So many brands and so many products: some claim to thicken the hair; others claim to make it stronger; some even claim that using their shampoo can help you regain your long lost hair! There are well over 200 products for washing the hair - is this supposed to make our lives easier? I don't think so! With all these brands and different hair types we should make a choice. Choosing a hair shampoo depends on many factors: hair nature, colour, thickness, length, your age and even your ethnic origin! Most examples of European hair are different from Asian or African hair so we should keep in mind that what works on someone else's hair might not work on yours.
So many people (mostly ladies) use a lot of styling products: gel, mousse, moulding mud, heating rolls, hair dryers and (the big destroyer) colouring their hair. When using hair colouring, a lot of damage occurs that may not be visible. You are not only covering the hair with multi chemicals; you have damaged your hair especially if you are going lighter. By using peroxide you are stripping your hair of its natural oils and protein, thus leaving it dull, lifeless and very breakable. This also applies to having a permanent wave or straightening the hair: they both do damage; perhaps even worse; the hair may be frizzy and have every woman's nightmare: split ends! The last solution is a trip to the hairdresser (which I hate most, as all of them cut inches off your hair, as if they are against long hair!).
As for me I never dye or bleach my hair; I like it dark - but I have very long hair and I'm very addicted to styling products and I use heat tongs (mostly every day). The results are great, but when my hair is wet I can see thinning ends, some split ends, and a loss of shine.
CATWALK FASHIONISTA SHAMPOO
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Through all these products there is one that stands out: Catwalk Fashionista Shampoo, which was invented and developed by Tigi, a leading brand for body, hair, and cosmetic products. I didn't like the name; I thought it was quite long and a bit over the top.
It claims to be the best of the range, using top ingredients to use from root to tip. This shampoo claims to have unique ingredients designed to make the best of your hair and to give you the looks of which you have always dreamt. Their advertisement, showing some catwalk models with their silky hair flying away is very well styled, but how is it in real life for real, on real individuals' hair?
I am trying the shampoo for a four-day 'consumer test' conducted for your benefit. The results will be honest and from real experience (No commercial ads I promise).
The Bottle
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It's very plain, very basic, nothing to mention. I must say it is the cheapest looking shampoo I have ever come across. The bottle is clear like a water bottle, no curves or specific design, very straightforward, with a big C on it and in the middle of the C, (c)atwalk Tigi. There is also some writing in white on the bottle mentioning that it is colour-safe shampoo and the weight (which is 350ml) which is quite generous but generosity which comes with a price.
The cap is very hard to use, very similar to a sport bottle or juice bottle: you pull the cap up and squeeze the bottle. I wasn't very impressed at all; you can't use this in the bath for many reasons: your hands will be wet and slippery so how on earth can you pull it up? And if you managed to do so in the first place, but maybe you need another squeeze, what can you do with soapy hands? Will you ask someone to do it for you? I don't think so! It is very unpractical!
The Shampoo Colour
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I love the colour, lilac, new and exciting, it's not every one's favourite but I like, it reminds me of lavender a smoothing and relaxing colour, very cheerful and girlie, I felt very encouraged to use it.
The Texture
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Thick and creamy as thick as body lotion, not runny at all so when squeeze it won't slip from your fingers and run into the bath as it always with me, lovely texture, luxuriously soft and silky, when I looked closely I saw it pearly lilac which means it has amino acids in this formula helps to repair the damaged cuticles and hopefully regain the lost shine. The bad news is ...it might get lumpy when it's nearly finished; for some weird reason the texture gets thicker and stuck in bottom of the bottle.
The Smell
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When the bottle was opened the smell is instantly obvious: very powerful, strong and aromatic. I must say it is probably not every one's taste. It's obviously synthetic, not fruity or herbal; more like a perfume: it smells like a salon shampoo. I like overpowering smells, especially in shampoo, as it saves me using hair mist to keep the hair freshly scented.
The Weight & The Price
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The weight is 350ml, very generous indeed, many shampoos are only 250 ml but this generosity came with a price tag - a massive 7.50, quite a lot to pay compared to other brands, so every drop is precious.
Where to Find It
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If you visit the Tigi site, and other salon websites there is sometimes a special offer, so maybe you can find it cheaper. Please note that it will take between 3 to 5 days to deliver or if you are in a hurry, you can pay extra (usually before 11 am) for same day delivery; otherwise you can always find it in good hairdressing salons.
This is not available in Supermarkets or local shops.
Monday to Thursday: 4 days trial
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I don't normally wash my hair every day with my bath time as it takes me 2 hours between washing and styling but for the sake of trying out this shampoo I washed it every day.
As I mentioned before, I hate the cap. When you open it for the first time it's very difficult, it was very tightly pushed down and I struggled to open it; with frequent use it became easier to open.
How much shampoo to use depends on how long, thick and how dirty your hair is; for me, it varies between a walnut size and 50p size. I didn't know how much to use at first, so on Monday I put as much shampoo as I would have used with my normal hair shampoo and I wish I didn't! It was too much! A lot of lather formed; it was very rich and thick. I kept rinsing my hair for 20 minutes just to remove the excess shampoo, so next time it'll be a walnut size for me. This is an advantage.
It is economical and a time saver as you only need a little and wash it once; no need for another helping even for longer hair.
With most shampoos, when I apply it to wet hair, my hair will jam together and stick making my hair lumpy and very tangled, so I have to use a conditioner to detangle and loosen the lump. This has applied to most of the high street shampoos I use. It was different with Catwalk Fashionista shampoo. My hair was very soft supple and tangle free; it felt like every single hair was wrapped with silky film; I could actually feel it was moisturized and very soft in touch; my fingers could work through my hair without getting trapped (unlike other brands - when I put my fingers in my hair, I struggle to take them out)!
Hair can be at its weakest when it's wet and it can easily break; when I used this shampoo my hair was instantly stronger and was smelling nice.
I tried it for the 2nd, 3rd and the 4th day with excellent results. Now, my hair is more manageable, stronger; ready to style, tangle free and smelling nicer for longer. The styling time is faster because my hair is smoother. Unfortunately, the split ends never vanished so I still had to trim the ends.
The only downside of this product that I found was that it weighs your hair down, especially when it's wet; I can feel it heavier; this is a problem for longer hair.
Maybe this is because of the nature of the shampoo: the hair is heavier because the moisture is locked inside; it is a bit unpleasant when wet, but it will get better when the hair is dry.
It is claimed that it is suitable to use on coloured hair as well; I can't confirm this as my hair is naturally dark and I never used hair dye. I can say that it has a special UV filter that can reduce the risk of sun damage to the hair colour; this is not new to the market, and most leading brands have the UV filter in their ranges.
Conclusion
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All this experience sums up as the following:
*It is quite expensive but it lasts longer than other brands because very small amounts are more than enough.
*Normal bottle, not attractive, but showing the exciting colour of the shampoo; the bottle can be recycled, (good for the environment).
* Very dense and thick, it smells good and perfumes your hair all day long.
* Moisturizes the hair; can lock the moisture in, leaving hair soft in touch, easy to manage and style with light-reflecting shiny hair.
* It restores lifeless hair and repairs sun damage; reduces the frizzes BUT will not demolish the split ends (shame).
* Hair salon results, suitable for dry, damaged, chemically treated hair.
* No need to use more conditioning products but if combined with their conditioner you will achieve brilliant results especially for damaged hair.
* The good news is, it is suitable for every day use, good news for people with dry scalp and hair.
My advice is . . . Go for it! You may be paying more, but it's a good investment for your hair; it can be used daily without damaging the hair or stripping out its own natural oils.