Keeping your blonde hair looking gorgeous and fresh in the summer months is often a little bit of a struggle. We were lucky enough to be invited by Redken to discover their new Blondage range and freshen up our locks in time for the warmer months.
We sent our wonderful Rowena down to the Redken salon test out these wonderful new products and the results for herself on her own hair.
Break up with brassiness - how to extend and perfect your blonde
"All natural and not-so-natural blondes will understand the eternal struggle that is maintaining that 'fresh from the salon' tone whilst not drying or damaging the hair. Thankfully Redken recognised such a problem and have developed their brand new Blondage range.
I had the pleasure of taking a behind the scenes look at the exclusive launch at the Radio Salon in London a couple of weeks ago. Attended by some of the UK's top influencers and press, the event saw all brassiness banished at the door, leaving a sea of gorgeous blonde heads to enjoy the smoothies and brownies dotted around the space"
What I expected
"I have struggled with maintaining the tone of my blonde hair ever since I started highlighting it regularly 10 years ago. Most toning shampoos I have tried have either really dried out my hair or turned it a shade of blue-ish grey. Safe to say I went into the salon with a fairly sceptical outlook. However, by the time I had an indepth consultation by the wonderful specialists at Radio Salon, I went in with fresh eyes, confident in their expert knowledge."
The process
"The colourist started by shampooing my hair with the Redken Colour Extend Blondage Shampoo - a vividly violet shampoo with a colour-correcting formula infused with ultra-violet pigments. This helps eliminate yellow undertones in blonde hair, banishing the dreaded brassy look when your highlights are ready for a long overdue refresh.
Even touching my hair pre-conditioning, I noticed my hair had none of the crunchy, dry feeling that I have normally experienced with blonde shampoos. This is due to the innovative Triple Acid Protein Complex, a unique cleansing element that tones the hair whilst nourishing and strengthening to help protect from breakage.
The Redken Colour Extend Blondage Conditioner was left on for five minutes to fully work its magic and smelt absolutely divine. The lightweight, colour-correcting formula hydrates and moisturises damaged, bleached hair whilst its dose of Citric Acid repairs and strengthens each hair from the inside out.
The range promised that hair would be left radiant and revitalised with the ultimate shine and no yellow undertones - and it certainly delivered! By the time my blow-dry was complete, I felt like I had just had my hair highlighted."
The lesson: break up with brass
"Overall, aside from a fantastic event, the take away for me was the importance of investing in your highlights longterm. Aftercare is just as important as the quality of your hairdresser. By using a toning shampoo and conditioner like Redken's Blondage range 1-2 times a week, you could buy yourself another three weeks before you need another highlight appointment along with the feeling that you're really treating your hair with every wash. I couldn't recommend this range highly enough!"
