Redken Body Full Shampoo

...upmarket potions.

REDKEN – The Brand

I went for Redken because the name amused me. I guess I am still a political animal although I long since gave up any such affiliations but this name immediately conjures up thoughts of Mr Livingstone, the ex Mayor of London, who is no longer the most hirsute individual! Meandering through my mind came the thought that the range should be renamed and relaunched as Blue Boris but considering ...
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Of course Redken has no such political connections but is a combination of the names of the founders of the hairdressing empire Paula Kent, an aspiring actress in the 60s, and her hairdresser Jheri Redding. Having discovered she was extra sensitive to many of the hairdressing and cosmetic preparations of the day, Paula working with professional stylists to produce preparations which were effective but gentle. They came up with protein ... more

My hairdresser, Jermaine, is a tactful soul. The last time he sheared and highlighted me, he casually asked what type of shampoo and conditioner I was using and went on to suggest I might consider trying Kerastase or Redken. I am a bit of a slouch when it comes to my tresses and don’t often go in for lots of conditioning and such and, although I have made occasional sorties into the land of posh hair preparations, I usually stick to the more affordable alternatives. But this was obviously Jermaine’s way of telling me that my hair not in the best of shape and, as I was so pleased with his last recommendation for Tigi Small Talk (as previously reviewed) I decided to spend a few precious pennies on some more upmarket potions.

REDKEN – The Brand

I went for Redken because the name amused me. I guess I am still a political animal although I long since gave up any such affiliations but this name immediately conjures up thoughts of Mr Livingstone, the ex Mayor of London, who is no longer the most hirsute individual! Meandering through my mind came the thought that the range should be renamed and relaunched as Blue Boris but considering the untamed mane of that individual maybe it would not be the best marketing strategy!

Of course Redken has no such political connections but is a combination of the names of the founders of the hairdressing empire Paula Kent, an aspiring actress in the 60s, and her hairdresser Jheri Redding. Having discovered she was extra sensitive to many of the hairdressing and cosmetic preparations of the day, Paula working with professional stylists to produce preparations which were effective but gentle. They came up with protein based products designed to condition the hair rather than solely camouflage damage and apparently now own over sixty global patents on products and ingredients. Originally based in California, they now operate from headquarters in 5th Avenue, New York, a move which followed their acquisition by L’Oreal in 1993.

Unfortunately those against animal testing will not welcome the L’Oreal connection. The credentials of that organisation in this respect are not the best but the subject is contentious and the present situation, none too clear. Suffice it to say that Redken products used to have the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) stamp of approval but it was withdrawn when they were acquired by L’Oreal. I was unaware of this connection when I bought my Redken stash so I can truly claim ignorance which, of course, can be bliss especially when it comes to matters of conscience!

REDKEN – Body Full

Having looked at the various ranges available, I decided Body Full was the one for me because it is billed as providing “anti-gravity volume to normal /fine hair for long-lasting fullness, style and shine.” The only off putting element in the description was the “anti-gravity” credential. I wonder where the pundits come up with such ridiculous specifications. I have visions of struggling to keep my feet on the ground as my up-ended hair pulls me skywards! Nevertheless, spurred on by my confidence in Jermaine, I proceeded to order from the cheapest online source I could find which was feelunique.com.

I never do things by half and actually ordered three products from the range, the shampoo, the conditioner and the carbo-bodifier but when I came to suggest these products for review I could only register them individually. Such is my devotion as a reviewer that I am proceeding to use the products one step at a time starting with the shampoo only and eventually building up to a crescendo involving the effect of all three products in unison! Hence this is part 1 of the saga.

REDKEN – Body Full – Shampoo

The bottle containing 300 mls cost me £8.85, the most I have ever paid for a shampoo but the full recommended retail price is £10.35 and I have seen it advertised for up to £12 so it’s worth shopping around. It’s a very plain, almost clinical looking, translucent plastic bottle in a dull dark green/grey tone with white printing which includes instructions in half a dozen languages and an ingredient list. I refuse to test my eyesight on the small print in order to list the ingredients. Suffice it to say that the Redken website lists polymers (for style retention), carbohydrates (for body and thickness) and protein (for internal strength and support). I am starting to wonder if I am reviewing a hair preparation or a food product at this point but of course it’s all about nourishment so I decide it’s quite reassuring! I do read that the product “gently cleanses and provides weightless volume to normal/fine hair”. Somehow the use of the term ‘weightless’ seems far less bombastic than ‘anti-gravity’!

I had no plans to go out on Friday so I decided I was safe to use the shampoo alone without the addition of any artificial styling aids. I had already used it in combination with the other products from the range but this going solo was to be a real acid test. Having combed my hair thoroughly as it has a tendency to tangle, I wet my extremely fine (as in thin, not as in splendid) hair thoroughly during my usual shower routine and massage the clear liquid into my hair. It does not take much to lather up quite well. There is a scent which is difficult to describe. It’s not fruity or flowery, just slightly sweet and clean. In fact, if anything, it reminds me of the old style plain washing up liquids in the days before they added extra more exotic “flavours”!

It washes out easily and my scalp feels good. I would add that I managed to get a dribble in one eye! This was quite accidental and not done for the purposes of the review. I don’t have such masochistic tendencies! Usually when this happens I am left flailing around with tightly closed eyes until I can find a flannel or sponge to wash out the eye with clear water. Even then the pain lingers around for some time and the red eye is evident for a while. This was quite different. I felt the eye tingle a little and become uncomfortable for a few seconds but then without any further action the pain cleared and the eye did not suffer any unsightly redness. This is a real plus for me! As the instructions did not advise a second application I left it at that.

When I came to comb my hair through it was rather tangly in parts. However this is normal with me even directly after having a good cut it seems to be so fine it gets all interwoven after shampooing. And of course I had not used any conditioner.

As usual I did not blow dry, just piled the hair up on top in my usual bird’s nest to dry naturally. It’s so fine this takes no time at all and when I combed it down and into shape it did seem thicker and slightly more voluminous than with other preparations. It also fell into my chin length bob style reasonably well although I still had to use a tong to turn the ends under as usual. It wasn’t a dramatic improvement but not bad for shampoo alone to achieve and it definitely felt quite silky and had a good shine. In fact I even felt confident enough to go out, although it was after dark and I merely strolled up to the local off licence where they are quite used to me appearing ungroomed! My scalp felt good and I suffered no adverse reaction which can happen as I am extremely sensitive!

The next morning my hair was not in the best of shape but then it rarely is and there was a slight greasiness at the roots but it was only evident on close inspection. As I was doing nothing extra special I decided not to wash it again and managed to tong it into a reasonable shape which stayed in place with a little dose of Elnette. By the third day (today!), it was definitely greasy, my scalp was slightly itchy and I would not have got away with another day without shampooing.

Would I recommend the shampoo? Well at this stage the jury is still out. It was certainly no worse than others I have used and better than many. You can use it quite sparingly as it lathers well. I have used it half a dozen times now and the bottle is still three quarters full. Maybe, as this is a repair treatment, the benefits will be more apparent after a longer period of use but at present I don’t feel the results really justify the cost. This may well change when I add the conditioner and carbo-bodifier into the equation.

Watch this space for further details of my adventures in Redken land!

For further information visit http://www.redken.co.uk/

 

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