Wednesday 25 April 2012

Go Blonder With John Frieda


If you asked 100 people what they thought of the John Frieda Go Blonder range you'd get some very mixed reviews. I've heard awful things about peoples hair turning orange, breaking off and even.. falling out! These issues I believe are predominantly down to user error. I know that's a little controversial because there are a huge amount of people out there claiming that this range ruined their hair through no fault of their own but barring actual allergic reactions (eg. Fleur De Force - see her video review here) I think the majority just don't understand what they're putting on their hair!

I wanted to talk about this prior to my review because of the sheer volume of bad experiences there have been. There will be some who skim read this post or just look at the pictures and go straight to comment "don't use this, it will wreck your hair!!!" but I thought if I started with the cons perhaps they'd catch a few lines of text too. 

First of all the shampoo and conditioner contain no peroxide, they claim to lighten naturally with citrus and camomile and while I was skeptical lemon is a bleaching agent so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The way I use it is.. I wash my hair and leave the shampoo in for 5 to 10 minutes while I'm in the bath I then rinse and apply the conditioner. I cover my hair in a towel or a shower cap and leave the conditioner on for as long as I can, that could be hours but I haven't attempted overnight yet. When I wash it out and dry my hair it is soft, shiny and visibly lighter. People have complained of dryness and I'm not sure why, I don't know if its the amount of time I'm leaving the conditioner on that is combating this but my hair is not 100% healthy and I've had no problems whatsoever.

We'll break for some photos then get in to the spray...


My 'before' hair



 These shots were after using the shampoo and conditioner once


This is after 2 weeks of use and two applications of the lightening spray.


Now the controlled lightening spray is a totally different animal and this is where I believe people are going wrong. This product does contain peroxide and no matter how diluted or how gentle the formula you are effectively still bleaching your hair every time you use it. I would imagine many will use this along side the shampoo and conditioner as their regular hair routine and that regular use is going cause damage. We are so used to spritzing ourselves with all kinds of product that if it comes in a bottle we don't really think about how much or how often we're using it. I believe most are using this as liberally as we would a styling spray or worse still.. in the place of a heat protectant before blow drying. We wouldn't dream of bleaching our hair once a fortnight let alone several times a week and yet this is how this product is being used and that's why everyone's hair is falling out! One girl commented on my video that she was appalled to still be waiting for it to fade out months later.. that was when the penny dropped.. people have no idea what they're buying. I'm not blaming John Frieda at all and it would seem they've taken steps to clarify adding a new label to the the box stating in bold "this product contains peroxide' but it's not their fault.. it is in my opinion the fault of the retailer. This product should be sold in the hair colour aisle alongside it's dated equivalent, 'Sun In' and all the other at home bleaching products. If you saw it there you would treat it appropriately!

That being said I would have thought regardless of where you bought it it was pretty obvious this is a permanent lightening spray and not for regular use. I have used it twice and don't intend to use it again for at least another month, It's taken me too long to get my hair to the condition and length that it is to ruin it now. The comments that were common on the video where I hauled these products were "It will make your hair so orange" - it hasn't, "Your hair will be so dry" - it isn't and the most popular had to be "Don't use this!!". I wanted to put my views out in the blogosphere to counteract some of the negativity surrounding John Frieda's Go Blonder range. No it's not going to be for everyone and if you're worried.. just don't risk it but if you're already considering home bleaching or highlights It's going to be gentler than that so I'd say, why not? 

My personal experience has been positive, the shampoo and conditioner alone have been very effective and left my hair feeling no different to normal. The controlled lightening spray did leave it feeling a little dry but after a deep condition it was back to it's healthy(ish) self. I wouldn't recommend you use these products every day, it's common sense to alternate with something that's a little more nourishing when you're using colour products of any kind but I will continue to use them on and off to give my blonde a boost. My highlights have lifted considerably and because I'm not too light I could potentially put off a professional touch up for several months as my roots are also blending well. Overall I'm really happy that I tried this. Reviews of skin and hair care always have to be taken with a pinch of salt and a lot of the time it's impossible to know what will work for you until you try it for yourself!

You can purchase the range here with prices starting at £5.99

One last note, to give you a more well rounded idea of how this works for other people you can check out the review page at MakeupAlley here where the feelings are as previously mentioned.. mixed!

Miss BB

23 comments:

  1. Brilliant balanced review. I think youve done a really good job of pointing out things people must be missing on a regular basis. It also says "for use on dark or medium brown hair. I am a bleached blonde who's naturally dark. I've used this once and am happy after brightening my blonde. For now ill be using it on my hairline and roots on occassion.

