When it comes to giving your hair the best, which is what we all want for our hair, it can take a while to find the right brand of hair care products that suit both your hair and your budget. We all know and love that feeling we get after having stepped out of the salon.
There’s nothing quite like it and it’s very hard to replicate those kinds of results at home unless you really know what you’re doing. Usually, at least.
Redken is a brand that is synonymous with top quality products and the latest in haircare trends and technology – often pioneering the way forward. But for most of us who don’t need to look like we’re heading onto the catwalk everyday, simply having healthy and strong hair is more than enough of a challenge for us to achieve.
Thankfully, Redken is a brand that is all about strong, healthy hair and getting rid of those split-ends, weak locks or overly frizzy do’s. So if you’re looking for the all-in-one hair care solution of a lifetime, look no further than Redken.
Redken Company Background Explained
Redken is one of the oldest innovators in hair care technology and has been around for over 50 years and was formed in 1960. The company was developed when actress and mother Paula Kent formed the brand with hair stylist and chemist Jheri Redding.
As the brand grew stronger, Paula bought Redding out of the company and in turn, owned what was to become one of the largest brands in hair care today.
Since then, the brand has gone on to invent some of the most influential products in hair care and styling – an early example of this could be seen in their creation of ‘Shades EQ Color Gloss.’
This product was one of the first to implement new scientific understandings of how hair worked in order to give customers brilliant and lasting results without the risk of damaging their hair.
During this time, many of the conventional hair care products were loaded with harmful chemicals (far more than there are today) and because Paula had unusually sensitive skin and hair, she ensured that her products were as effective as possible, yet mild at the same time.
This was revolutionary for the time as shampoos, conditioners and hair care products in general were not aimed at revitalizing hair follicles or strengthening them. Most companies were just obsessed with getting their products to lather as cheaply as possible.
Since then, Redken has gone on to ‘flip the table’ on more hair care techniques and products by becoming the ‘go-to’ brand for safe and effective hair beauty. They currently have one of the largest product catalogs in hair care and have earned a golden reputation.
Redken ‘Extreme’ Products Line Review
If you’re like me and you suffer from particularly dry or fragile hair, then look no further than the Redken Extreme range. The line has been designed to cater for people who need drastic relief from dry and weakened hair follicles by infusing their products with a powerful RCT Protein Complex.
This complex contains 3 proteins that are specially designed to to be attracted to where they’re needed most on the hair follicles. This means that your hair gets a fast-acting dose of hydration and the much needed minerals needed to support healthy, strong hair.
The company claims that by using the right combination of products as part of your daily or regular hair care routine, you can fortify your hair and make it 15-times stronger as well reducing hair breakage by up to 75%.
While that may sound a bit far-fetched, I can attest to the ranges ability to perform – so long as you stick to the correct routine.
Over the course of the day, our hair is exposed to so many different environmental and cosmetic forms of damage i.e. damage caused by many of the products we use regularly. However, there are other factors that can affect the quality of our hair, such as the food we eat, stress and even medication we may be taking.
So it stands to reason that even if you don’t have naturally dry or sensitive hair, investing in a good product to ensure that you maintain your hair’s health over time makes all the difference between having hair that ages well or finding clumps of it gathered at the your shower drain.
The sooner you start treating your hair, the sooner you’ll see great results and the longer your hair will remain healthy – it’s really that simple.
Redken Anti Snap Treatment Explained
Firstly, it’s important for me to state that the Anti Snap treatment is part of a series of products and the company claims that it works best when used in conjunction with the Extreme Shampoo and Conditioner.
However, seeing as I didn’t test the product while using either of these (and still got good results), I’ll focus my attention on the Anti Snap treatment specifically.
The Anti Snap treatment is designed to be a leave-in product that you can apply to your hair after shampooing and conditioning in order to lock in moisture and strengthen your hair follicles by directing much needed proteins to where they’re needed most.
This means that instead of getting a ‘general coverage’ like you would with lesser products, you get targeted relief that ultimately makes the product far more effective.
To harness the most out of this product as you can, be sure to apply it to moist or towel dried hair and be sure to only use a little. Then comb it in, blow-dry if desired and and style as you will.
