Maria Nila is a Swedish vegan hair care & styling brand that doesn’t seem to be getting enough recognition in the UK for some reason. Which seems rather strange to me considering how sustainability and natural beauty savvy we have become – yet we are still buying products that pretend to be natural instead of doing a little research and supporting proper natural beauty brands instead. In no way am I saying that one day I woke up, threw all my stash in the bin & replaced it with 100% natural zero waste alternatives. That wouldn’t be economical, ecological or possible for that matter. But I have slowly been delving into the depths of intentional, more naturally conscious living. And whilst doing so I’ve been discovering beautiful brands such as this one.
Why are Maria Nila products so great?
To start off, Maria Nila is a brand that comes from Sweden which is definitely reflected in the beautiful minimalist packaging. The products have been developed by not just hair experts, but by hairdressers which puts them well above the level of drugstore brands. Their products are all natural with no harsh chemicals – in fact their flagship products are all natural hair dyes which come in a form of a nourishing hair mask (and the colours all gorgeous – lavender, peach and even cherry!). Maria Nila don’t test on animals and the products don’t contain parabens or sulphates. They’re just overall a nice company that makes sustainable choices and delivers great quality products that are not stupidly overpriced.
6 Maria Nila hair styling products I love
Maria Nila Volume Spray (CZ ● UK)
A rare occurrence of a volumising hair product that works. You just need to spray a little bit to the very roots of wet hair and blow dry it. I blow dry my hair flipped upside down which works a treat with this volume spray. It doesn’t weigh my already thick and heavy hair down and it doesn’t make it greasy either. It’s a winner for me!
Maria Nila Dry Shampoo (CZ ● UK)
Not gonna lie, I absolutely loath Batiste dry shampoos. They are sticky and smell funny and I’m just not a fan at all. Maria Nila dry shampoo smells so nice and it doesn’t make my hair sticky and horrid. I can go a couple days with re-applying and it makes my hair nice and big without any nasty white bits or overcast. One of those no fuss products you can actually rely on.
Maria Nila Cream Heat Spray (CZ ● UK)
This is a thermo protective spray you use before you use a hair drier or any sort of heat on your hair. I like that it’s creamy so it absorbs into your hair rather than just sits on top weighing it down. It has a very faint scent to it which is something I also appreciate – putting 24832 products on your hair each smelling like a different perfume isn’t ideal so I’m all for the subtle scents of Maria Nila products.
Maria Nila Styling Cream (CZ ● UK)
This cream is perfect for when you curl your hair and want to sort of define them. You know when you’re done curling and the ends get kinda frizzy and each hair decides to play its own game and point a different direction? That’s what I mean. This styling cream sorts out for you and again – because of the natural ingredients it doesn’t weight your hair down at all. And the little packaging lasts FOREVER because you need the tiniest pea-sized bit for all your hair.
Maria Nila Salty Mist (CZ ● UK)
This is my least favourite product from the bunch. But I can still appreciate it as a high quality styling aid. My problem is that I don’t generally like sea salt sprays for my hair. My hair is very straight and thick and heavy so adding something as robust as sea salt, it just weighs my hair down no matter what you do. This spray is not exactly a beach wave spray either (they have a different one for that), it’s more like a finishing hair spray that uses salt instead of whatever fixing agent normal hair sprays use. It’s definitely one to take on your holiday because it can set crazy beach waves and make them a little more manageable and shapely. Beware though, if your hair is naturally pretty thick, you might not be reaching for this one as often.
Maria Nila Finishing Spray (CZ ● UK)
Finally – the finishing spray. Another one of my holy grail favourites! I usually use a much cheaper alternative to this which is Wella Professionals Performance Hair Spray. Because it’s designed for hairdressers it comes in a huge can and costs about £3-4 for 500 ml. It holds like crazy and doesn’t make my hair sticky so I can brush it out completely at the end of the day. Maria Nila Finishing Spray is exactly that but with much stronger hold. I find it being even stronger than the extra strong Performance hair spray, which is just insane. Because of the slightly higher price tag in comparison to the Wella one, I only use it sparingly when I know I need that extra hold. It is all natural though and by contrast to Wella it’s not tested on animals.
All Maria Nila products I’ve tried have been beautiful and I genuinely appreciate the philosophy behind the brand. Don’t forget to check out more of my natural beauty exploration right here.
Have you tried any of their products? Which one’s your favourite?