Review: V05 Beyond Blonde Shampoo

This isn't something I thought I'd ever think, never mind write or say out loud, but I feel like I owe this shampoo an apology. I have been dragging out this review for absolute ages, scrolling past the images and thinking, "What the hell are you going to say? It's just shampoo....". But then I started thinking about it. And thought about it some more. And the more I thought, the more I realised, that this is one of the best drugstore shampoos I have used in a long time. So, here we go, V05: I'm sorry for not appreciating you enough.

See, this is a shampoo that works quietly. On the outside it seems just like any cheap and cheerful shampoo: it's got that typical fruity drugstore scent (nothing wrong with that, but it's not exactly luxurious), extremely girly packaging and a very serious lather that means business (but also tons of SLS, so not one if you're avoiding that ingredient!). I wouldn't say it does any of that brightening or colour correcting stuff specifically for blonde hair, so again, if that's something you're after, you need to look elsewhere.

I use this every other wash and usually apply something like a hair mask or deep conditioner afterwards and while I've had various results with the latter, it's the shampoo that's always been consistent. It gets my hair really, really clean, so that it can perfectly absorb whatever's coming afterwards, but even if I just pop on any regular old conditioner, my hair is left feeling soft and smooth and in no way dry or frizzy.

I think haircare is probably the one area where investing in luxury products will get you luxury results (in my experience, at least), but if you don't have upwards of £50 to spend on shampoo and conditioner every month, you still don't have to let your hair suffer. For the price, this works an absolute treat and I couldn't ask for anything else. I bought this huge 500ml bottle about six months ago and I'm only just beginning to scrape the bottom, so it lasts for ages as well! (Though bear in mind that I've only been using it every other wash, as mentioned above)

Review: Pro:Voke Touch of Silver Twice A Week Brightening Shampoo

I can't remember what made me pick this shampoo up originally. It's far removed from the kind of products I usually buy: A brand I've never heard of and packaging that's anything but glamorous. That red "As seen on TV" label alone is enough to send me running for the hills. I think this was literally the only purple shampoo I could find in the shop at the time and I probably thought something like "Well, how bad can it be?"

I haven't looked back since and not purchased any other purple shampoo either. All those of you with bleached blonde hair will know how easily it can get a brassy, yellow undertone and how important it is to regularly use purple shampoo to keep your colour looking natural. I've tried quite a few so far, including the one by John Frieda (rubbish), Bleach London (decent) and Lee Stafford (also pretty decent), but this one beats them all hands down. And the best bit? Out of all of them this is also the cheapest and the easiest to get, as it's stocked in most big supermarkets!

As you can see from the picture above, this really has some deep, purple pigment in it, which means that you can really see the transformation in your hair straight away. Depending on the levels of brassiness in your hair you can leave it on a bit longer than the recommended five minutes, but personally I find it to be just enough time. I also tend to use it just once a week rather than twice, unless my hair is looking particularly worse for wear. This stuff is potent!

What really sets it apart from all the other brands, however, is that it doesn't only tint, it also makes my hair feel incredibly soft and smooth every time I use it. I'm not sure if it's the shampoo that's so conditioning, or if it somehow makes my conditioner work better, but either way, the results are really rather spectacular. I think I'm on my fourth bottle now and I can't see myself ever straying from this product again. This is an absolute must have for bleached blondes like me!

This little gem will set you back a mere £3.09 for a 150ml bottle.

Review: John Frieda Sheer Blonde Conditioning Treatment

As a (quite heavily) bleached blonde using a deep conditioner or hair mask every other wash isn't just an option - it's an absolute must. I got this John Frieda hair treatment as part of a 3 for 2 offer when I was stocking up on shampoo and conditioner. To be honest with you I didn't expect a lot - just another high street hair mask that has way too much silicone in it to even stay on the hair long enough. But as it turns out, I was mistaken and ended up pleasantly surprised with the results.

Upon first inspection it really doesn't seem that different from every other hair mask you'll find in the beauty aisles of a supermarket. The texture is very smooth and slippy, albeit slightly on the thicker side and it's got that typical sweet haircare scent that you get in so many products.
But when it comes to results I really couldn't have asked for anything else from this. My hair was visibly nourished, dried a lot quicker and felt soft and smooth. On the other hand it also managed to be light enough not to weigh down my strands or make them feel greasy. It didn't wane in efficiency, either - it was just as good the day I opened it as it was when I feverishly scraped the last bits out of the bottom of the tub.

