Source: Garnier / ALISON BROD MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS
When it comes to natural hair, not much information is geared toward self-proclaimed heat naturals or straight naturals — women whose hair is styled straight, yet free of chemicals. Generally, it’s assumed heat naturals’ hair is healthier without a relaxer, but getting that bone straight look with just a blow dryer and flat iron not only requires more effort, it can also lead to heat damage. Hence, the appeal of a product that claims it can cut sleeking time in half.
I was introduced to Garnier Fructis’ Sleek Shot In-Shower Styler during a media preview for the brand’s new 2019 launches at the end of last year. The selling point of the mix-in oil was that it could eliminate the need for flat-ironing one’s hair due to its key ingredients: Argan Oil and Plant Keratin, an amino acid naturally found in hair that protects it from damage and stress, like heat. As I saw the product demonstrated on models of European descent I was impressed with the shiny, frizz-free results, but I’m not dumb. I knew there was no way this product could be so good it would allow anyone with my texture to skip flat-ironing. But if I could at least reduce the time spent flat-ironing and get a smoother, softer result I was all for it. So, I decided to give Sleek Shot a try before straightening my hair to get a trim.
As the name suggests, Sleek Shot is to be used in the shower, specifically in your shampoo. Following the instructions on the back of the bottle, I mixed about a palm full of the product with an equal amount of my Carol’s Daughter Green Supreme Sulfate-Free Shampoo, lathered, and rinsed as I normally would when washing my hair. I conditioned with the same Carol’s Daughter conditioner for about five minutes while showering and then rinsed and took a look at my hair in the mirror. My strands looked the same as they always do after a wash so I moved on to the next step, blow-drying.
I’ve been a fan of Suave’s Volumizing Weightless Blow Dry Spray for a couple of years now because it leaves my hair soft and light after straightening so I applied that to my hair along with my Creme of Nature Argan Oil Perfect 7-in-1 Leave-in Treatment because it’s moisturizing without weighing my hair down. I also added a bit of Dove’s Smooth & Shine Heat Protection Spray and then blow-dried my hair using a wide-tooth comb.
When my hair was completely dry, the texture still seemed as “rough” as it normally does after blow-drying. I don’t have one of those salon-level hand blow-dryers that practically does all of the straightening for you, so I always have to flat-iron my hair to get the results I want and this time was no different. Still, my hair had lots of bounce to it and was soft to the touch so I felt good about the process so far.
Once my flat iron reached 450 degrees I began straightening small sections, adding my Amika blockade heat defense serum to each part before running the flat iron across it. Immediately, I noticed how smoothly the flat iron was gliding across my hair and I never did more than two passes across any section, mostly to get the roots. In the end, my hair was left without a single lump, hump, curl, or wave, and I was extremely happy with how soft and straight it felt to the touch. 
Brande Victorian Garnier / Brande Victorian
After spraying my strands with my Mane Choice Heavenly Halo Herbal Hair Tonic & Soy Milk Deep Hydration Serum Oil Mist, I wrapped it and went on about my day, which mostly consisted of cleaning my apartment. I did this whole process on a Saturday and on Sunday I only took my hair down once just to see how the shine had set in and if I had any bumps in my wrap. By Monday morning when I took my hair down for work, it was as soft and straight as it was Saturday afternoon which, considering how many hot steam showers I’d taken over the course of those few days, felt quite remarkable. Even my co-workers were surprised to see me with my hair straight at work because what my shower doesn’t ruin, my commute and the weather usually will. And none of them could believe I’d done my hair myself. By Wednesday of that week, I opted for a top knot and was still quite impressed with how straight my hair was from root to tip. Because I’m so used to wash n’gos however, by the end of the week I was over wrapping my hair and night and figuring out a style for the morning, so I wet my hair and went back to curly, even though I certainly could’ve gone another week with those straight strands.
You may wonder why I said this product is best for heat naturals and that’s because I did notice a change in my curl pattern after that first wash post-Sleek Shot. I don’t know if it was the product, the flat iron, or a combination of both, but my curls, which are already more waves than coils, were much more loose to the point that the ends of my hair in the back were completely straight. Because I always wear my hair curly, this was disturbing, to say the least, but when I spoke to my stylist about it he suggested I twist my hair more to get it accustomed to being curly again and I should be fine since my strands weren’t actually damaged.
It’s been almost two months now since I used Sleek Shot that one time and my curls have regained most of their thickness and depth. And to be perfectly honest, I didn’t take my stylist up on his twist out suggestion simply because mine are always trash, but still my hair recovered. Because I plan on keeping my hair in curly mode, I’ll probably skip this product if I straighten again anytime soon, but if I was the type to wear my hair straight or were wanting to heat train it, I would most certainly consider adding this product to my hair repertoire because it definitely did what it said it would.
