Spillin’ The Tea On The New Pai-Shau Hair Care Collection

It all started with the ancient bathing rituals wondrously observed and studied during a voyage to a Vietnamese village. On what would become a life-changing journey, former Moroccanoil North America CEO Zohar Paz witnessed a different type of tea ceremony — one that revolved around beauty but still involved the detailed preparation and sanctity we associate with Japanese tea rituals. Paz watched as Vietnamese women gathered a variety of locally-grown tea leaves, steeped them in hot water, then created a nourishing complex to apply to their skin and hair. Awestruck and impressed by the healing powers of this natural recipe, Paz decided to formulate a new hair care line that would incorporate its own moisturizing, strengthening, smoothing, and softening tea complex. With the help of his R&D team, Paz developed what would become the genesis of his new haircare line, Pai-Shau: the line’s proprietary Signature Exotic Tea Complex. This complex is the connective thread across all the products in the range — from the Pai-Shau Replenishing Hair Cleanser ($26; visit pai-shau.com for retailers) and Pai-Shau Replenishing Cream Conditioner ($28; visit pai-shau.com for retailers) to the Pai-Shau Design Ritual Supreme Revitalizing Mask ($43; visit pai-shau.com for retailers) and Pai-Shau Biphasic Infusion Rejuvenating Concentrate ($45; visit pai-shau.com for retailers).

This concentrated blend is comprised of: caffeine-rich black tea, which blocks DHT, the hormone responsible for hair loss, hence diminishing shedding; green tea, which contains catechins (a type of natural phenol and antioxidant) that inhibits 5-alpha-reductase (an enzyme that, when present in too high a concentration, can damage hair follicles) and prevents it from being converted into DHT; Pu-erh tea, made from the stems and leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, which boasts a high concentration of vitamins C, E, and B2 and is also said to safeguard against hair loss; white tea, which helps to restore the scalp’s pH and strengthen hair at the root and which also protects strands against UV damage; and African Red Bush tea (or Rooibos), which is rich in calcium, zinc, potassium, and copper and can fortify strands and speed up hair growth.

If you peruse through enough natural hair care blogs, you’ll find countless posts that espouse the benefits of tea rinses for everything from hair growth to dandruff control and improved lustrousness. Pai-Shau (which is named after the Portuguese word for passion, “paixao“) builds upon those same beliefs but it takes the guesswork and laboriousness out of the operation by providing customers with pre-blended, ready-to-use, no-boiling-or-steeping-required formulas. The products also contain additional nutrients that moisturize and smooth strands — among them rice amino acids, which easily penetrate the hair shaft and replenish lost proteins while enlarging the diameter of the hair shaft so as to make strands look fuller and more voluminous, and oat proteins, which hydrate strands and fill in any porous surfaces, thereby giving the hair a smoother, frizz-free appearance. And, since what’s missing from ingredient lists is as important as what’s listed in them, it’s worth noting that Pai-Shau products don’t contain gluten, parabens, sulfates, or phosphates.

Now, if you’re assuming that this is Moroccanoil 2.0, think again! First, argan oil is nowhere to be found in Pai-Shau’s formulations. Second, Pai-Shau is meant to cater to all hair types — whether straight, wavy, curly, or kinky and whether fine, medium, or coarse.

So, what’s the tea on the results of this tea-centric haircare brand? Well, let’s start with the Hydrating Ritual Replenishing Cleanser and Hydrating Ritual Replenishing Cream Conditioner. One of my only gripes about these products pertain to their scent. There’s something about the aroma of the cleanser and conditioner that comes off as masculine, almost like the sandalwood-y aroma of an aftershave oil or a stick deodorant you’d find in an older gentleman’s cabinet. The smell is a complete turn-off when you’re trying to create a sensual experience in the shower but, if you’re interested in hair results, then you’ll power through like so many of us have done when experimenting with egg, mayonnaise, and olive oil mask concoctions.

