"I think R+Co isn’t just a hair brand — at least we never had that in mind when we launched," Thom Priano, Co-Founder of R+Co and Celebrity Men’s Stylist, tells The Zoe Report over email. The topic is R+Co's Backstage Collection: the brand's latest launch, and one that may look different to fans than previous collections. "We like all aspects of hair and beauty and think of ourselves as a lifestyle brand that isn’t limited to one category. The experience and knowledge that the three of us have accumulated over our careers reaches beyond just hair to style, grooming, and overall beauty and health."
And it shows. The MAGIC WAND Brow Gel and the DARK WAVES Fragrance Gel arrived Feb. 22 (with the ART SCHOOL Root Touch Up Gel to follow in March 2019), giving customers a diverse range of products that fix qualms you probably didn't realize you had. Which isn't surprising, since the collection was entirely inspired by the collective experience of R+Co's founders, who are hair industry veterans. Even better, each new product retails for under $30.
First up in the Backstage Collection is the MAGIC WAND Brow Gel, a $20 tube of clear gel that conditions your brows as it tames. Priano wanted a simple brow gel he himself could style with on set — so the brand made it. R+Co infused it with moisturizing hollyhock extract, too, because if you weren't conditioning your brows before, you may want to start. "Brow hair should be treated like any other hair on your body and is affected just like the hair on your head and facial hair," Priano says. "It can dry out from over cleansing and the environmental elements that affect and hair and skin." (Suddenly realizing you've been neglecting your brows? Same.)
Likewise, the $26 ART SCHOOL Root Touch Up Gel is a multi-use product. Available in black and brown, the buildable gel can be used to camouflage exposed roots naturally — though it was inspired by Celebrity Stylist and R+Co Co-Founder Garren's desire to speed up transitions backstage and during shoots. "It acts as a root touch-up, so it’s not going to adhere to the rest of your hair," Garren tells TZR over email. "It won’t take your black roots and make them brown. It also doesn’t stick to the scalp."
Last but certainly not least, the $28 DARK WAVES Fragrance Gel — a hair-safe fragrance which may have R+Co fans running to the brand's website. "Dark Waves is one of our most popular and frequently requested fragrances," Howard McLaren, Co-Founder and Creative Director of R+Co, says over email. Before now, you could find the scent in R+Co products like the TELEVISION Perfect Hair Shampoo + Conditioner.
The brand didn't just make an ordinary perfume, though. "Many fragrances contain alcohol, which is what can cause it to be drying to hair," McLaren explains. "DARK WAVES doesn’t contain any alcohol and therefore isn’t drying to hair or skin. Instead of alcohol, we used a revolutionary gel matrix in the formula that melts into skin and amplifies the fragrance potency without causing irritation like alcohol based formulas."
A foray into a new category from a haircare brand is exciting to say the least, but from a cult-favorite like R+Co? That's bound to have products selling at lightning speed. Keep scrolling to snag the products as they hit shelves, and be sure to put the ART SCHOOL Root Touch Up Gel on your wishlist for when it's available in March 2019 — this is a launch you don't want to miss.