It says to leave this on the hair for 15 minutes and to be honest I don't think I ever hit that target time. I'd just apply it as I got into the shower, left it on while I did all my other shower-related stuff (including just standing there for a few minutes because hot water in the morning just feels SO GOOD) and then washed it off - probably after 10 minutes at the most. I still got great results, however, so I'm not complaining!

The John Frieda Sheer Blonde Conditioning Treatment is available for £5.99.

Review: Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes Shampoo and Conditioner

Last December I changed my hair colour from natural dark brown to a light blonde and I haven't looked back since. I love the way it lifts my skin tone and lets me get away with wearing much brighter colours. Hell, it sounds like a cliche, but people even treat you differently depending on your hair colour.

But, to be completely honest here, it is a right pain up the backside to maintain bleached hair. It gets dry, frazzled and occasionally turns into a shade of Simpson yellow. It's certainly not a hair colour to go for if you prefer something low-maintenance!

One thing that's literally been a lifesaver when it comes to my bleached hair turning nasty, has been purple shampoo. And as far as purple shampoos are concerned, this one from Lee Stafford is among the strongest you can find. Even when my hair basically turned orange (hard water can make this a lot worse), this baby turned it into a beautiful shade of gold.

In fact, as it's so strong I would only recommend this to medium to dark blondes. When I had some highlights put into my hair it actually turned a light shade of purple, even though I rinsed it out immediately after applying it. Even then you only really need to use it once a week, or perhaps even every other week.

As for the conditioner, I only bought it to go with the shampoo, but to be honest, you may as well leave it on the shelf. It doesn't add any colour-correcting properties and the shampoo is strong enough anyway, so you don't really need to add any more purple for the conditioner. Considering it's a conditioner aimed at bleached (read dry and frazzled) hair, it could do with being a lot richer and more nourishing than it is.

For any bleaching accidents or hair that just doesn't want to stay that lovely shade of blonde, the shampoo gets both of my thumbs up, however.

John Frieda Colour Renew Shampoo & Conditioner Review

So, a few months back, towards the end of last year I decided I needed a bit of a radical change and bleached my naturally medium-dark brown hair to become a blonde for the first time in my life. It took a total of three (!!!) bleaches until I finally achieved the result I was aiming for.
Chuffed that I'd managed to put my hair through such an ordeal without it falling out or snapping off (my hair is tough as nails, apparently), imagine how p'ed off I was when after every single wash it started turning distinctively more yellow. As it turns out, hard water can really enhance any brassiness on bleached hair and living in Southwest London the water here is so hard you could easily knock someone out with a splash of tap water. A few people recommended using a purple shampoo, so off I went to my local Boots and stocked up on the John Frieda Colour Renew Tone Correcting shampoo - and the conditioner as well, just for good measure.

To make a long story short, both of these completely failed me. The shampoo does have a distinctive  bright purple colour, whereas the conditioner is more of a lavender shade. It's recommended to use it once or twice a week to eliminate any brassiness.
After the first use, I noticed no difference whatsoever. I thought that maybe I hadn't left them on for long enough, so next time I left both the shampoo and the conditioner to work a little bit longer. Sure enough, some of the yellowness was eliminated, but instead, my hair had gone orange.

Naturally, it didn't occur to me to blame the products, but I thought it was just the water, or that the dye job had been botched somehow. So, in an attempt to get rid of the orange hue, I kept on using it more and more until one day it occurred to me to just try a regular shampoo. Lo and behold, the orangeness diminished.
As for hair conditioning properties, both the shampoo and the conditioner performed alright, though were nowhere near as nourishing as I'd expect for a product aimed at bleached (and therefore damaged) hair.
All in all a big fat thumbs down from me. If you want to eliminate yellow tones in your hair just to make it orange instead, go for it, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend these to anybody.
I've since tried a different purple and shampoo combo by Lee Stafford and they both perform brilliantly, so expect a review soon.

These retail at £5.89 each per 250ml tube. I noticed that both the shampoo and the conditioner have since been repackaged, though I don't know if they've been reformulated as well.

Do you have bleached hair, and if so, how do you care for it?