Alterna Bamboo UV+ Color Protection Vibrant Color Shampoo and Conditioner

I was first introduced to the Alterna line of hair care products late last spring when I first visited my new salon and I have been using some of their styling products ever since. I am very fickle when it comes to hair care products and I rarely purchase the same products twice in a row.  One of the only products that I am very committed to is the Matrix Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner...and one of the others is a serum from Alterna.  The logical next step was to order a shampoo and conditioner from the Alterna line and alternate it with the Matrix products.  I always alternate at least two sets of shampoo and conditioner so that I can protect my color and highlights and prevent overall build up issues.  I had just finished up a round of Fekkai products when I decided that I wanted to try a completely different company and I decided on the color line of product from Alterna

I order both the shampoo and conditioner from the Bamboo UV+ Color Protection Vibrant Color line of products.  The serum that I first tried from this company was part of the Bamboo line and I think that this is a dominating ingredient in many of their hair care products.  I have been alternating this shampoo and conditioner with my Matrix favorites for the past week and I can easily state that I have a new hair care line that I will be ordering more items from.  I had heard many compliments on the Alterna products and I can see that they were completely correct.

Starting the shampoo...  "A color-preserving and protecting shampoo with rinse-resistant Color Hold® UV+ Technology for the highest level of color protection.  This gentle, daily use shampoo free of sulfates and sodium chloride cleanses, nourishes, and moisturizes, laying the foundation for healthy hair with vibrant color. Strengthening pure organic bamboo extract with color-locking, protecting Kalahari melon extract in this gentle sulfate- and sodium- chloride-free cleanser nourishes hair while maintaining healthy vibrant color. This formula is ideal for preventing color wash-out and fade-out with a high level of color protection, and contains rinse-resistant UV filters that protect against oxidative color damage."

My first impression of this shampoo is that it is much thicker in formula than I had expected, the formula is sulfate-free and these formula shampoos tend to be thicker than those with the chemicals contained in it.  The lather that was produced by this product was minimal, I used too much of it the first time around and not enough water to use it correctly.  The next time I made sure that my hair was truly soaked and I only used a quarter-sized drop of the product, this time the product rinsed much cleaner and worked much better.  Less is more when it comes to this formula.

Moving to the conditioner...  "A color-protecting and strengthening conditioner that prevents color fade-out.  This conditioner combines strengthening pure organic bamboo extract with color-locking, damage-locking Kalahari melon extract in a paraben- and sodium-chloride-free conditioner. Its formula infuses hair with nourishing moisture and vital nutrients to keep it strong and healthy with beautifully vibrant color. Featuring rinse-resistant UV filters that protect against oxidative color damage, this conditioner extends the life of your color."

The conditioner is very concentrated and is another product where a little bit goes a long way.  It was very hydrated and rinsed clean without creating any issues with build up.  My hair is very soft and easy to manage and style.  I really liked this formula from the first time that I used it.

My color has been going strong for the past few weeks with the use of this duo and the one from Matrix and my hair is very soft and easy to style.  This is one of the shampoo and conditioner sets that I would be interested in repurchasing and very few hair products make this cut.  I am now looking to see what other products from Alterna that I might want to order and try out.  This is one of the best hair care lines that I have used recently and I cannot see that I would ever stop using products from this collection.

photo courtesy of Sephora