Keep it in the family
Have you ever been told by a professional who is rendering service to you that you need to use the entire family of products to achieve a synergistic effect? I have, quite a few times. Let me tell you why they are mistaken.
This is old news, sort of a sales pitch/wives tale invented by some marketing genius to get you to spend more with their company. Almost all of the different families of products contain somewhat similar ingredients and the are also manufactured by one of the few major manufacturing facilities that exist in the USA. Let me rephrase it this way, same general ingredients, same manufacturers, different labeling and packaging.
No all products don't contain the same ingredients for example, there are good ingredients and there are cheap ingredients. Companies like Suave and Pantene use cheaper, harsher and more abrasive ingredients in their products to produce their $3 shampoo. The results you get from these cheap ingredients can be dryer hair and skin, breakouts along your hairline, a waxy build-up in your hair (ehhhm Pantene) or severe drying of your skin. Companies like Alterna and Kevin.Murphy use more costly ingredients which results in a refined product. They tend to eliminate synthetic preservatives (parabens) and GMO (soy, corn) so your body and our environment doesn't have to pay they price. So if you use a Suave shampoo it will not make you Alterna conditioner any less effective, but trust me that Suave shampoo is making your color fade way faster and isn't benefiting the health of your hair and scalp at all.
So when you are out choosing products just keep in mind what options are the most important to you. Is it cost? Is it the quality of the ingredients? Are you looking for a targeted result (stiff, soft, color protecting) Is it the design of the product (how it fits in your hand, stays upright in your shower, dispenses easily) Whatever decision you make know that your product is working despite the fact that you haven't purchased it's companion or two or three. I personally like to try 1 to 2 items in a line before I will commit to purchasing any more. Suit yourself.
Alterna Caviar Repair RX
New product review: Alterna Caviar repair RX. I just received the new kit from Alterna and I started using it right away. I started with the Re-texturizing Protein Cream. This is a very lightweight leave-in overnight treatment. I dispensed a dime sized amount into my palms, emulsified, and applied to the ends of my hair. Much like the Alterna Overnight Repair leave-in treatment this cream disappears instantly into your hair. It is not greasy or heavy and after you rinse off your hands you can't even tell the treatment is in there so you can go straight to sleep, or not.
This cream is a deeply restorative treatment for coarse, porous or severely damaged hair. It helps to seal and reinforce the cuticle layer with a defensive shield that strengthens the strand to increase resistance to breakage while infusing hair with vital anti-oxidants to help prevent free radical penetration and other damage from occurring.
Fast forward to the morning... After the usual routine I jumped into the shower to try some other items. I started with the Instant Recovery Shampoo. Both the shampoo and conditioner are restorative paraben, sulfate and chloride-free products. They transform severely damaged hair by intensely nourishing and repairing each individual strand. I dispensed a dime sized amount into my palm and thought, oh crap I grabbed the conditioner by accident, nope it is just a very creamy shampoo. So I emulsified it in my hands and applied to my scalp. I was surprised at how much later I got from it for how creamy it was. I really liked it immediately.
I skipped the Instant Recovery Conditioner in favor of the Micro-Bead Fill and Fix Treatment Masque. This stuff is amazing. So Mico-beads? I was thinking great, that's something that's supposed to be in there but I just can't tell right? Wrong. Once I opened the lid and removed the protective covering I scooped out a quarter sized amount of product and thought oh joy! There were these teeny tiny little capsules in there. It looked like actual caviar in my conditioner. I isolated one and popped it, which was very easy to do. After emulsifying in my palms I applied it to my ends squeezing and rubbing my ends a little bit more than I normally would just to make sure all those little beads were able to work their magic. So here's the magic: This is a deeply restorative treatment with water-activated micro-beads. These micro-beads release a highly concentrated dose of strand building proteins. They actually help to restructure hair, filling in gaps and tears in each individual strand and smoothe the cuticle. This treatment masque works quickly, only three minutes recommended. After rinsing, drying and styling I could easily tell a difference in the softness and curliness of my hair. I wanted to put more of the Re-Texturizing Protein Cream in but thought I better wait until the evening.
Although I wouldn't describe my hair as severely damaged or coarse I haven't been getting the styling results that I wanted from it, so I knew something needed to be done.
I will continue using the whole kit until its gone and report back on how lovely my locks have become.
Overnight Hair Rescue, Caviar Anti-Aging by Alterna
This product is amazing in so many ways, I'll just start with a few reasons why I love it
- You apply it at night and leave it in your hair, no bother with waiting 20-30 minutes to rinse and then dry.
- It is not greasy, sticky or tacky so when you apply it to your hair at night you can instantly go to bed and you won't have grease stains on your pillow
- The effects are cumulative so the more you apply the healthier your hair becomes, unlike masks and deep conditioners which just temporarily boost the moisture.
- Even with consistent use it 1 bottle lasts a long time, which is good because I think it retails somewhere in the $50-60 range
- Everyone can benefit from it, if you're a blonde who wants to protect your dry, brittle or over-processed hair. If you are a brunette who wants more shine and happy hair. If you are trying to grow your hair out it will prevent split ends and boost elasticity. If you wear your hair short it will keep it healthy and prevent it from drying out. If you color your hair it will immediately boost the shine. If you wear your natural color it will make you feel like you are really spoiling yourself and it will additionally make your hair shiny like its been colored.
- You shampoo it out in the morning, or whenever you get around to shampooing your hair, you'll never know it's in there if you skip the shampoo until next time.
Alterna Overnight Hair Rescue
Overnight Hair Rescue works by penetrating deeply into the hair, delivering vital nutrients for transformational results while you sleep. It helps to seal split ends, and strengthen hair from root to tips, while simultaneously restoring shine and improving elasticity.
To apply: Dispense a dime sized amount of product into the palm of your hand, emulsify the product between your two palms (like your going to wash your palms) and apply to the roots of your hair. Dispense an additional dime to nickle sized amount, emulsify again and apply to mid shaft and ends. Viola, you're all done. Wasn't that easy? Now braid your hair, cuz it's cute and go to bed. Below is a video with a more detailed explanation of the process. Michael Sean Corby gives the demonstration, I love him! I've had the opportunity to meet him 3 times because he has family in Nampa (poor guy). I think you might enjoy it.
