The Chemistry System by Redken Pampers Your Hair

Hair treatments were often messy affairs that required a life of leisure -- but not anymore! The newly revamped, Redken Chemistry (formerly called "The Redken Chemistry System") offers a fast (about 15-minute plus blow drying), in-salon treatment that is personalized by your stylist with a range of options, to pamper and protect your hair.

A treatment that's fast and tackles a variety of popular hair issues is a valuable time saver you should know about. So, as tourists and New Yorkers were preparing to witness the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, I was at the Redken Exchange on 5th Avenue, watching David Stanko demonstrate Redken Chemistry on his model, Margaret.

Redken Chemistry uses a formula that's much more intense than what you'd get in a tube or jar for at-home use, so it's only available in authorized salons. It's a two part treatment that repairs, protects and conditions the hair from the inside, out. The first part is a five-minute treatment called the "shot phase," and then the stylist employs a "Shot Phix Phase" offering intense treatment that seals the treatment bennies into your hair, with potent ingredients (that last about another 10-20 minutes). It also rebalances your hair's pH level (healthy hair hovers around a 4.5 pH), and seals the cuticle to leave hair in its healthiest condition.

Your stylist will choose one of two Shot Phix spray-on lotions: 3.5 (for chemically treated hair) and 5.5 (for slightly distressed and mechanically distressed hair). There are six shots in all that can be combined (up to three each treatment) to make your hair, manageable and marvellous, targeting strength, moisture, color, protection, softness and frizz control. That's a lot of mileage out of just one treatment!

The chart above is a bit difficult to read, but it shows the basics your stylist might follow for your hair. For example, if you hair is weak and damaged, you can add a "Strength Shot" There's an "All Soft Shot" for dry/brittle hair; a "Dandruff Control Shot" for dry/flaky scalp (all the shots can be blended together except for the "Dandruff Control Shot); Extreme Shot Phase is for deep treatment for weakened, distressed hair; Smooth Down Shot is a deep treatment for very dry, unruly hair; Color Extend Shot protects color-treated hair to help the color last longer; and the "Real Control Shot" works to repair damaged areas of the cuticle so really distressed hair looks and feels smoother, stronger, and more manageable. The Clear Moisture Shot offers deep treatment for normal to dry hair.

In this photo (sorry, it's taken with my Blackberry camera), David is explaining how he's going to apply Redken Chemistry to Margaret's hair (on just one side so you can see before and after results). David Stanko is very talented and extremely charming man and a color expert and educator. His work has been featured in top fashion publications, including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, In-Style, Latina and Elle, and nearly every North American trade magazine. David wet Margaret's hair and added a couple of pumps of the Color Extend + All Soft shots, massaging them into her curly, dense hair. After about five minutes it was time for several pumps of the Phix phase. *Your stylist can still add additional conditioner if necessary.

Here's Margaret's hair after a quick blow-dry. The Redken Chemistry-treated side appeared clean, bouncy and lustrous, while the untreated side looked a bit limp and dull. You could really see the difference...and it didn't take all day to do it, either!

Last June, I visited David at the Angelo David Salon in Manhattan (43rd Street between Vanderbilt and Madison Avenues) to check out another Redken product, Redken's Shades EQ. This January, after I'd just colored my hair, I went to see David for my own, Redken Chemistry experience. You can ask for a Redken Chemistry treatment any time you feel like it, but a great time (actually, a "must-have") is right after you've had any chemical treatment on your hair.

For my newly colored and always "wild" (to put it nicely) hair, David suggested a "Protect Shot" to help seal in my brand new hair color and help it last longer, and an "Anti-Frizz Shot" around my temples and ends to keep my unruly frizz a bit smoother.

I didn't take a "before" photo to show you, but with Redken Chemistry and David's skill, my hair looked and felt wonderful! The treatment will last at least a shampoo or two (maybe a bit longer with the coordinating Redken take-home products).

Redken has a myriad of take-home products that correspond to the treatment you've just had, to prolong the good works a bit longer: Clear Moisture, Extreme, Color Extend, All-Soft, Smooth Down and Real Control. The wall of products at the Angelo David salon is colorful and reminiscent of a box of crayons. You can find Redken products and other salon-style products here. Be sure to get yours from a reputable source such as your salon. You don't have to have additional services to get products--authorized salons will be happy for you to just come in and get your goodies and go home if you don't want anything else. Please read my blog post on Diversion--it's a serious issue you should know about!

A Salon treatment like Redken Chemistry varies in cost upon your salon, but they're generally about $15-$25.00. The treatment will take less than an hour of your time, and considering that if can make you look and feel great for weeks, it's a good value. Everyone needs a little bit of pampering and everyone wants great looking hair.

Give Redken Chemistry a try! To locate a salon featuring Redken Chemistry, please visit http://www.redken.com/or call 800.REDKEN8.