BRIGHT IDEA | #AHairBetter with John Frieda

I’m nervous. Naturally, I’m nervous. As someone notoriously laissez-faire when it comes to hair, I can barely deal with a dryer, let alone hair dye. And yet, that’s exactly what I’ve been asked to do. Like handing a toddler a pack of matches, I’ve been asked to use some revolutionary new at-home products that allow you to lighten your hair in the shower. By yourself. This, to me, is completely terrifying.

‘Life’s too short not to take risks,’ I tell myself. ‘I can always dye it back,’ I reason. And so, I’ve signed and sealed a contract with John Frieda® to try out their Brilliant Brunette Visibly Brighter^TM collection. I love John Frieda®. A loyal, lifelong fan since I was a teenager, but still...I’m nervous. 

This is my hair now. I had it dyed dark last month and loved it at the beginning, but as you can see, it has now faded into a basic block of brown. I decide to read up on exactly what I’ve committed to. The John Frieda® Brilliant Brunette® Visibly Brighter^TM collection is designed to instantly lighten your brunette to 1 shade lighter than your current colour. It lightens your hair within its normal spectrum, so it won’t appear bleached or orange. Okay, that’s good. You don’t need to be precise with the application. Also good. And it can be used on natural or colour-treated hair like mine. Perfect. Okay, here goes nothing. Ack. 

DAY 1

Before I begin, I make sure to have some inspirational summer things nearby as comfort. My husband’s in California for work this week and my kids are at school right now, so I have no moral support here. My new sunglasses and a sunny yellow tulip make me think happy, sun-kissed, perfect summery hair thoughts. The Brilliant Brunette® Visibly Brighter^TM In-Shower Lightening Treatment has a dual tube applicator with a developer and activator that you blend together in your hand in the shower. The formula activates and foams up once you mix it. The instructions are suspiciously simple: 

1)    Snap off cap

2)    Blend formula in your hand

3)    Work through hair

4)    Rinse hands

5)    Leave on for 5 minutes

6)    Rinse

7)    Follow with Brilliant Brunette® Visibly Brighter^TM Subtle Lightening Shampoo & Conditioner (if desired - yes, I desire) for daily maintenance. 

The In-Shower Lightening Treatment definitely smells like hair dye which freaks me out a little, but the product really is super easy to use - even for someone as inept with hair as I am. I’m amazed that it only takes 5 minutes to get results, but since I don’t want to overdo it, I skip the shampoo and conditioning part and decide to wash my hair tomorrow. Baby steps. I get out of the shower and inch my way towards the mirror. My hair still looks dark, but then again, it’s soaking wet. I’ll have to wait. Still nervous.

I let my hair air dry like I usually do. It looks like it’s maybe a shade lighter than before, but if it’s lightened, it’s really subtle. This relieves me to no end. My hair feels a bit dry, but considering I didn’t use any conditioner, I’m surprised to find that it still feels quite healthy. Less nervous now. 

DAY 2

I’ve just washed my hair with the Brilliant Brunette® Visibly Brighter^TM Subtle Lightening Shampoo & Conditioner. It’s formulated with honey and marigold flower extract, and cleanses while gradually infusing golden tones to illuminate the spectrum of your existing brunette. I’m thrilled to see that it’s ammonia and peroxide free. The conditioner is dreeeaammmy. I can tell that my hair is going to feel super soft when I’m done. And it does. Once my hair dries, I can see that it’s a little bit brighter.

DAY 3

Day 3 is when I start to become a real believer. I wash my hair again and this time, I can really see the brightening effect. My hair is multi-tonal and looks like it has loads of movement. Without adding anything to my hair at all (like literally no product other than the shampoo & conditioner) my hair ends up looking like this after using a curling wand.

DAY 4

Time to wash my hair again. I’m the kind of person who washes my hair only when I really need to wash my hair. I normally wash it every 3 days (or 2 if I go to hot yoga) and so am expecting my hair to dry out quickly. Incredibly, instead of drying out, it seems to just be getting softer. Again, no other styling products. 

