Color Alert Neutralizing Shampoo Competition

In my search for neutralizing shampoos with Color Alerts built-in, I discovered that Hawaiian Silky had  two different neutralizing shampoos.  One is for "No Lye" relaxers and the other is for a "Lye"relaxers.  Wow!!!  I was impressed.

So I used Fiberguard Affirm Normal "Lye" relaxer as my test relaxer.  I also picked up Maxi Professional Hair Repair Neutralizing Shampoo, Elasta QP Stop Action conditioning neutralizing shampoo, and African Essence Neutralizing Shampoo Plus to test for the color alert functionality.

I figured the Hawaiian Silky "No Lye" neutralizing shampoo was not going to work because I was testing with a "lye" relaxer, but to my surprise, neither of the Hawaiian Silky neutralizing shampoos worked compared to the rest of the other brands that I was testing. 

The Maxi Professional brand and the Elasta QP brand both showed immediate color alerts.

The African Essence brand worked quickly as well, but the color alert was not as bright and plentiful as the Elasta QP, but it worked significantly better than the Hawaiian Silky brand.

I decided to test the Isoplus Neutralizing Shampoo and Conditioner brand as well.  The color alert worked immediately.  This Isoplus neutralizing shampoo is one of the top recommendations for the price, and it is sold almost everywhere including Sally's Beauty Supply.

So first place is a tie!  The winners are Isoplus and Maxi Professional (listed in alphabetical order).  Both have thicker consistency.  African Essence and Elasta QP are both in second place because of their thinner product consistency.  All four brands really do the job.  

Note:  I initially had Elasta QP in the first place position, but because I probably dispensed more product out due to its thinner nature - I think that second place is more fair and in line with the African Essence consistency.  The Isoplus and Maxi professional could easily be used with an applicator nozzle because of their thickness.  It is all about customizing and personal preference.

On the other hand, Hawaiian Silky may need to go back to the lab.  I will have to test the No-Lye neutralizing shampoo on a "no lye" relaxer at a later date, but for now, I will keep my color alert winners on hand.

As you may recall, I had been using the NuExpressions 10 in 1 Conditioner as a color alert, but I got tired of importing it in because there are no distributors in the metro Charlotte, NC area.  So from a convenience standpoint, I wanted other color alert options.  So now, I have them!

A Quick Squeeze Nozzle Test showed that the NuExpressions 10 in 1 Conditioner was the superior color alert option, Isoplus was second, and with Maxi Professional showing only a slight pink (center color on stick).  Tests like these give me a clearer perspective to how products compare.