Dying my hair silver - L'Oreal Smartbond at Regis Hair Salons!

I've not been the kindest to my hair over the years. I've experimented with a lot of colours - from peroxide blonde to XXL black, and bright red to DIY ombre. You may have seen recently that I made the brave plunge to dye my hair pink. It was something I had always wanted to do, and I am glad that I have ticked that one off the bucket list as it was definitely fun while it lasted, but after a few weeks I decided that I wanted to a more wearable hair colour again.

Around the time I was wandering how on earth I would get the pink out of my hair (silly me for leaving the product on for 45 minutes instead of the suggested 15 minutes, not one for following the rules), I was invited by Regis Hair Salon to try out their new Smartbond treatment*. I had never heard of this specific treatment before, but I was definitely intrigued as the treatment sounds like it would allow me to continue experimenting with hair colours, whilst protecting my hair in the process.

Prior to the colour treatment and Smartbond itself, I had to pop into the salon for a skin test and colour consultation with my hairdresser. You will need to have a skin test beforehand if you would like a Smartbond treatment, and a colour consultantion with the stylist just means that you can both prepare for your appointment beforehand.

This new three-part treatment, Smartbond, has been scientifically designed to protect the bonds in your hair, allowing the stylist to prevent the usual damage that is caused during a colouring service. The treatment, similar to Olaplex, can be easily fitted into your normal colour service. You can see from the photo below that I still had quite a bit of pink left in my hair so I was really curious as to how the condition of my hair would feel after it had been stripped of pink and dyed silver again.

The three steps of the treatment are as follows:

Step 1. Your hairdresser will mix the first treatment in with your hair dye colour or bleach. This will protect and strengthen your hair while the colour itself starts to develop. I had originally thought that this treatment was just for bleached hair, but after discussing with my hairdresser, it can be used on all dyed hair - light or dark!

Step 2. Next, your hairdresser will rinse the colour or bleach from your hair, and apply a pre-shampoo treatment. This will totally rinse away any chemical residue, which could weaken your hair if left.

Step 3. The final step of the treatment is where you take the matter into your own hands and it is to be completed at home. It is a conditioning treatment that you can use weekly to continuously strengthen the fibres of your hair in-between salon visits.

The treatment itself is super affordable. It is an additional £5 when you are already having a colour treatment at a Regis Hair Salon, or it is £15 to have the treatment alone. Time wise, the only waiting around was for ten minutes once the pre-shampoo treatment was applied, but after getting a full head of highlights for many years, I'm used to waiting around a lot longer than that for my hair! 

My fabulous hairdresser added a blue toner to my hair once my full head of highlights and Smartbond treatment had been completed. I didn't even have a haircut and the condition of my hair felt the best it had felt in weeks. I had my hair blow dried and straightened a little, and I cannot believe how soft it immediately felt without even adding any argan oil. All in all, I am very pleased with the results of my Smartbond treatment experience and I have been using my Step 3 product every few washes to keep my hair feeling healthy before my next dye.

As you can see, after a few washes the blue toner had been rinsed from my hair (as toners usually do), and a lovely silvery colour was left. I would definitely pay the £5 to have this treatment again next time I get my hair dyed. For such a small amount of money you can definitely feel the difference in your hair, and I'm going to be taking note to see if my hair grows as it seems to have come to a halt since I've been bleaching it. You can read more about Smartbond Colour Bonding here.

*This post has not been sponsored, but I was given a complimentary colour dye & Smartbond treatment courtesy of Regis Salons.

Thank you for reading :)
Had you heard of this treatment before?

Would you consider getting this treatment next time you have your hair dyed?

Love Dani x