Saturday, June 4, 2011

John Freida Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray

Let me start off by saying that I cannot be held responsible for the outcome if you try this product yourself. I am merely sharing with you my experience with this product, and your results may vary depending on the color, texture, condition and porousness of your hair.

That being said, I love the spray "John Freida Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray". I purchased this product at CVS for $9.00 (it was on sale). I dont know the full retail price. This is a controlled lightening spray, which means you will not see immediate results. As the box indicates, you will see "results in 3-5 uses." I also want you to be aware that this product contains hydrogen peroxide, and it works with HEAT to lighten your hair. The instructions do not mention sun (remember Sun-In Hair Lightener from the 80's and 90's which reacted to the sun to lighten your hair?). This product requires a heat-styling tool to work its magic. And I do mean magic! It recommends that you use a curling iron or flat-iron after application for maximum results. I dont use either a flat-iron or a curling iron (on the norm), but I did for 6 days straight. I blew my hair dry on the hottest setting and then I used my flat-iron.

I was in dire need of getting a touch up on my roots (I think this time my hairdresser would have recommended a full head of highlights, not a partial... which obviously costs more money). Last time I got my hair done it was March 21st, and I started this process May 29th. Your hair does grow faster in the warmer months and I looked like I had "prison roots". haha! I dont have the money to get my hair done at the moment. I couldnt have tried this product out at a better time. I did get in contact with my hairdresser and asked her opinion about this product and she said she didnt know anything about it, but that she doesnt like over the counter products because it is not meant for everyone's hair. I decided to take the risk anyway because I figured that it was $9.00 rather then $80.00. (I get a great deal on my hair because my hair dresser does it out of her house, but still I dont have the $80.00 to spend at the moment.)

I towel dried my hair and sprayed it directly on my roots and then combed it through. I didnt do the under part of my hair only the top (crown). I then blew it dry on the hottest setting (making special effort to apply lots of heat to my roots ) and then flat-ironed the top portion of my hair (where I sprayed). I am not a fan of the flat-iron because I already have thinner flat hair and this just makes it worse. I did this process for 6 days straight. (I normally only wash my hair every other day but I wanted to get the final result as soon as possible because it is my 30th birthday and I am going out with my friends for a party tonight.) I find the fragrance of this product pleasant--it smells just like a regular hairspray. There was one time that I think maybe I used a bit too much and it didnt smell great, but it wasnt horrible. (To be fair, I do have a sensitive nose and can smell bad things a mile away.)

Now for the results. I actually saw results on the 1st day. You read that right... the 1st day!!! It had already started blending my "prison roots" into the rest of my hair. I am so excited about this product, I can't even tell you. I dont have to go back to my hair dresser now (for god knows how long). After using this product for 6 days, it looks like I am fresh out of the salon. I probably could have stopped using it after the 5th day, but I figured one more time wouldn't hurt. (The box recommends you can use it for up to 10 uses.)

I was a bit nervous about using the spray for two reasons. First, my hair tends to pull a strawberry color if not done right. (Some of my "old" hairdressers said it wasnt red but golden... yeah right. My hair used to have a strawberry blonde tint... not what I was looking for) Second reason was because I had read mixed results online from random beauty review websites. Then I read some reviews from fellow beauty bloggers and saw a "favorites video" from one of my favorite youtube guru's (TiffanyD. That is the link to the video where she mentions this product... it is around the 9:50 minute mark). She uses the product as well. I was very interested in the product when she mentioned it, but she didn't show her before and after so I wasnt 100% sold yet. What finally sold me was I saw this product being talked about on a beauty segment on The Today Show. It was renowned makeup artist and beauty expert Mickey Williams. After I saw that segment, I went right to my local CVS and bought it. Here is a link to the segment. It is the second product that she talks about. 

My natural hair color is dark blonde/light brown (I think... hehe). I have been coloring and highlighting my hair for so many years and started at such a young age, I cant be 100% sure. I do remember I started coloring my hair because it was a bit mouse-y and had absolutely no shine to it. I think that my roots look horribly dark when they come in, but I am told by my hairdresser that 1st-- it's not that bad and 2nd-- it just looks that way to me because I color my hair a lighter blonde. I can say that my eye brows are so light that I need to tint them or fill them in so they actually show up. And my arm/leg hair is blonde (just in case you were wondering, haha). So I consider myself blonde when people ask. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!)

My hair does not feel dry or damaged in the slightest, which I think can be attributed to the fact that this is a gentle, very gradual lightening process. I also stopped after six applications instead of using ten. (I'm not saying that ten applications would cause damage, but since I only used six, I can't tell you either way if it will damage your hair or not. But I don't think so.) I do have some breakage in the front of my hair, but I dont think that it is from the product. I think that it is from my flat-iron... which is another reason why I stopped using my flat-iron a few years ago. The breakage is not that bad... I can tame it.

One last thing: after using this product six times, the bottle still feels basically full. That's great news considering you only get 3.5 oz of product to begin with. I imagine one bottle will last quite a while since I only had to use it 6 times. Keep in mind I only did my crown area. I have read that some people say that after their first time of using it, they had a little more then half of the bottle left. I am assuming that they did their entire head (not just their crown).

I will be purchasing this product again when mine runs out. I love the fact that I can do this between highlights, if my roots are bothering me, or if I am in a pinch with money (like I am now). If you have tried this product or plan on trying it, please let me know. I want to hear other people's views on it.

Here are my before and after pictures. I really wish that they were better and I am sorry about that. There is a major difference and I hope that you can see it. The first picture you can see there is about 1" of roots and the second picture (which is better quality) there are no roots. (Like I have mentioned numerous times before... my camera really sucks.) I know for now on to use my laptop for close up pictures like this. The lighting is better.


Before

After

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