As a beauty editor who tries hundred of new beauty products a year, I'm always a bit sceptical about the TikTok-viral beauty products. So many products are touted as being 'worth the hype', but few actually meet my exceptions. What can I say? I'm hard to please.
However, Colorwow's Dream Coat might be the exception. Although it launched in the 2010s, it recently soared to TikTok fame after celebrity hairstylist, Chris Appleton, showed how it supposedly makes hair humidity and water-resistant by dropping water onto the hair with a pipette. The result? The water rolled straight off his model's hair.
Although I've tried the product before, it's been a while since I last tried it and I was curious to see if the Colorwow Dream Coat is still worth the hype now. Scroll ahead for my honest review below, featuring before and afters (and how I got on testing the water-resistant effects).
Colorwow Dream Coat Review
What is the Colorwow Dream Coat?
Colorwow describes Dream Coat as a heat-activated, shine-boosting, anti-humidity hair spray, which has been designed to deliver an ultra-glossy look while making hair waterproof. It's designed to be sprayed onto damp hair post-shampooing, and also acts as a form of heat protection prior to styling. As it's heat activated, you'll need to use a hairdryer, a wet-to-dry hot brush or hair multi styler to reap the benefits of this hairstyling product.
There are three versions of Colorwow Dream Coat to choose from. The original Dream Coat is designed for straight and fine hair, while Dream Coat for Curly hair is designed for curly hair textures. The Extra Strength version is ideal for those with thicker, coily hair types.
Pros: Smooths straight and fine hair, leaves hair shiny, defies humidity, lasts through multiple hair washes so you don't have to re-apply each time
Cons: You need to use a lot of product, needs to be activated with heat to work
Customer Review: "I really can’t express how much I love this spray. It does what’s promised- leave hair shiny, manageable and frizz free. Key is to use it with heat source, otherwise it won’t work. I’m on my 3rd bottle, and will buy again for 100%."
Pros: Designed for curly hair types, leaves curls defined and shiny, defies humidity, lasts through multiple hair washes so you don't have to re-apply each time
Cons: You need to use a lot of product, needs to be activated with heat to work
Customer Review: "This is a brilliant product! I’ve got naturally wavy hair and was looking to enhance it, rather than heat styling all the time. Using this spray on wet hair noticeably enhances the natural waves to make curls, even when letting it air dry. Not sticky or crunchy AT ALL, leaves natural, soft, bouncy curls."
Pros: Designed for coily hair types, leaves curls defined and shiny, defies humidity, lasts through multiple hair washes so you don't have to re-apply each time
Cons: You need to use a lot of product, needs to be activated with heat to work
Customer Review: "This is incredible. My silk presses last through rainy weather, now don’t get me wrong your hair will revert if it touches water but if outside is damp, hair stays straight! I was pleasantly surprised!! As long as it’s used right your silk presses should hold up. I have type 4 hair."
How I Tested
I used the original Dream Coat in my hair, which has a subtle wavy texture and lots of wiry frizz, particularly around my crown. After shampooing, I applied this liberally to my hair and used a hot tool to activate the product. Throughout the day, I monitored how well my hair stayed smooth, even taking a walk out in the rain. Lately, I've been wearing my hair straight, so I was curious to see how well it kept my hair smooth and sleek throughout the day.
How to use Colorwow Dream Coat
After shampooing and conditioning your hair, you'll want to towel-dry some of the moisture from your hair. Then, you need to liberally spray this mist into your hair. A couple of mists won't do—ideally you want to totally saturate your entire hair in it, spraying section by section to ensure an even coating.
Drying My Hair
I blasted hair hair with a hairdryer and then switched to the straightening attachment of the Shark FlexFusion Hairstyler (£370) to style my hair straight. I repeated the process until my hair was totally dry.
After
Afterwards, I was really impressed with the shine and smoothness of my hair. My coloured hair is prone to looking dull and lacklustre, and my hair possessed a noticeable shine as well as looking and feeling smooth and sleek—even the wiry hairs around my crown were playing ball and sitting flat.
Before & After
Does Colorwow Dream Coat Make Hair Waterproof?
Now for the final test: Does Colorwow Dream Coat make hair waterproof? While I wouldn't recommend diving head-first into a swimming pool, I can attest to its water-resistant claims. As I placed water droplets onto my hair with a pipette, I could see some of them running straight off. Some did sink into my hair, but it remained silky smooth and straight—no sign of frizz.
Five Hours Later
To really put it to the test, I went out for a dog walk in drizzly rain and to my surprise, my hair stayed pretty smooth. I saw a few frizzy flyaways appear around my parting, the rest of my hair remained smooth.
The Verdict
Is Colorwow Dream Coat worth it? I would say yes. While it's expensive, and you have to use a lot of product to really saturate your hair, it really does work. I love that it lasts up to three shampoos, so you don't have to apply it every time that you wash your hair and that makes it slightly more better value for money.
I also appreciated how shiny it make my hair, which lasted for days and my hair remained feeling smooth and silky right up until my next hair wash. After my second shampoo, I could still notice the smoothing results from the first application.
I would highly recommend it if you're prone to frizz and flyaways. Living in the UK, we have to put up with a lot of rainy days, and this is like a dedicated hair insurance for your hairstyle every day. Whether you opt for the original Dream Coat, the Curly Dream Coat or the Extra Strength version, you won't be disappointed.
Shop The Colorwow Dream Coat Range
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