Believe me when I say that I would not normally spend such an obscene chunk of change on a shampoo and conditioner. I’d much rather spend £44 on a nice meal and drinks instead. However, the older I’ve got, the more I’m interested in: ‘Buying it nice, or buying it twice’ as Adam likes to say. Now, I know that shower side goodies such as shampoo and conditioner are things we repurchase over and over again so Adam’s sentiment is mostly irrelevant here, however, these days, I am much more conscious of the brands I’m buying, their ethical standpoint and the ingredients they use in their products.
I am also curious to find out if when it comes to hair care, is there is a noticeable difference between luxury and budget products? I decided to start my research with the Living Proof range of hair care. Why? Well, through a little research I have found that Living proof do not test their products on animals (tick) and they don’t pump their products full of sulphates (tick). I also enjoyed reading about the science behind their products not to mention the fact that they’ve won over 42 industry awards. With all of this in mind, when I saw the range on the shelves of my local Marks and Spencer’s beauty hall, I decided to give them a go. Albeit with the £44 price tag in the back of my mind!
My hair is fine, but there’s a lot of it. It’s also poker straight and lacks natural volume. Just one day after washing it, it can look lank and dreary. With this in mind, I try to opt for weightless, thickening shampoos to avoid making it look further weighed down. I chose to the Living Proof Full Shampoo which contains OFPMA, Living Proof’s patented moisture-controlling molecule to create optimal thickness.
The ‘Full’ shampoo is a gentle, cleansing shampoo which is free of sulfate and silicones and is ideal for coloured/chemically treated hair. The formula is fairly dense clear and gel-like in consistency, something I always look for in a shampoo as it plays ball with my hair better than yogurty/creamy shampoos such as Head and Shoulders. It doesn’t have a strong fragrance, it just smells fresh with a hint of citrus. It doesn’t have that luxury salon scent I’d hoped for in such an expensive product, for reference of a range that does smell divine, pop the cap and inhale the distinctive scent of the Lee Stafford hair range.
I’ve almost grown all of the damage out of my hair now and I’m in that bob growing out phase, where your hair is in danger of looking a bit boxy, that is until you grow those crucial lengths past your shoulders. There is, however, a tiny bit of bleach damage at the very, very ends which is why I opted to try the Living Proof Restore Conditioner.
When you look on the Living Proof site, the before and after pics of this stuff are incredible and were what turned me on to the product. The moisture balancing conditioner, just like the Full shampoo also contains OFPMA and apparently makes hair 20x more resistant to breakage, repels dirt and oil and restores damaged cuticles. I have to say, following washing my hair with this, my hair certainly is softer and more manageable with noticeable shine.
I’ve been using the Living Proof products for around 6 weeks now and I am still frustratingly on the fence about whether or not they are worth the money. Through regular usage, I have found that my hair is needing to be washed far more often, which is odd considering that Living Proof say their dirt/oil repelling formulas help you to not have to wash your hair as often. I usually get 5/6 days out of one wash, with Living Proof I get 3.
Perhaps I’ve gone wrong by merging two different Living Proof formulations together, however, the LP website mentions that it is okay to do so. It has to be said that the day after using the products my hair looks fab and most importantly, healthy, but I’m not so sure they perform any better than the drugstore products I’ve been using since forever.
In fact one of the days this month, I washed my hair with a 79p apple shampoo just for the blissful scent of artificial apple and I noticed no difference. Go figure! But at least the bottles look pretty right? And they feel amazing, almost rubberised on the outside. Perhaps I could fill them with apple shampoo once their empty? I’m keen to try the Perfect Hair Day range, but I won’t be in a hurry. I’d say keep your money for now!
