Silk takes center stage for this edition of Haircare Face-Off!, the only blog where two rival products square off in a fierce head-to-head battle. In this installment we will put two silk-based serums to the test. Let's meet the competitors:
Biosilk Silk Therapy is one of the oldest and most successful products created by a company renowned for creating revolutionary products. Farouk Systems is the company which brought the world the uber-successful CHI flat iron as well as the Sunglitz highlighting system. Biosilk Silk Therapy is the original leave-in silk serum which promises to replenish and reconstruct hair while being weightless.
Pravana is a relative newcomer to the industry, perhaps best known for their ammonia-free ChromaSilk haircolor. Founded in 2004, Pravana's mission is to create highly-sophisticated formulas which utilize nature as well as technology. Silk Degrees is one of their top-selling retail products.
Can the new kid on the block topple the reigning king of silk-infused haircare products? That's what we're here to find out. As always, each product will be scored on a 1-10 scale on performance, ingredients, sensory appeal and packaging, and value. Let the battle begin!
Performance: Usually it takes me a few days to decide whether or not I like a product, but I knew going into this battle that both products were terrific. I first used Biosilk over a decade ago while I was a novice hairstylist, and I've used Pravana since the company's inception in 2004, so I was very interested to see how these two silk serums compared. In the end, I concluded that Biosilk absorbs better into the hair and has better conditioning properties. However, Pravana Silk Degrees added much more shine to the hair. Ultimately it came down to weight; Biosilk is very lightweight, while Pravana is slightly heavier, which means it could make fine hair look greasy. Close round, but Biosilk takes the early lead by the narrowest of margins. (Biosilk:10 Pravana:9)
Ingredients: Pravana Silk Degrees has added ingredients which make it excellent as a thermal-protection product, ideal for blowouts. Even though Biosilk doesn't market itself as a thermal protectant, it contains many of the same ingredients. Both products contain cyclomethicone and dimethicone, which are my two favorite ingredients in shine products. Unfortunately, Biosilk contains parabens, while Pravana Silk Degrees is paraben-free. The Pravana product also contains plenty of botanical ingredients, such as gardenia and rosemary extracts, jojoba oil, and cacao seed butter. Biosilk loses this round by three points on account of having two parabens and very little in the way of natural ingredients. (Pravana:10 Biosilk:7)
Sensory Appeal: Biosilk feels better on the hands and practically melts into the skin, unlike Silk Degrees. Neither product has a strong fragrance, though Silk Degrees smells less perfumey in my opinion. Biosilk definitely has the better bottle, recessed in the middle to allow for easier handling. The Silk Degrees bottle is just plain ugly to look at, reminding me of some budget-priced product found on a dollar store shelf. (Biosilk:8 Pravana:7)
Value: Pravana Silk Degrees comes in a 5.06-ounce bottle, with a suggested salon retail price of 21.00, translating into a little over 4.15 per ounce. Biosilk Silk Therapy comes in different sizes, but the best value is the 5.64-ounce size which retails for around 22.00. Since neither product has a distinct advantage in value, this round is a draw. (Biosilk:10 Pravana:10)
And the winner is.....
Pravana Silk Degrees by a hair (no pun intended)! The venerable Biosilk put up a good fight but lost by a single point, and it all came down to ingredients. An abundance of botanical ingredients and a lack of nasty parabens gave Pravana the edge. (Final Score: Pravana Silk Degrees-36 Biosilk Silk Therapy-35)
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