The down economy is being felt in all sorts of places, and one of those appears to be the feel of silky—and straight—hair. As the price tag attached to the Brazilian blowout becomes increasingly gag-worthy, women are looking for at-home ways to try to achieve that salon result in a DIY kind of way.
For the uninitiated—or those lucky few that fear neither rain, sleep nor humidity—the Brazilian blowout is a process women claim de-shackles them from their blow dryers, giving them back hours a week of precious time. This comes with a $300-$500 price-tag, however, and now also some possible risk, as reports spread of the presence of serious amounts of formaldehyde in the chemical process.
“Box” hair colors, readily available in drug stores, have long been the go-to source for women not willing to spend the money and time to create a new look through color. And now, L’Oreal and Garnier have both introduced box shine products that they hope will be snatched up by women who want that Keratin gloss of Brazilian fame, without cutting into their styling budget.
In our 2010 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, here’s how consumers ranked the top hair color brands:
Clairol/L'Oreal (tie)
Garnier
Revlon
So far, there have been less than stellar reviews for the gloss-in-a-box products: a sure sign of today’s social-media ecology, where consumers are talking each other, not the brand. While it may turn them off the products, hair color brands will do well to recognize that this will not dull women’s desire for gleaming locks. Whoever does it right, at a good price, will offer the kind of value that will add a shine to any brand.
