How to Achieve Professional Holiday Hair: Exclusive Interview with Color Wow
With summer quickly approaching, we are excited to present Color Wow as our May Brand of the Month.
With a commitment to solving hair problems for any hair type, Color Wow have brought futuristic innovation to hair care. Whether your hair concerns involve frizz, dryness, thickness, or colour, Color Wow has a product for you, and it’s packaged beautifully. The key criteria to Color Wow’s groundbreaking haircare inventions? They solve a problem that’s never been addressed, or they outperform all other products on the market. They have set the bar sky-high, and they hit it time and time again.
This summer, LOOKFANTASTIC is launching an exclusive product with Color Wow. The Limited Edition Color Wow Color Security Money Shampoo has an exclusive sea sparkle scent, reminiscent of a fresh sea breeze. As with all Color Wow products, the quality speaks for itself. The thick formula builds into a luxurious lather, so a little will go a very long way. The shampoo cleans hair without stripping it, and protects the vibrance of your colour. It’s exclusive to LOOKFANTASTIC, and once it’s gone, it’s gone!
Want to try the exclusive shampoo alongside its conditioning counterparts? Need to stock up on travel size hair products ready to jet off this summer? Look no further than the Exclusive Limited Edition Color Wow Money Kit. Hair feels and smells expensive when you use the shampoo alongside the deeply nourishing Money Masque, made in collaboration with Chris Appleton, and the Money Mist leave in conditioner. Hydrating hair products that smell as good as they feel, and feel as good as they look.
We sat down with Dom Seeley, hair stylist and international creative director for Color Wow, and Mel Pellegrini, Education Manager, to discuss all things summer. How should you care for your hair when you’re on holiday? How do the Money products help to protect our strands? And what are their summer haircare essentials? Read on to get the low-down.
Explore the full Color Wow product range.
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LF:
Obviously, lots of us are looking forward to our summer holidays. What is your ultimate holy grail, will-never-travel-without, hair care product?
Mel:
Shampoo. Just in general I would say for holiday I've got a few faves. I feel that when I travel the water is very different, and whenever I wash my hair it's never quite clean. So a good shampoo, always. I cannot use enough shampoo. Honestly, it's like my number one rule for travel.
I would always have Money Masque and Money Mist simply because when I’m in the sun all day long, I feel like my hair gets quite dry. Money Mist has got UV protection, so it's really nice when you're sitting by the pool to make sure you're protecting your hair as well as your skin.
Dom:
The sun burns holes in hair. If you look at hair underneath the sun, you've got microscopic holes in the surface layer of the cuticle. And sometimes that damage is irreparable. That's what the UV is doing, so Money Mist is incredible for reducing damage. I love Money Mist, not just on holiday, but like wherever.
I like to use Money Mist on dry hair as well as wet. On holiday, use it prior to actually getting the hair in the chlorine or in the salt water. By spraying the product on dry hair and braiding the hair away, or by wetting the hair before getting in the water then spraying, it's almost like a mini treatment.
A lot of people don't realise the reason why there's a shower by the pool. It’s actually to protect your skin barrier and your hair. That's why they always tell you to wash get in the shower before you swim, because your skin and your hair is like a sponge. So, the reason why they tell you to shower before getting chlorinated or salt water is because that water acts as a barrier.
But back to Mel’s point about shampoo. I work a lot in Dubai, and the water in Dubai is terrible. It's all because Dubai is a desert. So, I find that when I'm over there, people's main concerns are hair loss, hair thinning, hair shedding and the hair just not being responsive. Our shampoos are incredible because they deeply cleanse and remove product buildup. A complete detox for your hair, but in a much gentle, fresher way. Bam.
LF:
Bam! Okay, obviously we mentioned the Money Mist and the Money Masque. Could you talk us through the Money Kit? How long will the products last, and what results will we see from it? I know earlier you said the mask is like a facial for your hair, which I totally agree with.
Dom:
The kit is great because it's an introduction to the brand. You've got all the travel sizes. I really do think we're generous with the travel sizes. We are literally at limit to what you're allowed in TSA. I always travel with the shampoo and conditioner, I just think they're incredible. And now the with the new fragrance? It's just another benefit. The shampoo is great anyway, but now we've got the Money fragrance. It's my favourite smell. For that size, I normally get anywhere from two to three weeks out of the shampoo. Obviously, it's hair length and thickness dependent. But as a general rule of thumb, I would definitely say two to three weeks, and then obviously you got your Money Masque and Money Mist. A little tip from me as well: I actually carry around the Money Mist travel size more than the actual Money Mist full size. It's just so handy, and it's great on the go.
