Review: Matrix Biolage Fortetherapie Conditioner

So I'm back to reviewing products, as I've been finishing and using lots of products that I've hoarded over time :) One of my favourites has been this conditioner from Matrix, the Biolage Fortetherapie Strengthening Conditioner.

It comes in a 250mL tube, and sells for about £8.75 in salons, and £8.10 at CheapSmells. As far as I'm aware, it's not available in drugstores.

Just as a starting point, my hair is super damaged. It's permed, coloured and it's quite long, and it has a tendency to tangle at the nape of my neck. It's as damaged as it can be without bleaching it really! So if it works on me - it's good stuff.

First things first, I'll admit that the lid is a bit hard to open, especially with wet hands. That being said, the rest of the packaging's great and I have no complaints.

The formula is gorgeous! It's very light, and almost like a gel consistency. It's white and smells kind of like coconut, but not as strong - it's mixed with something that waters down that thickness of a coconut scent. It's a very natural smell though, and I personally don't find it offensive at all.

The way I use this, is that I wash my hair with my shampoo (which isn't from Matrix actually!) and then apply a generous amount of this all over my hair and then tie it up with a hairtie. I then leave it in while I do the rest of my showering business and wash it out in the end.

And oh. my. god, my hair feels like SILK when I wash it out. It's not that heavy, creamy kind of moisturized but it's that clean, light, soft kind of moisturized. It also leaves a really natural gloss, and leaves my hair really healthy-feeling and bouncy - full of life! (Queue cheese). In fact, it's better than any drugstore mask I've tried.

I also don't find the split ends coming back as quickly after I got my hair cut - I really do feel like my hair is strengthened! Also, I shed a lot less using this conditioner. This has changed my hair completely, and has actually made me believe that hair products actually do something and can make a difference! :)

Now I know that £8.10 can seem a lot to spend on a tube that is going to run out in a few months, but I got a tip from a hairdresser, who told me that it's a myth that your conditioner and shampoo have to match. She said that she always buys cheapo shampoo and invests in a really good conditioner. I took her advice, and have not regretted it - I mean, shampoo's just meant to wash your hair right? Why spend fortunes on that? It makes this £8.10 seem a lot more feasible and a lot more efficiently used if you know what I mean :)

For those of you who have sensitive scalps etc., I have no idea about ingredients, so I've taken a picture here so you can double check :) (Although Matrix do a range for those with sensitive scalps!)

 

If you don't have weak hair as a problem, Matrix actually has quite a wide range of products for different issues with hair. You can check them out here. They have stuff for troubled scalp, for dry hair, for coloured hair, for sensitive hair, and for volume. Impressive range ey, I was a bit surprised lol. I'd love to try the Hydratherapie some time actually!

I'm pretty sure I'll be repurchasing this, as I don't have anything else I want to try or think will do a better job than this at the moment. I used to want to try Redken stuff, but honestly I can't imagine myself being more satisfied with a conditioner, and I'm just a bit wary about the pricing of Redken and I much prefer the calmer looking packaging of Matrix. I give this a 10/10!

Have you tried any Matrix products? What hair products do you swear by? :)

<3yu

I'm On A Haircare Kick!

A week ago I got my hair cut for the first time in a while, and I had lots of layers put in to boost my volume and to get rid of my insanely dry ends. Determined to make a new start and really take care of my hair, I've invested in some products I usually wouldn't have, and have stuck to this routine to keep my hair soft, bouncy, moisturized and shiny.

Here are the products I use:

Tresemme Luxurious Moisture Shampoo

I bought this after reading Roseanne's post, because her hair ALWAYS looks so nice, shiny and smooth. It was on offer at Boots so I snatched it up, and so far I love it except for the fact that at 900mL it's so heavy and I feel like it'll slip in my hands and hit my toes in the shower :P It's usually about £5.50 I think!

Matrix Biolage Fortetherapie Strengthening Conditioner

I was told by a hair dresser a month or so ago that it's better to invest in a high-end conditioner, and that it's a myth that your shampoo must match your conditioner. She said that she buys cheapo shampoos, but always buys good quality conditioner. I took her advice - have NOT looked back. This conditioner is simply amazing. Left in for a couple of minutes, it works MIRACLES - definitely deserves more attention in the beauty community! I work this into my hair with a wide toothed comb. Cheapsmells stocks the conditioner for about £8.10 :)

Umberto Giannini Mask

I bought this after reading through many hair mask tubs in Boots, and after trying it once I can feel a big difference in how soft my hair is, in addition to what the rest of the products had been doing until I used this. I got this for about £5.60, Leanne has a proper review on it here.

Asience Hair Treatment Oil

This was bought in Japan, and I'm almost tempted to ask my Mom to buy me another bottle and bring it over when she visits. It works so well in damp hair, and helps to keep my ends very soft.

Now it's hard to distinguish whether one product among the 4 is doing all the work, or if the 4 combined are a match made in heaven, but either way it's working. My hair is bouncy, smooth, supple, untangled and softer than it's ever been. I LOVE running my fingers through my hair, I can only describe it as finally feeling some life in my hair! :P The bounciness is addictive!

I'm almost out of my hair oil, and am thinking of switching to Lee Stafford's Arganoil - has anyone tried that or have any other suggestions? :)

What are your hair miracle products/routine? :)

<3yu

Review: Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo & Conditioner

I bought these about 2 months ago when they were on offer from Superdrug, and I'd never tried any Aussie stuff before (except for the hairspray) primarily for the price, so it was a good opportunity for me to try them out. I've used them up now, so here's what I think about them :)

The first thing I love about these is that the conditioner is smaller. I always, without fail, have conditioner left over so this was a major plus in my books. The packaging itself is good, and you can take off the purple bit to get the last drops at the end which was useful. But as you can see, the ink on the shampoo melted when I was in the shower so I had a few times where I got out of the shower and I had little purple letters on my fingers.. lol not nice. However, the opening is easy to use even with wet hands, and the look of them is super cute and unique :)

The formulas are very very light compared to other shampoos and conditioners. The conditioner especially is like somewhere between a cream and gel. They are both very hard to spread and literally sits where you put them, so you really have to use a lot to cover your hair, which isn't great considering you don't get a lot of product in the first place and it's not the cheapest of drugstore brands. But the 2 did last me for 2 months which was a good amount of time before I felt I wanted to try something else.

Despite all this, the actual results were pretty good. Considering the fact that I have permed and dyed hair, the 2 kept my hair healthy - I wouldn't go so far as to say moisturized, because unless I used a hair oil afterwards my hair would tangle quite badly, and they didn't feel extra soft or supple. I did feel that they made my hair a lot lighter which was a relief. However, I also felt that the conditioner doesn't do too much unless you leave it in for a couple of minutes, so I always tied my hair up after I applied it, and washed my body before I washed it all out.

So all in all, they were a bit tedious, but at the same time, the results were satisfactory. It might be better for people who have "kind of" dry hair, because I have really dry hair. I'd probably rate the two at about 6.5/10, and I would repurchase if they were on offer, but otherwise I'm still on the lookout for the HG shampoo/conditioner :)

Have you tried any of the Aussie haircare range? Which ones are your fave?

<3yu