Matrix Design Pulse Messy Couture vs. Alterna Modeling Clay

Welcome to another exciting edition of Haircare Face-Off!, the only online beauty battle in which two similar products square off in an intense head-to-head battle, judged by a an award-winning professional stylist.  This edition features two popular molding pastes designed for all types of textured, spiky, and messy styles.  Let's take a closer look at our competitors.

Messy Couture is part of the Vavoom Design Pulse line manufactured by Matrix, the beauty behemoth who introduced the world to Biolage, Amplify, and Vavoom.  Messy Couture Molding Paste is a firm but smooth yellow paste which claims to separate hair in order to create texture and controlled movement.  According to the Matrix website, Messy Couture has a medium hold that is reworkable for limitless looks and is designed for short, choppy, fringed cuts or to exaggerate the ends of long layers.

Alterna's Hemp Seed Modeling Clay is a firm hold product which provides a touchable, semi-matte finish.  It is designed for dramatic styles which demand long-lasting hold.  Like Messy Couture, this product is also a firm yellow paste that can create texture and separation. 

Let the beauty battle begin!

As always, each product will be scored 1-10 in each of the following categories: Performance, Ingredients, Sensory Appeal and Packaging, and Value.  However, with this competition Haircare Face-Off! will introduce a brand new feature, a "Report Card" which will grade how each product performed on specific hairstyles!

Performance:  The most noticeable difference between the two products is how they emusify in the hands.  Messy Couture is a soft solid in the container, but once emulsified it has a smooth buttery texture which is easy to apply to the hair.  Alterna Modeling Clay, on the other hand, has a slick texture after it is emulsified in the hands.  Messy Couture, although it is labeled medium hold, is a little sticky while the Alterna product is not.  Both products are excellent on medium hair types, Alterna performed better on thick and coarse hair, while Matrix performed better on thin and fine hair.  Alterna Modeling Clay did provide a slight natural-looking shine, while the Messy Couture produces a completely matte finish.  This round is a tie.  To see how each product performed on various hair types and styles, see the report card below. (Alterna: 9 Matrix: 9)

Report Card:
Pixie:    Alterna (A)  Matrix (A+)
Shag:    Alterna (A-)  Matrix (B)
Bob:     Alterna (B)  Matrix (B+)
Med. Layers: Alterna (A-)  Matrix (C)
Long Layers: Alterna (B+)  Matrix (D)
Curly Hair:  Alterna (B+)  Matrix (D)
Men's/short:  Alterna (C+)  Matrix (A-)
Men's/med.:  Alterna (B-)  Matrix (B+)

Ingredients:  Matrix Messy Couture's primary ingredients are water, beeswax, paraffin, mineral oil, propylene glycol, castor oil, and other ingredients commonly found in pomades and pastes.  Although Messy Couture doesn't contain any "bad" chemicals, it doesn't contain any beneficial botanical ingredients either.  Alterna Modeling Clay's primary ingredients are water, vinyl caprolactam, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate copolymer, and avocado oil.  The Alterna product also contains hemp seed oil, amino acids, and fennel extract.  Because of Alterna's inclusion of conditioning ingredients, Modeling Clay wins this round.  (Alterna: 8  Matrix:7)

Sensory Appeal/Packaging:  When it comes to fragrance, Alterna Modeling Clay just may be one of the best-smelling haircare products of all time- it has an irresistibly fresh cucumber-melon scent.  Messy Couture's scent isn't bad, either- it has a faint floral fragrance which isn't the least bit overpowering.  My opinion is that Matrix should have gone with a more unisex fragrance, because Messy Couture worked amazingly well on men's styles.  Both products are tastefully packaged in round plastic containers, but Alterna's clear green container is definitely more eye-catching. (Alterna: 10  Matrix: 8)

Value:  Alterna Hemp Seed Modeling Clay comes in a 2-ounce container and retails for around $17.95, which translates into 8.96 per ounce.  Matrix Design Pulse Messy Couture Molding Paste comes in a slightly-smaller 1.7-ounce container and retails for around $15.00, or 8.82 per ounce.  Although both products are affordable, Matrix wins this round. (Matrix: 9  Alterna: 8)

And the winner is.......

Alterna Modeling Clay!  By defeating Messy Couture, Alterna products are still undefeated in Haircare Face-Off! competition, with a perfect 3-0 record.  Alterna may have won this battle, but it was very close.  Both products delivered results as promised, and in some cases Messy Couture managed to outperform Alterna.  Ultimately, Alterna came away with the victory because of it's awesome fragrance, attractive packaging, and use of certified organic botanical ingredients.  (Final Score: Alterna- 35  Matrix- 33)       
  

2011 in Review: My Favorite Mousses

For decades, styling mousse has been a favorite product for those looking to add body and volume to hair. Derived from a French word meaning "foam", mousse is exactly that: a foamy lightweight product which is applied to damp hair prior to blowdrying. Mousses work best on those with fine or limp hair, and best results are achieved by applying the mousse to the root area of the hair.

As a professional stylist and salon owner with over a decade of experience, I have tried just about every mousse on the market. Here, in my opinion, are some of the best mousses currently available.

