During an unhappy shopping trip, lamenting the fact that this time last year I was in Cyprus and now I am not, I decided it is time to do something with my rapidly darkening, sun starved blonde hair. I was in boots being tempted by bottle of born blonde and sun-in and just managed to regain my senses in time before I did anything silly.
It just so happened that on special offer was the John Frieda Sheer Blonde range. I had always been put off this product by the awful mock pop video used to advertise it but a three for two offer is not to be sneezed at and I bought myself some shampoo, conditioner and hair spay. I have already covered the Conditioner, so if anyone is having Déjà vu, you now know why. Today I’m going to cover the shampoo
There are two varieties, one for Platinum blonde and one for Honey to caramel blond. I think that my mop falls into the caramel blond category.
The sheer blond range is supposedly formulated to rid blond hair of the chemical and mineral build up of water, product and the environment which gives it that dull, brassy and sometimes ever-so slightly green look. It promises to transform straw like hair to shimmering silk.
I am more than a little sceptical, my hair is in quite good condition and has never been colour treated (expect for a few colour mousses). I was under the impression that this product was aimed more at bottle blonde with brittle damaged hair, but the bottle says it is for natural blondes too. I'll try nearly anything once and decided to give it a go.
The Shampoo ***********
It comes in a soft plastic bottle, a bit like a gel tube, and it's not the easiest of products to dispense. You don't need very much to get the desired effect, yet it's hard to stop the stuff coming out when you’re in the shower with slippery hands. Style seems to have won over substance as far as the bottle is concerned.
It is the colour of runny honey but doesn't smell anywhere near as nice. Smell is an all-important factor in most hair products now days, hair has to smell nice as well as look nice. This product smells like the cheap nasty shampoo my mum use to buy for us in Kwik Save when I was little. You know the stuff that was about 50p for two litres and doubled as bubble bath and washing up liquid.
I massaged it into my hair and it worked into a nice lather though not the creamy sort that I’m used to. When I washed it out my hair felt squeaky clean which while sounding good, actually means it has stripped my hair of its natural oils. I certainly didn’t need to repeat the wash, and was frankly a little bit worried about how my hair would dry using this. I used the conditioner afterwards, but in the interests of research I decided to try it without the conditioner. When my hair had dried, naturally I might add, I found my hair to be very dry, straw like yet weirdly shinny.
The shampoo had brought out the blonde highlight in my hair and the dullness I am used to had all but gone. Considering the shampoo claims to turn straw like hair into spun gold I’m not impressed at all, I went to my mums later that morning and used some of her spray in conditioner because my hair was just so dry.
It's a good shampoo but the over-drying effects are not welcome, a conditioner is needed after every wash and this from someone who had very greasy hair and usually only conditions around three times per week.
The shampoos around £4.99, which is incredibly expensive and I would never buy it unless it was on some sort of special offer, no matter how good it is. I have never seen it in any discount shops either.
The bottle doesn't say if the product is tested on animals. As with most products, if you tend to be sensitive to beauty products to a patch test first.
So in conclusion:
It did have the blonding effect the bottle claimed but without conditioner my hair felt simply awful.
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I agree! My hair is dry anyway (by virtue of the fact I dye it blonde in the first place) and this made it much worse! But it made some of my friend's hair fall out so I guess I was fortunate. Have since been using Timotei's 'Golden Highlights' which is much better!
Caly 17.12.2002 09:02
Hi, I used this shampoo a while back but found it to drying for my hair. Superdrug also do the a simular product with its own lable thats quite a bit cheaper and very very simular. Take care Caly x
pinkprincesskt 02.10.2002 23:14
Was going to try it, but now I don't think I will!!
Aug 13th, 2002
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