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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Review: it Haircare 12-in-One Amazing Leave In Treatment

A drugstore dupe for It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In? That's exactly what I asked myself about a month ago when I spotted this new it Haircare product sitting on the shelf at my local Rite Aid. So naturally, it went home with me, and I've been using it regularly for over four weeks now. So let's take a closer look, shall we?

 it Haircare 12-in-One Amazing Leave In Treatment
(retail: $8.99 at Rite Aid, 5.1 oz)

Keep reading for my full review...

it Haircare is probably best know for Freeze It, which is a line of affordable styling products that you can find at most major drugstores, grocery stores, etc. (by the way, I just noticed that it Haircare brought back the original Freeze Hairspray due to customer demand). This new leave-in treatment is not part of the Freeze It line and as you're probably aware, the bottle looks similar to the much-loved It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In

In addition to this new leave-in treatment, there are some other new products on the it Haircare website, including a new lash serum, surf spray, and more. But back to this new product:

Made in USA



Let's compare the ingredients to It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In (from drugstore.com):
Water (Purified), Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Propylene Glycol, Panthenol, Cyclomethicone, Silk Amino Acid, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract (Sunflower), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Quaternium 80, Fragrance, Eugenol 3, Coumarin 3, Cinnamal 3, Linalool, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

Both product contain water, 'cones, propylene glycol, panthenol. silk amino acids, sunflower seed extract and a few other common ingredients. The it Haircare product is paraben-free (It's a 10 contains two forms) and the it Haircare product contains abyssinian oil and argan oil, while It's a 10 does not contain either (it does contain green tea leaf extract though). 

Based on this info alone, this is clearly not a dupe for It's a 10. But since they do share common ingredients, I was still curious if they might perform in similar ways. 

spray nozzle

Before I get into how this product performs for me, I want to mention the most surprising thing that I discovered about this product. The texture is definitely not what I expected:


This product is not a liquid--it's a solid! Well, I should say it's more lotion-like, but it's definitely more solid than it is liquid. It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In is a liquid and I was fully expecting THIS product to be. But when I first used it I was very surprised to see that it comes out of the nozzle exactly like a spray lotion. 

At first I thought, "Well maybe it needs to be warmer, sort of like coconut oil." But no. I used this on a few 90-degree days and it still maintained its solid form. It's not difficult to dispense, but I do wish the little pin-hole opening on the nozzle was tiny bit larger.


But as you can see, once you rub it between your hands, it breaks down easily and the texture is more like a leave-in lotion type of styling product. It's not thick, goopy, sticky or weird. It's very light and easy to disperse through the hair, although I do suggest spraying it into your palm, rubbing it between your hands and working it in to your hair that way. For me, it just doesn't work when I try to apply it straight from the bottle (sprayed directly onto my hair). 

After over four weeks of using this product, I can tell you that it is definitely not a dupe for It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In, but you know what? I find myself loving it. It doesn't have the instant detangling power that It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In has, but I'm extremely pleased with how this leaves my hair feeling and looking.

If you're new to this blog, I have long, naturally wavy hair that's fine in texture (but I have a lot of it). My roots are very oily and my ends are very dry, and my hair is color-treated. Basically, my hair can be a giant frizz ball if left to its own devices, but if I use heavy styling products, my hair can easily get weighed down. I love to air-dry my hair and allow my natural waves to look beachy (loose ringlets), so I'm always looking for a good treatment that can help eliminate frizz, make my hair feel soft without weighing it down, and also give my waves some uniformity. 

This product helps do everything I just listed above. It makes my hair feel softer without weighing it down, it helps control frizz and it makes my waves a bit more springy and uniform. In a nutshell, this is doing everything I wanted it to do. I love the way It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In instantly detangles my hair (my hair is very prone to tangles) and I'm a little bummed that I don't get that here, but for $8.99, I'm willing to overlook that.

I also love that I don't need much per application (your mileage may vary, of course). As with any styling product, you'll need to experiment with different amounts until you find that magic combination, and for me I find that two pumps from the bottle is perfect since I only apply this from my ears down. I've been using this about every day for 4+ weeks and I'm not even close to hitting the halfway mark, which means I definitely won't blow through a bottle as quickly as I have blown through bottles of It's a 10.