1. Davines Universal Mattering Mousse. Davines is a manufacturer of luxury haircare products which are found in only the best salons. This styling essential provides volume with a natural un-sticky finish. Hydrolized wheat proteins and panthenol moisturize and protect the hair, leaving it shiny and soft. Davines mousse provides a medium hold, perfect for almost any style.



2. Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Mousse. This is one of the more popular products in Alterna's highly-touted Caviar line, which contains ingredients designed to combat the effects of aging on the hair, making it an ideal choice for those with fine and thinning hair.



3. Goldwell Flexi-Whip Mousse. I hate the way this product smells, and I hate the packaging. However, I love the way it performs. This may very well be the Subaru Outback of haircare products- not much to look at, but it's reliable and gets the job done. Goldwell Flexi Whip Mousse is a rich and thick foam with slightly more hold than its competitors. At under twenty dollars for a large bottle, this mousse gives you the most bang for your buck.


4. Zerran Radiant Finish Mousse. This wonder peppermint-scented mousse is made by a tiny company that manufactures some of the greatest haircare products in the world. Radiant Finish Mousse is a non-aerosol mousse made with natural ingredients that add just the right amount of hold and body.



5. TIGI Catwalk Extra Strong Mousse. The problem with many mousses is that they are great on fine hair, but fall flat when used on thicker hair textures. This product is especially designed for those with thick hair. It is also safe to use on hair that has been chemically processed.


After trying out hundreds of mousses in my career, these are five products I would gladly recommend to any client looking for volume and body.

Alterna Hemp Organics Pomade vs. Redken Water Wax

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)

Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo vs. Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo

Welcome to another exciting round of Haircare Face-Off, the only online battle royale of beauty where a professional stylist (yours truly) puts competing products to the test by using them on real-life clients. This week's challenge will involve two popular sulfate-free shampoos, Alterna's Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo and Phyto's Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo.  As always, these products will be scored on a 1-10 scale for: Performance, Ingredients, Sensory Appeal (fragrance and packaging, among other things), and Value.

Let's meet this week's competitors.


Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo is a sulfate-free shampoo for all hair types, and is intended to prevent color-treated hair from fading with its certified-organic ingredients. Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo is one of the top-selling shampoos manufactured by Phyto, a company considered by many to be the leader in organic haircare products. Both products are sulfate-free shampoos infused with citrus promising to add shine to the hair while protecting haircolor, and both manufacturers are industry leaders in organic haircare.  This should make for a very interesting battle!


Let the Haircare Face-Off begin!


Performance: My big complaint with most sulfate-free shampoos is that they do not lather very well (sulfates are responsible for producing suds), but the Alterna shampoo lathered so well I had to double-check the label to make sure that is really was sulfate-free (much to my satisfaction it was). The Phyto shampoo, however, did not lather well at all. The company recommends shampooing  the hair twice, which is not only a waste of money but also a waste of time. Both shampoos left the hair shiny (when used with their accompanying conditioners), but the Alterna shampoo left my red-haired clients with vibrant color, while repeated shampooing with the Phytocitrus shampoo caused red to fade on other clients. This round goes to Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo. (Score: Alterna- 9, Phyto- 5)
 
Ingredients: Alterna shampoo contains extracts of hemp, cucumber, avocado, fennel, cranberry, orange, carrot, sunflower, and even mushroom. The Phyto shampoo's "secret" ingredient is wood cellulose. The idea is that the same sugar which gives a tree its structure should also provide structure to the hair. Unfortunately, trees and hair are not even close to being the same thing. Phytocitrus does contain grapefruit and almond extracts. Both products contain the preservative methylchloroisothiazolinone, but Phytocitrus also contains ethyl and butyl parabens, which are not good. This round goes to Alterna as well. (Score: Alterna-9, Phyto- 7) 

Sensory Appeal: Both shampoos are citrus-scented, but in my opinion the Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo smells better.  Phyto smelled vaguely of a rotten fruit basket. The Alterna products also feature much better (and convenient) packaging. The shape of the bottle is so unique that it would look great just sitting on a manlte above your fireplace. The Phyto bottle, on the other hand, looks like something you would find in your grandmother's medicine cabinet. I initially thought Phyto's metal bottle was rather cool, until I realized why 99% of shampoos are in plastic bottles- you can squeeze a plastic bottle. It was nearly impossible to get the last 1/3 of the shampoo out of the Phyto bottle. Alterna wins this round in a blowout. (Score: Alterna- 10, Phyto- 1)
 
Value: Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo is reasonably priced at around $23.00 for 10.1 ounces when purchased online. Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo retails for $24.00, for a measly 6.7 ounces. The clincher? You only need to shampoo the hair once with the Alterna, while Phyto recommends shampooing twice, so you'll go through the bottle of shampoo twice as quickly. Because of this, Alterna wins this round without question. (Score: Alterna- 10, Phyto- 3) 

And the winner is...


Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo in a cakewalk. Alterna breezed past Phyto, sending the organic haircare giant home with its tail between its legs. Alterna has a better lather, better haircolor protection, a better look, a better fragrance, better ingredients, and represents a much better value. (Final Score: Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo- 38, Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo- 16)