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Perspectives from a future dermatologist

Product Review: John Frieda Sheer Blonde and Brilliant Brunette Lustrous Touch Shampoos and Conditioners

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Occasionally, products come along that just make your life a little better. John Frieda Lustrous Touch Shampoos and Conditioners ($5.99-6.49, Drugstore.com) are such products. The new Lustrous Touch collection designed for blondes strengthens the hair from the inside out, while the brunette collection smooths the hair so it shines like silk. So how well do the products measure up to FutureDerm analysis? Read on to find out…

Excellent ingredients

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch Shampoo and Conditioner ($5.99, Drugstore.com) contain silk amino acids and hydrolyzed silk to soften the hair and green tea extract to protect against UV damage. The Sheer Blonde collection also seeks to strengthen fine blonde hair with the inclusion of glycine and other amino acids, as beauty writer Danielle Pergament notes in this month’s Allure,“Protein conditioners are now mixed with amino acids that are small enough to penetrate the hair shaft, which increases their ability to strengthen hair.” That’s great news, especially considering that amino acids in skin care products do not penetrate the epidermis, providing only hydration in skin.

As for John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Lustrous Touch Shampoo and Conditioner ($6.49, Drugstore.com), again, silk amino acids and hydrolyzed silk soften the hair. However, instead of focusing on hair strength, the brunette formulation focuses on smoothing the hair with dimethicone (a silicone) so it shines. According to cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer in this month’s Allure, “The silicone products are lighter than oil-based ones, giving great shine without weighing the hair down…giving hair a long-lasting, flexible, smooth coating to resist damage from styling…”

Both Lustrous Shine for Blondes and Brunettes contain caramel coloring to enhance the luminescence of your hair.

How well do the products work from personal experience?

Because I am not a blonde, I employed my mother, a German-Italian champagne blonde, to try John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch Shampoo and Conditioner. The results were nothing less than spectacular: “My hair feels light, shiny, and bouncy,” my mom reported. Her hair looked shinier and healthier too.

As for the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Lustrous Touch Shampoo and Conditioner, they are my new collection. My hair looks and feels smoother and shinier, and though I don’t notice much difference with the color, I am very happy with the results. My hair feels moisturized, but not weighed down.

Want a free sample?

For a limited time, CLICK HERE for a free sample of John Frieda Sheer Blonde or Brilliant Brunette Lustrous Touch Shampoo and Conditioner, courtesy Wal-Mart.

Overall opinions

I love this collection, and I would recommend it to anyone! I love that it makes you hair smooth and shiny, but without that weighed-down look. Truly excellent products.

Ingredients in John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch Shampoo

Water; Sodium Laureth Sulfate; Sodium Lauryl Sulfate; Cocamidopropyl Betaine; Cocamide MEA; Silk Amino Acids; Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract; Hydrolyzed Silk; Sodium Chloride; Malic Acid; Glycol Distearate; Amodimethicone; Glycine; Polyquaternium-10; Trideceth-12; Bis-Methoxypropyl Amino Isodocosane; Benzyl Alcohol; Cetrimonium Chloride; Propylene Glycol; PPG-9; Disodium EDTA; Methylchloroisothiazolinone; Methylisothiazolinone; Fragrance; Caramel

Ingredients in John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch Conditioner

Water; Cetearyl Alcohol; Cyclopentasiloxane; Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine; Cetyl Esters; Dimethicone; Silk Amino Acids; Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract; Hydrolyzed Silk; Quaternium-91; Bis-Methoxypropyl Amino Isodocosane; Cetrimonium Methosulfate; Diazolidinyl Urea; Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate; Propylene Glycol; Stearyl Alcohol; Lactic Acid; Glycine; Benzyl Alcohol; Fragrance; Caramel

Ingredients in John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Lustrous Touch Shampoo

Water; Sodium Laureth Sulfate; Sodium Lauryl Sulfate; Glycol Distearate; Cocamidopropyl Betaine; Dimethicone; Cetyl Alcohol; Betaine; Laureth-23; Laureth-3; Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil; Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract; Silk Amino Acids; Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil; Polyquaternium-7; Cocamide MEA; Bis-Methoxypropylamido Isodocosane; Glyceryl Oleate; Glycine; Sodium Hydroxide; Methylchloroisothiazolinone; Methylisothiazolinone; Sodium Xylenesulfonate; Malic Acid; Benzyl Alcohol; Mineral Oil; Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride; Sodium Chloride; Disodium EDTA; Fragrance; Caramel

