Beauty Diary: $36 hair care item that saves me $300 every month
A new hair care product has just launched in Australia – and it’s perfect for the 5.4 million women who battle a common issue.
Every year, Sephora invites a group of beauty experts and professionals to a sneak peek at the hottest new product releases.
Much like a trade event, different brands set up stalls inside the venue, allowing journalists and influencers to roam around and learn about what consumers can expect to see on the beauty store’s shelves soon.
There’s always a tonne of new skincare, make-up and hair care about to hit Australian stores – but one item really stood out to me this year.
The item in question was Wella’s new Color Fresh Mask – a $36 product designed for those with coloured hair to use between expensive salon visits, which in my case are often around the $300 mark.
I’m not kidding when I say I ran when I saw it across from across the room.
Having recently jumped on the copper bandwagon, a colour I transitioned to after more than two years as a vibrant redhead, I can say with full confidence that I’ve needed something like this since forever.
My colour is notorious for fading, and while I stretch salon visits out as long as I can, the reality is I need to go every month if I want that “fresh” feeling.
And I’m not alone. Around 5.4 million Australian women colour their hair, many of them having similar issues.
While coloured conditioners and hair masks aren’t a new idea, they have previously been hard to come by and expensive.
In the past, my hair stylist has mixed up a batch with the dye used during my visit, but it cost around $60.
Another brand I was recommended is sold for $67 on Adore Beauty and is regularly sold out (I will get my hands on the Christophe Robin Chic Copper Mask one day).
So when I saw Wella Professional – a hair care brand that was launched almost 150 years ago – had an affordable offering in a huge bunch of shades, I knew I had to try it.
As well as four vibrant colours – red, pink, blue and mint – there’s also seven natural shades made up of brunettes, blondes as well as the copper.
The lilac, is a colour correction treatment for blondes to help remove brassy tones, and bring colour back to life.
An expert from the brand explained the mask made temporary colour deposits on the hair so it wouldn’t interfere with your professional colour as it washes out.
It’s also super nourishing, using botanical oils to treat your hair at the same time as adding a splash of colour.
Putting it to the test
The product seems pretty easy to use: According to the instructions you wash your hair and then comb this through as you would your normal conditioner (including your roots).
You leave it on for 10 minutes then wash off. Simple.
Definitely buy a pair of gloves before you use this as the pigment is super strong and will stain your hands and nails – luckily I had an old pair that I’ve used multiple times handy.
Afterwards, my hair was super soft and the copper hues were looking fresh.
I did however notice however that it wasn’t consistent. I followed the instructions applying in the shower on wet, clean hair – but applying blind (there’s no mirror in my shower) meant I’d missed a few spots.
So, the following week, I tried it again and went rogue.
Instead of applying to wet, washed hair – I applied it to dry hair and then shampooed out.
My result was so much more vibrant and completely eradicated the slightly patchy look I’d had before.
It also, surprisingly, worked well on my greys – which I was very happy about.
One thing I would flag is that there are so many different variations of hair colours, so the chances are it won’t be an exact match to your own hair colour (the copper is definitely deeper than my normal hue).
The pigment fades pretty quickly, lasting about a week if you wash every other day, and sadly I do find it transfers so I was cautious about wearing white after first doing it.
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However, if you can’t afford to go for a gloss every four weeks – which let’s be honest in the current climate is most of us – it’s an awesome option.
I’m really happy with how it looks and leaves my hair, and the added fact it’s in Sephora stores across the country makes it super convenient.
This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad-free. If you have a question about a beauty product or an item you’d like to see road-tested in The Beauty Diary, jump into our official Facebook group where you can join like-minded beauty junkies. You can also catch me on Instagram or tweet me – don’t forget to hashtag #TheBeautyDiary.