Kérastase Genesis NZ: For Hair Fall, Shedding and Weak Lengths

If you're finding more hair than usual on your brush, in the shower drain, or wrapped around your hairband at the end of the day, you're not imagining it. Shedding and weakness are two of the most common things clients raise at the basin, and they often get lumped together when they're actually different problems. Kérastase Genesis is the range we reach for when both show up at once, and it's worth understanding why before you spend on it.

Genesis sits in the Kérastase line-up as the anti hair-fall and anti-breakage system. It isn't a hair-growth miracle and we'd never sell it as one. What it does, genuinely, is target hair fall caused by breakage and reduce the snapping that happens along weakened lengths. That distinction matters, so let's get into it.

Shedding versus breakage: which one is actually happening?

Most people lose somewhere around 50 to 100 hairs a day, and that's completely normal. The hairs you should worry about are the ones snapping partway down the strand rather than releasing from the root. A clean shed from the root usually has a tiny white bulb on the end. A break is a blunt, broken-off piece with no bulb, often mid-length where the hair is thinnest and most stressed.

Genesis is built for hair that feels weakened and prone to falling because it's fragile. Colour, heat tools, tight ponytails, hard Central Otago water and the general wear of daily life all chip away at the hair's strength over time. If your lengths feel limp, lifeless and like they give up easily, that's the weakness Genesis is designed to support. If you suspect a medical or hormonal cause behind sudden heavy loss, see your GP first. Nothing on a salon shelf replaces that conversation.

What's actually in Kérastase Genesis

The hero ingredients are the reason this range earns its place. Genesis is built around Aminexil, a molecule Kérastase uses to help strengthen hair at the root and reduce hair fall due to breakage, paired with Edelweiss native cells and ginger root extract to fortify the fibre. The result is hair that feels denser, more resilient and less inclined to snap when you brush or style it.

It's a system rather than a single product, and that's the point. Each piece does a specific job, and they work harder together than any one of them does alone.

The core Genesis line-up

• Bain Hydra-Fortifiant is the shampoo for normal to oily roots and weakened lengths. It cleanses without stripping and helps reduce breakage from the first wash.
• Bain Nutri-Fortifiant is the same idea for drier, more sensitised hair that needs a touch more nourishment while it's being strengthened.
• Fondant Renforçateur is the daily conditioner that detangles and reinforces lengths, so the comb glides through instead of catching and tearing.
• Masque Reconstituant is the weekly deep treatment for lengths that need rebuilding and feel rough or fragile.
• Sérum Anti-Chute Fortifiant is the leave-in scalp serum, applied to a clean scalp and left in. This is the one clients most often skip and most often feel the difference from.

You'll find the full range on our Kérastase Genesis collection, and the wider Kérastase family alongside it if you want to see where it fits.

How our colourists actually use it

In the salon we treat Genesis as a strengthening foundation, not a quick fix. The combination most of our team recommends is the right Bain shampoo for your scalp, Fondant Renforçateur after every wash, the Masque once a week, and the scalp serum daily if you're committed. Consistency is what moves the needle here. Two or three weeks of doing all of it beats a single heroic wash day.

One honest note on the serum: it can feel like an extra step you'll never keep up. The clients who see the best results are the ones who leave it on the bathroom shelf in plain sight and apply it to damp scalp before bed. Make it boring and easy and you'll actually use it.

Is Genesis the right Kérastase range for you?

Genesis is the pick when weakness and fall are your main concern. But hair problems rarely arrive on their own, and sometimes another range, or a pairing, will serve you better.

If your hair is fine and falls flat rather than breaking, the issue is more about body than strength, and you may want to look at the fine and volume options, or Kérastase's own Densifique range, which is built around the look and feel of denser, fuller hair. The two aren't rivals. Plenty of clients run Genesis to strengthen and Densifique to plump.

If breakage is being driven by serious damage from over-processing or heat, Kérastase Résistance is the dedicated repair range for compromised, weakened hair and is often the better starting point before you move to Genesis for maintenance. And if you colour, a bond-care step like L'Oréal Metal Detox can quietly stop a lot of breakage at its source by neutralising the metals in water that make colour fade and hair brittle.

For anyone who simply wants stronger, more resilient hair across the board, browse our masks and treatments and scalp care edits, where Genesis sits next to everything else worth considering.

What to expect, realistically

Used properly, most people notice their hair feels stronger and looks fuller within a few weeks, with less coming away in the brush as breakage settles down. It won't regrow hair you've genuinely lost, and it won't fix a cause that lives below the scalp. What it does well is protect what you have, keep your lengths from snapping, and make fragile hair feel like it can take a brush again.

If you're not sure whether you're shedding or breaking, send us a photo or pop in. Getting that diagnosis right is the difference between buying the range that works for you and the one that just sits in the cupboard.

We're an authorised Kérastase stockist, so everything we sell is genuine and stored properly, never grey-market. Shop Kérastase Genesis at Crew with free NZ shipping on orders over $99.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kérastase Genesis used for?

Kérastase Genesis is the anti hair-fall and anti-breakage range. It's designed for weakened hair that's prone to snapping and falling because it's fragile, using Aminexil, Edelweiss native cells and ginger root to strengthen hair at the root and along the lengths. It targets hair fall caused by breakage, not loss from medical or hormonal causes.

Does Kérastase Genesis regrow hair?

No. Genesis is not a hair-growth treatment. It strengthens fragile hair and reduces fall caused by breakage, so you keep more of the hair you already have. If you're experiencing sudden or heavy loss from the root, see your GP, as that points to a cause a salon product can't address.

Which Kérastase Genesis products should I start with?

Most of our colourists suggest the right Bain shampoo for your scalp (Hydra-Fortifiant for normal to oily, Nutri-Fortifiant for drier hair), Fondant Renforçateur conditioner after every wash, the Masque Reconstituant weekly, and the Sérum Anti-Chute scalp serum daily. Consistency over a few weeks is what delivers results.

Genesis or Densifique for thinning hair?

Genesis strengthens hair and reduces breakage-related fall. Densifique focuses on the look and feel of denser, fuller hair. If your main issue is weakness and snapping, start with Genesis. If it's flat, fine hair lacking body, look at Densifique or our fine and volume range. Many clients use both together.

Is the Kérastase you sell genuine?

Yes. Crew Stylists is an authorised Kérastase stockist, so every product is genuine and correctly stored, never grey-market. We ship NZ-wide with free shipping on orders over $99.