Elite World News

Tui Hair Oil from Carol’s Daughter is a fragranced product that looks just the way it smells. Orange- and red-tinted dried flowers float and drift within its gold-colored liquid, creating a dreamy, sunset-hued effect that reminds me variously of a lava lamp, a tropical cocktail, or some arts-and-craft project from nature camp.

I was initially a bit hesitant about using Tui Hair Oil, especially since the ingredients (primarily corn oil, “infused with chamomile and calendula”) sounded too heavy for my hair. I tried it first as a deep-conditioning treatment on a weekend morning, rubbing a quarter-size amount of the oil into my hair (avoiding my scalp) and leaving it there for a half-hour before shampooing. While it was soaking in, I was able to enjoy its scent. Carol’s Daughter describes the Tui fragrance as a blend of guava, mango, and passion fruit; it’s definitely a juicy, upbeat scent, and it brings back memories of the red Jolly Ranchers candies that were so popular in my grade school one spring. Just like the flavor of those enticing little bricks of translucent color, it’s a brightly artificial fragrance, yet it’s agreeable in its own youthful, unpretentious way.

Having enjoyed the results of my pre-wash conditioning, which left my hair feeling smooth and soft, I eventually moved on to using Tui Hair Oil as a leave-in product. Rather than applying it directly to my towel-dried hair, I mixed two or three drops with my favorite styling gel in the palm of my hand. This combination made my hair shinier and considerably tamer than usual: I lost a little volume, but my hair’s waves and curls were still nicely intact, with their early-summer frizz kept in check. When the Tui Hair Oil was diluted in this manner, its scent was a subtle hint of island fruit that lasted for a few hours before gently fading away.

Then again, if you’re definitely in the mood for the Tui fragrance and you want to smell it at full volume, this product can also be used as body oil. Carol’s Daughter doesn’t actually suggest that, but I received this recommendation from other users, and it works just fine.

Carol’s Daughter Tui Hair Oil sells for $8.50 for 2 fl. oz. and $18 for 8 fl. oz. For buying information, see the listing for Carol’s Daughter under Perfume Houses.