I recently had my hair dyed from bleach blonde to a reddish brown color. I guess it could be considered auburn. I loved it so so so much that I immediately went to Ulta to stock up on hair care products. I couldn't keep using my purple shampoo (keeps blonde hair from brassing). I looked up reviews previously to going and of course my ulta had known of the things I went there to buy. I purchased the Loreal everpure system (which I will also do a review on) and this Ulta Ultimate Red Hair Glaze. It says it is supposed to deposit red color into your hair. One of the things I did see while researching hair care products was that red is almost harder than blonde to upkeep. I ended up asking one of the Ulta workers about the product. She told me that she had used the John Frieda Blonde Glaze and that it worked but it turned her hair an orange color. From being blonde, I knew that she tried to go to blonde from brown, which turns orange. My main concern was that it would turn my hair fire red. She told me that it is a gradual process and to just stop using it if I thought I was going too red.
The first time I washed my hair I used the everpure shampoo and conditioner but was horrified as I washed my red hair dye go down the drain. The next time around washing my hair I used this glaze. Of course when I got home I looked up reviews on the product. They were awful! The only review I could find with pictures was a girl with very bright red hair, which was not what I wanted. Also, I ended up dropping it, breaking the cap and it began to leak everywhere. I transferred it to an old shampoo bottle, which I guess is what many people recommend anyways. Now, when looking up reviews, I did learn that when you read the directions carefully, you are supposed to essentially put the glaze in your hair with your shampoo and let it sit for five minutes. I had never heard this before but the people said this method worked the best. I thought about mixing the shampoo and glaze in my hand but decided to follow the directions exactly. The glaze is runny and you must be careful to not splash it all over your walls. I tried to work in sections but it seemed impossible so I put it, what I thought, was all over my hair. I waited the five minutes, rinsed it out, and used my conditioner.
Before Picture:
This was right before I got in the shower. I have very weird lightning in my bathroom. I took this on my iphone and "color balanced" it in an app. In person I swear my hair looks more brown than red. Also, because I went from blonde to brown, it is fading back into blonde.
After Pictures:
I took these the next day (I keep forgetting to buy a hair dryer, so I had to wait for it to air dry). Also, excuse my closet mess, I can't really reach that top shelf. Anyways, I tried to get the exact same lightning but couldn't (next time I will take more than one before picture). I also "color balanced" these pictures. I asked people if they thought my hair looked more red than the day before and they said yes.
Verdict:
I am not sure why it made my hair more brown along with red due to the fact that the glaze is bright red. However, this is exactly what I wanted. I was scared it was going to make my hair a fiery red and it did not. People could see the difference and I no longer freak out when I see my red going down the drain. I am not sure whether it dries out your hair. I used to have bleached hair, which is the worst damage ever. Compared to getting highlights, this product does not seem to dry my hair out. As my hair fades back to blonde, I will either get the brown glaze and use that along with the red glaze, or I will semi permanent my hair until my next salon visit. So much uncertainty in the diy hair world! As for the red glaze, as long as my hair doesn't turn bright red, I will continue to use it!
