Product Review: Clairol Nice'n Easy ColorSeal Conditioning Gloss

Happy Post-Valentine's haze folks! Hope you spent the occasion thinking about the people you love and who love you. Or at least used it as an excuse to wear an unabashedly red lip that day, if you're of the "pssshaw to Hallmark Holidays" mindset.

As for me... I had a presentation that I finished preparing mere seconds before my presetation time. I took a record 9 minutes to get out of the house. It's unheard of. And then I saw a most excellent play put on by some law students (they can be funny! And use words of 2-or-less syllables! It's true!). And then got slammed with a wicked bad cough/cold. Boo. The Boy did make the most bestest roast chicken EVER (you could literally cut it with a fork!), the leftovers from which we made the most bestest chicken soup EVER, so it wasn't all a bust.

Oh, but friends, I have exciting news! I entered The Boy in a draw (um... 64 times) for something awesome and HE WON!!!! This means that we get to go to a fancy dinner event in a few weeks, and dress all fancy and rub elbows with fancy people and all sorts of other fancy things, I'm sure. PLUS, they give you a wardrobe budget, which means I get to go shopping for a fancy dress and maybe even some SHOES! Egads. This was a pretty good Valentine's present, I must say.*

Hey, speaking of fancy shindigs, you know what all those A-listers seem to have in common? Impossibly, ridiculously, insultingly shiny hair. And thanks to a new product from Clairol, I can share in the glory too!




Clairol's new Nice'n Easy ColorSeal Conditioning Gloss isn't availalbe in stores until March (so, possibly even later for us Canadians) but I had the chance to try it out. And lemme tell ya: I AM HOOKED.

You know the incredible conditioners that come in home-colouring kits? And how people (e.g., me) always whine "How come they don't sell the conditioner separately?" Well, now they DO sell it separately; in fact, it's even better than the ones in the hair colour boxes.

The ColourSeal Conditioning Gloss is "... an intensive weekly conditioning treatment specially designed for color-treated hair. It helps keep haircolor looking healthy, long-lasting and shiny for up to six weeks." Which is exactly what it does!

You put a dollop of this in your hair after shampooing, and immediately, you can feel the difference. It is all silky smooth glory, and I haven't even gotten out of the shower yet. Plus, this thick conditioner spreads through hair very well, so you don't need a lot. I have shoulder-length hair that is just ridiculous in amount, and I only needed toonie-sized blob to work through it all.

And after I was done drying and styling? Shine, shine, shine! I've never seen my hair this shiny from a conditioner before... not from Pantene's, or Aussi's, or Pureology's, or Biosilk's (which is godawful, actually). Here are some comments I got from friends and random passers-by on my awesomely shiny hair after using the ColorSeal Gloss:

Immediately after styling: "Wow, your hair really IS ridiculously shiny!"

One day & one tossy-turny night after use:"Hey, your hair feels really really soft today..."

After 3 uses:"OMG! Lucy Liu!! You're freakin' Lucy Liu!! What was it like to make out with Josh Harnett??? Does he smell as good as he looks?"

Okay, so that last one didn't atually happen, but a girl can dream, right? I am willing to put myself out there and say that this product might even help you land a date of Josh-like hunkiness, if that date happens to be very much attracted to soft shiny hair. (Which, now that I think about it, sounds rather creepy. But to each her own.)

Now, this product is marketed towards people who colour their hair, but don't let that put you off. The Gloss worked equally well on the coloured and natural parts of my hair -- it doesn't add any tint, just loads of shine, which will make parched highlights and colour look healthier and give your shade depth and shimmer.

The scent of this isn't bad either... if you like pina coladas (and the hubba-liciously ernest rock-star stylings of Rupert Holmes [watch the volume!]**), then you will LOVE the smell of this. I'm not a fan of the coconut myself, but there's enough fruitiness in this to make it light, sweet, and pleasant, without being cloying.

One tube will last you 6 once-a-week treatments, and I am already hoarding the last bit of the tube so that I can use it for the upcoming fancy gala. Oh Clairol, Clairol, Clairol, I truly think you have struck gold with this. Next time I'm in the States, I may blow my entire import exemption on boxes of this conditioner. Fellow Canadians less insane than I can just go look on eBay for this, or wait with baited breath for it's arrival here. Rest assured that as soon as I spot it in stores, I will tell it from the mountain!


* Some of you might accuse me of entering this contest just so I could partake in the shopping money. To you people, I say: "You have spent far too much time around me for your own good."

** Seriously, how great is this video? I especially love the bored-looking girls in the audience "admiring" his air guitar. I could watch this stuff for ages.***

*** Incidentally, this is approximately how long it's been since I've last posted. I'm sorry internets! I will try to be better, I promise! Thanks for sticking around & being patient!