MINE Blue Monday Color Shampoo, Color Conditioner, & Color Sage Gel

Introduction

In the ever-evolving search to bring you, the loyal Hair Boutique readers, great hair products that really do what they promise, I tried MINE Blue Monday Color Shampoo, Color Conditioner, and Color Sage Gel. (Photo of Mine Blue Monday Color Sage Gel copyright HairBoutique.com 2001).

I am just as big a target for good advertising as the next person, but I have seen and tried so many dozens of hair products that I'm just a tad jaded. If the shampoo promised to make my hair 'gloriously shiny, silky, and strong;' well, I've heard it before. If the conditioner touted itself as 'totally moisturizing and rejuvenating', ho-hum-heard it, heard it, heard it. If the gel flat out shouted that it 'keeps hair in its place once and for all,' well, pardon me while I lie down for a nap.

I keep waiting for a hair product that will make my hair look fantastic, my skin young and radiant, reshape my waistline, firm up my thighs, give me my nice firm chin back, keep my nail polish from chipping, and make the man of my dreams (a combination of Mel Gibson for looks, Eddie Izzard for sense of humor, Tommy Tune for being both tall and a good dancer, Emeril for his culinary skills, and Donald Trump for bucks) appear holding a Lalique vase of pink roses, a diamond tiara, and the keys to my new Porsche. Is this asking too much of a hair product? Well, maybe.

But how about this-what if the shampoo, conditioner, and gel in question could keep brown hair from going orange, blonde hair from going yellow, or gray hair from going dull or brassy? And also gently neutralize tones without drying, AND treat chemical color gently? AND actually save your money because they are so concentrated? As an added bonus (to me, anyway), I love the text on the bottles as well:

4 Reasons Why Your Hair Can't Live Without Me (MINE)

1. I am formulated to work on any hair that gets brassy, from black, blonde, or gray hair

2. I will gently neutralize tones without drying your hair.

3. I can be used daily, or alternated with Cherry Tuesday, our everyday shampoo.

4. I was formulated by Donna Pascoe, color specialist for over twenty-five years, with the clients' needs in mind"

Pretty snappy repartee for hair products, don't you think? Taking all this into consideration, plus the fact that the shampoo, conditioner, and gel are all a fabulous shade of purple, how could I possibly resist? Besides, I have some gray sprinkles in my hair near my temples, and they can always use some brightening up. So, clutching my three bottles of MINE, I headed for the steamy rainforest that is my shower.

How I Tested MINE Blue Monday Shampoo, Conditioner, & Gel

Now, despite the fact that these products are all purple, they do not and will not make your hair purple! In fact, the shampoo yielded up billowy clouds of gorgeous white lather. The scent was heavenly, too! When I rinsed it out, my hair squeaked all over in appreciation.

BE WARNED: the conditioner and the gel are VERY concentrated, so you only need a tiny bit of each. Seriously.

I squeezed out a minute dab of conditioner (not even my usual dime-sized amount-more like a pinky-fingernail's worth), and distributed it liberally throughout my hair. I let it stay on while doing the usual shower things (about 2-3 minutes), and then rinsed it out. Now here is where this conditioner really shines, so to speak. Even wet, my hair felt absolutely wonderful-I was able to run my fingers through it as I would a heavy silken tassel. It felt full of moisture, but not overmuch. You know that slimy, not-quite-rinsed-out feel you get with some conditioners? Trust me-this one leaves your hair feeling as though some $1,000 an hour Beverly Hills hairdresser named El Fabulouso applied some wildly expensive organic treatment to each and every hair!

After towel-drying, I dropped a little blob (this was about a middle-fingernail's worth) of the sage gel into my hands and rubbed my palms together. I worked the gel into my hair, and then styled it as usual. This gel more than does its job-it held even my thick, coarse spiky hairdo in place! Better still, when it dried and I ran my hands through my hair, there were none of those pesky little white "gel flakes" I loathe.

I put the products to the ultimate test-I took my trusty hand mirror outside in the steaming Dallas heat (no sacrifice too great for Hair Boutique readers!), and checked out the results. May I just say-WOW!! The products definitely did not turn my hair purple. What they did do was brighten up my dark brown hair considerably, and my gray sprinkles now look like platinum dust, sparkling like mad!

Shampoo Ingredients

Water, DEA-lauryl sulfate and DEA lauraminaproprionate and sodium lauraminaproprionate and propylene glycol, lauramide DEA, glycol stearate and other ingredients, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, diazolidinyl urea and methylparaben and propylparaben, citric acid, color F D&C violet #2, and fragrance.

Conditioner Ingredients

Water, stearalkonium chloride, cetyl alcohol, emulsifying wax, guar hydroxypropyl trimonium chloride, myristamidlopropyl dimethylamine phospate and propylene glycol, tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E), panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), diazolidinyl urea and methylparaben and propylparaben, fragrance and color (D&C violet #2).

Gel Ingredients

Water. PVP/DMAPA acrylates copolymer, hydroxy ethyl cellulose, sage oil, hydrolyzed collagen, aloevera, panthenol, quaternium-22, propylene glycol isoceteth-3 acetate, diazolidinyl urea and methylparaben and propylparaben, oleth-20, polysorbate-20, extracts of rosemary, yarrow, nettle, coltsfoot, birch sap, and sage; citric acid, fragrance and color (D&C violet #2).

Please NOTE: Shake each product well before using. Avoid contact with eyes, and keep out of reach of children.

Fragrance

I am possibly as jaded about hair product fragrance as I am about hair product advertising. But now and then, something comes along that really grabs my nose. The shampoo scent is fresh and lavender-y, with a spark of citrus for interest. The conditioner fragrance is more subtle and elusive; a scent you can't quite put your finger on, yet something like the way a freshly-cut lawn smells after a light rain. The gel was my favorite, wafting delicious drifts of rosemary and sage, with a faint earthy sweetness. As with all good hair products, the fragrances make hair care in the shower a spa event, but do not linger forever in the hair.

Packaging

The packaging for MINE hair products is pretty neat. Each one comes in a tall white plastic bottle with a black pop-top for easy opening in the shower, with MINE's classic edgy-looking barefoot gal on the front, sporting a big flower in her teeth. Since this is the Blue Monday line, the color is purple.

Conclusion

Not only are MINE Blue Monday Color Shampoo, Color Conditioner, & Color Sage Gel hard-working hair products that really deliver, but they are so concentrated that they are a very good buy. You get a lot of product for the pesos!

Jane's Rating

On my own scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, I give MINE Blue Monday Color Shampoo, Color Conditioner, & Color Sage Gel a resounding 10!

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