Gisou Is Bringing Its Honey Hair Care to Sephora

The word "gisou" translates to "golden hair lock" in Persian, but in the case of Iranian-run and Holland-born hair-care brand Gisou, the word has a double meaning. All of Gisou's products are designed to nourish the hair, of course, but the gold here is more literal. It comes courtesy of home-grown honey, straight from model and influencer Negin Mirsaheli's family bee garden. 

Mirsalehi and her Gisou cofounder Maurits Stibbe launched the company back in 2015 after Mirsaheli noticed that her six million Instagram followers constantly asked about her hair routine. Since then, the brand has expanded to include a fan-favorite Honey-Infused Hair Oil, and other products formulated with honey like a Hair Mask and Hair Wash. Less than three years later, Gisou is getting called up to the big leagues. As of August 18, it'll be sold online and in-store at Sephora.

"Coming from Holland, when I go to the United States, the first store I go to personally is Sephora," says Mirsalehi. "We're so excited."

An order from Sephora means that Mirsalehi and Stibbe had to increase their honey output — without outsourcing to another bee garden — during a pandemic. 

"We signed a contract [with Sephora] at the beginning of this year, which meant that we needed to produce a lot more than we usually do," says Stibbe. "The products and packaging are produced in Europe, which was largely shut down. We delivered everything on time, but I must say it was the most challenging thing Gisou has done so far." 

To meet the demand, the team upped the number of bees in their care, and are now set to produce the next two years of honey earmarked for Gisou. After that, if the brand continues to expand, some more farmland will be necessary — a challenge that the pair is ready to meet. Gisou's use of honey from only Mirsaheli bees "will never change," Mirsaheli says. 

We've been fans of Gisou since launch (a few of our editors swear that its Propolis Infused Polishing Primer is responsible for the best blowouts of their lives.) But to help out the many people who will encounter the brand for the first time on Sephora's shelves, I asked Mirsalehi to call out three must-try products. 

First, of course, is the Hair Oil. "It's our most iconic product, and really helps keep your hair hydrated," she says. "It's also multi-purpose." With those purposes being a pre-wash mask, post-wash styling oil, or as a finishing oil to reduce flyaways. 

Next? The Honey-Infused Hair Mask. "It really helps repair your hair and it's a deep treatment for the hair," she says. Sales have jumped since the pandemic-fueled lockdown, Stibbe notes, an encouraging sign that people are taking time for themselves while quarantined. Finally, she calls out the beloved Polishing Primer, which has helps Mirsaheli's heat-styled curls stay intact.

Prices range from $34 (for the conditioner) to $87 (for the hair oil) — and keep in mind that you're paying for a six-generation-long secret ingredient. The entire product range is on pre-sale now at sephora.com, and will be available for purchase on August 18.

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Originally Appeared on Allure