Shu Uemura Kaze Wave

Shu Uemura has long been held in high esteem amongst makeup-lovers, but now the Art Of Hair collection is bringing professional quality hair care to the masses. The line is comprised of 15 hair care products (shampoos retail for about $45) for just about every hair condition. The Full Shimmer line is for color-treated hair, Moisture Velvet is for dry hair (pictured here), Silk Bloom for damaged hair, Muroto Volume fine hair, and Prime Plenish for hair that's been weakened over time. There are also 19 styling products (that retail for about $33) on the line.

Although I'm sure at some point I will have tried most of the products, right now I'm going to focus on Kaze Wave.

Kaze wave is a texturizing foam meant to enhance wavy or curly hair. ("Kaze" is Japanese for "wind"). This is not your average drug-store mousse because it's made with Acacai Gum. Acacai Gum is a natural gum made of hardened sap from trees in the Sahel region of Africa (the moral of the story is that people depend on this natural resource for their livelihood, so you're doing a good thing by buying this product!). This gum is the texturizing component of the product, while other ingredients help repair hair from styling damage and provide UV protection. Having used the product, I found the texture of the foam really interesting. It's a unique, compact foam, so you don't have to use quite as much as some other products. It feels dense in your hand, but you get a sort of weightless hold and fluidity to your style. No crunchy hair, just soft, supple waves.

Once again Mr. Shu Uemura has embraced beauty in a collection of high-end, high-quality products.