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Everything about Beyoncé’s new hair care line, Cécred (spelled like Bey’s name but pronounced “sacred”) has been shrouded in mystery since it was announced on May 16 of last year. “How many of y’all knew my first job was sweeping hair in my mama’s salon?” she shared with her 320 million Instagram followers. “I was exposed to so many different kinds of entrepreneurial women in her salon. I saw firsthand how the ways we nurture and celebrate hair can directly impact our souls. Having learned so much on my hair journey, I’ve always dreamed of carrying on her legacy. I can’t wait for you to experience what I’ve been creating.”
Since then, the world has gone on the whirlwind Renaissance Tour IRL and in theaters and smelled like the star through the limited-edition fragrance Cé Noir. Still—nothing about the haircare line…until about a month ago, when a mysterious email arrived in my inbox, inviting me to experience a yet-unnamed hair care brand from Beyoncé (it was an instant R.S.V.P. of yes, of course).
A couple weeks and a taxi ride later and I’m on location for the brand’s New York launch event. The name had been revealed that morning, again on Instagram, as Cécred. We re meeting at hairstylist Neal Farinah’s Brooklyn salon. Trinidad-born Farinah has been Beyoncé’s hairstylist since her “Irreplaceable” days. It’s actually one of the first videos he was on set with the star—and he’s helped design everything from that gravity defying Met Gala ponytail to her current Texas Hold ’Em bleach blonde—ever since. After being buzzed into the front door, I’m greeted with my first surprise of the day: In this post-Grammys, pre–Super Bowl week, Farinah is there in the flesh to do my hair for the day.
We’re chatting about a summer spent on tour (and his incredible ability to keep Beyoncé’s hair looking smooth during a three-hour concert) when it’s time to start learning about the products. I sign an NDA, put tape over the cameras on my phone, and move to the back of the salon. Waiting there, next to the Foundation Collection is surprise number two of the afternoon—Miss Tina, Beyoncé’s mother and a trained hairstylist. Miss Tina and and Farinah make up half of Cécred’s advisory board: There’s also CEO Grace Ray and Kari Williams, PhD and trichologist, who are also on hand to share the secrets of the brand.
Launching today, the Foundation Collection is made up of eight products that range from shampoos to two different masks and a special Fermented Rice Rose Protein Ritual treatment. Each of the products is made with a patent-pending bio-fermented keratin that’s bio-identical to that found in human hair. Hair naturally loses keratin from things as simple as being blown in the wind (or in my case, as dramatic as brushing, dyeing, and styling)—and this results in duller, frizzier, and less healthy looking hair. Each of these missing areas of natural keratin is replaced by the bio-fermented keratin, making Cécred like a vitamin IV for your hair.
All of the products are scented with Temple Oud, a subtle blend of Australian sandalwood, musk, and night blooming jasmine. It’s meant to just whisper the scent—hovering in a close aura around the body—not scream it’s presence.
Finally, it’s time to take out my gelled ponytail and try the products. “I want you to be honest with me,” Miss Tina says as I’m laying horizontal, head in the washing bowl. She has her fingers in my hair and is rolling my strands through her fingertips. “Are you one of those people that just likes to rinse their hair only a little bit after they put conditioner on? Maybe you think it’s good to leave a little on the hair because it makes it soft?” Wow. Seen—but apparently not in a good way. “You should be rinsing your hair for 10 seconds longer than you think you need to. You want it squeaky feeling when you leave the shower.”
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An hour later, I’ve been double cleansed (Clarifying Shampoo Scalp Scrub and Hydrating Shampoo), conditioned (Moisturizing Deep Conditioner), and treated (Fermented Rice Rose Protein Ritual) and I’m out of the bowl and in the chair. Farinah spins me toward the mirror like I’m in a moving makeover scene and shares some wisdom, too: I shouldn’t even consider taking a brush to my strands post-wash until it’s 90% dry. The reason why? When hair is wet, it’s more fragile, and the brush can cause it to break or become damaged. The bio-fermented keratin in the Foundation collection will work toward making each strand stronger, but it’s still better to either air dry or rough dry your hair (aka just blow dry with you hands) until almost all the moisture is gone. From there, go in and smooth with the brush.
By the end of my three-hour salon session, my hair is shiny. Shockingly so, actually. Whether it was because it was the first time my hair was washed properly for the first time in 33 years or all the bio-fermented keratin—well, I guess we ll never know. Either way, I like it.
