| Salon Today News |
Karen Marie Shelton
Revised Date:
07/12/07 - Original Publication Date: 09/1997 |
| |
Introduction
Back in July of 1997 I spent a long "new hair care product" hunting trip in
New York City. I happen to be one of those weirdos that loves
"The City" and I
always buy much more than I can ever carry home.
Thank goodness for Mailboxes Etc. (now owned by UPS)
and cheap shipping.
While I was in NYC, I decided to make the rounds of the "hair
temples".
No "hair trip" to New York would be complete without a visit to the world
famous Kiehls. So I popped into Kiehl's and had my hair touched and analyzed by one
of the friendly white coat clad consultants. The experience was wonderful and I left
with a huge box of Kiehl goodies. My only disappointment was that Kiehl's could not
be purchased on the Net.
After I recovered from the Kiehl experiences I made my way to the original George
Michael's salon. Yes I have had the experience of the "George Michael
Treatment". I also bought some of the orange creme shampoo and the pink creme
conditioner that is designed for long hair.
I also made a point
to find the main Aveda spa where I found myself in a sea of wonderful aromas, candles and
beautiful music.
From the Aveda Spa I walked to NYC's favorite.....Ricky's beauty supplies. I then wandered into
the main Origins and Cosmetics Plus stores in Manhattan.
By the time I dragged myself into Cosmetics Plus I felt like I had bought out the
entire City.
Apparently I hadn't, because the Cosmetics Plus store was stuffed with all sorts of
hair goodies. After chatting with the hair care buyer
she suggested that for my highlighted, slightly dry hair, that I should
seriously check out the
Rene Furterer line of hair care. I was instantly drawn to the
beautiful dark
green Rene Furterer
boxes with
gorgeous yellow lettering.
All of the
product names sounded very exotic. I didn't have a clue which product to buy for my
hair.
The buyer took pity on me and suggested that I would probably really like the
Furterer Okara
line. She also recommended the
Phytologie #7 leave in
conditioner (which I also bought & loved and still
use all the time).
I decided to go the full treatment route and buy the
Okara
Repairing Shampoo,
Okara Reconstructive Mask and the
Okara Revitalizing No Rinse Treatment. I scooped up
two armfuls
of Rene Furterer products, staggered to the checkout counter and had them ship everything back to
Dallas.
When it was all said and done, I shipped back 5 boxes of hair care
products, hair books and hair tools from NYC. The trip was a smashing success even
if I discovered that my favorite all time NYC restaurant, Bouley, had gone to the Big
Restaurant in the Sky.
Okara Repairing Shampoo
This pH neutral shampoo is designed to help restructure damaged hair giving it lots of
body, shine and helps to facilitate detangling. Since my hair is highlighted about
3-4x a year and tends naturally towards dryness, the Cosmetics Plus consultant told me
that I should definitely try the
Okara Repairing
Shampoo.
The Cosmetics Plus consultant told me that the Okara shampoo contains a special
formulation that is designed to gently clean the hair. It was specifically
developed to be very gentle for color treated or chemically altered hair.
Okara is also described in the Furterer literature as containing "a natural active
ingredient which gives hair volume and bounce".
I faithfully used the entire tube of the Okara Repairing Shampoo. Normally if a
shampoo or hair care product is going to "trash my hair" I know it by the 2nd or
3rd application.
This did not happen with the Okara. I literally squeezed every last drop out of
the shampoo until there was nothing left.
I can honestly say that I found that the shampoo did everything it (and the Cosmetics
Plus consultant) promised on the box. The shampoo was thick and creamy with a sort
of pink/light peach color that had a wonderful aroma. It sort of smelled like a
field of fresh flowers. Not too strong but with a nice balance.
My hair was soft and shiny and it was tangle free. It also had lots of shine.
Keep in mind that everyone's hair is completely different. For me, this stuff
really worked. I enjoyed finding a product that definitely was gentle on my dry
hair.
Okara Reconstructive Mask
I am a big believer in conditioning. Not only do I
subscribe to a "condition in the shower every day" but I also do a weekly deep
conditioning treatment of some sort to my hair.
Yes my hair gleams and is very healthy looking. I also work
hard at making sure all the oils are replenished through the conditioning.
So as I was buying the Okara shampoo, I was looking at the
various conditioners to see what would be a good "add-on" to the Repairing
shampoo.
With the help of the Cosmetics Plus consultant I picked up the
Okara Reconstructive mask.
This hair mask is designed to optimize the duration of any
chemical treatment (perm, highlighting, color or straightening). It is supposed to
maintain the elasticity of your hair and helps to repair and protect your hair. It
is also specifically designed to add body and bounce.
I have to admit that I also enjoyed the mask. It made my
hair feel tangle free, smooth and silky.
More About Rene Furterer
Once I decided that I loved the Okara products, I had to learn
more about them. I did a little research.
It turns out that for over thirty years, Pierre Fabre
Laboratories (home of Rene Furterer products) have made phytotherapy their
specialty. They are involved in the selection of plants of proven efficiency.
At the labs, researchers select plants for its specific curative properties for the scalp
and the hair.
The researchers undertake rigorous studies to determine the parts of the
plants which contain the greatest quantity of active elements that will produce the best
results for the hair.
Their goal is to obtain the extract which has the best
performance, and to test its efficacy. To guarantee the purest results, Rene
Furterer products are made from plant extracts that are taken from pollution free
agricultural fields in the isolated south-west of France.
The extraction unit "plants and industries" located in
Gaillac in Tam, France is very unique. It allows Furterer to transpose to an
industrial scale the extraction of natural active substances. The Rene Furterer hair
care products also draw their strength from essential oils.
Still A Favorite After All These Years
Here it is 2002 and my trip to The City was many years ago. So you
are probably wondering if I still use the Furterer Okara line? Yes, I
do. If anything I like the Furterer products more now
than I did then because I have used many of them for several years.
It is true that my current daily favorite hair care products are
centered about the Phyto,
ARTec and Aveda product lines. However, on a
regular basis I use other high quality products to give my hair a "rest".
I also have found that I like different things in the different
lines. Sometimes I even mix and match or "cocktail"
my products between the lines. I might use ARTec Smoothing
Shampoo and
Phytocitrus
Mask along with Aveda's Confixer. Other times I will
mix and match my Okara products with the
Phyto
styling products like the Phytodefrisant balm which is a
miracle frizz killer.
I don't personally believe that using the same hair care product
for an extended period of time makes the product stop working. To tell the
truth.......I just like to play with my hair. What better way than to rotate in some
great exotic products that make my hair feel extra special?
I currently stock up on my Okara at The
Grand Spa International in
the Dallas area. Crammed along my shower stall shelves with the glass
Phytotherathrie bottles are the stark green and yellow
Furterer bottles.
My Conclusions
I love what the Furterer Okara products do to my hair.
Recently I read that Salma Hayek uses Rene Furterer's Fioravanti
Light Weight Detangler on her gorgeous hair. So how could anyone go wrong with
following Ms. Hayek's lead?
Would I dump my Phytotherathrie or ARTec favorites for Furterer? I have to admit that I am really addicted to
the both the Phytotherathrie and ARTec products. However I will always use Furterer
as well because I really enjoy the results of many of their
products.
Of course it is important to re-iterate that everyone's hair is
different. What works well for me may not work at all for someone else. So
Furterer may turn out to be manna for your hair. Or maybe not.
Find what works for you.
For More Information
The complete Phyto & Rene Furterer lines
are sold at
HairBoutique.com in the Marketplace.
|