I also love the scent of this product. To me, it smells like a bowl of sangria that's sitting next to a vase of gardenias. That's the best way I can describe it! I get citrus and red berries and a rich red-wine note here (I LOVE red-wine scented anything, so this is a major plus for me), but I also get a lovely whiff of sweet gardenia. Overall, it's an extremely pleasant fragrance, but it's not super strong. I can definitely smell it during application, and for a little while after application, but it's not the type of fragrance that stays with me all day (but oh how I wish it were). For some weird reason, I can't exactly remember the scent of It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In, and I ran out of my last bottle quite a while ago. So I'm sorry I can't tell you exactly how the two fragrances compare, but I'm pretty certain they're not identical.

In the 4+ weeks that I've been using this product, I haven't noticed any build-up. I normally use a clarifying shampoo about once a week, but I skipped it for two weeks to see if I had any noticeable build-up and nope. Nothing. Also, since I have very oily roots, and I know a lot of you do too, I want to mention that this product does not accelerate my oiliness. After 24 hours, my hair is not any oilier than usual.

FINAL VERDICT: If your hair is fine, oily, prone to frizz or all of the above, I think this might be a great little product for you to consider, even though it's definitely not a dupe for It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In. I can't say that it would deliver enough hydration and control for those of you with dry and/or coarse hair, but for the rest of this, I think this one's a little gem. Plus, it smells fantastic and it's fun to dispense from the nozzle. I've been reaching for it after every washing and I will certainly repurchase when I run out. 

Are you a fan it Haircare (Freeze It products or any of their other products)? Think you'll give this one a shot?

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
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29 comments

  1. Well now, I'm going to have to try this. I love It's A 10 but I can't justify paying the $ for it. This sounds pretty good to me though. I don't have any Rite Aids in my area so I'm assuming this is available at other drugstores as well?

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    1. Yay! I'm so excited for you to try it, Carol. I checked the product page and when you click on "retailers" it just gives the list of retailers that carry it Haircare in general (no product locator for this particular item), but it's a start?

      http://www.freezeithair.com/where-to-buy/

      Please do let me know what you think if you end up finding it! xo

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    2. Hey thanks G! I went to keybrands.com (it's listed on the back of this bottle in your pic) and this product isn't even on there! Maybe it's too new that they haven't put it on their website. I'll check the one you posted above.

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    3. I purchased mine at dollar general thought maybe it was a dupe for its a 10 .. I love it my hair is thick and it leaves my hair soft and shiny

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    4. Just picked up a bottle at the Dollar General store

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  2. Absolutely love your blog. Wish I knew about you sooner! <:

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    1. Oh my gosh, thank you! I'm so glad you found me! xo

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    2. Oh my gosh, thank you! I'm so glad you found me! xo

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  3. Thanks for this blog. I definitely need a detangler. As I get older my hair is getting more coarse and even after shampoo and conditioner my hands do not go through my hair like it used to. I also stopped using Matrix Biolage moisturizing shampoo/conditioner because of the cost and my hair shows it for sure. I think I have to stick with what works.Break down and pay the prices.. :(

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  4. Sounds nice, but anything with flower scents is a migraine inducer for me :( I've never heard of abyssinian oil, I'll have to look for more info :)

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  5. Oh I was so hoping this was a dupe!! I just adore it's a 10 with Keratin. I am in hoarding mode with it for now. I'm on the fence about buying this one. Probably will if I see a sale. The scent does have me intrigued though. Thanks for the great review!

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  6. I'm intrigued. I'm telling myself not to buy anything more for hair because I really love that Dove Pure Care Dry Oil, but I've never tried any of the It's a 10 line because they're all $20 and up, but this sounds worth a shot. I like that the texture looks more like a lotion. Might be a good frizz fighter.
    That the company has a lash serum interests me, too. I would love my lashes to get a boost. Turning 40 (and then some) I notice they're getting finer and shorter.

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    Replies
    1. Heidi, before you invest in lash serum try oil. I noticed a huge difference in both my lashes and brows when I went to an oil routine for my skin care. If you don't want it all over just put some on a q-tip and massage in after you cleanse at night. I use organic EVOO, but have also heard good things about castor oil for lash growth.

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    2. Thanks, Waymire01. I'll give that a try. I do like the sound of that better than dropping big bucks on a serum.

