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Argan Oil is the newest rage on the market so when we came across a new one we were exited to see what it offered. One thing we were impressed about right away is that is helped shape split ends. It also hydrated like no other oil we have used.
It took about 20 min after using to notice a big difference in our hair, it was super soft and smooth. It helps nourish hair by infusing it with vitamins and minerals and locking in moisture. If you use any kind of heat tools on your hair then you have to try this product.
The argan oil evaporates quickly and speeds up your drying time, and it never leaves your hair feeling greasy. It also protects the hair, so it can help make your color more vibrant and help it last longer. While stopping frizz and lasting for a few days. So now you get get a salon look and feel in the privacy of your own house, for half the price.
Las Vegas is home of one of the largest gathering of beauty professionals annually. This years hit is Barista, a beauty line that uses coffee to help make color more vibrant, soft and shiny. There are tons of shampoos out there that help perk up gray hair, but most of them leave it yellowish and brass like.
Coffee is very nutritious and has many positive quality’s when it comes to the hair and skin. If a hair product’s pH is not correct it can leave your hair brass like, which is not good. So barista helps you stop the brassiness and it leaves you with shiny, hydrated hair.
This breakfast hit actually helps each strand of hair to lock in moisture and color. Barista has sulfate free products as well which are so important these days. The coffee also helps naturally remove dirt and grime from hair.
The shampoo was created to leave your hair shiny, while adding volume and texture. The conditioner helps make the hair super soft and will not weigh the hair down. Barista is a brand new line, but in there short life span it has been a smash hit. So get ready to go gray and be proud!
This year at the 2010 world cup we are focusing heavily on the English Team, but lets not forget about their beautiful wags and their exceptional hair styles.
We are going to start off with Goalie David James and his so called girlfriend Claire Cooper. She is sporting a beautiful short pixie cut showing off her elegant neck and chin. This style is so retro from the 60’s and is coming back strong. Because she has thicker hair she can pull off the layer back. Her hair compliments her dark eyes and picturesque facial features. We would like to see her try a longer style to show off the beauty of her hair. It is long thick and straight, it would be perfect below shoulder length. For those of you who don’t know she is an english born actress for the better part of 10 years.
Our next contestant is Nicola wife of Jamie Carragher the brilliant English defender. In our opinion she has absolutely gorgeous hair, it is smooth beautiful and elegant. She can wear it so many ways, to a match or to a formal ball, it will look superb. It compliments her darker skin and smoother features. We would like her to keep it long and we love the highlights, there are subtle yet stand out just enough to add depth. Her style is timeless and never gets old. She is a beautiful mother of two and is also a fashion guru. She doesn’t really fancy the term wag so we will try to exclude her from the pack. She is know as one of England’s most prized trophy wives she is the full package.
Our next WAG is Ashley Cole’s wife Cheryl. Her hair is very pretty and leans toward preppy. It is beautiful and matches her style perfectly. We think that length works perfectly for her and could possible go and inch or two longer. The highlights and lowlights look amazing and could stand to be a little louder. As always she looks as beautiful as ever and we love the small accents in her hair. Cherly in one on England’s most popular singers/songwriters. She also loves starring in reality TV shows. She is lovingly referred to as the nations new sweetheart, and we know why. She has graced the covers as such magazines as Vogue and Elle in the past year. As is the new face of the British L’Oreal. Even though they are currently separated we wish them the best and hope they can work things out and get back together.
Here is a picture of Michael Dawson and his wife Anna, she is one of our personal favorites, she is beautiful, classy and always charming. We lover her look it is simple yet stylish. It will work for any occasion and best of all you won’t have to spend 3 hours getting ready each morning. You can go from the beach to the bistro in just minutes. She is finally started to forgive her husband for missing their anniversary due to the world cup. Even though it is there first anniversary there will be plenty more to come. Michael has been playing professional since around 2003 where he quickly rose the ranks and won the respect of his teammates. Has been on many national team squads including the 2010 World Cup team for England.
Our next lady is English defender Glen Johson’s girlfriend Laura. We love her Jennifer Lopez look it really suites her and brings out her beautiful features. To us her hair is a bit long we would like to see her go a few inches shorter. We would also like to see some reddish highlights and low lights to make her other feature pop. Laura makes it too quite a few matches to support her man. Despite orders to stay away from the world cup matches, laura was caught sneaking in to see glen play. Hopefully her being there will bring up the teams moral, because they really need it right now. Laura is not the first wag to slip into the game, despite the managers best efforts to keep them out.
