Alberto VO5 Styling Range

Introduction.

Alberto VO5 products are made by a company called Alberto-Culver, with their main office and production site in America, although there is also a manufacturer in the UK. The story of the company is quite interesting, going back to 1955, when a couple called Leonard and Bernice Lavin bought a small West-coast company and moved it to Chicago. The company was owned by a man called Culver, whose chemist, Alberto, had developed ...
...am reviewing today is the Alberto VO5 Texturising Gum, a product to finish off a style.
My own hairdresser had used a similar product on my hair to lift the style and bring it more up to date. It made me look ten years younger and I asked about the product, but it was very expensive and a salon product only. Wandering around Boots the chemist, I found the gum on special offer, 2 for the price of 1 .I think I paid about £3.99 for the two; it ... more

Introduction.

Alberto VO5 products are made by a company called Alberto-Culver, with their main office and production site in America, although there is also a manufacturer in the UK. The story of the company is quite interesting, going back to 1955, when a couple called Leonard and Bernice Lavin bought a small West-coast company and moved it to Chicago. The company was owned by a man called Culver, whose chemist, Alberto, had developed a hairdressing formula for use in the Hollywood studios. Hence the company name of Alberto-Culver.
Using just the one product, a whole range of hairdressing products were made, which has grown to a multi-billion dollar corporate, with the brand name of VO5 becoming a leading name in the beauty business.
The advanced VO5 products hit the market in 2001 and have gone from strength to strength since then. The product range is continuously updated to cope with the new demands in hairstyling, with a vast array of shampoo’s, conditioners and styling products.

The one I am reviewing today is the Alberto VO5 Texturising Gum, a product to finish off a style.
My own hairdresser had used a similar product on my hair to lift the style and bring it more up to date. It made me look ten years younger and I asked about the product, but it was very expensive and a salon product only. Wandering around Boots the chemist, I found the gum on special offer, 2 for the price of 1 .I think I paid about £3.99 for the two; it was just over a year ago, so I am not entirely sure of the price.
The product comes in a blue tin about the size of a shoe polish tin. The distinctive VO5 logo is shown on the front of the tin, white letters against a black background, surrounded by a gold edging. Underneath are the words “Texturising gum”; you need to look at this clearly as there are several different products in the same style. Under the heading is “to create style” and then the simple word, “create”. On the back of the tin are the directions, which I will describe later. There are also “Extra tips” and the following list of words.

Ideal to sculpt and create any style.
Ideal for texturing, separating or smoothing individual strands.
Adds definition and shine.
Great for scrunching into curls.
Long lasting firm hold.
Shapes, holds and moulds.

There follows a list of ingredients that are not easily identifiable, although I did understand Aqua, Lanolin wax and petroleum.
The company name and address are given and the weight of 75ml.
I could not find the words “not tested on animals”, but a look on the company website showed that they do not test on animals and are firmly campaigning against any such use.

So, On to the Product.

On opening the tin, there is a very strong smell that is a little hard to describe, something similar to lanolin and Vaseline. It was so strong that I was nearly put off trying it, but reasoned I could wash it off if the smell remained.
The colour is a creamy white and looks more like a hand cream, but I wanted to test it on freshly washed hair, although you can use it on dry hair or towel dried hair.
Firstly, I washed and styled my hair and proceeded to follow the steps the hairdresser had taken to create my style. The directions say : rub a small amount with your fingers, open the hands to stretch the gum and then apply directly to your hair. My own hairdresser had applied some onto the palms of her hands, clapped them briskly together, creating what appeared to be a fine web of white strands, which when placed onto the hair, lifted it to look more full and teased a few strands of my fringe to look more textured.
So naturally, I tried the same technique. The result was not the same, although it did add more texture and looked very modern. Obviously, I needed more practise!

This is when I looked at the Extra tips." Use sparingly, a little goes a long way. You can always add more if needed. You can restyle and reform with your fingers, a brush or comb."
I needed to wash my hands afterwards as they felt quite sticky, but I was able to produce quite a fetching style and my hair did stay in all night.
Since then, I have tried many different ways of using the gum. I have used more for a “wet-look” style, used only a small amount to define my fringe and the feather cut around my cheekbones. I have held my head upside down while blow-drying it, giving myself a very “punky” look.
If I am short for time, a small amount run through with my fingers, leaves that “just got out of bed “ look.
Once I tried it on my friends curly hair, but it only smoothes a few strands. Just enough to tame some of the wilder curls.
After just over a year, I still have some left in one tin and a full tin still unopened. This was because I had suffered some hair loss for a few months and wasn’t allowed to put anything on my stubble.

Conclusion.

I have found this very good and lots of fun to experiment with. It did what it promised on the tin and gave a lot of shine to my hair. The smell faded completely when my hair was dry and it gave a lot of hold. I am aware that this product may have been updated, although I did find it on the Boots website for £3.69. While looking for this product, I found that they have added glue to the range for the same price. This was the product that my hairdresser had used.
There is a sale on at Boots at the moment, with many of the VO5 range at 2 for 1. All except for the gum and the glue. Still, I will be going in as soon as I can, to stock up on my favourite shampoo, conditioner, mousse and anything else that takes my fancy.
I can recommend this product, if the glue is as good as the gum, I will be using that as well.
Get down to Boots now and grab a bargain.

For further information, the website is Alberto-Culver. Com. You may also wish to look at the American site, to see their policy on animal rights.
Thanks for Reading.
Lisa.

 

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