Rita Hazan True Color Shampoo, Color Gloss and Hydrating Conditioner

Rita Hazan is arguably the queen of celebrity hair color. She does Beyonce’s hair, J. Lo’s hair, Jessica Simpson’s hair… Need I say more? She’s unarguably the queen of my roots! I’ve bought her Root Touch Up Concealer more times than I’d like to count during more Sephora VIB sales than I’d like to admit. It’s one of my ride-or-dies.

I didn’t know until recently that she also has a small hair care line with shampoo, conditioner, hair glosses (they add shine and temporary color) and a couple of hair treatments, and everything’s focused on retaining and maintaining color in color-treated hair.

Being the scent junkie that I am, I immediately went into horizontal fainting couch mode after I started using her True Color Shampoo ($26), Ultimate Color Gloss in Brown ($26) and True Color Hydrating Conditioner ($26), because everything smells exactly like Estée Lauder’s Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, also known as “my Hawaiian gardenia floral fantasy come true,” and that scent lingers in my locks for days.

I’ve been using all three products for about a month now, starting immediately after the last time my friend Alis colored my hair, and my mane has remained really dark and shiny. I love it.

True Color Shampoo

True Color Shampoo is sulfate free, so it builds up very little lather. It’s gentle and doesn’t irritate my scalp, but it’s still effective enough to remove oil and styling products. FYI, it doesn’t de-tangle for sh*t, though, so brush out your hair thoroughly beforehand, and bring your wide-toothed comb into the shower… Be prepared to do some work.

Ultimate Color Gloss in Brown

Ultimate Color Gloss in Brown is a foaming gloss, and I use about six pumps for my long hair after I shampoo (I leave it in for three minutes). It seems to retain the dark brown color of my highlights, and although I know that it doesn’t technically dye my gray hair, I swear, my grays look less…aggressive (?) after I use it.

True Color Hydrating Conditioner

Thick, rich True Color Hydrating Conditioner does contain silicone (it’s the sixth ingredient on the list), so it’s a heavier type of conditioner that could potentially weigh your hair down. I only have to use a small amount. About a quarter-sized dollop does the job, which is rare for me because I always feel like I need to practically dump half a bottle of conditioner on my head to get a decent amount of moisture, so I’m thinking I’ll be able to stretch this out for a really, really long time… I’ve also noticed that it has a slight loosening effect of my waves, which I like a lot.

All of these are available now at Sephora and Ulta, if you’re interested. If you have color-treated hair and love a long-lasting scent, you might want to check them out.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen