...und da das ja selten genug vorkommt, daß eine Linie durchweg Smilies bekommt, stell ich den Review für die Interessierten mal rein

Viel Spaß beim Lesen,
Tuti

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Kerastase

Only in the world of hair care could such an ordinary, unexceptional line gain such an aura of esteem and mystery. L'Oreal-owned Kerastase is often featured in beauty and fashion magazines, with celebrity stylists name-dropping left and right that their famous clients simply can't live without their Kerastase products. One thing is certain: Kerastase does offer some excellent products for taking good care of your hair, but they are a far cry from special or unique. Each of the products below has a similar L'Oreal counterpart at the drugstore, often at one-half to one-third the price. Suddenly, Kerastase's French names and hypnotic descriptions don't seem as dreamy when you know that the same fantasy can be had for less.

Kerastase's product line is divided into four categories: Nutritive, Resistance, Volumactive, and Solaire products. (The complete Kerastase review from the January/February 2003 Cosmetics Counter Update newsletter may be purchased from my site: http://www.cosmeticscop.com/read/newsletter.asp )

Kerastase Nutritive Products

The collection of Nutritive products is designed to tame and control dry, coarse hair. Although all of them have merit and are quite gentle, not a single one of them contains a uniquely effective ingredient that justifies the cost. Note: All Kerastase products contain fragrance.

$$$ Shampoo for Dry Sensitized Hair ($20.50 for 8.4 ounces) is a very good, though extremely basic, shampoo that contains gentle detergent cleansing agents and a silicone-based conditioning agent. This will build up on hair with repeated use, but is a good alternate shampoo for all but very fine hair. Unless you have a penchant for overspending on shampoo, there is no reason to consider this over L'Oreal's Nutri Vive Shampoo ($3.99 for 13 ounces).
$$$ Gentle Care for Dry and Sensitized Hair ($27.50 for 6.8 ounces) is such a basic, no-frills conditioner formulation that the price tag is truly embarrassing. Almost any conditioner from any other line will perform equally well (and many will surpass this) for a fraction of the cost. The L'Oreal main line match to this would be their Color Vive or Nutri Vive Conditioners (each $3.99 for 13 ounces).
$$$ Rich Nurturing Treatment for Very Dry Hair ($35 for 5.1 ounces) is a thick-textured conditioner sold as a hair mask/treatment that contains mostly water, thickeners, conditioning agents (the same ones that show up in hundreds of conditioners), silicone detangling agent, fragrance, lanolin, and preservatives. This would be appropriate for someone with normal to dry hair that is thick or coarse. However, I encourage you to consider L'Oreal's Curl Vive Conditioner Coarse ($3.99 for 13 ounces) before trying this product.
$$$ Serum for Damaged Ends ($24 for 1 ounce) is a traditional, waterless silicone serum that contains two forms of silicone, plus alcohol and fragrance. This won't repair or heal damaged ends (if they're damaged or splitting, the only cure is to cut them off), but like all silicone serums in every price bracket it can make hair look and feel smooth, silky, and appear incredibly shiny and radiant.
$$$ Enriching Conditioning Mousse for Dry and Sensitized Hair ($24 for 5.1 ounces) is a standard aerosol styling mousse that contains no holding agents, and is mostly water, propellant, and silicone. This contains a form of camphor that can be a significant scalp irritant, so be sure to avoid getting this near skin and just apply it to the hair.