I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I faff around with my hair a lot.
It’s heavily coloured, I use an alcohol based setting lotion, lots of hair spray and back combing. Pretty much the only thing I don’t subject my poor barnet to is much heat styling. Though I do occasionally whip out the heated rollers.
I also have very fine hair. Left to it’s own devices my hair is very soft, silky, and sits very flat to my head with no body at all. So much so that before I discovered setting lotion I could barely manage to put it in a ponytail without it all sliding out again.
My hair is more manageable now it’s damaged by regular styling and products, but it’s still very fine and a lot of deep conditioning products weight it down a lot and leave it a bit greasy or sticky.
So when John Frieda asked me if I’d like to try out their Full Repair range I thought I’d give it a try. The range is designed specifically for damaged hair that’s also fine in texture.
There are 6 products in the range, I’ve actually been sent 5. So I put my regular products aside for a couple of weeks in order to give them a try.
Shampoo, Conditioner £5.69
The Blurb
The claims are basically the same for both the Shampoo and Conditioner
With Inca Inchi, a lightweight micro-oil rich in omega-3, this formula repairs the look and feel of overworked hair and adds body for full, flowing styles. Detangles strands, reducing the risk of breaking and snagging while combing or brushing.
The Reality
As I only wash my hair once or twice a week I can’t speak for the long term effects of the products, but I’ve used them a few times and the shampoo and conditioner are brilliant. My hair is not only dry and damaged, particularly at the ends, but also very fine, so some products have a tendency to weigh it down and make it greasy. Not so with these. My hair, left uncurled, was smooth, shiny and swingy once I’d used it. Almost too swingy as it made it a bit difficult to manage, just like it used to be in the old days before I ruined it with too much processing! I personally think that’s quite an achievement after 2 uses. I also, and this might be a bit gross, noticed much less hair left in the plug hole after I’d used it a couple of times, which suggests it’s claims of reducing breakage hold some weight.
In short, shampoo and conditioner definitely on my “buy again” list. At £5.69 each, they’re on the pricier side for shampoo and conditioner, but as I no longer wash my hair every day they’ll last me a couple of months at least and it’s worth it to stop my hair breaking.
The Verdict
HIT
Deep Conditioner £5.99
The Blurb
Intense repairing formula, with lightweight Incha Inchi Oil, penetrates deep and repairs the look and feel of overstyled hair , reducing the risk of breakage. Damaged hair becomes silky and full. Safe for colour-treated and chemically-treated hair.
The Reality
The deep conditioner I was much less impressed with. It comes in a pot, but the consistency is far too runny for a pot. Trying to scoop it out and apply it to my hair was a bit like trying to eat soup with fork. This meant I wasted a lot of product and didn’t get a great amount of coverage on my hair. It didn’t feel rich enough for a deep conditioner either and actually seemed to be less effective than the regular conditioner in the squeezy tube. Frankly I’d rather pay double the price for a deep conditioner that actually has some effect and doesn’t mostly end up down the drain.
The Verdict
MISS
Protecting Root Lift Foam £5.99
The Blurb
Root-boosting formula with Inca Inchi Oil adds a weightless, flexible and lasting lift at the root. Gentle foam provides heat protection and helps prevent breakage from styling.
The Reality
Any product that advises me to section my hair into one inch sections and then apply a pump to that section before proceeding all over my head is already onto a loser as I am far too lazy for any such palaver. I did try though, at least once, and after all that effort what I was left with was slightly sticky, very dull and matt hair that needed washing again almost immediately. I shan’t bother again.
The Verdict
MISS
Heat Activated Styling Spray £5.99
The Blurb
Our breakthrough styling spray, with lightweight Inca Inchi Oil, improves manageability , creates natural movement and long-lasting hold to any style. Provides heat protection and works with heat-styling tools to create a shiny, versatile style that lasts all day. Safe for colour-treated and chemically-treated hair.
The Reality
I used this for an emergency curling moment with heated rollers as I’d run out of setting lotion. It didn’t feel sticky or heavy to use and left me with quite nice shiny curls for an evening. It didn’t have the staying power of a proper setting lotion, but it’s heat protecting powers make it excellent if you’re using heat to set your hair. 2 days on (days on which I had been too lazy to roll up my hair before bed) my hair is still slightly wavy and feels softer than if I’d done a similar thing after heat setting my hair with setting lotion.
The Verdict
HIT
Perfect Ends Sheer Mist £6.99
The Blurb
Smoothes and protects fine-textured hair damaged from high heat. This breakthrough sheer mist with Inca Inchi, a lightweight micro-oil rich in omega-3, feels like it absorbs into worn-torn strands instead of coating the surface. Weightlessly reverses the look and feel of damage on lengths and ends to leave hair smooth, shiny and full of body. Helps protect against breakage from heat styling.
The Reality
I’ll be honest. I might be an idiot but I have no idea what this was supposed to do. At first I thought it would work like a shine spray, but the instructions say to apply it to wet hair. I tried doing this and then leaving it to dry, but I didn’t really see any discernible difference between using it and not using it, and for £7 I want results! On the plus side it also didn’t make my hair feel sticky, greasy or flat, but I’m not entirely sure what it DID do!
The Verdict
MEH
The other product in the range is a deep infusion serum for £6.99. It’s s a shame I didn’t get this one as I do like to use serum occasionally to calm down frizzy day one curls, but it is a product that can easily be too heavy for my very fine hair. I’m tempted to buy a bottle next time I need serum as in general I am impressed with the range and how it doesn’t weigh down the hair.
I think the Shampoo and Conditioner have made it into my regular purchases and the heat styling spray will definitely be used on the occasions I use hot rollers on my hair.
I didn’t quite get these results, but overall I’m quite impressed.
