This week I'm mostly being brunette although that is subject to change. Now i've turned 31 and I've ...
This week I'm mostly being brunette although that is subject to change. Now i've turned 31 and I've got my degree I'm trying in vain to look a bit more sophisticated and intelligent...(not that i'm saying blondes are not, of course!)
Member since:17.12.2002
Reviews:83
Members who trust:72
Everyone wishes that they had someone else’s hair, but I have the sort of hair that no one would ever wish for!
It’s really thin, optimistically referred to as ‘baby fine’ by my hairdresser although even a baby would no doubt complain if they were lumbered with it. Its always seems flat and lank and it just won’t grow. Of course I’ve made it worse over the years by committing heinous acts of hair abuse on it with a bleach bottle. Of course even that’s Mother Natures fault. If she’d given me the fabulous hair I deserve I wouldn’t have abused it, but as a result of being bleached to within an inch of its life, my hair gets frizzy and very rarely shines.
So I've spent the whole of my life looking for a miracle hair care product and I had given up all hope of ever finding one...until now!
I've used the John Frieda 'Sheer Blonde' range of shampoo and conditioner for a while, more
out of habit than anything - they are neither fabulously good or fabulously bad so I stuck with them, better the devil you know and all that. The range comes on 3 for 2 in Boots quite often and normally I buy 2 bottles of shampoo and a conditioner but I was felling adventurous so I which is how I ended up with a little silver tin of gunk!!
John Frieda ‘Spotlight’ is described as a hi-beam glosser and power detangler. I’m not sure what a hi-beam glosser is, but it sounds very impressive. It comes in a metallic silver/gold tin and although it only contains 75ml you only need a really small amount, so it lasts and lasts. You use it after shampoo and conditioner as a final finish on either freshly washed or blow dried hair.
The product makes plenty of bold claims – the thing is it lives up to them! It claims to ‘illuminate blonde with a crystal-clear layer of shimmery shine’ – translation: it’s a thick clear gel that you apply (sparingly) to blonde hair (natural, highlighted or blasted to within an inch of its life like mine!) and it smoothes down the hair so it lies flat and reflects the light.
It also claims ‘ ultra-light formula leaves hair sleek, tangle-free, easy to comb.’ Translation – it’s not sticky. You can use it on wet hair to smooth it out and untangle it (It is actually very good at this.) You can use it on dry or damp hair depending on the result you are looking for.
Final claim – ‘gives a hi-gloss, hi-glam finish to dried hair.’ Translation – if you apply too much you look like you’ve washed your hair in chip fat!
It really is an excellent product but you really only need the tiniest amount otherwise you end up with lank greasy hair and if you put too much on, it’s really difficult to wash out. Not being one to particularly heeds instructions, I of course applied LOADS the first time I tried it (less is never more in my book!) and the result was the most horrible greasy mess. It comes in a pump dispenser and you need one pump for short hair and a couple for longer hair. I always apply it at the ends of my hair first and work it up because applying it from the roots is just another recipe for horrible greasy hair!
Its suitable for any hair type, you just use more if your hair is thicker. On really fine hair like mine, its fine and it doesn’t weigh it down. It doesn’t make it look any thicker but it does look healthier which detracts from the fineness a bit. Although its part of the Sheer Blonde range and marketed at blondes my dark haired friends all use it now because it’s better than glossers formulated for their hair colour and it makes their hair look great! (Same rules apply – less is more! In the case of brunettes even more so because too much can really make dark hair lank.)
My only real gripe with the product is the lack of smell. When your hair is flat and shiny you want to waft it around like you were in a Timotei ad (or is that just me…) and when you are flicking your hair, you want to be enveloped in a cloud of delicious fragrance (again, maybe just me…) but this product doesn’t smell delicious, in fact its just none descript which is a real shame especially if you use it in conjunction with the Sheer Blonde shampoo from the same range which smells a bit odd. Use it with a fabulous smelling shampoo would be my tip!
It also doubles up as a hand cream because when you use it, it leaves your hands feeling really soft and silky smooth. You wouldn’t need to use a separate hand cream if you were using this every day.
John Frieda ‘Spotlight’ retails at £4.99, but it does last for ages. It is also regularly on offer in both Boots and Superdrug. You can also buy it in supermarkets.
It’s well worth a try whatever your hair type. Go on, have your moment in the Spotlight…
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HAND CREAM blimey! I use their funky chunky (or funky gunky as Nick - who now uses it more than me calls it!) Sal x
miniloopie 01.05.2003 15:53
Oooh sounds perfect for me... although I have naturally blonde hair it is also naturally very frizzy, no help needed in that department... ill definitely be looking for this on the shelves in the future...
andystrong 29.04.2003 18:30
Seems familiar, sure I've read it before somewhere. You'd never guess from yr photo that you liked "Sheer Blonde" products now would you Lise? Oh yeah, by the way, who is the "Mike" you mention in your op? he he ....
Advantages: Does what it says Disadvantages: Price
blahblah9002000 04.11.2002 (04.11.2002)
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Review of John Frieda Sheer Blonde
Jan 25th, 2003
(Apr 29th, 2003)
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