    Liz
    http://www.aspirationsofglam.blogspot.com
    xxx

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  2. Great review, as with most people I was really put off after what happened to Fleur's hair but like you said everyone is different. I definitely think I might consider trying this out in the future :)

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  3. I was always put off by the negative reviews of these! I was thinking of going back to blonde n will def check the shampoo & condidtioner out now! Can't believe how much it lightened your hair! X
    Www.sleepeatbeauty.blogspot.co.uk

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  4. i use this and it makes my hair lovely and glossy and bright :) not had an issue but is interesting to think whats actually in it! x great review as always hun x

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  5. even though i wont use it, i have no need too. I really enjoyed this review, both balanced and well written, talking about pros and cons & how to use it! xxx

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    1. thank you! I know I'm as guilty as anyone else for just reviewing something as rubbish but at the end of the day we're all different and it's not like a lipstick where we can state it is a good formula or it isn't.. hair and skin care is so individual!

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  6. Great review! I love the spray, but have always been scared to try the shampoo and conditioner since Fleurs review, but maybe Ill give it a go now! I think it all depends on your hair and what you want from it and thats where people go wrong. I hve nautrally mousey blonde and greasy hair, and wanted it much lighter so I use the spray all the time and have nothing but good things to say for it. It has dried my hair out a tiny bit, but I welcome that as it used to be so greasy, and I just balance it out with a hair mask once a week. People really need to get to now a product before they jump the gun and use it wrong x

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  7. Thanks for the great review, I'd definiely give it a go if my hair was still blondish!

    Lucy x

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  8. nope scrap my comment! i havent used this one its the sheer blonde the one in the gold tube! not yellow sorry ladies! although i do want to try this now!

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  9. Great review - I have recently bought the shampoo and so far so good! I think I will try the lightening spray next to put off going to the hairdresser for a while! I think you're right in that people do not pay much attention as to how they should be using the product, but it does also come down to store placement which is an agreement between the manufacturer and retailer...so John Frieda is to blame in some respects! xxx

    Rachel from http://whatabeauty.co.uk

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    1. yes you're probably right, that's the main issue in my opinion. If you bought it from the hair colour aisle you'd know what to expect, buying it next to shampoo people aren't reading the label and just spritzing themselves silly!

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  10. Grate review, I myself had no idea I was putting bleach on my hair and then blasting it with heat every other day until my friend who used it every day told me her hair was snapping due to it. The product itself is brilliant at lightning roots in between salon visit but, like you mentioned the problem lies in the fact it is placed with hair styling products. Also maybe a little more attention should have been brought to the fact it was a form of colorant during the advertisement of this product. Such a shame as the product itself truly delivers. x

    http://selfconfesionssofabeautyaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. you're the exact target of my post so I'm glad it reached you! I mean for example If you've used the shampoo and read citrus and chamomile why would you think the spray was any different, I'm glad they've made it clearer on the box but it should be called more than lightening spray just to clarify to those who aren't paying attention.

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  11. fab review, I don't use the shampoo and conditioner, but I do use the spray just to blend in my roots and it works so well! saves me the money going to the hairdressers all the time oxo

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  12. I think this is the best informative and constructive review I have read on the JF Blonde range. Being a hairdresser you could not be more correct in saying people don't understand what they are using, or maybe are just misinformed. You review is balanced and to the point. I think you got amazing results, I too noticed a difference when using the shampoo and conditioner. Not tried the spray but I'm now a light brown (Coloured darker I'm a dark blonde naturally) and am happy with this. In the summer I think the spray would be great for giving more of a sun kissed glow - especially in the UK if we don't get any sun! Mel x

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  13. I'm glad it worked for you and it's good that you're telling people to be sensible with it. because of Fleur's video I would never use it though... it looked like her towels had been bleached. It may say there's no peroxide in it but it didn't seem that way from what i saw in her video. But if it works for someone then that's fine :)

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    Replies
    1. lemons and citric acids have been used to naturally bleach skin, hair and even disinfect for years, When I watched that video I didn't really understand why she was shocked that something that can lighten hair can also lighten fabric. I understand the skepticism but a large company like John Freida can't get away with lying about ingredients, there have been so many people that didn't like this, don't you think at least one has sent it off to be tested in the hope of discrediting them?

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  14. Well said! Your hair looks gorgeous. John Frieda should hire you for a commercial.

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  15. ....Oooops published too soon. I meant to say your hair looks so natural. It's a good advertisement for the product. I will def be trying now and thank you for pointing out the difference between the shampoo/conditioner and spray.

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  16. This is a brilliant review. Perfectly written and I love how you have been so clear in balancing the pro's and the cons. xx

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  17. how funny I've recently written a post EXACTLY like this, check it out if you like http://straycloset.blogspot.co.uk/ mine doesn't go into much depth but these products are good, i agree!

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  18. I just want to know how often you washed your hair in those 2 weeks

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