This New Haircare Line Uses Real Human Keratin

Kristen Stewart. Rooney Mara. Gwyneth Paltrow. Reese Witherspoon. These are some of Hollywood’s biggest celebs, and they all share one thing in common—their hairdresser. A true creative visionary, Adir Abergel is the one setting trends with not only his celebrity clientele, but his editorial work in collaborations with renowned fashion photographers like Mario Testino, Juergen Teller and Annie Leibovitz in the pages of Vogue, W and Harper’s Bazaar. So it’s only natural that he would be on the cutting edge of hair technology, too. As the creative director of Virtue, a new line with alpha keratin extracted from real human hair, he’s doing just that. Get our exclusive interview below!

To learn more about Virtue and receive a free salon trial kit, create a stylist account here.

The Story Behind Virtue

Adir was the face of Fekkai for seven years as an ambassador, where he met Virtue CEO and Founder Melisse Shaban. After he left the brand, he decided not to join another manufacturer. “I don’t like to attach my name to things I don’t believe are honest or valuable,” Adir adds. Melisse called one day to explain the new beauty company she was founding and the science behind it.

Here are the details:

• A military colonel was working to help those who have sustained traumatic injuries on the battlefield when his lab team discovered how to harvest keratin in its purest, most powerful form—directly from human hair—and keep the protein whole, intact and fully functional.
• Test results showed this keratin protein would deliver serious healing effects to injured bone, tissue and nerves—and also to hair.
• Virtue products use the keratin—called Alpha Keratin 60ku™—in every product, to change the health and quality of hair for good.

Adir’s husband is a Harvard scientist, so this really intrigued him. “In our house, we talk about biotechnology and how the hair industry is stagnant when it comes to real innovation—it’s new branding, but it’s rarely new innovation,” he says. “I put my husband to work and he said, ‘Adir, this is very real technology.’ So I asked Melisse to send me the products to try.”

Does It Really Work?

Adir first used the Virtue products on his assistant, who had totally fried, bleached hair. “I used the products and, I’m not joking, her hair was like virgin hair,” he says. “It was soft, the cuticle was shiny, the color was vibrant. It was different hair.”

The transformation was so total that Adir immediately asked to be a part of Virtue, but not as just an endorser. “I wanted a much bigger role, and I wanted to be able to create my own products,” he says.

The first phase of products included:

• Care: shampoos and conditioners designed to help hair recover from damage, amp up volume or smooth frizz
• Correct: a serum and cream to undo damage and solve hair problems
• Create: three stylers that can be layered and cocktailed

“The products are about transforming how the hair feels,” Adir says. “The next phase I’m working on will be the hardworking hero products, like volumizers, harder mousses and pomades. Hair is like architecture. If you don’t have the right foundation, everything else collapses, so you have to start with a clean palette that has the right feel and texture, and that’s what Virtue does.”

Adir’s Go-Tos

Adir uses the Virtue shampoos and conditioners on all of his celebrity clients. His favorite combo? The Recovery Shampoo + Smooth Conditioner + Split Ends Serum on ends + Six-In-One Styler before blow-drying.

“I love the Six-In-One—it does it all,” he says. “It’s perfect for a pre-blowout, a post-blowout, it helps with frizz and it gives great polish without weighing down the hair.”

His lookbook on the Virtue website has his how-tos, from Jessica Biel’s braided updo at the 2017 Golden Globes to Reese Witherspoon’s side-swept chignon, plus more tips on getting hair to stay put on the red carpet.