Over the course of my life I have fallen in love with many different hair products. When I was 16, I worked in a salon that had Redken and Aveda products. I loved Aveda for their fragrance, their all-natural approach, and how healthy my hair felt when using them. I liked Redken for their styling strength (you want your curls to hold? They got you.) and for their blonde toning conditioners. After working at that salon, I worked for a Paul Mitchell distributorship in our area and then went to a Paul Mitchell school so I was indoctrinated into all things John Paul Mitchell Systems. I was always most impressed by their Awapuhi Wild Ginger line because of the healing power it had on my hair.
Now that I’m out of the cosmetology industry, I still really like trying out different hair care brands and different styling techniques – it’s really interesting and fun. I have been going to Salon Re: in Eastown (Grand Rapids) to get my hair colored and they use Moroccan Oil, Surface and Kevin Murphy. I use Moroccan oil products often, but I was particularly intrigued with Surface products.
Surface was founded on the promise of “Respecting Personal Health and the Earth”. Surface incorporates sustainably harvested ingredients and certified organic botanicals in all their products. All their products are vegan, sulfate-free, gluten-free and paraben-free. You can’t buy Surface in a store, only in Surface salons (find one on their locator here) which is not as convenient, but then you can ask actual stylists questions about the products and get helpful advice.
I have been a chemically-processed blonde for 99% of my life, so purple shampoo/conditioner has always been a staple. Purple/color depositing shampoo is so important when you have a cool hair color or when you have a color that falls out fast like red. Purple shampoo keeps your hair a bright, cool blonde instead of turning into a brassy, straw-colored mess. I like the Surface purple shampoo better than any other purple shampoo I’ve tried so far – and they have purple conditioner if that’s what you prefer. This shampoo is not for everyday use which is good because it is a bit pricier than other similar shampoos. It is highly pigmented and you will not need a ton of shampoo to cover your hair because it lathers really well. You will want to make sure you rinse it off your shower and rinse it off your hands and nails because if you leave it on too long it will stain.
Other products I’ve tried by surface are the Rose Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner and their dry shampoo. The Rose Blonde conditioner is better than the shampoo and it made my hair a pretty bright pink. It doesn’t look like I used Manic Panic in my hair, it looks like a nicely toned pink hair – like a more sophisticated way to have pink hair if there is one. I am not normally picky about dry shampoo, but their dry shampoo isn’t my favorite. I don’t think it is worth the money and I don’t think it absorbs oil very well. It does smell amazing and I have sprayed it on my hair just so I could smell it all day; but it doesn’t do what I want it to do which is absorb oil and refresh my hair so it is not something I would buy again.
I can’t wait to try more products from Surface’s hair care line and I encourage you to try some too! They are an environmentally friendly brand that is good for the world and good for you hair so what’s not to love? What other earth-friendly hair care brands do you use?