Semichem new line is great for all hair styles from the everyday women to models like Agyness Deyn, Nicky Clarke, Toni & Guy and Aussie. This new shaven craze is taking the UK by storm. The newest member is Amber Rose. These styles can be bleached either way they look absolutely fabulous. Just be sure when your hair is starting to grow back to use a good silk protein conditioner so it will come back stronger than ever.
These products are in salons world wide and have the reputation of being the finest products out there. The line include shampoo and conditioners that are salon quality for the best hair possible. The Nicky Clarke line is the best hands down for the best price.
Another new brand hitting the market now is Antipodean an Australian line that is designed to give you very specific results and repair damage and color treated hair. These products can be found in almost 150 shops throughout Scotland, Ireland and England.
Most people don’t wash their hair every day, I know I don’t. The only thing about not washing your hair is it tends to get a little oily. We found Jonathan Green Routine Dry Shampoo and figured we would give it a shot.
Dry shampoo is the new craze, but we had never used one before so we were interested to see what would happen. Just as a heads up, I learned the hard way, they do make a mess. Dry shampoos are paraben free which is great they are basically talcum powder for your hair. Be careful not to use to much a little bit does go a long way.
It will build up on your hair so don’t use it two times in a row because you will really be able to tell. The powder basically sucks up the oil and makes your hair look like it has just been washed and it works pretty well.
Overall this shampoo did an ok job; it did make my hair feel a bit dull and took some of the life out of it. You can get back some volume lost by not showering but not a lot, and it tends to make your hair look a little boring.
This was our first dry shampoo and overall it was ok nothing that was life changing but it did what it was supposed to do. Since then we have found a dry shampoo by tigi called rockoholic dirty secret dry shampoo which I love it does a way better job for the same price.
In closing we do not recommend Jonathans dry shampoo, but we do strongly suggest rockoholic dirty secret dry shampoo, it get a 10/10 in our book.
One of this years must have products is a good sulfate free shampoo, but we have done a little bit better. We have found a sulfate free shampoo that is gentle yet super hydrating for your hair and scalp. It has quickly become one of our favorite products and are glad to see it is spreading like wild fire!
We have had hundred of people contact us about the review and they all same the same thing, that they love this shampoo.
But don’t take our word for it, read more about sfree sulfatre free shampoo here.
While tend to confine out reviews to hair products on this site, we temporarily step-out of that “box” and take a look at products that are brought to our attention by staff, customers, or frequent visitors to our review site. This is one of those cases.
Medik8 Red Alert
For those who are unfamiliar with Medik8®, they are one of Europe’s leading skin care manufacturers and distributors. Their products, though popular and well-known on the other side of the pond, they are just gaining acceptance in thre U.S. I would argue that if it weren’t for the poor economy the past couple of years, they would be knocking the doors down by now.
A Top-Selling Products for Spider Veins
Their top-selling product is Red Alert® – a professional strength anti-redness formula developed for people with spider veins, thread veins, inflammation and chronic tissue redness, bruising and rosacea.
Per Medik8®:
Originally used in post-operative topical ointments to help bruises heal more quickly, the use of Vitamin K1 (phytonadione) has become synonymous with modern topical bruise care.
By chance it was discovered by patients and reported to their surgeons that the reflecting vitamin K base semed to be concealing the signs of thread veins and redness…helps to fade and clear thread veins, skin redness, rosacea and bruises.
Just to clarify, the reference to thread veins is synonymous with spider veins – just a European slang.
The Ingredients Make the Difference
Red Alert® is a very popular product because of its unique ingredients. It uses Vitamin K, that is a primary ingredient in helping to fade and heal broken and damaged capillaries and heal spider veins.
Vitamin K has become the “go to” ingredient for spider vein creams such as Capiderm® or StriMedix-K® – that are very similar to Red Alert®. Vitamin K has been shown to improve the overall health of veins and capillaries – which is a primary contributor to visible vein damage. Valve malfunction, leaking of capillaries into surrounding tissue and weak vein walls are considered the cause of most visible damage.
