My favorite (and very talented) stylist, Jenny Balding. was blow-drying my hair at the Cutler Salon on 57th street. It was a drizzly, humid day. To combat frizz and add super shine, she brought over a bottle of something new from Redken called Diamond Oil Shatterproof Shine. The first thing I thought was: “Oh no, not oil,” my hair will flop in minutes!” But I trust Redken products, and I trust Jenny, and I loved the faceted bottle. When Jenny told me that the product didn’t have silicone, that can weigh hair down,, I relented and let her use it. I wish I’d taken a photo of my hair, because while it’s true that in the hands of a great stylist like Jenny, no one is going to look bad, hours later after I’d left the salon, my hair was still sleek and shiny and felt soft and amazing.
Now, I wanted to try the entire line! Luckily, a few weeks later, Redken delivered it to The Advice Sisters. It took me a while to get around to road testing the products, but with the heat and humidity of Summer in full swing, this is the perfect time to tell you all about Diamond Oil products. The Diamond Oil Products from Redken earned our love and are the WEEKLY OBSESSION!
The first thing to note is that there aren’t any diamonds in the products, but they do have some precious ingredients. The Shatterproof Shine Oils include a blend of coriander, camelina and apricot oils that penetrate different layers of the hair to nourish and strengthen strands from the inside out. The result – hair that is left feeling fortified and glistening with intense, diamond-like shine! Diamond Shine also helps you get stronger hair too (Redken claims 3X stronger with 2X more shine).
These products nourish, strengthen and reinforce your hair strands from the inside out, working 0n each level of fiber that coats your hair to protect it from damage. Diamond oil also restores the lipid layer and locks in moisture for a smooth, frizz-free hair. You don’t need much to use the Diamond Oil Shatterproof Shine product, just a couple of drops (dispensed from a handy dropper). For those who want even more shine and conditioning, the Diamond Oil line includes 5 fabulous Diamond Oil products: Diamond Oil Shampoo: Conditioner, Deep Facets Masque, and two versions of the Shatterproof Shine (regular and Intense).
The Shampoo and Conditioner are, like all the luxurious Redken lines, pleasant to use, with light scents and creamy tetures. There isn’t a lot of lather with these, but surfactants (ingredients that help make your beauty products, foamy), tend to dry out skin, so that’s true for hair, too. My hair felt very soft after the shampoo and conditioner, and I liked it. But when I subtituted the masque for conditioner (you have to leave it on 5-15 mintues so this isn’t something I do very often), my hair was even softer and shinier. My hair is past shoulder length, thick and frizzy, but not in terrible condition. On my hair, I concentrate on the mid level of hair to the ends, because natural oils are what help make the magic happen. New growth near the scalp doesn’t need as much conditioning. My favorite product in the line is the regular Diamond oil. My hair feels dry and looks it, and this product just brings out the best in it with literally no effort. For my hair, the Intense Diamond Oil was a bit too much for every day, but for those with really coarse, dry or damaged hair, or if you’re really going out into Rainforest conditions, it’s a “big gun” to combat frizz. If you want a beach look, adding a lot of intense diamond oil will do it. Otherwise, you don’t need much at all.
I can’t quantify how much stronger my hair is after using Diamond Oil products, but since I’ve had some breakage (probably due to too many high ponytails during a heat wave), I’m happy to use products that can help prevent breakages.If your hair is really dry, damaged and with tons of split ends, it can’t hurt to use the masque or the diamond oil Shatterproof Shine and just leave in a lot of it for an hour…do something else, wash it out, and check YOU out!
Here is a “visual” showing all the products and their benefits. Redken products are sold only in authorized salons (like Cutler), but you can easily find a salon in your area by visiting the Redken website http://www.redken.com
