Press samples
I have been hesitant to review haircare since dying my hair purple since it is a bit of a routine to keep up with the colour, but now that the colour is seriously fading, I have been planning to go back to blonde/mushroom brown balayage around June. This means, my urge to hang on to my purple is not as intense so it felt like a good time to try some new hair stuff starting with drugstore great L'Oreal with their new Glycolic Gloss Collection!
The idea behind the Glycolic Gloss products is it uses a 2% glycolic acid glossing complex (yes, the same acid we've been using on our faces) to penetrate the hair fibre and seal and flatten the cuticle, allowing hair to reflect light more effectively for up to 10 washes! If hair is dull, porous and rough, how will it reflect light?! This routine includes a: shampoo, conditioner, 5 minute lamination treatment and leave-in serum.
Glycolic Gloss Shampoo*
I wracked my brain for a bit trying to find out if glycolic acid actually did something for the actual hair and all I could come up with is that it IS good for the scalp as it does exfoliate and remove dead skin and build up. Other than that, I'm not sure how effective it is on the actual hair itself other than making the hair follicle happier which I guess is something!
The sulfate-free shampoo contains a 2% Glycolic Gloss Complex and is responsible for filling any cracks and crevices along the hair fibre. For someone like myself with dry, hair, this shampoo was not the least bit hydrating, but it did feel clarifying on my scalp and hair.
Glycolic Gloss Conditioner*
The conditioner suddenly jumps to an 11% Glycolic Gloss Complex and acts to smooth out the hair surface in preparation for the lamination step. When I used JUST this conditioner and shampoo on its own, my hair was DYING for hydration so for testing purposes, I had to use a hair mask alongside if I wasn't using the lamination treatment because my hair was so dry!
This 17% Glycolic Gloss Complex treatment is really the whole routine as without it, there is no "glossing" to speak of. This in addition to the shampoo and conditioner made my hair feel softer, but not THAT much softer. I was actually expecting more of a difference in terms of hair texture, BUT I will admit that after blow drying my hair, my hair did look more smooth with fewer crazy flyaways which I always have because of my constant baby hair. I would continue using this, but without the shampoo and conditioner as I feel my hair could be softer if I used something else.
I really liked this! This serum is a 14% Glycolic Gloss Complex and I felt like once I applied this glittery pink concoction, my hair looked and felt more smooth! I used this on second and/or third day hair that needed a bit of a refresher as it can be used on either wet or dry hair. My coloured ends are so dry from heat styling that I was able to use more than the recommended two drops (more like two pumps) without my hair looking weighed down.
Final verdict: Hmmm, as a collection I don't think this worked very well for me, but the lamination treatment was effective and I did like the serum as an in-between hair washes pick-me-up. I don't feel like my hair was at its best though and prefer to use more hydrating shampoos and conditioners in conjunction with hair masks while using a lamination treatment 1-2x/month. The other thing I liked about this collection was the scent of the products! While they were highly fragranced, the scent was somewhat nostalgic for me and reminded me of all those sweet, floral scents I liked when I was a teenager.
You can find the L'Oreal Paris Glycolic Gloss Routine at all drugstores across Canada.
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