Dae Hair: Best Products and Brand Review
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Influencer Amber Fillerup Clark knows a thing or two about hair
People / Kristin Kempa
I’ve been a beauty writer for nearly 10 years. During the early stages of my career, I focused primarily on hair content, and as such, quickly learned who Amber Fillerup Clark was. At the time, she was a rising blogger and YouTuber with stunning, (somewhat) easy-to-follow hair tutorials. And even when the tutorials weren’t so simple, one thing remained true: Her down-to-there flaxen hair was absolute goals. So, when the blogger-turned-mega influencer launched her very own haircare brand, Dae, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was quick to investigate — and quick to fall head over heels for her then three-product lineup. Since 2020, Clark has expanded Dae’s offering to over a dozen products and tools, many of which leave me hoping for more — not because these products fall short, but because they’re so effective at what they do that I can’t help but wonder what Clark will come up with next.
Fun Fact
"Dae" stands for dawn, afternoon, and evening, and is meant to be a reminder not to overlook the small daily moments that can be so beautiful to witness and take part in — whether associated with the sun, self-care, or anything in between.
Although Clark has evolved since solely posting hair tutorials and is now a lifestyle influencer who shares snippets from her everyday life in Arizona with her husband and three kids, she admits that her initial career passion remains. “I am really passionate about hair — it is totally ‘my thing’ and how I grew my following,” she tells PEOPLE. “I also love improving myself and talking with my followers about what I am doing that works for me and my life, so I felt with Dae, I could combine those things and give bomb hair products but also help improve their ‘dae.’”
To do just that, Clark focused on creating performance-driven products free of unnecessary additives that smelled delicious and were simple to use.
“I wanted to offer products that encompassed the concept of haircare as self-care,” she says. “Every product is infused with desert-derived botanicals that treat, protect and restore hair to its healthiest and shiniest. Ideal for all hair types and textures, and infused with dreamy desert-inspired signature scents, the line was intentionally crafted to encourage true tranquility.”
The first three products she launched were the Signature Shampoo, Signature Conditioner, and Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment. Since then, she’s ventured into the land of hair masks, oils, mists, and wave sprays, as well as scented home goods.
Read on for our favorite Dae products.
Dae Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream
One of the most popular Dae products is the Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream, which features the brand’s signature citrus scent. The ultra-lightweight cream is formulated with antioxidant-rich dragon fruit extract, softening prickly pear seed oil, and shine-boosting meadowfoam seed oil. Together, these ingredients help to replenish moisture, tame frizz, and keep hair looking smooth and soft as can be. As someone with fine hair, I'm normally not a fan of styling creams as they tend to weigh my hair down. Not this one though — it’s so airy and sinks right into my hair, seemingly reviving it rather than making it look plastered to my scalp. In short, it’s one of a kind.
Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray
Beloved by nearly 10,000 Sephora shoppers, the Hibiscus Wave Spray is known for its lightweight formula that creates soft, voluminous waves with or without heat. If you do opt to use the spray prior to heat-styling, a diffuser is recommended, as it helps to preserve the hair’s natural texture rather than blowing it out. As lovely as the product results are, it’s worth mentioning that unlike many of the brand’s other products, the Hibiscus Wave Spray has a sweet floral scent that has a bit of a strong synthetic smell.
Dae Signature Shampoo
There are a few things I love about the Signature Shampoo. For starters, it has the prettiest pink pearlescent formula. Beyond its looks, it smells fabulous, as it, too, is infused with the delightful Dae citrus combo. Then there’s the fact that it leaves my hair feeling soft, clean, and weightless, without making it lack volume. It’s made with vitamin-rich Aloe Leaf Juice, which promotes healthy, shiny hair, as well as false daisy extract, which helps to boost scalp health and prevent flakes. All in all, I feel like this shampoo boosts the health and appearance of my hair, and gives my roots a nice boost at the scalp in the process.
