Schwarzkopf Essensity helps me celebrate International Women's Day in style (and comfort)!

If there's anything better then spending a few hours at the salon being beautified, I can't think of what it might be! Two weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of hanging out in Yorkville at the Tony Chaar Salon and being one of the first to enjoy the fruits of the relaunch of Essensity Colour from Schwarzkopf Professional.  If you are a regular colour user who is so over the smell and burning you need to check it out - 0 smell, 0 pain, 0 ammonia and 100% grey coverage! Better still, it actually contains  90% naturally derived ingredients!

If you like the scientific crap, here it is: The uniqueness of ESSENSITY Colour is in its innovative patent-pending technology. Changing a natural hair colour to a different shade relies on the oxidative reaction of hydrogen peroxide on the natural melanin pigment. Rather than using ammonia to lift out the natural pigment to make room for the new one, ESSENSITY is powered by AMEA Technology. AMEA stands for the synergistic combination of two very gentle alkalizing agents: Aminomethylpropanol and Monoethanolamine. By combining these two gentle alkalizing agents, AMEA technology is able to breakdown the natural melansome layer, making the melanin pigments susceptible to hydrogen peroxide. Although the lifting power of AMEA is not as strong as ammonia, the lifting power is impressive and it's done in a gentle way, ensuring a vibrant colour every time. In addition, ESSENSITY colour delivers superb colour performance and leaves the hair shiny and in great condition.

So why have I waited 2 weeks to tell you all about it if it's that wonderful? Well, first I wanted to see how much it would fade before I decided how I really felt about it  - and red is the perfect test for this as it fades the quickest of all the colours!  After 2 weeks I am happy to say that while there is some fading - the tone is slightly lighter and the colour is not quite as vibrant as it was to begin with, it's still plenty red so I'm happy!  I also want to mention my lovely hairdresser for the day at Tony Chaar - Fouad - he gave me exactly the colour I asked for even improving on it a bit by adding a little violet to the mix.  Apparently when you add violet to red it will fade more brown then orange - who knew?! Fouad also gave me the cutest little cut - which I am fondly calling my hot Asian chick look - even if he did try to insist that I'm not edgy enough for the cut - that's what you know Fouad - I am too edgy(ish)!
Schwarzkopf also added some new products to the Essensity line:

Essensity Colour Shampoo - $16.25, Colour Conditioner - $17.25 and Leave-in Mask - $24.75 - are formulated to seal in colour vibrancy and to ensure a healthy and radiant shine.  They contain: Acai - know for providing a rich combination of vitamins, proteins, sugars and anti-inflammatory properties; and Fire Tulip - known for having anti-oxidant, astringent, soothing and anti-bacterial properties.

The stand out product for me is the:
Natural Shine Serum - $21.25 - a feather-light serum that gives a natural velvet shine to the hair surface.  Smoothes the hair while leaving it feeling naturally soft and touchable.  Tames and controls frizzy and flyaway hair without weighing down even the finest of hair and is formulated with natural UV-filters, which provide additional protection.  Contains: Sesame Oil - known for a high content of Vitamins A,B and E and Calcium.Both nourishing and smoothing, it contains a natural antioxidant system that can significantly reduce the rate of oxidation and increases longevity of the colour.  Also acts as an anti-humectant which prevents the hair from absorbing moisture from the atmosphere; and Linseed Oil - known for being a rich source of Vitamins A, E and F (an essential fatty acid) which helps improve the quality of hair.

The products are all 100% free from artificial fragrances, colorants, silicones, PEG's, paraffin/mineral oils and parabens.

You can check out the website to find a salon near you that carries the line:
http://www.schwarzkopf-professional.ca/  and if you're Toronto feel free to go see my friends at Tony Chaar Salon - 11 Hazelton Avenue, Unit 9, Toronto - 416-920-9965 - tell them the very edgy Lisamarie sent you!