Vitamin K is used to healp heal the physiological symptoms – repairing and healing damage, while helping fade discolored areas – including bruising. Other ingredients help aid with coagulation, antioxidant protection (which lessens further damage), and vein-wall strengthening.
In addition to Vitamin K, Medik8’s Red Alert® contains several other key ingredients that are beneficial for an anti-redness cream.
Horse chesnut extract
Cypress extract
Linden extract
Bearberry extract
Liquorice extract
Light reflecting pigments
The last item – light reflecting pigments is a key note. One of the claims of Red Alert® is that the “reflectivity” helps hide the veins. Our test showed or indicated very little change. Sunlight or flourescent light may have some impact on the noticeability of the veins, but our staff noticed little effect.
On another note, the packaging is simple and the container has a very conveient and easy to use press applicator with an attached cap.
For most spider veins creams, results vary by individual, the symptoms they are treating, and time and frequency of damage and apoplication.
Overall we rate Medik8’s Red Alert® a 9.2 out of 10. For $40 in a 3 fl oz bottle, it is a bit on the expensive side, but is in-line with the other leading brands such as StriMedix-K ®or Capiderm®.
While we can only compare its effectivgeness by use of active ingredioents, Red Alert® seems to have found a very good formula for not only treating spider veins, buy addressing issues also related to general redness of tissue. The packaging is clean and efficient and it is a well respected brand.
It’s not too often we get the opportunity to try out some of the best styling aids. Most folks have their favorites and the most well-known and popular have enough reviews that another one wouldn’t help much.
So, we were pretty excited when the folks at Nourish® asked that we try their best-selling hair gel, Swell Gel.
Can there be a “best” hair gel?
Shampoos and conditioners often have their place and sometimes a specific purpose…so, it’s harder for to get our staff and independent editors to certain products. Not so with Swell Gel®.
First it’s a medium hold gel that was developed for both women and men, and (per the manufacturer) provides just enough hold for a light spiking or as a light to medium firming agent while straightening, curling or drying.
As such, that pretty much covers everyone we know, so we had 20+ folks give their input and for a hair gel, the feedback was pretty consistent – everywhere from “I really like it – I’d use it every day” to “its the best Ive used for my shory style” to “I like the smell”. Select commentary, but commentary nonetheless!
So, what does the manufacturer say?
Swell Gel® provides volumizing, yet long-lasting hold for mens and womens hairstyles. This versatile, botanically rich gel leaves hair shiny and full of body.
Gives a strong hold good for any hair type. Alcohol free. A super holding and volumizing gel builds touchable, long lasting and flexible control without weighing down the hair. Ideal for blow drying or wet styling, botanically enriched.
Superb styling gel for definition and hold
Non-alcohol formula
Never any white after-flakes
Complete control and hairstyle managability
Medium Hold for short hair
Swell Gel® – Advanced Styling Gel for Womens and Mens Hairstyles
Swell Gel® gives mens and womens hairstyles volume, texture and hold in a healthy hair solution. Part of our complete collection of hair products to give advanced styling benefits without active ingredients that can be harmful to the roots or follicles.
Now that we have some of the obligatory marketing info out of the way, what has been the consesus and observations?
Swell Gel® comes in a nice size – 7 fl oz – which today is about the average size. The packaging is simple as are most products coming from the Nourish stables…no frills, just very good, niche’ hair care. And speaking of the packaging, its a translucent bottle. This doesn’t hide what the product looks like and as importantly to me and others, I see clearly when I’m low and need to buy more.
The product itself is a slight orange/gold color…just enough to be recognized, but transparent when you apply and style. Everyone had a positive comment about the light fragrance. Many styling products are heavy on the perfume/fragrance and come off smelling clinical or perfume-y. This is neither – more of a light citrus. Either way, after styling you couldn’t smell it. Also, no one classified the fragrance as either masculine or feminine
Interestingly, we seemed to get very good comments from both men and women which is rarely the case. All but one of the 8 male testers had short hair. The short hair folks used for typical styling with a wide-toothed comb. The one longer hair gentleman styled with his fingers – for texture and some fullness. All rated this hair gel above a “9″.
Women used Swell Gel for both a leave-in styling aid, and as a supplement for building volume and hold while using a blower. Again, everyone was pleased and this groups overall rating exceed “8.7″.
