Are Kevin Murphy Hair Products Worth the Hype? I Put Them to the Test

Kevin Murphy, an Australian hairstylist and brand founder, has answered the age-old question: What kind of wizard can my turn straw-like hair into spun gold using plant-based ingredients? OK, maybe it's not an age-old question, but it's one that plagued me every time I tried to smooth out my dry, frizz-prone hair using plant-powered products. That is, until I discovered Kevin Murphy's REPAIR.ME system. Below, I delve into my Rumplestiltskin-like tale of hair transformation using three products. We also tapped Kevin Murphy's global color design director, Kate Reid, to weigh in on what makes these products so magic-imbued.

Keep reading for an honest review of Kevin Murphy's REPAIR.ME treatment system.

Pros + Cons

Pros:

• "REPAIR is a real crowd pleaser best for for dry, damaged, and frizzy hair to bring back to life," notes Kate Reid, the global color design director at Kevin Murphy.
• Gorgeous scent
• Hair feels and looks healthier and stronger
• Paraben- and sulfate-free
  

Cons:

• Pricey

The Bottom Line

Kevin Murphy's repair regimen is like small dose of magic. It completely transformed my dry hair and left it super soft and healthy after only a couple of uses.

About My Hair

My hair (on a good day) is incredibly dry. After washing my hair, it's usually rough, textured, and prone to drying to a shape resembling a frizzy poof-ball. Perhaps this explains why I was so besotted with a certain tale as a kid.

When I was younger, I was obsessed with the story of Rumplestiltskin. One, because saying Rumplestiltskin out loud made me giggle, and two, because spinning straw into gold sounded like the best magical power ever (clearly, I was not yet mature enough to realize flying or becoming invisible is much more useful).

As an adult, my fascination with the story had waned—up until a few weeks ago, when I experienced my own Rumplestiltskin-esque moment. My hair, which has always veered into dry, straw-like territory, despite the fact that I never heat style or even do much to it at all, suddenly transformed into soft, spun silk before my eyes. This is not an exaggeration. Well, it’s a slight exaggeration, but one that is justly used. The magical transformation was the result of—no, not a strange little man—but rather a product line I am now never letting out of my sight: Kevin Murphy’s repair regimen.

For those unschooled, Kevin Murphy is a botanical hair care line created by the eponymous Australian hair guru. The brand is founded on a philosophy that you should treat your hair with the same care that you treat your skin. Consisting of the REPAIR.ME Wash, the REPAIR.ME Rinse, and the RE.STORE Repairing Cleansing Treatment, the line was created to—you guessed it—repair dry, damaged strands with nourishing superfood proteins that bind to the hair. "The magic of papaya and pineapple enzymes gently infuse your hair, binding moisture naturally and delivering precise nourishment without any extra weight," Reid promised. I gave it a try.

Read on to find out my honest thoughts.

The Packaging

First things first—can we talk about these cute blue bottles? They’re ergonomically designed to fit right in the palm of your hand, and they brought my shower situation from drab and boring to totally Instagrammable.

The Scent

"The delightful scent of oranges, sweet florals, and currant noir extracts will show your hair some well-deserved affection," Reid teased. And indeed, the first thing you’ll notice after squeezing out the product is the delectable scent. It smells like a tropical vacation in a bottle, but not in a cheesy way. There’s a touch of musk or something that elevates the fragrance. If I could bottle it into a perfume, I would. (To anyone from the Kevin Murphy team who may be reading this, I ask: perfume oil? Just putting it out there).

The Feel

There are three products in the REPAIR.ME lineup that I tested out. Each has its own texture, which I'll dive into below.

The REPAIR.ME Wash: The REPAIR.ME Wash is sulfate-free, so it's not going to have that thick, foamy texture of a regular shampoo. If you want to get more foam out of it, put a little in the palm of your hands, add water, and then rub into your scalp, instead of applying it directly. It rinses out clean and doesn't leave any residue whatsoever.

The REPAIR.ME Rinse: The REPAIR.ME Rinse (aka conditioner) has a lush, creamy texture that glides through your hair. Thanks to its thick texture, you only need a little bit to evenly coat your strands. To use, leave it in your hair for up to two minutes before rinsing.