The great thing about the Money range is that the limited edition Color Security Shampoo is for everyone. It's for all hair types, textures. It's our same formula, just with the money fragrance added. People love the fragrance, so we thought why not do it for brand of the month? I mean, the original shampoo smells incredible. But this really takes it to the next level. And then your Money Masque and Money Mist are also ideal for all hair types and textures. The shampoo is not just for coloured hair. It's for virgin, untreated, uncoloured or grey hair as well. Male or female, whatever you identify as, as long as you have got hair on your head, extensions, wigs, whatever you've got, this is great to use. But what I love about it is that you can either shampoo and mask, or shampoo and mist. You're still getting the same great benefits. I think it's just such a great bundle to be introduced to the brand, especially to the money range.
LF:
Hair care truly is a science. What ingredients are in the Money Kit that we should know about?
Mel:
Blue sea kale would be one of them. Blue sea kale is the richest form of sulphur that you can put into hair care, which is very, very nourishing. It's going to give you that real deep, into the core treatment.
Dom:
We have unique root anchoring technology that helps prevent shedding. The mask is so great because it is designed to be a rinse off. It works in those three minutes then rinses away easily. When Chris and Color Wow were developing the Money Masque, he truly wanted a mask that he could use on his clients. A mask gave him that red carpet celebrity quality hair, that expensive, really rich looking hair in as little as three minutes. It’s a wax free mask, and it’s like a jelly consistency. It melts on the hands like butter, and it completely rinses off. It's not a treatment where you must leave it on to see the benefit. It works in three minutes, and it's good to go.
But the great thing with the ingredients, the blend can actually go on the scalp, when normally we're all told to keep masks away from a scalp. The Money Masque actually helps anchor the hair to the scalp. It's like skincare as well. And that's the thing: people spend so much money on skincare, but when it comes to haircare, they're like, I use anything, anything! Scalp health is so important. The skin on the face and the skin on a scalp is the exact same thing, but we treat it so differently. Skin on the scalp ages six times faster than a skin on the face. So we really need to make sure we’re caring for our scalps.
LF:
You mentioned Chris Appleton there. How did he get involved with the Money Masque and what did he bring to the collaboration?
Dom:
I think it was just everything. Basically, when he's styling all these clients, you're in these situations where you might get 10-20 minutes to create a look. From a celeb stylist point of view, I know he wanted that expensive looking hair instantly, because his clients haven’t got time for a full treatment. So, the fact that you can use the Money Masque in the three minutes is just game changing, and it truly does give you that result. It gives you the most expensive look. It actually feels like hair has been reconstructed, strengthened, and hydrated at the same time. How can we give a bit of celebrity to our customer? I really feel like we did that well with Chris. Chris had got such a great fanbase. His clients are some of the most famous women in the world.
We have been crying out for a mask, haven’t we? And any reader who hasn’t used it, honestly, when you apply Money Masque the instant hydration and strength and slip you get from it is crazy. The consistency is incredible. The smell is insane. And you get so many benefits: heat protection, UV protection, you get the bonding to your scalp. It's just incredible to use. It truly is one of the best products that we do, in my eyes.
LF:
With every new product, Color Wow aims to solve a problem that's never been addressed, or it must outperform all of the products on the market, which is obviously a huge goal to set for yourselves. What makes the Color Security Shampoo different from other shampoos that promise colour protection?
Mel:
We've removed over 60 harsh ingredients found in most common shampoos. It's science backed and you can see the results: a lot of shampoos in the industry have got so many ingredients that leave behind deposits on the hair and the scalp. Hence why people find that their hair becomes greasy much quicker, or that they need to clarify it, or their colour becomes dull. People don't realise that it's actually build up from the shampoo that these heavy ingredients are leaving behind. So, we removed 60 of the harshest ingredients that do that to the hair. It's going to keep your hair the way that it should be until your next colour service. The only reason you should go back to the salon is to get your roots done.
Dom:
Yeah, we're all told to reach for a shampoo to volumize, reach for a shampoo to moisturise, reach for a shampoo to strengthen. But realistically, for that shampoo to make that claim, it is engineered to leave something behind on the scalp. All we claim is clean. So, all our shampoo will do is clean your hair. Realistically, that's all shampoo should do. It's super gentle, and it's not just for coloured hair, even though it's called Color Security Shampoo. It's for all hair. No matter what hair you've got, it will cleanse, and that's all it's going to do.
