Wella System Professional Shine Define Shampoo

I have a confession to make. I always think that buying haircare products at a hair salon is a bit of a rip-off ! You spend a fortune getting your hair cut and styled and it always seems like a ploy to get more money out of you at the last minute when they offer you the opportunity of buying their exclusive, professional-quality, exclusive-to-hair-salons range of top-notch products at top-notch prices.

But nevertheless, I was really excited, albeit slightly cynical, when I was given the chance to try out some hair products from the lovely Guy Christian, who has a salon in Cardiff. He said I could review three products of my choice or tell him about my hair type and he'd pick for me. Well, I decided to trust his professional judgement and told him I had natural dark brown, long, extremely thick hair that lacked sleekness and shine.

The first product he recommended and sent was Wella Shine Define Shampoo from the System Professional range. As explained on the Guy Christian Shop website : "System Professional is the first truly personalised hair care system, allowing you to create a unique treatment for your hair. Wella SP's innovative formulas combine state of the art technology solutions with precision hair alchemy to bring you a range of products that can be matched to your hair care needs." You can choose from Style, Hydrate, Repair, Volumise, Colour Save, Shine Define, Smoothen, Clear Scalp, Balance Scalp, Just Men or Sun.

Each category in the range has a different coloured flip-top lid, the Shine Define colour being dark red, so it's easy to recognise the different products. A quick read up on the back of the bottle reveals that this shampoo promises "shine enhancing cleansing", which it achieves by removing residues that make the hair dull and caring for the hair to add shine. Right, on to the testing.

I had some insider tips from Guy Christian himself about how to get the most out of this shampoo. He advised : "Use a small amount each time you shampoo. Even though your hair is thick you’d use the same amount of product as someone with short hair. Do it twice if you have to instead. About a 50p amount each time is enough." I have to admit, I didn't think that would be enough but I bow down to superior knowledge - he was quite right ! The first time I used it, I washed my hair twice but for each subsequent wash, once was enough. Maybe that first wash really did wash out a build-up of residue ?

The shampoo smells of posh salon shampoo - I can't define the fragrance, it's not really fruity or floral, but you can tell this is a high quality product. It's a colourless gel and lathers up nicely.I could instantly tell that my hair felt really clean and silky, despite not yet having used conditioner (which I do every time I wash my hair, otherwise it's too dry and frizzy). I used conditioner (which I will be reviewing shortly) and let my hair dry naturally, as usual.

My hair felt great and was really easy to brush but what surprised me the most was other people's reactions. Madhouse Daddy Mike mentioned that my hair smelt lovely (blimey, he doesn't usually notice !) and one of the kids at school, more inclined to be insulting and disrespectful, actually said "Miss, did you use hair straighteners today ? It suits you." Excuse me while I pick my chin up off the floor ! A friend also asked if I'd had my hair cut, and I had noticed myself that the layers around my face, which really need a trim, were sitting just perfectly for the first time in ages and did look as if I'd just walked out of a salon.

Wow, so much for me being a cynic ! I went off to check the price, expecting bad news. Well, a 250ml bottle has a RRP of £12.50 but Guy Christian sells it at the reduced price of £8.79. That's still more expensive than my usual shampoos but, firstly, I have to agree that a 50p-sized blob is enough and I only need one wash so it should last for ages. Secondly, I have to be honest, it does work a lot better than my usual non-salon haircare products and made my hair look and feel absolutely wonderful, so much so that other people actually made comments ! The added perk of getting compliments is definitely worth spending a bit more on !

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £12.50 but £8.79 in the Guy Christian shop

for more information : http://www.guychristianshop.com/range/wella-sp/wella-sp-shine-shampoo-250ml.html

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Lovea's Moroccan Argan Brilliance Shine Shampoo

Vosene Nitwatch ! Reactions from the school gate

Melvita Shampoo and Conditioner for Tired Hair