The RE.STORE Repairing Cleansing Treatment: Sort of like a co-washing treatment for your hair, the RE.STORE cleansing conditioning treatment is designed to be used once or twice a week in lieu of the wash/rinse products. It has a creamy, lightweight texture that evenly coats your strands. And don't worry, even though it has a creamy texture, it still rinses out really well, leaving your hair ultra moisturized.

The Results

The results were impeccable, as I may have mentioned — but I had to figure out my own system to achieve the hair that has me exuberantly writing this piece, my coworkers raving, and my boyfriend talking about hair health.

Here's how the system is supposed to work: The Wash and the Rinse should be used together anytime you would normally shampoo and condition. Then, once or twice a week, you're meant to sub in the RE.STORE cleansing conditioning treatment in place of the Wash and the Rinse. I will say this: I tried this method, and it didn’t exactly work for me.

When I subbed in the RE.STORE, my strands came out somewhat stringy and didn't feel quite clean. I gave it another chance, though, and decided to use the Wash first, then follow with the RE.STORE (in place of the Rinse). That's when the magic happened.

My hair somehow air-dried into soft, touchable waves. I braided my hair and left it in for a few minutes while it was almost dry, so that might explain the waves, but the softness was all courtesy of the products. I had put nothing else in my hair post-shower, and my strands looked like I had just gotten a haircut.

I’m not the only one who thought so. Later that morning, a coworker asked me if I had gotten my hair colored or cut because it looked “so pretty.” Natch, I continued using the Wash and the Rinse, subbing in the RE.STORE once a week, and marveled at the newly cashmere-soft state of my hair.

The final thing that convinced me that I had indeed stumbled across a fairytale-worthy regimen occurred a few nights ago, when I arrived home from work and was greeted by my boyfriend at the door. “Your hair looks really nice,” he said immediately. Shocked and speechless, I simply stared at him. “It looks really, like, healthy or something.”

Annnnd mic drop.

Are Kevin Murphy Products Worth the Cost?

You may have glanced at the prices above and rolled your eyes—eighty-nine dollars for a shampoo and conditioner? And another $42 for the treatment? I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that's cheap, because it's definitely not. But, if you have bleached, damaged, or processed hair, it's 100 percent worth it to shell out the extra $$$.

As a global director for the brand, it's not hard to guess where Reid's allegiances lie, and whether she thinks the products are worth the cost or not. Still, she's not the only one raving: "The line does what it says and the reviews are off the charts," she notes. "You can't beat it for a repairing line."

Leland Olson, Kevin Murphy's color/style master, has this to say: "[The regimen] not only reconstructs the hair but it also helps build up the hairs strength to make it more resilient for future services as well. Investing in good quality products is the best thing you can go to keep your hair looking and feeling its best."

Kevin Murphy vs. Olaplex

Kevin Murphy is a bit similar to another cult-classic-for-damaged-hair brand, Olaplex. They are both designed to repair and nourish damaged hair, but the route they take to get there is different. Olaplex's patented formulations are designed to permanently repair your hair's bonds, while Kevin Murphy Repair uses hi-tech "soft-state" proteins that penetrate the hair to deliver nutrients. Price wise, Kevin Murphy products are slightly more expensive than Olaplex.

Kevin Murphy vs. Aveda

Aveda is another major player in vegan haircare. Unlike Kevin Murphy's REPAIR.ME range, which has three cleansing products, Aveda's Botanical Repair system has two cleansers. There's a strengthening shampoo and a corresponding conditioner. In lieu of superfoods, both use plant-based ingredients to build bonds that boost the hair's overall strength. Like the Kevin Murphy products, Aveda's have their own intriguing perfume, but this one smells less like a vacation and more like an enchanted field. The Botanical Repair range is fragranced with a blend of organic ylang-ylang, rose, marjoram, and other flower and plant essences.

Our Verdict

If you have dry, damaged hair and you want it to feel like new again, drop whatever you're doing and get the Kevin Murphy Repair regimen. It truly transforms your hair and even though the products are on the pricey side, they're well worth the splurge.