Defy Age For damaged, processed, stressed, dry hair: The low down on ultra-expensive products
Olaplex complete system
Average UK price: £182.00
What you get: shampoo, conditioner, serum oil
Testing Notes
Tester used full treatment as prescribed. Shampoo doesn’t lather well. Conditioner doesn’t condition long hair unless used in industrial quantities. Serum/oil dose hard to determine, leaving hair either dry or limp and greasy.
No visible improvement to hair.
Nutriol complete pack
Average UK price: £480
What you get: shampoo, conditioner, serum and scalp conductor
Testing notes
Tester used the full treatment as prescribed, following direction religiously because of steep price.
Shampoo lathers well and possibly thickens hair after two weeks or 4 washes. Conditioner leaves hair somewhat dry, even after using oil.
No visible improvement to hair condition, in fact, hair static and dry unless oil top-up applied.
Schwarzkopf BONACURE professional/salon range
Average UK price: £88.00
What you get: shampoo, conditioner, leave-in moisturising treatment, hair mask
Testing notes
Tester uses some of the products regularly. Shampoo doesn’t lather well and conditioner is not suitable for very dry/very damaged hair. The leave-in moisturising treatment, however, is 10 out of 10 and a veritable hair saver.
The tester uses the hair mask instead of a conditioner and this works out very well if left in hair for 3-5 minutes, covered with a cap.
Over the counter shampoo:
The tester uses Lee Stafford Vegan shampoo or the Soap & Glory brand, neither of which is particularly expensive. The tester follows up with the Schwarzkopf BONACURE leave-in moisturising treatment and Dessange hair oil (not available in certain countries, but freely available in France).
Verdict
You can invest in super-expensive brands, but this doesn’t guarantee improvement. Rather than buying the full range, try out salon treatments and if you are happy with the product, order it, combining those that work for your hair.
Ultra-damaged hair can benefit from either an decisive cut or using a hair mask instead of conditioner.
