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Redken Color Extend Shampoo And Conditioner Review

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Colored hair is awesome, in most cases. The fact that we have such a wide range of shades to choose from means there is never a dull moment out there. I have actually walked up to people on the street, complete strangers whose hair struck me, and I have told them that their hair is amazing. Some people find it a little odd, but I enjoy handing out a compliment sometimes. This is our Redken Color Extend shampoo and conditioner review.

For many people, having colored hair is fun, but it’s also a responsibility. Getting your hair lightened or colored (or doing it yourself at home) is only one part of the process. Another part of it is actually making your color last. The coloring process can often involve potential damage, and if the aftercare isn’t handled properly, the hair could end up losing its shine and vitality.

The Color Extend line by Redken is there to offer precisely that – a series of products which follow coloring or dying, and which lengthens the time between touch-ups or related salon appointments. Even if you don’t end up buying these particular products, colored hair deserves more attention. So you may want to look into that and see what your hair needs.

Redken Company Overview

The tried-and-true Redken company has been around since 1960. Fun fact, the name of the brand is actually a combo of the names of the two founders – Jheri Redding and Paula Kent.

Redken’s goal is to make top-quality hair products, and it certainly succeeds. It does so thanks to the ingredients it puts in its products, including special proteins to tackle all three levels of the hair- the root, the core and the tip. This technology rejuvenates hair and makes it fresh, supple and strong. So say goodbye to stressful hair situations with your coarse hair, and say hello to happy hair!

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Why Your Color Treated Hair Needs Special Shampoo

Woman in shower washing brunette hair.

Using the right shampoo is a crucial part of hair care.

Next to water, I suppose liquid shampoo is the most basic element of hair care. I’m not a statistician, but I’d wager a pretty penny that it’s the world’s most often-used hair care product. Having the right kind of shampoo is crucial, especially with colored hair. Breakage and damage can occur more often because of the chemicals and techniques involved with altering the strands’ pigmentation.

A shampoo that’s designed for your type of hair makes more sense, no matter what your type or style is. Curly, wavy, kinky, or straight – cleanliness is the foundation of proper hair care. But you should take care to not strip the color in the process of cleaning and maintaining. Some shampoos are very harsh, and they may end up leaving you with results that don’t suit your wants or needs.

Color-treated hair has already been through a lot, so you want to be gentle with it. And this gentleness can be expressed in the products you use to clean, the tools you use to style, and the amount of manipulation you exercise. So now that you know why your color treated hair needs special shampoo, it’s time to learn more about Redken’s color extend shampoo.

Redken Color Extend Shampoo Ingredients Breakdown

Redken color extend shampoo bottle.

Redken color extend shampoo.

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way: the Redken Color Extend shampoo ingredients list does include sulfates. SLS is the second ingredient on the list, right after water. The ingredient known as parfum/fragrance (which could be any number of things) makes a relatively early appearance on the list. These two ingredients alone may make this shampoo persona non grata in many people’s showers, but it’s in no way a general rule. Sulfates are still being debated, especially in the context of colored hair, so there may be no need to judge too harshly or quickly.

Cranberry seed oil and ceramide, which this shampoo also contains, can do a lot for you. Still, this product has many cleaning agents, thickening agents, alcohols, acids, preservatives, ingredients having to do with scent, and more. So if you are sensitive to any of these, or if you shun ingredients which could be harmful, this may not be the shampoo for you.

It’s important to remember that this is nothing out of the ordinary. A lot of shampoos have a few positive and helpful ingredients in the formula, but often they appear alongside some of the more undesirable ingredients, like sulfates and preservatives. It comes down to personal choice and preference, since hair products affect people differently.

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Redken Color Extend Shampoo Review

I feel this shampoo is not all it is cracked up to be. I enjoyed the cleanliness, and I would say it certainly fulfilled the job of a shampoo. But the Redken Color Extend shampoo is a product meant for colored hair, and personally I didn’t notice anything different. From reviews and videos I’ve seen, there seems to be a love/hate relationship with this shampoo’s ability to extend color. Like other types of hair-related items, it will work for some and not for others.

