Every now and then a hair care line launches that causes a buzz. We saw it last year with Shu Uemura's Art of Hair range, and I'd bet that Pureology is going to take this year's crown. If you're a colour afficionado, you'll have seen this in selected salons since April, but it's rolling out across the country now.
Acquired by the L'Oreal behemoth to add an extra level of expertise to their pro hair brands, colour care is what Pureology do. Their intense focus has led to a very tight suite of products, all tailored towards dyed, damaged and treated gruaig, thanks to their AntiFade complex. There are three lines: Pure Hydrate (purple), Pure Volume (pink) and Essential Repair (green). The former provides moisture and softness to colour treated hair, Pure Volume hydrates while giving a bit of oomph, and the latter is for distressed, dyed hair.
The name's a bit of a giveaway - this is a Californian creation with a bit of a bang of hippy off it - the range is 100% vegan. But for once I don't mind - no hemp wrappers here or crappy performance: products are super-concentrated so a tiny bit goes a long way; SLS/sulphates are banned in favour of a natural foaming ingredient (which foams like bejaysis, I was glad to note); bottles are partly made from post-consumer recycled plastics and there are some organic ingredients included.
All that worthiness usually adds up to a shampoo that leaves my hair like dull straw, so while I liked the look of the range, admired textures and smells, I was a bit sceptical as to how it'd work on me.
I don't colour my hair right now (though it's incoming due to greys) but was assured the products would still add va va voom to my dark locks. I plumped for the Pure Hydrate line and have been checking it out over the past couple of weeks.
Advertised
Advised to use a 'pea sized' amount of shampoo due to the concentrated nature of the product, I dutifully applied a pea sized amount ... and ... nothing. Ok, that clearly wasn't going to be enough for me, so I doubled the amount. Ah, much better! This stuff feels and smells delish and really does foam up excellently.
Be careful not to use too much though - the concentrated claims are absolutely true, so if you lash it on like Head and Shoulders, prepare to be there for a long while rinsing it out. When dry, hair was smooth and silky, a result I'd rarely get from a shampoo. Impressed? Yup. Feeling confident in the range, on my next hair wash I also checked out the Hydrate Hydra Cure Masque.
You only need a teeny bit of this too so I combed it through wet hair, and tootled around the bathroom for a few minutes before washing off. Jesus, this is a BRILLIANT product. My frizzy hateful ends are sleek and slippy, lying flat in a Myleene Klass-style. This is beyond belief, and I am hoarding this one against invasion (also known as Aphrodite having a go of my bathroom cabinet). I can't speak for the line's main claim - colour-retention properties - but it really does deliver soft, shiny, manageable hair, so for me it's a winner.
Prices? Well, Pureology is expensive, more so than Kerastase, with shampoos coming in at €21. But you get more - 300ml is the size of the shampoo, with conditioner clocking in at €25 for 250ml. And though I needed to use more than a pea, I still didn't need much, so this stuff is going to last. Masques cost €35 and the range also includes a few extra bits like a split end correcting treatment, €25, colour max leave in mist, €25, shine max, €21, to smooth fly-aways and add shine, and blow dry amplifier, €25.
Pureology is available now at L'Oreal salons nationwide.
