Welcome to another round of Haircare Face-Off!, the best and most unique beauty battle online. Each week two competing products square off in a head-to-head challenge. This battle features two pomades, one made by Alterna, the other made by Redken. Let's take a closer look at the competitors:
Alterna is a company which produces high-performance haircare products using organic and botanical ingredients. Alterna's pomade is part of their popular Hemp Organics line, and is designed to add high shine and texture to all hair types, especially color-treated hair.
Redken is one of the largest and best-known manufacturers of salon haircare products in the world. Inspired by 5th Avenue, Redken appeals to those with a serious sense of style, and is a favorite brand among hairstylists, fashion-forward clients, and celebrities. Water Wax Shine Defining Pomade has been one of their top-selling products for years.
In an earlier battle, the underdog Alterna mopped the floor with Phyto in the battle of sulfate-free shampoos. Can Alterna pull off another upset against a true haircare heavyweight like Redken? Redken already has a perfect 2-0 record in Haircare Face-Off! and is looking to make it three victories in a row. This will certainly be a terrific battle.
As always, each product will be scored on a 1-10 scale in performance, ingredients, sensory appeal/packaging, and value. Let the battle begin!
Performance: Both products got the job done on salon clients, but then again pomades are practically foolproof- even cheap pomades work pretty well. In fact, I've even made homemade pomade from a "recipe" I found online and it performed as well as most salon-quality pomades, so I wasn't expecting any miracles. However, the Alterna pomade added more shine than the Redken product, and the shine seemed to last longer. In order to prove my theory, I applied both pomades to mannequins and allowed them to sit for a few days. After three days, hair styled with the Alterna pomade held its shine, while the Redken pomade seemed to absorb into the hair, leaving the mannequin's hair looking dull. The Alterna pomade was also easier to emulsify in the hands prior to applying it to the hair. Alterna wins this round. (Alterna:10 Redken:8)
Ingredients: Redken's Water Wax contains the usual pomade ingredients like castor oil, glycerin, and propylene glycol. It also contains wheat protein and wheat starch, which could present a problem if you have gluten allergies. Unfortunately, Redken Water Wax contains ethylparaben and methylparaben. Alterna's Hemp Organics pomade also contains the three necessary pomade ingredients (castor oil, glycerin, propylene glycol), as well as botanical ingredients like hemp seed oil and extracts of carrot, fennel, sunflower, cucumber, avocado, and cranberry. The pomade also contains sunscreen, making it ideal for color-treated hair. Even though the Alterna pomade contains methylparaben and propylparaben, the overall paraben content is lower than that of Redken Water Wax. Plenty of beneficial ingredients allows Alterna to win this round easily. (Alterna:9 Redken:6)
Sensory Appeal: Alterna Hemp Organics pomade has an incredible orange fragrance, while the Redken Water Wax has a light, clean, unisex perfumed smell. Neither product's packaging is unattractive, but Alterna's container looks trendier and more modern. (Alterna:10 Redken:8)
Value: Alterna Hemp Organics pomade retails for 14.00 and comes in a 2-ounce container. Redken Water Wax comes in a 1.7-ounce container that retails for between 14.00 and 18.00 when purchased from a reputable online store. (Alterna:10 Redken:9)
And the winner is....
Alterna Hemp Organics, winning every individual round and cruising to an easy victory over Water Wax, handing Redken its first Haircare Face-Off! defeat. In this battle, the Alterna pomade did everything the Redken pomade could do, only better. But Alterna really pulled ahead when it came to the quality of ingredients. As a result, Alterna's Haircare Face-Off record improves to 2-0, while Redken stands at 2-1. (Final Score: Alterna Hemp Organics Pomade-39 Redken Water Wax-31)
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