See the Winners of Our First Ever Mane Addicts Awards!
Allison McNamara
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Here at Mane Addicts, we spend our days sleuthing out the best brands, cutting edge hair trends, and up-and-coming hairdressers that you need to know. As editors, we are constantly trying out new products and innovative hairstyles, staying on the pulse of all things hair, all the time. Which is why we wanted to channel our favorites into the first ever Mane Addicts Awards! Our team of trusted experts, editors, influencers and hairdressers weighed in and the competition was fierce… but, the results are in.
From the most influential stylist of the year, to our cult-favorite hair mask and fave drugstore find–click through to see who snagged a spot in the 2017 Mane Addicts Awards!
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Best Stylist-Owned Haircare Brand: Christophe Robin
Christophe is a true pioneer in the world of stylist-owned haircare brands and keeps the benchmark high for aspiring brand founders. He’s a Mane Master in every sense of the phrase–he’s tended to the tresses of mega stars like Catherine Deneuve, Claudia Shiffer, Vanessa Paradis; has a flourishing salon in the heart of Paris; and a wildly successful eponymous haircare line that launched back in 1999. His products are revolutionary, like the cult favorite Regenerating Mask with Prickly Pear Seed Oil and the Cleansing Mask with Lemon.
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Best Texturizing Spray: Kevin Murphy Bedroom Hair
It takes a lot to stand out in the texturizing spray department…just about every major brand has a texturizing spray that promises to deliver tousled, beachy hair without the hassle. But, one really stood out amidst the sea of sprays (get what we did there?)–Kevin Murhpy’s Bedroom Hair! It’s androgynous scent is only overshadowed by it’s miraculous formula that’s able to deliver the perfect “lived-in” look.
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Best Drugstore Dry Shampoo: Dove
Here at Mane Addicts, we are well versed in all things dry shampoo because LBH we never have time to wash our stands. So, it really takes a standout product to get our vote. Dove’s Refresh + Care dry shampoo was the unanimous drugstore dry shampoo of choice–it instantly soaks up oil, has a light refreshing scent that’s not too overpowering, and costs just under $5.
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Best Emerging Hairstylist of 2017: Sal Salcedo
One of our main duties as Mane Addicts editors is to expose you to the best and brightest stars in the hair industry–and we couldn’t think of a better candidate for our best emerging hairstylist of 2017, Sal Salcedo! Sal slays manes at the Benjamin Salon in the Arts District in Los Angeles and is known for tackling just about every hair type and texture. Just take one scroll through his Instagram feed (which boasts an impressive 141,000 followers) and you’ll instantly see his range. He’s less conventional and expected, and is always trying cool new cuts on some of LA’s finest It-girls. He’s also got a major knack for taking killer post-salon pics of his clients–we even got him to spill his secrets here–which puts him in his own league of hairstylist / art director / photographer / social media mogul, which you really have to be to stand out. We can’t wait to see what Sal achieves in the next few years because we’re predicting he’s going to be pretty major.
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Best Emerging Hair Colorist of 2017: Cassondra Kaeding
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Rooney Mara, Olivia Munn–do we have your attention? Because Cassondra Kaeding certainly has ours with her growing list of A-list manes. Cassondra paints the town balayage at Mare Salon in West Hollywood, while also doing residencies in San Francisco, New York and Dubai. Her effortlessly beautiful work–which has graced the cover of Vogue twice–continues to inspire and is a constant in our saved folder on Instagram, making her an easy choice as our Emerging Hair Colorist for 2017.
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Best Natural Hair Brand: Carol’s Daughter
Born out of love in a Brooklyn kitchen in 1993, Carol’s Daughter has been leader in the natural hair space for years, catering to all different hair textures. Their products are incredibly hydrating and use the best ingredients, never drying out our strands and always delivering innovative formulas. The Healthy Hair Butter has been a shower staple for years and we’re suckers for the Black Vanilla scent.
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Best Hair Mask: Olaplex
Chances are if you color your hair, your colorist has used an Olaplex treatment on you. And while we are gaga for their professional line, we’re equally as obsessed with Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector, a weekly hair mask that contains the same active ingredients found in the professional line. This treatment leaves manes silky smooth and “relinks the broken disulfide bonds in every type of hair providing real, structural repair that works from within.” If you’re looking to salvage damaged strands, or want to give your mane a little TLC, you’ve got to try Olaplex!
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Breakout Brand of 2017: Kristen Ess
We’re all about high quality at a good price, which is why we were itching with excitement when we heard super stylist Kristen Ess was coming out with her own line of goods sold exclusively at Target. Her line is beautiful, and we’re not sure which products we like the most but one things for sure…Kristen Ess was definitely the breakout brand of the year!
