Seeing Purple (Matrix Essentials Solutionist So Silver Shampoo)

Member Name: topsyturvy

Product:	Matrix Essentials Solutionist So Silver Shampoo
Date:	07/11/09 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: does what it says

Disadvantages: cost

As a girl unhappy with my natural hair colour, I do get my hair professionally coloured which means taking it from medium brown to a more golden brown. The only thing is it has a reddish base meaning that it can tend to go slightly coppery if in the sun or if the right shampoo is not being used on it and the brassy look is not really very nice. Last time I got my hair coloured my hairdresser recommended that I use a Silver Shampoo of some kind, specifically Matrix's one as it is a good sized bottle. She said this would neutralise the brassy tones and give the colour warmth with a blonder base like what I come out with originally when it has just been done.

I had never heard of Matrix or their products until this recommendation. They are an American company who have expanded overseas, the company was founded in 1980 by Arnie Miller and it is now the no.1 professional hair care company in the States. They do products which look at colour, hair care, styling and giving texture to hair. The products are now in 50 countries and over 300, 000 salons worldwide which is very impressive.

So, the bottle is a very distinct style, it is in a tall white pearl effect bottle and has the Matrix logo on the front. It is part of the Solutionist range which it states and has the so silver type. It is in a 400ml bottle and has a snap lid to open up and get the product out.

The bottle has directions of use such as if you have had a reaction to hair colourant to not use this as it might give a bad reaction, it also recommends to use gloves when applying but I never do this. It recommends a skin test 48 hours before using and if there is itching or redness then obviously do not use.

The shampoo has a nice smell almost sweet, it is quite daunting at first as when you squeeze the product out of the bottle a purple metallic liquid comes out which did make me wonder if my hair would go this colour which scared me. It almost looks like liquid metal and it seems quite a thick colour to it but the shampoo is not too thick itself. It does look bright but don't be fooled by it just use it like a normal shampoo. Make sure hair is very wet as it doesn't lather as easily as some shampoos.

Once hair is wet, then apply the shampoo it will create a purple foam and the water will run purple when it rinses out. I usually apply the shampoo twice like my normal shampoo and then apply a conditioner afterwards just to keep the hair in good condition.

Once the shampoo is rinsed out I normally towel dry hair and then get the hairdryer out and blast the rest dry. It definitely enhances the colour to give a nice golden blonde colour to it cancelling out the coppery notes and makes the colour a lot better looking. They recommend this shampoo if you dye your hair white blonde as well to get rid of the yellow look or if you have highlights to keep the colour enhanced.

The shampoo can be bought at select salons but on the official website located at http://www.matrixhaircare.co.uk you can click on the salon locator and this will tell you which salons nearby you stock the products.

I purchased my So Silver shampoo about two months ago and it still has about half left in it. It is good value for money even if pricey; it doesn't need to be used with every shampoo, only when you feel the colour is losing its vibrancy.

The shampoo cost me roughly £10 in a salon but some websites like http://www.salon-collective.co.uk sell the 400ml bottle for £9.95 which is ok but when you consider postage then it is best to just find your nearest salon.

The official website has a list of products in the Matrix range and a bit about the company. The shampoo is definitely worth the money it keeps my hair in great condition, it has a good colour to it which never fades and if you are colouring your hair this will definitely help a lot.

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