The ColorWow Carb Cocktail Is Supposed to Transform Fine, Thin Hair, So I Had to Try It

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Published Dec 19, 2024

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Marissa Wu/PureWow

Efficacy: 15/20
Ease of Application: 20/20
Scent: 20/20
Texture: 19/20
Value: 16/20

Total: 90/100

As I have faithfully documented in myriad articles, I have fine, thin hair. When I say “thin,” I actually mean you can see the back of my scalp in photos. (See my trench coat review for case in point.) This is a mild point of embarrassment, and I am constantly looking for products and hairstyles that will give me a volume boost, short of springing for actual extensions. From the best haircuts for thin hair to the best texture sprays, heat protectants and hairsprays, I want to know what’s going to keep my hair healthy and holding its shape—if only for an evening. That’s where the ColorWow Carb Cocktail comes in. It’s not a new product, but lately, I’ve been getting served ads for it everywhere, and the dramatic results left me nothing short of intrigued. I mean, if someone attested, with video evidence, that it literally added “pounds” to her hair, how could I not hope it would do the same for me? The purported miracle product’s actual name is the ColorWow Dream Cocktail Carb-Infused Thickening Leave In Treatment ($26)—a total mouthful. Would my hair, after applying it, be as beefy as the product description? I tested the treatment several times over the course of a week, and also compared it to the John Paul Mitchell Flexible Style Sculpting Foam ($17), which is what I usually use when I am styling my hair. Here are the unfiltered results, as evaluated on the PureWow100 scale.

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What Is the ColorWow Dream Cocktail Carb-Infused Thickening Leave In Treatment?

The opening line of the product description reads: “Leave-in thickening treatment transforms fine, thin hair into thicker, fuller hair in a single blow dry.” How do they supposedly achieve this? Through a trifecta of ingredients: corn starch modified (thicken and enhance hair strands), hydrolyzed quinoa protein (add mass and thickness) and oat beta glucan (glossiness, strengthens hair). The formula is heat activated, so you apply it to wet hair. ColorWow advises towel-drying, then giving the bottle a good shake before dispensing two to three pumps. Apply to your strands starting about an inch below your part through to the ends. Bonus, it does double as a heat protectant.

My Review of the ColorWow Carb Cocktail

Marissa Wu

ColorWow

When testing the ColorWow Carb Cocktail, I was evaluating it on five qualities: efficacy, ease of application, scent, texture and value. I scored it for each attribute out of 20 points, for a total rating out of 100 on the PureWow100 scale. Let’s start with the easy stuff: Scent. It has a faint coconut aroma but nothing overpowering and certainly nothing that lingers heavily. I’m quite sensitive to scents, with some making me nauseous, but this one passed with flying colors. The formula is easy to apply, pumping out of the bottle as a clear, almost serum-like liquid—it’s runny. All I did was thoroughly run it through my towel-dried hair. This, though, coupled with the efficacy attribute, is where I have some notes.

Instructions indicate that you should apply two to three pumps to your hair. When watching the many online videos of people’s hair transformations, I noticed two things. First, the majority of them had short (bob-length) hair and secondly, they also all had better hair density than me. In the collage above, from left to right: Before, after three pumps per the directions and after 15 pumps. After three pumps, the results were OK; I had body and volume, but nothing dramatic, like this viral video promised. A few tests later, I landed on 15 (!!!) pumps—applied in batches because, due to the low viscosity of the formula, I couldn’t do more than a few pumps at a time without it running everywhere.

colorwow carb cocktail review john paul mitchell vs colorwow

Marissa Wu/Left: John Paul Mitchell; Right: ColorWow

Fifteen, for me, was the magic number given my hair density and length. The results were much better—much larger—and there was longevity that carried me into the following day with better volume than the John Paul Mitchell mousse would have given on day two. I will also note that I made my sister, who has similar hair density and texture to me, try this. She applied just three pumps but was super impressed at how much more volume it gave her, and how it defined her haircut. Granted, she does absolutely nothing to her hair, so that was the base level at which she had comparative reference, while my full-time job is testing all manner of hair products promising volume beyond my wildest expectations.

As for the drying process, my hair did feel a little tacky as it dried, but once it was done, it was soft and smooth, a tad shiny. The 15 pumps of the product gave my hair enough body that I could do a side part, which never happens.

ColorWow

What We Like

lightweight
doesn’t dry out hair
easy to apply

What We Don't Like

online results can be exaggerated
requires a ton of product to be effective

ColorWow

Fast Facts

Ingredients: corn starch modified, hydrolyzed quinoa protein, oat beta glucan:
Size: 6.7oz
Hair Types: straight and wavy

$26 at Ulta

$26 at ColorWow

The Bottom Line

Overall, the Carb Cocktail wins in terms of longevity. Most volume products I apply to my hair don’t go beyond the initial evening for which I styled it, simply because my hair doesn’t keep shape very well. That, and the fact that it doubles as heat protectant, as I am always trying to minimize the number of things I’m putting on my person in general. At $26, it feels accessible, but the sheer amount of product that I needed to get the major oomph I wanted felt a bit excessive. With that in mind, I think it was effective, but should you try it, just know that you may need to play around with the application to yield the desired results depending on your hair density and length. Obviously, if you have denser hair, you will have a more dramatic effect. I could also see this working well for those who want some volume, but nothing crazy—simply do three pumps and leave it at that. Your hair will be soft, shiny and defined.

Marissa Wu

SEO Editor

Writes across all verticals, including beauty, fashion, wellness, travel and entertainment, with a focus on SEO and evergreen content
Has previously worked at Popular Photography and Southern Living, with words in Martha Stewart and Forbes Vetted
Has a B.S. in journalism from Boston University

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