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Most Underrated Hair Product: Rita Hazan Root Concealer
Never underestimate the power of root concealer, especially our fave by Rita Hazan. Whether it’s touching up a few pesky grays or concealing some major roots in lieu of an overdue salon appointment, Rita Hazan’s root concealer is the most underrated hair product that everyone should have in their arsenal.
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Most Influential Hair Colorist of 2017: Tracey Cunningham
You can’t deny the power and influence that is the Tracey Cunningham machine. Between co-owning Mèche and her namesake salon at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, flying all over the world for her A-list roster of clients and serving as the global ambassador for Redken, Tracey is at the tip top of her game. You can’t peruse the internet without seeing her color on the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Lana Del Rey and Khloe Kardashian. Manes turn to magic when Tracey touches them, which is the reason she gets our vote for Most Influential Hair Colorist of 2017.
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Best Hair Oil: Gisou
The second we got our hands on the Gisou Honey Hair Oil at the Mane Addicts offices, we couldn’t stop raving about it. This deliciously light hair oil, created by super fashion blogger Negin Mirsalehi, is honey-based, using ingredients from her family’s bee garden in Amsterdam. Do yourself a solid and try this ooey goey goodness out asap, your strands will thank you!
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Best Hair Fragrance: Elizabeth and James
While the hair fragrance category is decidingly new, there’s one brand who really predicted this trend long before it became an actual category–Elizabeth and James. They turned their best selling fragrances into a line of dry shampoo that we use mainly just for the deliciously dark romantic scent it leaves behind. And LBH who doesn’t want to smell like an Olsen?
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Best Dry Shampoo: Ouai Dry Shampoo Foam
But if we’re talking about our actual favorite dry shampoo, this one really is a no brainer. We’re all about innovative technology, and no one does that better than Ouai’s dry shampoo foam. While the idea of putting foam on your hair might sound scary, Ouai’s dry shampoo foam is anything but. It leaves the hair feeling cleansed and conditioned, removing oil and excess product build up. Plus, it’s really fun to use.
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Best Shampoo: Davines
Finding the perfect shampoo that works for you is such a personal experience because different things work better for different types of hair and textures. However, the one shampoo that everyone on our panel agreed upon was their love for Davines shampoos. The brand is natural and has a range of shampoos based on your hair type–our fave is the Minu shampoo!
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Best Conditioner: Deva Curl Conditioner
If you’re in the market for soft, frizz-free hair, then you need to try our top conditioner, Deva Curl. It’s especially good for dry, color-treated hair that needs a ton of moisture, but works well on all hair types!
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Best Brush: Wet Brush
Brushing your strands can be a bit of a chore–which brush to use? When to brush? Is it okay to brush wet? Enter: the Wet Brush, which uses smart technology so you can brush your freshly showered mane guilt free. No pulling, tugging or tearing–the Wet Brush is a fave of celeb stylists and beauty junkies alike.
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Most Influential Hairstylist of 2017: Chris Appleton
Kim Kardashian’s super blonde hair transformation was one of the most talked about hair moments of the year, followed by Ariana Grande’s platinum makeover, all courtesy of the inimitable Chris Appleton. What’s even more impressive is that Chris is in fact a hairstylist, and is the mane man behind superstars like J.Lo, Rita Ora, and Katy Perry. To say Chris is influential is an understatement–he dreams up the trends and sets them, making him a no brainer pick for our Most Influential Stylist of 2017.
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Best Hairspray: Balmain Hair Couture Strong Session Spray
You know Balmain for their high end couture, but do you know they have the most major hairspray? A favorite of our Jen Atkin Army, the Balmain Couture Strong Session Spray is guaranteed to keep if the most complex manes at bay.
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Best Drugstore Brand: OGX
Filled with exotic, pure ingredients like awapuhi, bamboo, cherry blossom ginseng, at first glance it’s hard to believe that OGX can be picked up at your local CVS or Duane Reade. They get our vote for best drugstore brand for their fun, forward formulas and their most recent collab with Youtuber Kandee Johnson!
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Best Nontoxic Hair Brand: Briogeo
This year put a spotlight on ingredients more than ever before, with tons of new nontoxic brands popping up daily! The one that captured our hearts though was Briogeo. If you haven’t tried this amazing natural, nontoxic brand yet–you must!
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Best Extensions: The Hair Shop
The Hair Shop is easily a hairdresser’s candyland–there shop on Highland and Melrose in LA is filled to the brim with extensions and wigs galore. But in case you don’t live nearby, they also have an online store that’s a haven for all things hair, which is why we had to give them accolades as our fave place for extensions!
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