That said, I do appreciate the gentleness of the cleanser, the foaminess it creates (without sulfates!), and the ease with which you can apply the product to your mane — even if your hair is thin, dry, and tangle-prone. The conditioner is even more of a delight since it melts like butter onto the hair and, the longer you leave it on, the softer your strands will feel post-shower. Also a plus: you can apply a generous amount of conditioner to your strands without having to worry about your hair being weighed down or falling limp. If you tend to be a bit heavy-handed when applying conditioner, you don’t need to worry: Pai-Shau products are designed to be applied liberally.

Now, as someone with color-treated, dry, curly, frizz-prone hair that’s usually gasping for life, I haven’t been able rely on the Pai-Shau cleanser and conditioner alone — at least not if I want to guarantee my hair will be soft, manageable, and smooth throughout the day. Luckily, that’s where the genius product in the haircare line comes in: the Pai-Shau Biphasic Infusion. Unlike so many serums and oils which can weigh down strands, this one is virtually weightless, and yet it does make a significant difference in terms of improving your mane’s texture, shine, vibrancy, and bounce. As the “biphasic” word in its name implies, this multi-purpose serum/primer contains both a lipid mix and an aqueous solution, so that it’s necessary for the bottle to be shaken so that the two phases in the product can mix together. Unlike other bi-phase products, in which the water floats above the lipid mix, the opposite is true here, which goes to show just how lightweight the lipid molecules are.  Why does this matter? Because a lot of lipid molecules are too heavy to penetrate the hair cuticle and, while they can create a protective film around each strand, they can’t necessarily strengthen from the inside out. Penetrating oils (or lipids, if you will), however, will be absorbed by the hair, preventing possibly damaging protein loss and binding water molecules to the hair to ensure long-lasting hydration. Now, it’s reeeeally important to shake the bottle vigorously before pushing down on the pump and dispensing those precious gold-toned droplets — remember, oil and water don’t mix, so they need a little assistance here!

The difference when you add this product to your routine is amazing. If you have naturally curly strands, you might just see those spirals spring and bounce more than usual or you might notice that your curl pattern is a bit more defined. If your hair is color-treated, your color might look more three-dimensional and nuanced. If your hair is dehydrated, you’ll certainly notice smoother strands and less static.

Still, if your hair is beyond parched and damaged, you might need to add another serum or leave-in moisturizer to your routine — at least until you’ve replenished lost nutrients. That was definitely the case for me since, after moving to Texas, my hair had to go through a transitional period to adjust to the new climate and humidity levels. I still tend to add a very light moisturizing oil before applying the Biophasic Infusion but, truth is, I’d be a little lost without this product now — not only does it keep my often wild hair under control, but it does so without leaving it limp and lifeless, and it also shortens my hair-drying time enormously. In terms of frizz protection, it’s not a full-proof solution, but it’s close! You might need a smoothing lotion for those particularly boisterous hairs along the forehead and temples but not much more than that.

To bolster your hair’s health and give it that extra serving of nutrients, try routinely using the Pai-Shau Supreme Revitalizing Mask two to three times per week. The mask contains the aforementioned tea oil blend along with argan oil, thyme extract, and glycerin.

After using these Pai-Shau products for 4-5 weeks, I’ve noticed some significant changes: first, I’m shedding way less (seriously, pieces of my hair would sometimes wind up over my laptop keyboard, in my coffee mug, or in the skillet as I cooked); second, I’ve got a better handle on my frizz (I still apply a bit of smoothing lotion or a humidity-blocking spray to finish off sleeker looks, but it’s a much quicker process than ever before); third, my once-dormant curls are coming back to life, much to my delight; and fourth, my hair is smooth but has bounce. All the positive asides, I will say that my hair still feels a bit porous — it’s considerably softer, but not quite on the silky level yet. The more I use the Revitalizing Mask, the more I notice an improvement in this area but it is worth noting that you may need to add a moisturizing, smoothing serum or leave-in conditioner if your hair is particularly frayed. I almost wish there was such a smoothing lotion in this range, but who knows? Maybe Pai-Shau will surprise me with a new addition to the family.

My one big disappointment lies with the products’ scent which, thankfully, is a fleeting nuisance, so that almost all traces of that manly musk disappear once your hair is dry and styled (phew!).  It’s a small price to pay for stronger strands, right?