TRIED & TESTED: I trialled Bondi Boost for 8 weeks to see if it's really magic for thin hair.

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your weekly review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellness. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Commissioning Editor Tamara Davis tried the BondiBoost Hair Growth range.

So I’m getting married in November and I have this issue. It’s my hair, you see. I want to wear it out because updo’s are not my vibe, but it’s thin. Very, very thin. It lacks volume. It lacks lustre. It is so very dryyy.

Side note – looking for hair inspiration? Watch our fun tutorial on how to style a hair scarf three ways below. Post continues after video.

A friend of mine, also due to wed, started a reparative hair routine last year in the lead up to her wedding. And because you best pay attention to the well-researched bride-to-be, I asked her for all the details.

She had one name for me. All she had to do was whisper the words “Bondi Boost” and my brain conjured some sort of unconscious backlog of Instagram posts – one of endless shiny, swishy manes.

This is a brand I’ve seen all over social media, spruiked by influencers and Aussie celebrities from Sydney to the GC.  But does it work, I asked?

Yes, she assured me. Her hair has never felt (or looked) better. It’s true, I touched it.

So in an effort to overhaul my thin, lifeless hair, I reached out to the good people at Bondi Boost to trial the products myself.

Let’s talk about the Bondi Boost hair products.

I was recommended the BondiBoost Hair Growth Bundle, which is $79.99 and includes these products:

• BondiBoost Hair Growth Shampoo (300ml)
• BondiBoost Hair Growth Conditioner (300ml)
• BondiBoost Intensive Growth Spray (125ml)

Together, they're said to address common hair issues like thickness, length, volume, texture and breakage  - which reads like a checklist of my personal hair baggage, tbh.

If I believed the hype, I was promised stronger, healthier-feeling strands with less split ends. Little more convincing was required, I was already in the shower lathering up.

How do the Bondi Boost hair growth products work on thinning hair?

According to Bondi Boost, the products work to protect, nourish and "help reduce the signs of hair ageing". As stated on the brand's website, "Each BondiBoost formula contains carefully selected organic essential oils and actives to effectively cleanse each strand while depositing powerful anti-oxidants directly to the scalp to maximise hair health."

Reading up on the reviews of the entire BB range, I saw overwhelmingly positive feedback - the sentiment was more around the general healthiness of hair after use, although a lot of users mentioned they felt their growth had sped up, too. Here are just a few:

"After having babies my hair was so thin and kept snapping off. I now use this daily and my hair is now so thick it's heavy. In a good way!"

I have been using Bondi Boost for a month now. I can't say that I've been astounded by the growth as such, but my hair definitely feels better."

"Not only is it helping my hair grow, my hair constantly feels amazing and healthy."

When I looked into the products further, the other thing that impressed me was the company's ethical stance and low environmental footprint (because this should be on everyone's agenda in 2020). The Australian-made products are cruelty-free, contain organic ingredients, are sulphate-free, paraben-free and DEA-free.

All that aside though, I wanted to see for myself if I  could attain 'influencer hair' by simply switching out my shampoo and conditioner and adding a daily treatment.

Read on to see how it went down.

My Bondi Boost review - before and after.

For disclosure, I don't have a problem with hair growth. My hair actually grows ridiculously fast, but it's the quality of that growth that I have a problem with. It sprouts into split ends which inevitably dry out and break.

I had balayage done at a salon early in 2019, which probably didn't help. In December, I chopped it off to a shoulder-length lob. Some of my balayage remained, and my ends still felt dry.

I started my new routine at the beginning of December. Three times a week, I washed my hair with BondiBoost Hair Growth Shampoo followed by the Hair Growth Conditioner. I then sprayed my damp post-wash hair with the BondiBoost Intensive Growth Spray. I also used the spray on in-between days as a little booster.

The shampoo and conditioner smell like peppermint, which was strange at first (when you're used to coconut and fruity scents) but it actually feels really invigorating.

The Intensive Growth Spray has a lovely tropical fragrance, and the mist sits lightly on damp hair.

After the first wash, when I allowed my hair to dry naturally as normal, I did feel the difference. You know when you leave the salon after a good basin wash and your hair has that 'shimmy' sound? I had the shimmy. It felt silky and very clean, and definitely softer.

I also noticed that my colour had a more glossy, golden tone.

After two months of regular use, I can confirm:

• My hair is way healthier looking. The texture is silkier and less dry and brittle overall.
• The ends are more defined and I haven't experienced as much breakage - I can say with certainty that I have less noticeable split ends.

A couple of other positives: I was growing out my curtain bangs from mid-2019, and I have skipped the hairdresser for a trim and shape because the growth has been faster than expected.

Rather than using straightening irons daily to give my hair waves and definition (read: fake volume) I have been air-drying my hair after washing, brushing and leaving it.

So, does Bondi Boost work?

Do I have influencer hair? Not...yet. But am I impressed with the results? YES. More than three people have recently commented that my hair looks good, including my mum and my fiance, who isn't usually that fussed and washes his hair with soap.

I would love to continue with this routine until my wedding and beyond.

That said, $79.99 for shampoo, conditioner and a leave-in treatment is exy, even with the savings from the bundle. It's a big investment in haircare which I feel should be acknowledged. But if you're someone who splashes out on salon-quality products anyway, these do seem to stand up to the claims.

Feature image: Supplied/Tamara Davis.

Have you tried BondiBoost or other hair-strengthening products? Tell us your recommendations in the comments below!

Mamamia's Tried and Tested series drops every week. Want us to trial and review a product or treatment you've seen everywhere? Easy, just send an email to [email protected] 

You can catch up on more from our Tried and Tested series here:

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• TRIED AND TESTED: I tinted my own eyelashes at home for the first time. It didn't go to plan.
• TRIED AND TESTED: The $49 K-Beauty AHC eye cream that sells every three seconds in Korea.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I tried 7 new-ish concealers in 7 days to see if they live up to the hype.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I let a stranger massage the inside of my face for an instant facelift.
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• TRIED AND TESTED: I tried Sephora's new 'clean' skincare line that starts from $9.
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• TRIED AND TESTED: I tried 7 new foundations in 7 days to see if they live up to the hype.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I had my pubes 'sugared' off to see if it really hurts less than waxing.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I had my lymph nodes stroked for 90 minutes in a lymphatic drainage massage.
• TRIED AND TESTED: The viral 'exploding' nail polish remover that looks too good to be true.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I shaved half my face with this $10 supermarket razor for better makeup.