For a relatively small county, Ireland has some of the best beauty brands on the market and I really love finding and supporting, local brands. We Are Paradoxx aren’t your standard brand. They have a strong ethos regarding social and environmental responsibility and are committed to limiting their impact on the environment as a whole. The vegan friendly and cruelty free range uses a high percentage of natural and organic ingredients that are free from parabens, sulphates and mineral oils.

Although it is a local brand, We Are Paradoxx is a relatively new discovery to me. I got a sample of their Game Changer Hair Mask a little while back and was blown away by the effects on my hair. So when the brand reached out to me to ask if I wanted to explore some more products, I almost bit their hand off!

I couldn’t have been more surprised or excited when the package arrived to see they had sent over pretty much the entire range!!! I’ve been putting the products to the test over the lockdown period and can share my thoughts with you all.

The first thing that struck me about the products was that they all came in funky, aluminium packaging in order to reduce plastic use. I’ve no doubt that this costs the brand more than plastic packaging but the aluminium can be infinitely recycled making it a much better choice for the environment as a whole. Highly commendable. Personally I think the packaging gives the brand a luxe and modern feel too.

The Super Natural Shampoo, first of, smells incredibly fresh due to the inclusion of ginseng and peppermint. A perfect wake up call in the morning. It is recommended for all hair types and hydrates and conditions as it cleanses. It contains hops and nettle extract to encourage volume, the peppermint stimulates the root and ginseng tames frizz and strengthen the hair. I will note that it doesn’t lather as well as I would have liked (probably due to the fact that it’s SLS free) and I found myself reaching for a little more product than I would have ordinarily but it’s not a huge deal. It rinses out well and doesn’t leave any horrible residue behind after. My hair feels really clean and soft after use and smells beautiful.

The Secret Weapon Conditioner multi tasks as a conditioner, leave in treatment and finishing product. Personally, my hair is too fine to use it as anything more than a rinse out conditioner. Again, the scent is phenomenal. The conditioner also contains hops and nettle extracts for volume and added shine, Irish carrageen moss to help strengthen the hair’s fibres and honey locust to leave the hair detangled and silky smooth. The conditioner is rich and unlike the shampoo, a little goes a long way for me, a pump and a half does my long hair no problem. Once rinsed out, my hair feels ridiculously smooth and soft.

If you follow my Instagram, you’ll know that I’m a bit of a super fan when it comes to the Game Changer Mask. This mask really does transform my hair and leaves it smooth and manageable. It contains kelp seaweed which is great for improving texture of the hair as well as adding strength and shine. Argan and coconut oils restore moisture and nourish the hair whilst avocado and hazelnut oils deeply hydrate and rejuvenate the scalp. The mask can be applied to dry or wet hair. Personally I use it on clean, damp hair. Generally the longer it’s left on the hair, the better the results. I try to use this product at the weekend (when I know I won’t be on Skype meetings) and try to leave it to work its magic for several hours. I’m not exaggerating when I say my hair is the most manageable it has ever been after using this mask. Any flyaways seem to have disappeared. My hair isn’t left limp and it smells incredible. This product in particular will be a continual repurchase for me.

The product with the most fun packaging is the Hangover Hair Elixir. It comes in a cute little hip flask which is very fitting given the name and the fact the elixir contains Irish whiskey. It’s perfect for taming frizz and smoothing the hair after styling. I use it as both a finishing product and a leave in treatment on damp hair. The whiskey adds strength and shine whilst organ and coconut oils nourish and hydrate. The oil is a little thicker than some of the other products I use and I have to be careful with how much I use on my fine hair, but generally speaking, it’s a non-greasy formula that would work well on all hair types. The fun packaging is both my favourite and least favourite thing about the product. In terms of fun and aesthetics, I love it. However, practically, I find it difficult to control the amount of product that comes out and frequently find myself with too much in my hand and this is an elixir I don’t want to be wasting!

The final two products are the brand’s two spray products. The Climax Volume Tonic is a volumising primer that should be used pre-blow dry to give the hair some oomph. The spray contains white nettle which is said to add volume from the roots as well as peppermint which is said to stimulate the root and add further lift. A few spritzes of this tonic on towel dried hair is all that is needed to add a little something extra to your blow dry. As I mentioned, my hair is naturally quite fine and limp so a product that works in adding volume is a godsend as far as I’m concerned. This does add a noticeable lift to my hair and thankfully doesn’t leave behind any sticky residue. My hair looks fuller whilst still feeling silky smooth – win, win! It also smells amazing…

The Fierce Sea Salt Spray is the only product that I had a little trepidation about trying. Salt sprays for me in the past have pretty much always been disastrous. They tend to leave my hair feeling gritty or sticky and hard. I just hadn’t found one that I loved. Until now. I have used this spray on a few occasions after having slept in plaits the night before. A few spritzes whilst srunching my hair has left the nicest textured waves behind that last all day. It doesn’t feel sticky or rigid and it brushes out again with ease. At £20, it’s pricey enough for a salt spray, but this isn’t a product I would reach for often unless I was on holiday so I figure the longevity could work in my favour.

At the time of writing, the brand is currently offering customers a huge 30% off their entire site (including their newly launched scalp scrub and their cordless styling tool that I have my beady little eyes on…). Whilst, I have really enjoyed all of the products I have tried, if I could only recommend two products that you must try it would be the Game Changer Mask or the Climax Volume Spray. Both are really effective. If i was to pick a product that you could probably give a miss, it would be the shampoo or conditioner. Although they are both gorgeous products, they’re pricey enough at £20 a bottle and as I mentioned, I use too much of the shampoo trying to get the lather I would like so it’s not the most purse froendly.

Have you tried this brand before? What were your thoughts? Tell me in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Lynsey xox

*This post contains items that have been gifted to me by We Are Paradoxx for review consideration. I am under no obligation to post about the products and as always, all opinions are 100% my own.