It really couldn’t be easier and the results will have you speechless – I promise. You can also leave the product in over night if you’re not up for wearing it in your hair during the day.
This will actually help your hair more as your body is more active in terms of healing itself at night as we sleep than during the day. Try it for a month if you’re looking to drastically improve the quality and strength of your hair.
Redken Extreme Anti Snap Leave In Treatment Ingredients
Okay, so while I do have a lot of good to say about this product in terms of it’s effectiveness and reliability (not to forget the ease of use), there are a few issues that I have in terms of its ingredients list.
As a brand that prides itself on providing people with hair care products that are both effective and mild on sensitive hair types, the Anti Snap Treatment boasts some pretty toxic ingredients.
Among the ‘usual suspects’ of harmful haircare ingredients (like parabens, laureths and paraffins), the Anti Snap Treatment also contains Arginine HCI and polyacrylamide.
To the unsuspecting shopper, these long chemical names don’t really mean much, but doing a little research will quickly reveal just how serious these chemicals actually are.
Arginine (or arginine hydrochloride) is actually a naturally occurring amino acid that helps to open blood vessels and increase blood circulation to the heart.
While this may seem like a good thing, introducing too much of this amino acid to your body on a regular basis can have drastically negative effects on your health, resulting in headaches, low blood pressure and even gout if you’re susceptible.
Polyacrylamide is made up of acrylamide polymers which are known to be a neurotoxic substance. Using products that contain polyacrylamide (or products that contain high doses of it) can result in skin and scalp irritation, lead to eye irritation and even cause indigestion.
While I’m not saying that using the product a handful of times will necessarily cause you to fall ill, I would recommend that you stick to short, intense bursts rather than using it regularly over a long period of time.
If you’re totally against the idea of putting harmful chemicals in your scalp (I don’t blame you), try using an argan oil and eucalyptus essential oil blend instead. This will give you similar protection against the elements and is amazing for strengthening and nourishing your hair follicles with continued use.
My Results With Redken Extreme Anti Snap Leave In Treatment
I was pretty impressed with results that I got from using this product and tried it out on an almost daily basis for a full month. Of course, that was before I took the time out to check the ingredients and had I done so before, I probably would have used the product differently.
While the product is quite effective on it’s own (without the other products in the line as is recommended), the truth is that I got similar results from using my argan oil and eucalyptus blend – plus it’s a lot cheaper.
Ultimately, I would recommend this product for those who are in dire need of restoration or for those who color their hair often and use heat styling techniques. It’s great for keeping your hair strong and hydrated, and can help to emphasize the your hair color. Just be sure that you don’t use it too often, or you might wind up doing more damage to your hair and health than good.
Is Redken Cruelty Free? Does Redken Test On Animals?
This is a bit of challenging question answer as it’s not as simple as a yes-no outcome although, I hope to get it to that point.
With regards to the Redken brand itself, they claim that they do not test their products on animals. While this may be true on the surface of the statement, the truth is that it’s a little more of a grey area than that.
Redken is currently owned by the L’Oreal group and as far as we know, L’Oreal (and their subsidiaries) sells their products in the Chinese market. In China, it is still the law that all cosmetics and personal products must be tested on animals before they can be sold in the country.
This means that Redken, by default do test their products on animals because their products are sold in China.
To cut another question short – this also means that they are not a vegan-friendly brand. So basically until China changes its laws, or L’Oreal stops selling there products there – one cannot claim that Redken is truly cruelty-free.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Redken is a great brand. I’d recommend it to anyone who isn’t concerned about ingredients or animal testing. But if either of these issues are ones that you care about about – I’d try avoiding the brand altogether.
Natural products tend to make a pretty good alternative to many of the conventional hair care products that we use on a regular basis. Besides being effective, they’re also just a lot healthier for both your hair and your body than conventional, chemical-based products.
I really enjoyed using the Anti Snap Treatment. However, I probably wouldn’t buy it again just because of the animal-cruelty issue and the few ingredients I’d like to shy away from. If you’re interested in trying it, don’t let me hold you back.
I’d just recommend comparing the results of the Anti Snap Treatment with natural oils blend I recommended for you to get an idea of which is really better for the long run. Here’s to healthy hair!
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