iles formula – a meditation retreat for your hair (and mind)
I trialed the Iles Formula trio of haute performance collection Shampoo, Conditioner and Finishing Serum for the first time four days ago, on hair that had recently been DIY coloured (don’t ask), and before taking it for a run and then a dip in a lake. Yes, this annoyingly fine, straight hair has a bit of a tough time, but its life was about to go from bootcamp to meditation retreat…
When I opened up the package kindly sent by Wendy Iles, founder and president of Iles Formula, I was already impressed. Neat monochrome packaging – elegant while completely modern. The box opened to reveal three rectangular bottles with a hidden wide toothed comb sneaked underneath. No wasted space or unnecessary flowery flourishes.
“I wanted graphic vessels that stack and always look good on a bathroom shelf,” Wendy tells me. “I find them pure and timeless.”
About Wendy
Rewind back in timeless time, and the born-and-bred Tasmanian girl wanted to be a hairstylist since the age of five – we can only begin to imagine how fabulous her dolls looked. As soon as she could she ran away to join the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London and the following four decades or so is the stuff of Hollywood stylist, beauty campaign and red carpet legend.
Wendy is nothing short of hair royalty, and while she creates magic out of celebs’ hair, years of handling the used and abused locks rife in the fashion world led her to developing a nourishing secret formula that became renowned on set, and eventually the blueprint for her collection. It officially launched in 2015.
If you feel your hair is rough, dry, brittle, straw-like, whether it’s fine and thin, or thick and coarse, then it will have met its match with Iles Formula. By February 2016 the secret was out, she’d nabbed the Hollywood Beauty Award Oscar and her formula was adorning heads such as Marion Cotillard’s, Heidi Klum’s and more.
About the collection
In the shower…
I lined up the bottles on the shelf in my shower and awarded them immediate brownie points for the clarity of the labelling. I know – I’m officially old. I need glasses to read these days and the number of times I’ve been in a hotel shower and squinted away to see whether the bottle I’m about to squeeze into my hands is shampoo or conditioner – and got it wrong! Haha. Fun and games. No such worries with Iles Formula. Thanks Wendy for the clarity and size of font!
Shampooing
The shampoo seems a little less thick than most shampoos. As a result it glides on easily, soaks in immediately. Even on the second wash there wasn’t a huge amount of foam. I soon learned, there’s a trick!
“Not using sulphates was problematic,” acknowledges Wendy. “I knew I had to formulate without them, but I also wanted an abundance of lather and managed to find a root extract that creates lather. There is a key to using this shampoo: always keep adding more water while massaging, as this will activate the ingredients into a sumptuous lather, delivering great root lift and hair that is never weighed down.”
What I loved immediately I opened the bottle was the smell. It’s subtle and my nose is too sensitive for anything strong. The fragrance’s main ingredient is white tea flower, so it’s floral, but not sweet. And the word that kept coming to mind was comforting. It’s not a zingy wake-up scent, it’s not a sensuous musky fragrance; it’s subtle, soothing, and definitely moreish.
“It was the first perfume I tested,” says Wendy. “I kept searching for three years while formulating my first formula and in the end came back to the first. Nothing excelled this scent, so I went with it, and rightly so. People adore the perfume and even today, five years since launching, I never tire of it.”
Conditioning…
Conditioner next. It takes days to produce, says Wendy, following a complex recipe that requires sustainable raw products paired with the latest technology. When I squeezed this out into my hand I couldn’t believe the texture. It’s impossibly light, almost fluffily so, and smoothes into the hair so easily. Same delightful fragrance as the shampoo.
At this point I suggest you pause. Breathe. Inhale the subtle scent. Exhale, smile. I found my shoulders dropping, and the problems of the day retreating outside the bathroom for a few minutes. How can you not love finding everyday bathroom routines that brighten your day like this?
The moment of truth – when it comes to my hair anyway – was whether the conditioner would leave my hair feeling tangled or relaxed? I purposefully didn’t brush my hair before washing in order to give it a challenge. My hair tangles faster than ear buds – it zings instantly into a spaghetti junction my Dad used to call a bird’s nest – and takes ages to de-tangle. The comb is designed to distribute the conditioner evenly, which means that you’re detangling as you’re conditioning. And the result on rinsing the conditioner out is beautifully silky. My hair felt almost liquid. Extraordinary.
Serum
I towel dried, combed again. Then the serum. The fine liquid felt like a healing primer for my hair. After drying, using just my hand to ruffle through the strands, my hair looked and felt amazing: not fly-away, but slippery-smooth and so soft.
It felt like my hair had a new life as I swished and swooshed my way through the day, every now and then catching a hint of that delicious fragrance. The next day, post lake swim as I pulled my swim cap off, it still felt amazingly good, manageable and soft.
“Every formula is a calculated intention to bounce off of the other,” explains Wendy. “In other words, the DNA of my brand is the Signature Collection consisting of shampoo + conditioner + finishing protection serum. The formulas work on all hair types and offers minimalism with maximum performance.”
What’s in it
Wendy has created one of the most luxurious haircare collections entirely without the help of nasties like sulphates and parabens, silicone, phthalate and even gluten. Respecting her customers and aware how savvy we are these days, she’s committed to creating her formula to be transparent (up to a point – the recipes are definitely under lock and key!).
So much for what has been left out. Inside is the result of a decade searching worldwide for the raw ingredients that synergize for silky shine. Among many others, she uses Pracaxi oil for the smooth texture, shine and preventing hair loss, Tucuma seed butter full of polyphenols to moisturise with fatty acids and combat free radicals, Silk extract from Japan to detangle and thicken, plus vitamin B5 to hydrate, create flexibility and guard against breakage.
Conclusion
It may have taken three intense years for Wendy to come up with the formula, but it only takes three minutes for the shampoo, conditioner and serum team to relax hair into submission, and you can feel the difference from the first wash onwards.
If easily managed, shiny, glossy, healthy looking hair that feels like silk is your thing, give it a try.
The best thing?
She’s moving into skincare too. Watch this space…
Thanks to the Iles Formula team for allowing me to trial their products.
Check out IlesForumla.com for more information, prices and shopping:
Shampoo Haute Performance – US$38
Conditioner Haute Performance – US$47
Finishing Serum Haute Performance – US$50