The only complaint was that the bottle was not upright and have a pump – good point. Most manufacturers chose to have this type cap and bottle configuration, though it is easier to handle with a pump.
Good for your hair, too
The consistently good comment was related to Swell Gel’s ingredients. This was a surprise for all of us involved in the project. Look, we just want to style our hair and we’re not paying close attention to what it is made of unless we begin to shed – but, seeing ingredients such as Sage, Lemongrass, Matricaria, Balm mint, and Oak Bark reminded of us why we like Nourish® products – they work very well and are “healthy hair solutions”
We rate Swell Gell 9.3 out of 10. There are some applications where it isn’t suited, but overall it’s one of the best hair gels this team has tried. And it’s price is great for the formulation…we have found it for $9.50 to $22.00 – which by itself, there are some retailers (and consumers) believe it’s worth the higher end of that price scale.
As with many of the other DS Laboratories products, Dandrene® Anti-Dandruff Shampoo has come onto the market with a real splash.
Touted as the “next-generation dandruff technology” DS promotes several features and benefits that have plagued those with dry itchy scalps for years!
What can Dandrene® do?
Inhibits fungi that generate dandruff
Reduces calp oils that fuel fungi
Feeds hair and scalp with amino acids
Calms inflammation and itching
This is a pretty big task for an anti-dandruff shampoo, but, if you’re looking for an effective way to treat the source and dandruff-like symptoms, these would be the exact targets of your quest – namely, keep sebum and oils from mixing with yeast, fungus or bacteria, calm any irritation or inflamed tissue, and enrich the scalp and hair with healthy amino acids.
Per DS Labs promotional material
For people vexed with itching and scaling, Dandrene inhibits both fungi and seborrhea.
Dandrene® overcomes seborrheic dermatitis by: 1) inhibiting the infectious malassezia fungi that generate scales, and 2) controlling the sebum that feeds these fungi and makes the scalp greasy.
What did we find?
Several on our staff tested the product for two weeks. Each are plagued with chronic oilliness and self-admitted “greasy hair for life”…yet have used the the “best” dandruff shampoos on the market.
Here are the observations:
As with all the new DS products, Dandrene comes in very professional and unique packaging. Everyone complained however how difficult it was to get into the box and that it was useless after opening (not that we often reuse a box for storage. The product packaging is a convenient to grip bottle that seems to be stable enough when washing your hair. The bottle actually store upside down and inverting it will lead to placing it on the rounded “top” leading to it falling over. The cap opener works well but seems a bit flimsy as we noted reviewing anothe DS Labs shampoo.
The fragrance is awakening while not smelling clinical. It is a rich formulation which gives you some confidence right up front. The color of the product matches the bright green (almost lime-like) packaging.
In our un-scientific testing, oiliness was reduced as was flaking. Itchiness was not a problem with any of the testers who provided information for this review, so its a mute point. Since oiliness was reduced the occurrence of flakes dropped off measurably and any inflammation or sores on the scalp appeared to heal or at least not get any worse.
Overall, we like Dandrene® a lot. Its one of several very successful DS shampoos (hair growth being another) that has been highly researched, and at least in the promotional material, makes a great case for solving underlying prblems with specific ingredients.
How does it compare to other anti-dandruff shampoos?
The use of Ketaconazole (1.03%), extracts – willow bark, betulina root and henna, and several unique ingredients certainly point to the effectiveness of the product. Our primary concern is use of Ammonium lauryl sulfate as a surfactant…pretty strong.
Overall, we rate Dandrene® an 8.7 out of 10. It seems to be as effective as some of the top brands such as Follicleanse®, but it is very pricey ($27.00 – $33.00). For those with severe dandruff problems, this may be the best place to start, but in comparison, Follicleanse® ($13.00-$17.00) contains many of the same ingredients, a less harsh surfactant and botanical alternatives that be more gentle on sensitive scalps, while providing similar or the same relief from scaling, scratching, redness, grease and odor associated with dandruff.
“the best shampoo I’ve ever used”…”rinses clean”…”this is my favorite shampoo”
Not quite the way we start our product reviews, but it’s one of the few times where everyone strongly voiced a big “yahoo” when they tested the product.
A New Sulfate-Free Product Line
Sfree® hair products is new to the sulfate-free products scene, yet they seem to have put together a line of products that not only lay to rest many of the critiques of SLS-free & color-safe products, but they seem to have developed a
Sfree Sulfate Free Shampoos
product that surpasses even some of the best products we have reviewed.