Dae Signature Conditioner
The conditioner smells like its shampoo counterpart, but it has a creamy, pink cloud-like appearance. It’s hydrating, softening, and made with scalp and strand health in mind. It leaves my long locks looking far from dry, but never makes them look oily either. It’s a win in my book.
Dae Prickly Pear Hair Oil
Typically, hair oils don’t even make it into my routine. As I mentioned earlier, as someone with fine hair, I tend to avoid any products that are likely to weigh it down. That said, Dae’s Prickly Pear Hair Oil has earned rave reviews for its deeply hydrating, split-end-repairing, totally lightweight formulas — and so I gave it a try. I massage one pump of the oil (which is really more like a lightweight serum) between my hands and then rub it over the ends of my hair. Any residual oil that remains, I smooth through the mid-section. The result? Soft, smooth, shiny hair that looks healthy and smells like sweet prickly pear. I’m a fan.
Dae Cactus Flower Leave-In Conditioner
My fine hair is prone to tangles, so a leave-in conditioner is always part of my haircare routine. And I must say, the Cactus Flower Leave In Conditioner is just lovely. Like all of the Dae haircare products, it’s designed to leave hair feeling soft and smooth — only to a higher degree. It’s formulated with intensely hydrating prickly pear extract, which is rich in omega fatty acids to ultimately make hair look flawless. When I spritz it into my hair from the ears down, I don’t have to worry about snagging my strands, as it enables my brush to just glide on through.
Dae Stargloss Shine Hair Gloss Treatment
For shiny, lustrous locks, this treatment is your answer. You actually need to first apply the rich cream to dry hair from mid-lengths to ends, let it sit for 20 minutes, then follow your usual shampoo and conditioner routine to rinse it out. It’s got tiny flecks of glitter in it, but don’t be worried that you’ll end up looking like you just got back from Coachella after applying — the glitter is just for fun and rinses right out.
PEOPLE commerce director Lindsey Metrus has used the treatment and can attest to its smoothing prowess — her only note is that it can sometimes be tough to remember to apply it 20 minutes before you plan on jumping in the shower. The upside is it can also be worn overnight, so you can always wrap your hair in something like an Aquis microfiber towel or old shirt while you sleep and then wash your hair in the morning.
dae Monsoon Moisture Mask
Over 15,000 Sephora shoppers swear by the Monsoon Moisture Mask, which is designed to revitalize dry, dull strands and transform them into soft, shiny tresses. It’s formulated with all hair types in mind and is said to work wonders to enhance curls. I like to use it once a week to give my hair that extra healthy-looking oomph. It’s worth noting, though, that this mask doesn’t smell as tantalizing (IMHO) as Dae’s other SKUs. That’s not to say it doesn’t smell good though, it’s just much earthier (which makes sense considering it’s meant to smell like the desert after it rains).
Pura x Dae Smart Home Device + Fragrance
Considering one of the things I love most about Dae is its citrus scent, I was thrilled to see that the brand has a collab with Pura, a smart home diffuser, which happens to be another of my favorite products. The Pura x Dae Smart Home Device comes with the device, Dae’s Signature Citrus scent, and the brand’s Prickly Pear scent. It can be programmed to diffuse one or both scents at a time and makes my home smell downright divine — especially for summer. I highly, highly recommend.
Take Our Word For It
Rebecca Norris has covered style and beauty for over eight years. At the beginning of her career, hair content was her main focus. As such, she’s long been familiar with Amber Fillerup Clark and her stunning hairstyle tutorials. While Clark is well known for her hairstyling capabilities, Rebecca was interested in discovering whether she had prowess in haircare formulation, too. To find out, she personally tested the entire Dae Haircare collection on her straight, fine, long hair over the course of several weeks (many since their launch in 2020). Additionally, PEOPLE shopping director Lindsey Metrus tried one of the brand's newest launches, the Stargloss Shine Hair Gloss Treatment on her hair of a very similar type.
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