Fab Find of the Week: Hair by Sam McKnight

New launches from our A-list hairdresser chum Sam McKnight are Big News. (Also: ‘Big Hair’ News.)

However, it always takes us a while to post our reviews of haircare that we’ve been sent, because we have to put it through its paces ourselves. And that can take a while, what with washing our hair only once a week. (That’s another story, which we’ll save for another day.)

Still, a few weeks ago, a bumper fun pack of Hair by Sam McKnight landed at Beauty Bible HQ – some new, some from the existing range, but which hadn’t made it onto our radar. Our considered verdict! IT’S FAN-FLIPPING-TASTIC!

Now, one of the reasons we’re so enraptured is quite simply the scent. Created in tandem with Lyn Harris of Perfumer H – probably Britain’s foremost perfumer – it seeks to conjure up the scent of Sam’s back garden (with which he’s famously obsessed), after a rainstorm, via airy notes of lilac, green leaves, herbal notes, pepper and frankincense, on a base of cedarwood and juniper. It’s fresh, it’s fabulous – and if you see someone on the Tube sniffing their hair, well, that’s probably us.

But it’s one thing to have hair that smells amazing. We also have high performance standards – and there isn’t a single product, out of the line-up above, that we wouldn’t hand-on-heart recommend. So, here’s a detailed run-down of our thoughts on the haircare pictured above.

Rich Cleanse Nourishing Shampoo and Rich Nourish Conditioner. Sam calls his shampoos and conditioners ‘the foundation’ of great hair – and he’s spot-on. This duo cleanses lightly but effectively, leaving hair so fresh-feeling and yet moisturised. Key ingredients include extracts of castor oil (which is rich in vitamin E and omegas 6 and 9), along with pro-vitamin B5 and a moisture-powered sugar beet extract. The conditioner is super-effective in its own right, but if you want even more gloss and nourishment, we point you in the direction of…

Deeper Love 5-Minute Intense Treatment Mask. This is so effective that Jo, with her bleached highlights, bothers to lug this to London to her weekly blow-dry appointment. Super-fast, it works to boost gloss, leaving hair feeling stronger 10 x stronger, we’re told, though that’s hard to measure (ditto its ability to seal split ends, since those aren’t something we suffer from).

Cool Girl Superlift Volume Spray. Honestly as effectively volumising as a mousse, which is our go-to hairstyling product – but so much lighter in texture. Nonetheless, the volume and kick properly last. And while it contains alcohol, as many hairstyling sprays do, this heat-protective spray also offers nourishing and caring ingredients that include hibiscus flower extract, pro-vitamin B5 and something called ‘Fire Tulip flower extract’ (and no, we’ve never heard of that, either).

Happy Endings Nourishing Balm. (No sniggers, please.) A multi-tasking godsend which can be applied to dry or wet hair, to smooth, tame frizz, style and define – in other words, use it before OR after you style your hair. (Jo loves it for adding choppiness, as well as shine, between those rare shampoos – yet it doesn’t weigh hair down.)

Light Cleanse Hair & Scalp Shampoo and Light Nourish Conditioner. The latter can be used as a leave-in or rinse out, powered by honeysuckle, chamomile and ‘Velvet Flower Extract’. It’s lightweight and seriously scalp-friendly (great for touchy scalps); we haven’t used this as often as the Nourish duo, because our hair always needs a mega-dose of TLC and moisture – but trialled once, and loved it nonetheless.

Investment haircare, yes. But we’ll be replenishing, with our own hard-earned pennies, when we’ve squeezed the last out of these. (And not just for that scent – which we’d like next as a spritzable perfume for our bodies, please, Sam and Lyn!)

Rich Cleanse Nourishing Shampoo/£28 for 250ml – buy here

Rich Nourish Conditioner/£28 for 200ml – buy here

Deeper Love 5-Minute Intense Treatment Mask/£22 for 50ml – buy here

Cool Girl Superlift Volume Spray/£26 for 150ml – buy here

Happy Endings Nourishing Balm/from £22 for 30ml – buy here

Light Cleanse Hair & Scalp Shampoo/£28 for 250ml – buy here

Light Nourish Conditioner/£28 for 200ml – buy here