[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I’ve given this pre-wash treatment from 3 More Inches a good try out (so four or five washes) so now I’m ready to properly post about it. If you remember, I went to the Michael Van Clarke salon (home of 3 More Inches) for a colour and cut and was really impressed with the products that were used on my hair. The stylist mentioned Ultra LifeSaver Pre-Wash Treatment and I said I’d give it a go at home thinking ‘who needs a pre-wash treatment?’ and absolutely sure it was a complete waste of time and money. In the same way I don’t think you need a pre-cleanse cleanser, I didn’t see the need for anything pre-wash. But, wrong and wrong!
There is a Life Saver Original, but this is the Ultra with double the amount of silicone free repairing ingredients. In basic terms, LifeSaver Ultra helps to restore broken bonds (too soon on me to tell if that’s the case) and infuse your hair with moisture using fine protein amino acids that are almost the same as human hair. You leave it on for as long as you like (an hour minimum but overnight is okay too) and then carry on with washing as usual. The instructions say to ‘drench’ the hair with the fluid but I haven’t found you need to be quite that generous – just squirt it into your hands and work it through your strands really well. As long as your hair is adequately coated, you don’t need to waste product by drenching. Given that this is the ‘ultra’ version, it’s probably better suited to processed, dry and damaged hair – I feel like I could get away with the original version of Pre-Wash. The difference is amazing for my hair – it’s so shiny, so soft, not fly-away and doesn’t seem to frizz up as much. I’m vain, so the shine is what has got me hook, line and sinker but if it’s repairing as well, then that’s just extra! It’s £34.90 HERE – I am eking mine out – and the regular version for hair that isn’t so dry and damaged is HERE with £6 off currently at LookFantastic making it £23 instead of £29. I think I’d start there and see how you go. Finally, an extra step that’s worth the bother.
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2 comments
That stuff is the absolute nuts – I acquired some after you mentioned you’d heard it was good from your friends, and honestly it’s been a miracle. I had a summer of pink hair – no regrets, it was a fantastic fling and I enjoyed the look of amazement children had on their faces when they saw the colour – but fine dark brown hair and a hellish amount of bleach are not a long term relationship and my hair is now in hospital feeling very sorry for itself. The pre-wash treatment, alongside the shampoo (they seem to go together very well) has been fantastic – actually better than Olaplex 3 in my view. I’ve also embraced the Living Proof Leave In Restore Conditioner (yup, my hair is very very much in need of some moisture love) and between the MVC pre-treatment and the LP, I no longer live in fear of brushing my hair. I worry I am about to become one of those ‘silicone in hair products is terrible’ people, but having never really had to pay attention to my barnet before, and now absolutely having to, my hair seems a lot happier having ditched the silicones and that pre-wash treatment has a lot to do with it. It’s not cheap I know, but worth it if you have the pennies.
I’m so glad you have good experience of it – I absolutely love it… irritatingly, I have to test products without using it so that everything then doesn’t get a glorious result – but I am a convert to it and the scalp cleanse shampoo. I use lots of different hair products from high street (The Body Shop and H&S) to high end (Christophe Robin and Maria Nila) but this is definitely on my ‘when I stop I’ll buy’ list…