"I'm the only actress in Hollywood with blonde roots!" exclaims
a brunette Gwyneth
Paltrow in this month's Harper's Bazaar, setting
straight an assertion that she was back to brown. Yep,
ever since Marilyn Monroe proved what platinum could do for
all the Norma Jeans, blonde has had an undying allure. Of
course, it's hell to maintain. Evidence of your God-given
mousiness starts to surface weeks after a dye job. Oodles
of shampoos promise lasting luster; we went to the showers
to see if the claims were all wet.
Before we get to specific brands, you should know this
about color-enhancing products: None will change the color
of new hair growth (i.e., roots), but most can be used on
untreated hair to enliven tone. Conditioners work better
than shampoos, whose dye agents rinse out easier. Finally,
don't expect radical results--these products maintain desired
hair color, not transform it.
Note: All the lines listed here, with the exception of
Graham Webb, make formulas for dyed hair of all shades.
ARTEC COLOR DEPOSITING SHAMPOO AND MOISTURIZER
IN WHITE VIOLET
Hickox, London Influence, Bella Tocca and Ziva carry ARTec,
prices vary
ARTec launched in 1990 as the first line to infuse shampoos
and conditioners with coloring agents. It enjoys the status
of being the No. 1 selling hair-color maintenance system,
so it must work well, right? Well, it depends on what shade
you're after. Like many, many shampoos, ARTec's white-violet
version uses as its main cleansing ingredient the harsh
sodium lauryl sulfate, which, depending on the healthiness
of your hair, can be too drying. ARTec's color-depositing
shampoos and conditioners don't stain the hair like henna
or berry juice but rather deposit semi-permanent pigments
directly onto the strands. Hairstylists custom-blend ARTec
at the salon, throwing in a mixture of differently hued
goop and moisturizers to correspond with your freshly tinged
'do. Premixed formulas like the white violet are sold off
the rack. ARTec publicity director Arlene Benza points out
that the benefit of a tailor-made blend is that "many people's
hair color is not exactly like one in a bottle." You can
expect the most dramatic results with bright hair colors,
such as candy-apple red. ARTec recommends using its products
every other wash to prevent build-up.
PURE BLONDE ILLUMINATING SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
BY GRAHAM WEBB
$10.96 and $14.95 at Ziva, 610 NW 23rd Ave., 221-6990
Celebrated stylist Graham Webb added Pure Blonde and Golden
Blonde shampoos and conditioners last year to his extensive
stable of hair potions. His differ from other color enhancers
in that they can be used every day. Katie Connolly, a sales
associate at Ziva Salon and Store, explains that this is
not because Webb's are so much gentler but rather because
he only makes color enhancers for blondes, and pigment for
the color blonde is almost no color at all. For example,
if you shampooed every day with a high-pigment color shampoo
such as ARTec orange marigold, your hair would turn the
color of the shampoo instead of staying true to the dyed
shade. That doesn't happen with blonde, especially whitish
varieties. Webb includes UV protectors, which--just as sunscreen
does on skin--helps prevent pigment change from the sun.
PHYTOLOGIE SUBLI TRANSPARENT SHAMPOO AND COLOR-ENHANCING
SHAMPOO IN PLATINUM
$8 and $10 at Ziva
The Phytologie
line has received extensive props for its inclusion of botanicals,
conveying a natural image that sells incredibly well. Acclaimed
French hairdresser Patrick Ales developed the line, growing
plant ingredients on his 400-acre plot in France. The Subli
shampoos do list recognizable extracts such as tea, comfrey,
coconut oil and hibiscus, but you also get the standard
chemicals sodium laureth sulfate and HC Blue 2. This is
a two-step, two-bottle process. Phase 1 is a wash with the
transparent shampoo, which Connolly says has a pH of 8 or
8.5 and works to thoroughly but gently clean the hair, "to
prepare the fiber for the best color deposit." It makes
sense: If there's a bunch of product caked on your tresses,
they won't optimally receive the next product. Connolly
goes on to say that Phase 2 puts the pigment down the hairshaft
to the cuticles and inside the follicle. I don't know about
all that, but the mild shampoos did condition well.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Willamette Week | originally
published February 2,
2000
|
