Our team at Mercer Street Salon spent 90 days testing 12 rice water products on natural hair types ranging from 3A curls to 4C coils. We sprayed, massaged, rinsed, and left them on to find which formulas actually deliver the best rice water treatments for natural hair growth this year. Rice water has been used … Read more
The slick back bun is back, and our team at Mercer Street Salon has spent three months testing every gel, wax stick, pomade, and brush that promised a sleek, frizz-free finish. We logged hours in our styling chairs, interviewed our senior stylists, and surveyed 200+ clients on what actually holds up through long workdays, sweaty … Read more
If your hair feels weighed down the moment you blow-dry it, your scalp is probably sending you a message. That greasy film on your roots two days after washing, the persistent flakes that no dandruff shampoo fully clears, the way your carefully styled hair never quite lifts at the crown. I see these complaints every … Read more
Finding the best hair products for fine color-treated hair is a daily struggle I see behind the chair almost every week. Fine strands lack the structure to hold dye as long as thicker hair, and most volumizing formulas still use heavy oils that fade color fast. Our team spent eight weeks rotating 28 products through … Read more
If your hair has ever looked like a static-charged halo by lunch, you already understand why the best ionic hair brushes for frizz control deserve a permanent spot on your counter. I spent six weeks testing eight top-selling ionic brushes on thick wavy, fine straight, and coily hair types to find out which ones actually … Read more
I used to step out of the shower, blow-dry for 20 minutes, then reach for my flat iron for another 15. By the time I finished, my arms ached and my hair felt like straw. So when wet-to-dry flat irons started showing up everywhere, I was skeptical. Could one tool really dry and straighten wet … Read more
I still remember the first time I tried to recreate my salon blowout at home. I had three brushes in one hand, a stubborn round brush in the other, and a sore arm by minute ten. The result looked more “wind tunnel” than “salon-fresh.” That disaster is exactly why I started testing hair blowout kits … Read more
I spent six weeks testing the best cordless mini flat irons for edges and bangs at my salon in Brooklyn, and I brought eight different models home for weekend trials. The truth is, full-size flat irons are clunky when you’re trying to smooth a stubborn baby hair or curve a piece of curtain bang into … Read more
Finding the best electric hot comb for natural hair is harder than it should be. I learned this the hard way when I ruined a fresh silk press in under 15 minutes with a stovetop pressing comb that ran too hot. After that disaster, I spent six weeks testing 12 electric hot combs on my … Read more
If you have ever stared at a red-carpet photo of Margot Robbie or Zendaya and wondered how their hair looks so polished yet so effortless, the answer almost always comes down to one tool: a wide-barrel waving iron. I have spent the last three months testing different barrel sizes in our Mercer Street Salon studio, … Read more