Rusk Brilliance Shampoo and Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair

My hair started going gray at 17. Actually it started turning white; someday I may even let it be white. But I’m not ready yet, so I still color my hair. I’ve used a number of different products to color it, and have done it myself and had it done professionally. But no matter what I used, or who did the treatment, the result was the same: Lovely new color on dry hair with split ends.

My stylist recommended that I try some products by Rusk, a salon line that first I could only get at my salon and at Trade Secrets in malls. She recommended their Brilliance line for color-treated hair. I hated spending that much money, but those products advertised on television as “just as good” as salon products really weren’t doing anything for my hair. So I tried the Brilliance Shampoo and the Brilliance Leave-In Conditioner.

Brilliance products are formulated with grapefruit and honey, and have a wonderful fresh scent that is natural (not a chemically added “fragrance”) but doesn’t overwhelm. The shampoo also contains vitamins E and A, pure honey, sea kelp, and vegetable protein to both condition and strengthen hair. I usually shampoo twice, because I generally wash my hair every other day. The first shampooing removes the styling products that remain in my hair, and the second makes a wonderful lather (meaning it probably also contains sodium laureth sulfate, a petroleum-based lathering ingredient, but it doesn’t seem to cause any negative reaction from my scalp). It rinses out quickly and cleanly, and I can feel that my hair is softer before I even use the conditioner.

The Leave-In Conditioner has the same grapefruit extracts and honey, and the same light fresh scent. Like the shampoo, it has vitamins A and E along with sea kelp, but also has sunflower extract and Pro-Vitamin B5 (Panthenol) which condition and help seal in the color. I buy it in the large size, as that is less per application, but have a small spritz bottle that I pour some into for actually putting it on my hair; by spritzing I can use the amount I need and not over-condition. It doesn’t feel heavy or thick like most rinse-out conditioners, and it isn’t at all sticky. It goes on like water, but does protect my hair. It used to contain a sunscreen but I no longer see that on the label, so they may have changed the formulation.

I was pleased to find it at our new Target Superstore the last time I shopped there, at a much lower price than at either the salon, or the slightly less expensive Trade Secrets. I was thrilled to find a giant bottle of the shampoo at T.J. Maxx (for only $9.99 for a liter – that’s more than a quart!) — or I was until I realized that if it is at T.J.Maxx, it might be discontinued! I made a quick trip to Target and didn’t see it there, but our Target tends to stock sporadically, so just because it isn’t there this week doesn’t mean it won’t be next week, or next month.

At least once a week I use another Rusk product, their Calm Conditioner with Guarana and Ginger (and yes, it’s partly because I enjoy saying “Guarana” and rolling the “r” — try it, it’s fun!). This product, they say, “Instantly nurtures troubled , stressed hair.” I wish it would nurture my troubled, stressed life, but that’s a lot to ask from a conditioner. This is a rinse-out conditioner, containing, besides the ginger and guarana, amino acids and vegetable protein to add strength and body. I apply it after shampooing and leave it in while I wash the rest of me, then rinse it out. It leaves no noticeable residue, and doesn’t weigh down my hair like the less-expensive conditioners that contain wax and petroleum products. Like the Brilliance line, Calm has a light fresh scent. I say others are less expensive, but I was able to get a liter of this at T.J.Maxx as well, also for a mere $9.99, and it will last me at least 6 months, if not longer, so it really isn’t a budget breaker.

Like another CP, Secretsides, wrote, why should I color my hair? Does it make me look younger? Maybe, although I do have clear, unwrinkled skin, owed mainly to good genes (along with water consumption and sun-avoidance), which also promotes a youthful look. I’m not ashamed to be my age, nor do I feel old, although occasionally I wonder how those years passed so quickly, and why I so often feel like an awkward adolescent. I like color, and I like playing with different hair colors and changing from time to time. Over the past 25 years or so, it’s been brown, auburn, deep burgundy, and just plain red. But it’s never been dull. I give all these Rusk products 5 stars, and would give them 6 if I could, and hope they stay on the market for a long time. They are the best product for the money that I’ve found, and although the price is higher than Suave, Pantene, and even L’Oreal – well, like the other ads say, I’m worth it.