New Hair Color Strategy

March 25, 2010

Shampoo that preserves hair colour is another beauty myth I’m giving up on.

And I’m not alone. In the Elle Canada March 2010 issue where I read the article about minimalism that I wrote about a few days ago, there was another page, about hair. On that page was this question : “Are colour-saving shampoos for real?”

If this question had already been answered, nobody would still be asking it.

You would not have seen this question in a magazine: “Is penicillin for real?”, within a month after penicillin came out.

My latest tactic is to find an ultra-gentle shampoo. Do any of you have Paula Begoun’s Hair book? Though it was last published in 2004, the majority of the products reviewed are still out there today. And many are now at Beautypedia.

I searched for highly gentle and cruelty-free and came up with Paul Mitchell Baby Don’t Cry. I like it a lot. The smell may be a little pediatric but why would I care? I use other scented products on my hair anyhow. It’s not offensive or baby powderish. It cleans quite well, without a ton of lather. Maybe it wouldn’t remove a heavy deposit of product, but I don’t use that much. What I want is for it to leave my hair colour alone.

How’s my hair colour doing? Really, really good. With a slightly stronger shampoo once a week (TIGI Thicker Fuller Hair), it works great. So many, too many, so-called gentle shampoos strip the hair so it feels like a straw mat. Not this.

I needed hair spray to make my bangs go sideways. Once again, searched the book diligently, came up with TIGI Maxxed Out.

No disappointment here. One of those rare products that exceeded my expectations. Great hold, but the hair feels and looks like hair!! No hairspray smell, which I have a dislike of, to say the least. This one reminds me sharply of grapefruit but that fades fast. The hair freezes instantly. It stays put all day. The nozzle aim is sharp, no blue clouds around your head. Bought it at Target.

A day is better when you find a great hair product.

John Frieda Luminous Glaze went on sale. I bought Clear. There should be an odor warning on it. This product has the honor having no trace of any effect, good or bad. It’s like it was never there. Even the overwhelming fragrance dissipates to nothing.

Posted by Christine Scaman | Filed Under Great Hair, Paula's Choice

Comments

3 Responses to “New Hair Color Strategy”

Holly Grasse on March 25th, 2010 9:57 pm

Timely article. My mother was visiting last weekend and she commented on how dull and lifeless my hair looked. I can pretend it doesn’t matter but you know how vain I am. I need a good shine product that doesn’t make my hair feel heavy or sticky.

Suggestions??
Christine Scaman on March 26th, 2010 10:49 am

Holly,

I consulted my live-in hair shine expert. Garnier Triple Nourishment Mask (leave it in 20 min), John Frieda Secret Weapon Finishing Creme, and TreSemme Heat Protection Spray if you straighten or curl. I went into Zellers one day and bought all 3. They’re pretty good and really make a difference. In fact, there’s nothing about any of them that I don’t like.

Also, though my experience with the John Frieda Laminate in the article wasn’t good, I’ve had it done at the time of a haircolor and really do find it good. It adds 20min. and not much $, and has no smell, thank you goddess.

You could do mother-daughter hair spa day, if this might be a case of the pot calling the kettle…
Jo on March 27th, 2010 8:20 am

The only thing that has ever kept colour in my hair has been Wen by Chaz Dean. There’s a lot of hype about this product, and on places like Makeupalley reviews are very mixed, but, for me, it works. It also stops me developing split ends and keeps my hair in better condition than when I was a teenager.

I think a lot of the mixed reviews about it are because people expect it to behave like a shampoo, and treat it like one. If you follow the instructions, and get the right version of the product for YOUR hair type, then (IMO) it works extremely well.

I used the Cucumber Aloe for a while and found it so-so. When I switched to the Almond Mint my hair improved a lot. I will probably use it for ever, because every time run out, or use another brand, even for a single wash, my hair deteriorates in both colour and condition.