PRODUCT REVIEW: IT&LY ADVANCED COLOR PROTECTION

Towards the end of summer (lets say August) I was ready for a change with my hair and although I was 6 months pregnant I wanted COLOR. So I spoke to my doctor who gave me the green light (coloring your hair while pregnant is completely fine as long as you do it in a well ventilated space so outside or somewhere where the windows are opened). I didn't go completely bold I opted for the ever popular "ombre" trend. I achieved the look by purchasing two different colors of Textures & Tones colors from Target. One color was a chestnust brown and the other was a honey blonde. My "hair guy" put the color in and styled me up and I fell in love.

Shortly after my curls dropped and the puppy love phase was over I noticed that my ends looked completely different. Now with the added color my ends looked fried and dried. They had static and frizz and did not look healthy at all. When you have color in your hair it is extremely important to wash and condition your hair but because of complications in my pregnancy in September I couldn't even THINK about washing and treating my hair. This is completely gross but I actually did not get a chance to wash my hair again until October!!! (I know don't judge me).

When I did end up washing and treating my hair I opted for something specifically for color treated hair, IT&LY Hair Fashion's Advanced Color Protection line. I used the shampoo, conditioner, and a product called Color Loc. Check out the product details and my thoughts below...

First up, here are IT&LY's 4 Causes of Hair Color Fading...

1. Shampoo – Because a significant percentage of permanent hair color attaches to the outer cuticle layers of the hair, even the gentlest surfactants (surface acting cleansing agents in all shampoos) dislodge or loosen hair color pigment. The action is further supported by the use of hot or warm water that is necessary for proper cleansing but softens cuticle layers leaving them less supportive of color pigment when cleansing.
2. UV Rays – UV rays are the second most damaging contributor to hair color fading. The entire A.C. P. System contains the most advanced UV filters available to protect against UV fading.
3. Mechanical & Heat Styling – Mechanical and heat styling causes a breakdown of the outer layers. As a healthy cuticle layer seals and protects colors, cuticle abrasion leaves color more vulnerable to each of the remaining three culprits of color fade.
4. IMPROPER CHOICE OF HAIRSYLING PRODUCTS – A leading and often under-emphasized enemy of hair color. Certain cleansing, conditioning and styling products while delivering specific benefits, wreak havoc on hair color. Waxes, oils, sprays and even specific botanical ingredients can actually strip color from the hair or impede proper color penetration and hold.

My hair, before and after...