Legendary hair stylist Larry King is responsible for the locks of well-coiffed celebrities the world over - Gigi, Jared, Karlie and Courtney to name just a few of the mononyms.
He’s a regular feature backstage at fashion week, on tour with your favourite artists and you will have spotted him on your Instagram feeds in his capacity as a Dyson ambassador. The East London-based hair expert has two UK salons where you may just run into the likes of Niall Horan and Frank Lampard if you happen to visit his South Kensington establishment. He also has a foothold in Notting Hill, in Monaco and you can expect more to follow.
In each of his impeccably designed namesake salons, you’ll spot King’s eponymous haircare collection lining the sinks and walls. Launched in 2018, he created the line with his wife Laura to suit the needs of his always-on-the-go clientele with sustainability as the driving force. The latter is constantly developing with the refillable shampoo and conditioner bottles treated to a fresh redesign in favour of aluminium housing. These are hero products in the collection with the City Life (a gentle purifying formula) and Social Life (for voluminising) as our favourites.
The Spoilt for Choice is the latest in the line up and we were able to get our hands on it before launch. Like the rest of the collection, it has been put through its paces in King’s own salons, honing the formulation until it was spot on - the thorough testing process has been known to last over five years, as was the case with the Nourishing Curl Enhancer.
The hair oil has rosemary oil at its heart which not only sets the herbaceous scent but is an ingredient that has gone viral on TikTok recently for its hair growth properties (there’s over 204.9m views on the topic). It was selected by King for its reputation as a homoeopathic remedy and its anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial properties as well as for counteracting flakes and the lengthening benefits we mentioned just before.
Alongside rosemary is a cocktail of naturally-derived and nutrient-rich oils including jojoba, argan and moisturising squalene that combine to nourish the scalp and strengthen the strands. What sets this hair oil apart from the crowd is that it is entirely free from silicone (as well as nasties like alcohol, parabens etc.). This ensures that when applying directly to your mane, it doesn’t form a greasy seal unlike so many of its contemporaries. You can get all the benefits of this product without needing to rinse and repeat over and over again.
Oil for the oil-averse, this formula was created to be fuss-free. It is recommended to place droplets of the oil sporadically around the hair and massage it into your scalp for the three minutes required. In this time, you could be heating up the shower, while your hair absorbs the vitamin goodness. Then shampoo twice. It’s ideal for the time-pressed.
But it’s multitasking too. We love a product that does many things and this acts as a finishing oil or for a deeper treatment and a scalp remedy - and as recommended by Larry - coat your hair cuticles with the oil and place it into a loose bun the night before hair wash day. Do this twice a week.
We found that the effect was immediate. The light-reflecting shine is a testament to the nourishment but it is in no way greasy, instead feeling silky soft to the touch.
The oil works to tame frizz too and give your style a professional finish. The scent is lovely and is not dissimilar to the brand’s holy grail Volumizing Hair Mist. It’s called Cabin Fever and has notes of eucalyptus, rosemary, pine needles and lavender.
But above all, it’s the sheer ease of the product in slipping into your routine that makes it a win in our eyes. Next stop, King’s signature tousled aesthetic.
From £28 at Selfridges and Larry King
