Have you ever found a product that works wonders for you, only to find that you can’t find it … anywhere?! For me, it was a L’Oreal Vive leave-in conditioner that I first started using two years ago in Greece. Read on to see how my love of this product sent me on a mad chase around the world!

Two summers ago, I was studying abroad in Greece. I casually picked up some L’Oreal Elvive spray conditioner (center) at the local pharmacy. It was super cheap, a trusted brand, and my hair was super dry from all my time in the salty oceans (I know, you don’t pity me at all. It’s cool.) Little did I know that this spray would be the best product that I ever used on my hair. It smells amazing, but more importantly, it makes my hair soft and easily manageable. I don’t have the kind of hair that I can skip styling. Ever. But it seems like I can work wonders in just a few minutes when it’s healthy and conditioned. Also, I always use products meant for color-treated hair even though my hair isn’t colored. This provides for a little extra boost of moisture.

When I got home, I realized that this product does.not.exist. in the US. We have the L’Oreal Vive for color-treated hair line, but not this actual spray. The closest match is Ever Pure Moisture Leave In Conditioner, but it’s kind of goopy and not in an easy spray bottle. I scrimped on my spraying, figuring I’d pick up another bottle the next time I went to Europe.

My next trip to Europe was a few months later when I went to Italy. Greece’s neighbor, right? Except there wasn’t a L’Oreal Elvive spray bottle to be seen. I checked pharmacies, department stores, upscale makeup boutiques: nothing.

As my spray bottle grew lighter, I became even more frugal about my usage. I cut back from using the spray regularly to only a little treat when my hair was looking ultra frazzled. You already know that I can get a little obsessed when I find great things. The hunt for this spray was in the back of mind for two years worth of trips: Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, South Africa, Puerto Rico. No dice. I briefly considered going back to Greece just to look for this product, and then decided that I’m not that crazy.

But this year? I got lucky. One of my first stops in Amsterdam, I found the Dutch version (right). I freaked out in the middle of the store, and bought 2 bottles on the spot. Later, on my day trip to Germany, I found the German version: Elvital Color-Glanz (left). I picked up another bottle to add to the international collection. (Also, why wasn’t it there the first time I went to Germany? Another reason to love DM!) Now my obsession with Elvive will include getting the bottles with labels in different languages.

Oh, and now my hair looks amazing. Because I’m spraying away- no more rationing!