New Shampoo: Color and Damage Control

I recently accidentally colored my hair with a permanent hair color (Clairol's Perfect 10). It took me 20-30 minutes at my local Walgreens to decide what product I wanted, and ended up picking the wrong one!

First of all, I picked a color that was too dark, my hair is now goth black, but not a blue or violet black--thank God for small miracles. What threw me off is that my usual product, Natural Instincts, now has extended collections besides their semi-permanent, Creme, and Brass-Free. They have a Vibrant line (100% gray coverage) now too, which is permanent. Since most of the color I saw on the shelf was permanent, I stopped looking at that and checked out the other stuff nearby. It's just a matter of what products and how deep into each line does a store carry for, and mine apparently had a mishmash. Maybe if Clairol changed the boxes enough to make them look more different, that might help out too.

I ended up going to a different Walgreens for my next semi-permanent color to keep weaning my hair back from black to brunette. I'm giving a brand new product a try, and it seems to have lots of potential: L'Oreal Healthy Look.

So I decided that while I wait a while before I use a semi-permanent hair color to brighten up the black hair color I permanently dyed myself with *shiver* I should use a shampoo that will help me keep my hair smooth and silky while I undo some of the damage.

My hair is also working itself out of my last Brazilian keratin straightening treatment, which I got back in December. So I'm experimenting as best I can with shampoos and hair products to find the right balance between straight/shiny and flat/dull. Which is a very thin line for my hair.

So back to the latest addition to my shampoo (and conditioner) lineup: Pantene Color Preserve Smooth. It promises manageability from the inside of the hair strand out. Addressing particularly the damage and porosity that color-treated hair is exposed to as the shaft and cuticle open up from the chemicals. Looking forward to how this turns out. I used Pantene back in 2003 and then stopped because of a concern with the silicones. But since my hair is in DIRE STRAITS need of urgent ASAP help, this will be my very best bet without breaking the bank.

I will alternate the Pantene set with a Matrix Biolage Fortetherapie shampoo and conditioner. I must say, this Matrix line has been the only product that has left my hair baby-soft. It's like I got my hair back from when I was a little tot again. I love my hair so much after I wash it with this product that I can't keep my fingers away from it. I keep twirling strands and just loving how soft it feels. Very excellent product right here. I usually don't have much success with the Matrix line, and I am very, very pleased to have found a new favorite.

One lives and learns, right? I will from now on look at health risks and permanent/semi-permanent aspects of treatments and products first, then everything else comes second. I promise!