Marc Anthony Dream Waves Amplifying Shampoo, Conditioner, Lotion and Beach Spray Review

I've always envied those girls who have that perfectly tousled beach hair look that seems effortless, especially in the summer.  It just seems to look perfect with a sundress or a tank top and shorts.  But whenever I try to replicate it, I end up spending a half an hour with a curling iron, and when I'm finished, instead of effortless waves, I end up with springy curls that look too uniform and not as natural as I'd like.
So I was really excited when Marc Anthony sent me the whole Dream Waves collection to try.  The four products in the line are: Amplifying Shampoo, Amplifying Conditioner, Amplifying Lotion and Beach Waves Spray.

From the Marc Anthony Stylist Team: 

“We love the tousled sexy beach hair look. The issue is how to get it quickly with little effort. When shooting for magazines hair changes happen quickly and often. Dream Waves keeps up with both its delivery of amazing waves and the fact that it shifts hair from straight to sexy beach waves so quickly. For full-on beach waves we start with wet hair, but we can actually play with the stylers on dry hair for softer waves…this is amazing to us.” 

These products are supposed to encourage curl and waves in the hair whether your hair is straight, or already has some wave.  Here's how it works:

Special Conditioning Polymers help to add BODY to limp hair, create an EXTRA WAVY BOUNCE and BLOCK HUMIDITY for longer lasting style. Hydrolyzed Silk and Provitamin B5 add MOISTURE and high SHINE. Powerful UV Protectors absorb ultraviolet light to save your mane from harmful sun exposure, dehydration and color-fade. You’re left with manageable, touchable waves.

The process works like this:

 • Start with the Sulfate Free AMPLIFYING SHAMPOO and CONDITIONER to prepare your hair for a full day of volume and texture.

• For a voluminous, defined wave apply AMPLIFYING LOTION on damp hair and scrunch to boost volume. For maximum fullness and bounce, blow dry with a diffuser.

• For a super textured, disheveled wave use BEACH SPRAY on damp or dry hair and scrunch. Let hair dry naturally or use a diffuser for even more texture and wave.

I tried the products as directed, first I used the shampoo and conditioner.  They smell heavenly- just like coconut and remind me of being at the beach.  They rinse clean and don't weigh the hair down at all.  I think for anyone who has normal hair, or even a little bit of damage, the conditioner will be fine, but my hair is at the point of extreme damage from bleaching, so it wasn't quite enough moisture for my super dry ends.  However, the roots and mid-lengths of my hair were left soft and shiny.  

Next, I used the Amplifying Lotion (be careful when squeezing this bottle- it comes out really fast!).  I massaged it in from roots to ends.  It's got the soft texture of a lotion, but looks clear like a gel. 

Last, I sprayed the beach waves spray all over from roots to ends.  I let it air dry for a little bit, scrunching every once in a while, but then I finished up with a diffuser.  My hair is usually a disaster when it air dries, so I didn't want to take a chance.  When I was finished, I couldn't believe it- my normally straight, fine hair had tons of volume and wavy texture!

Here's what it looks like normally:

And here's what it looks like with beachy texture (it had more wave at first, but because my hair was so dry, I used some anti-frizz lotion and it relaxed some of the curl:

What I love about this Dream Waves line, aside from it's ability to create waves without a curling iron, is that the waves stay in place all day and my hair doesn't feel stiff or sticky at all.  I only wish my hair was longer, because I think beachy waves look best on long hair.  Hopefully by this time next year, I'll have my hair grown out again.  But in the meantime, I'll just have to be patient.  

To see video demos on how to use Dream Waves, please visit MarcAnthony.com.

Dream Waves products can be found at Ulta, Drugstore.com, Rite Aid and other retailers. Suggested retail price $6.99 - $8.99.

Disclaimer: The products featured in this review included products sent for consideration by a company or PR agency. This in no way influenced my experience with the product- all opinions are my own, and I was not paid to write this review.