LF:
I always take loads of hair stuff on holiday with me, and then I can't be bothered to do anything with my hair because it's hot, and I just throw it up into a bun. What easy styling tips would you give to people who prefer the less is more approach on holiday?
Mel:
Pop & Lock. 100%. Pop & Lock is like a hybrid product. It's a mixture of an oil and a serum combined, but it's also got UV protection that that can be used on wet or dry hair. I'm the exact same on holiday. There is no way in hell I'm blow drying my hair on holiday, so I alternate between doing like a wet look and then just a natural, beachy look. Pop & Lock is a brilliant summer hair product. You can really load the hair. I literally pile it up on the back of my hand and I put it on wet hair, so it kind of sets as a wet look. I do that in the evening, and then I go to sleep and it dries into the hair. You wake up the next day, you've got your UV protection on your hair. It's effortless. Or if you're someone who wants to go for a dry look, I would use Dream Coat for Curly Hair, because it is a simple spray that's not heat activated. You spray all through your hair, scrunch it, let it dry naturally, and it will just help bundle your hair together.
Dom:
I think for me, One-Minute Transformation Cream is incredible. It contains avocado and Omega three oils, and the great thing is that it does so many things. It will de-puff, de-frizz, it will rehydrate, it will moisturise. It’s also great for styling, for scraping back into a ponytail and getting rid of flyaways, or just making the hair more polished with or without heat. Say you’re on holiday and you’ve been by the pool all day. You've got all these weird kink marks from your hair tie. You've got a bit of product in there. It looks a bit dry and dehydrated. Add a bit of One-Minute Transformation Cream and just re-blow dry instead of washing it, and it will just reset your blow out, protect your hair, but also add the hydration to it. Your hair literally looks like silk, so soft and hydrated.
And I think another great one is our new Texas Hold’ Em hairspray. In this, you've actually got 50% less alcohol in the formula, and it's a UV protectant. If you want to snatch your hair up, if you've got really frizzy hair, if you want to just make your hair super obedient, you can spray some and brush all your hair up into a ponytail, and you are good to go. Like you were saying before, we will only use a product or work with a product which we can make better. Haircare, since its inception in the 1950’s and 60’s, has not changed. Every brand has done the exact same thing, just made their own version. But we, but Gail, sought out to flip the hairspray category, and she's done it with Texas. There are so many different benefits to the products, but if you wanted a quick, easy routine, use Pop & Lock for a wet look. And then if you want to get all your hair off your face, then definitely a hairspray.
LF:
Should we edit our hair care routine in the summer or when we're on holiday? And what should change?
Mel:
I like to use my holiday time to reset. I do lots of like face masks, hair masks and things like that. Because Money Masque is safe to use every wash, I take that away with me. I like to use the Coconut Cocktail, because although the Cocktails are heat activated, the Coconut Cocktail will benefit the hair regardless. Then of course,Dream Coat for Curly Hair and Pop & Lock.
Dom:
The Cocktails are incredible. Again, they are heat activated. I find that people style the hair a lot more because they're washing the hair a lot more on holiday. So, I would recommend Kale Cocktail. That's what I would switch out to. And Coconut Cocktail, again, has our kale inside. Blue sea kale, very rich in sulphates. It's a great strengthening treatment. It breaks down well. It stops breakage within 50% on first use. Heat protection is in all our products. So definitely use the Cocktails on holiday. I think for me it would be the One-Minute Transformation Cream and Pop & Lock, because they're not products I would use at home, and they will transform summer hair that needs some love.
Thank you once again to Dom and Mel for taking the time to chat with us. We learned so much from your insights – who knew the poolside showers were there for our protection? We love the Color Wow Money range and can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it.
Exclusive Limited Edition Color Wow Color Security Money Shampoo 250ml
Revitalise your hair from root to tip with Color Wow's Color Security Shampoo, now with a limited edition sea sparkle scent. Suitable for all hair types, the formula creates a luxurious lather that lifts impurities and excess oil, while protecting the vibrancy of dyed colour.
Thanks to a Japanese amino-fortified complex, the shampoo helps minimise the risk of dulling and breakage for hair that feels stronger with a long-lasting glossy appearance, so you can go longer between shampoos. Pair with the Color Wow Color Security Conditioner for optimal results.
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Exclusive Limited Edition Color Wow Money Kit
Uniting three hydrating haircare heroes, the Color Wow Money Kit is a limited edition and exclusive set including a shampoo, hair mask and leave-in conditioner. Grant glossy shine and stronger-looking strands, no matter your hair type, with this travel-sized trio.
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