I am not a hairstylist by any means. But it makes sense that it’s the origin of the color which determines the success of this follow-up shampoo – or any other color-related shampoo, for that matter. How was the job carried out? Where? Using what? Was it done at a salon, at home, at a supervillain’s secret lair, etc.

This shampoo could carry your color on or wash it out in a few sessions and leave you feeling cheated. It all depends on the nature of your color. If your hairstylist provides any post-appointment instructions or tips, you should probably listen to them and consider them, even if you end up going another way or buying a different product.

The scent is okay; nigh nonexistent, according to my nose. To its credit, I will say that the smell doesn’t stay around any longer than it should. I take that to mean that they didn’t go nuts with the parfum/fragrance ingredient, and that is just fine by me. Although it does appear pretty early on (sixth on the list), it’s barely there.

Redken Color Extend Conditioner Ingredients Breakdown

Redken color extend conditioner.

Redken color extend conditioner.

This conditioner, much like many other ones, is meant to provide nourishment for the hair strands. Shampoo is primarily meant to clean and strip excess oils, while conditioner is supposed to replenish the hair’s nutrients and strengthen its structural integrity.

The Redken Color Extend conditioner ingredients list contains conditioning agents (of course), disinfectants, preservatives, scent ingredients, different agents which bring the chemicals together, and bind them – pretty much the usual. This product, being in the Color Extend series, also has cranberry seed oil and ceramide.

Honestly, there isn’t much to say about these ingredients. They are rather ordinary, except for the cranberry seed oil. Like many great oils, this is one ingredient where a little bit can go a long way. The oil serves to nourish, moisturize, and strengthen the hair strands, and it does a good job.

Redken Color Extend Conditioner Review

As with the shampoo, there was no notable change for me in the color department. But the Redken color extend conditioner managed to keep my hair free of tangles, or rather to detangle that which was already beginning to get messy and overly frizzy. The right elements are there, but for some reason, it didn’t have the advertised results. Okay by me, I enjoy experimenting. It’s not as if the conditioner created any further damage.

This conditioner can give your hair a great shine, and there is no doubt that the moisturizing effects and conditioning effects are there. But I need to stress the fact that we are talking about a product meant for colored hair. If I was only looking for  something which would make my hair shine and pop, there are other (and cheaper) products. So, I am happy with the bounce and shine, but I still feel that there should have been a more noticeable change in the amount of time the color stayed in my locks.

It’s not always the hair care product that is at fault, of course. The shampoo or conditioner in question could be amazing, and still, you won’t get the desired results because of different circumstances. Weather, genes, diet, general health, other products you may be using in your hair – these can all have an effect. Give it a shot and see how it fares with you. Get it here.

Conclusion

I enjoy experimenting with products, whether they be for colored hair or not. Over the years, my hair has become damaged for different reasons. When it is colored, I found that some shampoo and conditioner duos actually help to balance out the colors and make them more subtle when needed. That’s probably more of a question of style than anything else.

When you get a shampoo and conditioner duo, certainly of the same series, you expect them to have some kind of synchronized mode of operation, a kind of synergy. The company itself recommends using the Color Extend shampoo and conditioner products together and also recommends using its Rich Recovery treatment mask for extra vibrancy. I actually didn’t try the mask in conjunction with the shampoo and conditioner, but it’s on my list.

At the time, I remember reading some reviews which had praised the Color Extend duo. I don’t think those reviewers were faking it, but I also don’t think that these couple of products were as effective for me as they were for others. For the purposes of this review, I’ll just say that these seem to be a good pair of products that had less of an effect on me and my color. Redken makes good products, overall, so if you have colored hair you can take a shot and experiment with these two items.

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