DAY 5

After washing my hair today, I decide to do the car test. According to makeup artists I’ve worked with on TV, natural, driver-side visor mirror light is the most honest light you’ll ever find. This pic has no filters, no indoor lighting, no hiding from the truth. And I’m so thrilled to see that my hair is brighter and dimensional and seriously, exactly how I’d want a stylist to give me highlights if I paid a stylist to give me highlights. 

DAY 6

I’m now fully, completely, obsessed with the Brilliant Brunette® Visibly Brighter^TM collection. I look like I’ve had balayage. In fact, a friend at school drop-off just asked who does my balayage in Kitchener. ‘I DID MY OWN BALAYAGE!’ is what I want to scream, but instead I take out my phone to show her a pic of the John Frieda® products, ‘You seriously have to try this stuff.’ 

DAY 7

Now that the week-long trial is over, I going to stop washing my hair every day. But as a total super-fan, I’ll continue to use the Brilliant Brunette® Subtle Lightening Shampoo & Conditioner any time I want to subtly brighten up my locks. I’m thrilled to know that I can get a basic dye with my stylist to cover any greys, and then use the Brilliant Brunette® collection to give my hair healthy, natural-looking highlights. Thank you John Frieda® for my brilliant, brighter new brunette locks. Like I told my friend, you seriously have to try this stuff.

Ooh, and don't miss this: our friends from John Frieda are holding #AHairBetterContest where you could win a hair makeover and a stylish weekend getaway for two! Get your luscious locks over to their contest page for more info. Good luck!

As a FLARE Style Scout, I received compensation for participating in this program; however, all views are my own. 

A Hair Save From Clairol

Anyone who knows me understands that my hair is not big on my list of priorities. It goes: family, friends, work, dessert, shoes, accessories, clothes, and then way, way, down, barely even making the bottom of the list is my hair. I shampoo and condition it. Sometimes I brush it. And, let's be honest, sometimes I don't even do that. I only bust out the dryer/straightener/curling wand in emergency situations where I’m called upon to look extra polished – say for a parent-teacher interview, an editor preview, or Fashion Week. So my day-to-day hair routine consists of (what I like to think of as) 'beachy' waves (read: let’s fall asleep on wet hair and see what happens) and loads of chignons, ponytails and cute hats. The first step, as they say, is admitting you have a problem: my life is a series of hair fails. 

So, when I was asked to partner with Clairol for their “Shift a Shade” campaign, complete with a colour update from Clairol Consulting Colourist, Luis Pacheco, a session with pro makeup artist, Patrick Rahme, and a fashion consult with super stylist Alexandra Melancon, to be documented at an all-day video shoot at Hair on the Avenue no less, I was stoked. It has been one of my perennial resolutions to make my hair a priority and given that I've started to sprout a few greys, colour seems like the best place to start. (if you can relate, print out this $2-off coupon for Clairol Nice n' Easy)

I've always wondered what it would be like to play celeb for a day and let a team of pros have their way with me. Or my hair at least. You know what I mean. Will they turn me into a bombshell Jessica Rabbit redhead? Or a bubbly blonde? Or perhaps I'll be transformed into a deep, dark, sultry brunette. I'll be sure to report back with my pics and the big video reveal from our Clairol shoot. Eeek! How exciting is this?! Stay tuned...  

Go bolder. Go warmer. Go deeper. Go golder. With our broadest spectrum of natural looking shades, you can change it up and still look like your most amazing you. Get inspired and #shiftashade. Nice ‘n Easy with Colour-blend Technology is available in 44 shades. For more information visit Clairol.ca.  

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Procter & Gamble via Glam Media Canada. The bloggers were compensated for the Clairol Shift A Shade campaign and were asked to review our products. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Procter & Gamble.