First Impressions: GVP Hair Reconstructor

As of late, my hair has shown me that it ADORES protein. Simply adores it! So, in keeping with my hair's demands, I decided to give it a good protein treatment. In the early days of the journey, I used the Joico K-Pak Reconstructor-which my hair loved. Initially, I was going to purchase Joico but since funds are limited, I decided to go with the next best thing: GVP Hair Reconstructor. The GVP (Generic Value Product) lines of products are exclusive to Sally's Beauty Supply and are basically copies of name brand salon products--they have the same ingredients but lack the 'name.' A great thing about this line is that you are able to get salon quality products for a fraction of the price. It is a great line to try if you are looking for good hair products but funds are limited.


Price: $5.79+ tax for 8 oz/ $5.19+tax for 8 oz (purchased from Sally's Beauty Supply. You can get this product for the lower price if you're a Sally's Beauty Club Member.)

Ingredients: Water (Aqua) Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Glycol Stearate Ceteth-2 Mineral Oil PEG-8 Distearate Hydrolyzed Human Hair Keratin (Triamine Complex), Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Human Hair Keratin (Cationic Triamine Complex), Sodium Chloride, Myristyl Myristate, Citric Acid, Fragrance (Parfum), Sorbic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Their Claims: "GVP Hair Reconstructor is formulated to repair dry and damaged hair. If soft, shiny, sexy hair that is easy to manage and feels great is what you are craving, look no further than this reconstructor. Rich in Cationic Triamine Complex Formula compare to: Joico K-Pak.
This moisture-rich product will bathe your tresses and nourish the scalp, leaving you with silk for hair. No other product can ressurrect your hair from the grave of damage and dry brittleness and give it new life free from frizz and breakage."


Following a good pre-poo and shampoo session, I applied GVP Hair Reconstructor to my hair--section by section. I noticed immediately that this product is a tad bit on the thick side, so I definitely had to make an effort to apply enough of this product to my hair. Once the product was applied, I placed a plastic cap on my head and let the product sit for 5 minutes (the instructions say to let the product sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Since this is a protein treatment, I take no chances. I follow the instructions to the letter. I don't want any accidental protein overload over here!). Once the 5 minutes were up, I proceeded to wash the treatment out of my hair.


Now, I know that on the Internet, there is some debate on if this product is a true protein treatment like the K-Pak Reconstructor or if it is a conditioner since it says 'conditioner' on the bottle. I say--eff that conditioner nonsense! After I rinsed this product out of my hair, my hair felt like hair typically does after a protein treatment--like hay. There was no slip or conditioning of any kind! I immediately had to follow up with a moisturizing condish (ORS Hair Repair Nourishing Conditioner). I mean yall can take your chances and not follow up w/ a moisturizing conditioner but I wouldn't recommend it. I think this product is a protein treatment and should be treated as such.



Following the treatment, I DCed with a moisturizing conditioner for about an hour. When I rinsed that DC out....bay-BAY!! My hair felt like a whole new head of hair! My hair felt so SOFT! Yet, it also had a some strength to it--which was amazing! Another thing I noticed was that any breakage I had stopped for the most part (I had 1 or 2 broken hairs...but even those came from pulling my hair too hard). I was floored. I also noticed that this product slowed my shedding down tremendously. My hair typically sheds like a dog. No joke. Every time I touch my hair, long shed hairs come out...and a lot of them at that. On wash day, I typically have massive hair balls of shed hair. It's pretty gross. However, I noticed that from the moment that treatment went on my hair, my shedding decreased. Now, before some of yall get into an uproar...I am NOT saying that a protein treatment stopped my shedding (b/c that would be ridiculous!). I'm just saying...something that is in that treatment told my hair to chill out on that shedding a bit. :) I also found that my hair is holding on to whatever moisture I give it a heck of a lot better!

The shed hair pulled out of my comb after rinsing out the reconstructor and after detangling my hair post DC.


Appearance and scent-wise, this product is white in color and not entirely thin but not super thick either. I found that it has a coconut scent (and not a generic coconut scent...it smelled like coconut milk to me) and it was a pleasant scent. However, if you are scent sensitive or just flat out don't like the smell of coconuts, then this may be a problem. The ingredients of this products are essentially the same as Joico K-Pak Reconstructor but this product does contain mineral oil and parabens. So, if you are avoiding these ingredients, you may want to pass on this product.

Product fresh out of the bottle.


Bottom Line: Overall, I absolutely love this product and will begin to include it in my rotation. Although the instructions say to use it weekly, I feel like that may be protein overkill for my hair so for now, I will use it once every 2 weeks (2x/month). If you aren't avoiding parabens or mineral oil and don't dislike the smell of coconut, I say this product is for you! Additionally, this product is a great value since it costs less than $6!