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  7. Basically silicones and quats.. all the "good" ingredients (other than glycerin) are after fragrance which means there is hardly any of them, just enough to be able to put them on the label.
    We have similar hair. I get the best results with an actual conditioner.. my favorite is Aussie Moist.. applied generously (I use a full pump, about a teaspoon, and my hair is about three inches below my shoulders) to wet hair in the shower, then plopped for 15 minutes or so while I do my makeup. Not only does it do all the things I want for conditioning, it's allowed me to skip stylers completely. It gives just enough hold to control my hair when while it dries but very little crunch, a few scrunches and it is totally soft. Lots of slip, keeps my hair smooth and frizz free. Takes very little time to dry, unlike most other curl creams, etc. No quats, and only one modified silicone which does not build up, so I can be gentle with my cleansing.. I usually go low-poo but can also do sulfate free without issue. Also very inexpensive, a large pump bottle is about $5.

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  8. I have the It's a 10 Plus Keratin and it is very thick like this one. I have to spray it into my hands and then apply to my hair. I feel like that defeats the purpose of a spray, but it's still a nice product.

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  9. I love your blog too( you're such an enabler, in a good way). LOL. Do u have a you tube channel? Btw, I love Itsa10, its my HG hair product. I find it kinda lotiony though. Its more like a lotion than a liquid. The best place to buy( without any coupons) is Amazon, but I wait until I get the 20% at Ulta(the prestige 20%) and I use my points.

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  10. I am definitely going to have to keep an eye out for this! I have hair that is similar to yours so it sounds like this would be perfect for my hair too. Thanks for the heads up!

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  11. I have the original It's a 10 and can't stand it. It smells terrible and does nothing for my hair but leave it dull and coarse.

    I need something that would leave it softer and shinier.

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    1. Ivanna.. it contains quite a bit of protein.. which can make some hair both dry and coarse. Try looking for something protein free. Don't worry about special "leave in" just try a small amount of any conditioner your hair likes. The Aussie Moist I mentioned is protein free, but there are lots of other options out there as well.

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  12. I find that It's a 10 turns thick and lotiony after a very short time, just as you describe this doing. A friend posted about this on Facebook yesterday, saying she found it at Dollar General. I'm definitely trying it. Back in the days of big hair, I used Freeze it hairspray.

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  13. It's a 10 smells soooo much better than this stuff. Feels the same to me. I just pumped some of both product on my hand and they looked the same. I'm lucky to have a friend with a cosmo prof card so I get my it's a 10 for half the price drug stores/salons cost, but if the 12 in One ends up working as nicely I will start alternating between the 2.

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  14. Hi G! I wanted to leave a comment as somoene with dry hair. I got this in my October Ipsy bag and I LOVE IT!!! It reminds me of the It's a 10 leave in spray and it definitely offers plenty of hydration. My hair is naturally dry and I color treat it and heat abuse it and every time I use this (usually after I wash my hair and before blow drying) my hair is silky, shiny, SOFT (so very soft) manageable and never weighed down -- and I spray a generous amount into my hair. Best of all, I don't feel bad about spraying generously because it's so affordable to replace.

    Anyway, I wanted to share that in case it helps anyone wondering how it works for dry hair.

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  16. I purchased this at Dollar General today for $3.95!!!hope I like it.

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  17. I agree, I use both 10 & this 12 & I love this 12, especially for the price. I have fine thin long blond hair & we'll water & this product works great with my hair type. I'm purchasing the surf spray today at my local Walgreens. Tried it in store & loved it! Great review, thanks

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  18. I love this product. I got it in my ipsy bag and I've used it after every shower! I have fine hair and it makes it bouncy and very shiny. And it does smell fantastic!! I was looking online to see where to buy a bottle and found this blog. I highly recommend this product. But Ive never used the 10 product yall talk about.

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  19. I havnt tried the leave in treatment but I just bought a bottle of the it 12 in 1 shampoo.(from winners in canada) immediately after my hair was so soft and manageable.normally when I shampoo right after (before conditioner I can feel how dry my hair is. This product made it feel silky smooth. I have fine blonde colour treated hair and it gave it moisture without weighing down. It costs more out here than I've seen in the comments (7.99) but I would definitely try the rest of this lines products.

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  20. This product is so much better than its a 10 in my opinion. I love this stuff it makes my hair feel so much better I wish more stores carried it. By far the best hair product I have ever used!

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