Ingredients in John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Lustrous Touch Conditioner

Water; Cetearyl Alcohol; Glycerin; Behentrimonium Chloride; Cetyl Esters; Cyclopentasiloxane; Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil; Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract; Silk Amino Acids; Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil; Bis-Methoxypropyl Amino Isodocosane; Malic Acid; Dimethiconol; Polyquaternium-7; Benzyl Alcohol; Mineral Oil; Methylchloroisothiazolinone; Methylisothiazolinone; Sodium Citrate; Glycine; Fragrance; Caramel

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April 14th, 2008 Posted by futurederm | Best Products, Hair Treatments, Product Reviews | no comments

Just in Time for Summer: Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield SPF 30 Hand Cream

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Every once in a while, a product comes along that just makes your life a little easier. Right now, that product is Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield SPF 30 Hand Cream ($9.79, Drugstore.com). While the name is certainly a handful, the product is the same famous Norwegian formulation, plus Helioplex TM, in an easy-to-carry, affordable package. I love it!

How effective is the product?

Think hydration. The main ingredients in Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield SPF 30 Hand Cream are almost all major humectants that seal in moisture and smooth the skin’s surface, like glycerin, beeswax, petrolatum, and urea. These ingredients will literally lock the moisture into your hands. With consistent reapplication, your skin will feel significantly less dry and more hydrated.

The best sunscreen available for your hands

Helioplex is a stabilized, patented combination of oxybenzone and avobenzone that has been demonstrated in clinical tests to provide longer-lasting UVA protection than most other sunscreens. In fact, it has been documented (and cited here) that Helioplex is more photostable than even Mexoryl, another leading UVA absorber found in L’Oréal products. Given the fact that Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield SPF 30 Hand Cream is the only hand cream containing Helioplex, I doubt that better UVA protection is available elsewhere.

It should also be noted that the sunscreen will be particularly effective in preventing signs of aging if you carry the tube around in your handbag and re-apply after washing your hands each time.

How does the product feel and smell?

The cream is on the thick side, and it takes a moment or two to soak into your hands. I thought that it smelled like a watered-down version of Vaseline, and then I was all proud of myself (or rather, my nose) when I realized that one of the main ingredients in the formulation is petrolatum. :-)

Once it drinks in, it leaves skin feeling really soft. For having a reasonably high SPF, it also does not leave a white residue.

Overall opinions…

Love, love, LOVE it. If you buy one new product for your hands this summer, Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield SPF 30 Hand Cream should be it! Product Rating: 10/10. (High concentration of proven effective ingredients: 3/3. New technology: 3/3 [for updated formulation with Helioplex]. Value for the money: 3/3. Sunscreen: 1/1).

Ingredients in Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield SPF 30 Hand Cream

Active Ingredients: Avobenzone (2.0%), Homosalate (5%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (3.55%), Oxybenzone (3%)

Inactive Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Silica, Beeswax, Petrolatum, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG 100 Stearate, Proline, Cetyl Dimethicone, Sodium Polyacrylate, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Ethylhexylglycerin, BHT, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate, Trideceth 6, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Methylisothiazolinone, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Fragrance

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April 14th, 2008 Posted by futurederm | Anti-Aging Treatments, Best Products, Best Products, Hand Treatments, Product Reviews, sunscreen | 5 comments

Big Honors for FutureDerm!

Featured in Alltop

FutureDerm.com is really proud to have been selected for Alltop.com, a collection of “all the top” stories from the web. Alltop.com was created by Nononina, the authors of Truemors, amongst others. The Nononina CEO, Guy Kawasaki, is the author of The Art of the Start, and writes a monthly column for Entrepreneur [of which I happen to be a devoted fan]!

Connecting to Beauty.Alltop.com gives you feeds from top beauty blogs around the internet. Best of all, it’s updated every 10 minutes, so you can always be in the know. :-)

P.S. - If you know the origin of the word Nononina, contact info@alltop.com, and apparently, you receive a free copy of The Art of the Start (a $26.95 value!)

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April 14th, 2008 Posted by futurederm | Offers and Promotions | 3 comments