and each product is scented like perfumes from a hard-to-find Parisian fragrance boutique. Therefore, we can confidently say that Ouai Shampoos are worth it.