While their product line currently consists of three products – a hydrating shampoo, a clarifying shampoo, and a light conditioner, Sfree® MOISTURE Hydrating shampoo stands out as a “homerun”.
The “Homerun”
Developed as a moisturizing and hydration-rich cleanser, Sfree® MOISTURE has several properties we like. One, it looks good…it is creamy and rich looking going into your hand, but not thick.
Two, it smells great. In fact, several of us who tried said it was the best smelling shampoo we had used. I try to remain pretty neutral regarding fragrances/smells unless it really something I like or don’t like.
But Sfree ®seemed to have just the right balance for me. Basically, its a citrus smell (a little, grapefruit, a little orange, lemon, et al) but more complicated. Honestly, it just smells clean…not too much, but you can catch a “whiff” of it even after styling and a few hours. As with most, the first thing I do is smell, so I thought I would share the consensus.
Sfree Sulfate-Free Shampoo
For me however, the proof came in out my hair felt and looked. Basically it was full, styled the way I wanted and just generally “behaved” the way I want and expect. Again, that was the consensus among 30+ testers.
For sulfate-free shampoo this is not the norm. The industry and manufacturers have been struggling with the increasing demand for SLS-free products because of the supposed and alleged problems the cause on the scalp and hair.
Calming the SLS-free critics
As a group we have tried most of the front-runners and always walk away disappointed. But Sfree seems to have found the “holy grail”. Its a product that provides adequate lather, it moisturizes, full of healthy herbal extracts, makes your hair feel and look great, improves shine and smells….really…smell great.
We’ll take a closer look at some of the other products in the Sfree® line later in the year, but our focus is on MOISTURE. Its primary goal is to help retain lost hydration (in fact improve), and to reduce fading following color treatments. It is sulfate-free (sodium lauryl and laureth sulfate), paraben-free, and contains no sodium chloride.
The product was reviewed by a number of “independent” consumers and at a large, busy salon. Responses were that minimal fading occurred in color treatments and no noticable decrease in effectiveness or results following styling treatments – perms, straightening, etc.
For the salons, they were provided 1/2 gallon pumps for the back-wash area, so 100-150 customers were allowed the option to select…which most did.
It’s got moisture, but not that lock-down, weigh down mositure that flattens the hair. I have customers that really need moisture to prevent damage or breaking…or too increase their volume. But, many are afraif of a “moisture shampoo” because it weighs down their hair. Sfree® doesn’t do this. Salon Owner
The best feedback was that it made their hair feel better, that it rinsed clean, and shine was maintained or improved. This is the first product where we have received NO negative feedback or critical comments…really pretty impressive.
You guys have it a homerun! I have twelve salons now testing with the samples I had. I have been getting unsolicited responses about how much everyone likes this shampoo. I have been using it for two weeks and have not had to use a conditioner since. By the way, my tow kids love it too! CEO – Hair Products Distributor
The bottle is a large 16 oz packaging which will probably give you a couple of months worth of use. The bottle is the new “tacky” grip feel that resists slipping when wet…even if some product gets on the sides. The cap is an easy-to-open push-snap which I personall prefer for “one handed” use in the shower.
Great price point for consumers and salons
MSRP is $20, but I know it can be found online in the mid$18 range. It is only available online, but I was told by an “undisclosed source” the company is discussing retail distribution with several distributors – and the entire Sfree® line is available direct from the manufacturer for wholesale and private-label purchases. They can be reached at 888-909-1658.
If I would make one suggestion it would be to “jazz” up the labeling. The logo I like, but the non-descript, mono-tone color of the bottle doesn’t invite a lot of interest – especially when competing on the shelf with other products. This is pretty typical of prducts coming out of HHP…they just seem to be very content with letting the products speak for themselves – and in the case, the product is speaking very loudly (in a very good way).
Overall, we give Sfree® MOISTURE Sulfate-Free Hydrating Shampoo a 10 out of 10 – a first for our site! It solves the sulfate-free issue, is parabne preservative free, color safe, the smell is fabulous…and most importantly everyone agreed it made their hair feel and look as good as any other shampoo they had ever used – and that’s a pretty bold commentary.
used.
