Last fall, celebrity hairstylists Nikki Lee and Riawna Capri—founders of In Common Beauty and Nine Zero One Salon in LA— launched its first in-salon treatment for pre/post chemical services called Crystal Cashmere, a two-step system that nourishes, strengthens and reconstructs damaged hair. However, as soon as the coronavirus reared its very ugly head, Lee and Capri quickly pivoted, creating an at-home version for their clients. Now, it’s available for everyone, and man is it good.
“When COVID hit, everyone needed a haircut, and we thought, shoot, we need to give this to people at home,” says Lee. “We opened the salon for a month, but according to California state guidelines, we couldn’t do blowouts. So, we were sending people home with an at-home version of the Crystal Cashmere treatment, and they were calling us saying what the heck did you give me, my hair blew out like a dream!”
The salon version of the treatment takes a full hour—the Crystal Serum Restructuring Treatment goes on first (it’s the oil aspect) and sits for 15 to 30 minutes, then gets rinsed out and the hair is blown dry. “It’s a hydrophobic oil, so it seals the cuticle and doesn’t allow moisture in, so it decreases frizz—it also prolongs color,” says Capri. When the hair is 90-percent dry, the second step, Cashmere Fusion Restorative Treatment, is applied, and that sits for another 15 to 30 minutes, then gets rinsed out and the hair is blown dry.
“When we figured out how to cocktail it for at-home use, we decided to flip it so you apply Fusion first.” After shampooing, apply Cashmere Fusion from roots to ends and let it sit for five minutes, then rinse. Next, repeat the same steps with Crystal Serum. “You can leave it on for 10 minutes or sleep in it—it doesn’t have proteins in it so it won’t snap the hair,” says Capri. “Actually, the more damaged your hair is, the better this treatment works.”
But, the weekly-use duo isn’t reserved for those with damage from color services; it works on all hair types and textures, and also helps those who struggle with naturally weak, brittle hair. “It softens that frizzy coarse texture that can occur with gray hair, too,” says Capri, noting that it’s also a great treatment for conditioning extensions, as long as it’s not put on the scalp or tape-ins/clips. “It can make your extensions so dreamy.”
Both products are silicone-free, and instead, use jojoba and argan oils to smooth hair. “Most treatments feel like butter right away and you’re like, ‘This is the best thing ever,’ but they’re full of silicones that build up in the hair and aren’t the best for the hair,” says Capri. “The beauty of this is the feeling when your hair is dry: it literally changes it in one treatment; it’s instant gratification.”
You won’t find the Crystal Cashmere System ($50) in stores or online, as they’re only available through an In Common stylist, which is something Lee and Capri feel passionate about because licensed stylists can make 40 percent commission off each sale. If your stylist doesn’t carry In Common, they can go to pro.incommonbeauty.com and sign up to become an In Common PRO (it’s free and they don’t have to stock anything in their salon). Or, you can click here to find a salon or stylist near you that carries it.
