Root Lifter - Another BIG HAIR moment from from the Matrix Amplify line of products!
Written: Apr 03 '03 (Updated Apr 03 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Volume, lift, full fluffy hair
Cons: Takes a little practice to get used to using
The Bottom Line: Add some Va-va-voom to your flat thin locks with Matrix Amplify Root Lifter ... you'll be tossing your head all day!
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| elainehn's Full Review: Matrix Amplify Root Lifter |
Gather round all my thin, fine, limp and flat haired readers … we won’t hold hands and sing songs of solidarity … but I will regale you with the glories of yet another fabulous Matrix Amplify hair care product. Since I’ve already posted reviews on Matrix Amplify Shampoo, Hairspray, and Instant Conditioner, it must be time to review Matrix Amplify Root Lifter!
What is Matrix Amplify Root Lifter?
Starting at square one, Matrix Amplify products are a line of hair care and styling products designed to volumize your hair. The manufacture states that these products are safe for all hair types, and I’m sure they are … but they are specifically useful and create the greatest improvement when used on thin and/or fine hair.
{As a side note, those with thick, coarse, full hair should probably not use this line of product. It won't hurt anything, but it definitely is not needed and you won't see the benefits of the product. This could lead to a negative opinion (or Epinion) that the product line truly doesn't deserve ... because the entire line truly *IS* specifically designed to maximize and volumize thin or fine hair. Matrix may not make this as clear as they should on their packaging (not sure why?!?), but my stylist was very specific about this being a line of products for fine/thin hair.}
Moving on to square two … Root Lifter seems to be one of the new trends in hair styling products … think of the 80’s as the decade of mousse … and the 90’s as the decade of gel and liquid gel … and you’ll arrive in the 2000s ready for Root Lifter. Of course root lifter isn’t the only ‘new’ product being touted and its not even the newest on the block … but it definitely seems to be one of the trends in styling products at the moment. Every salon line and many drugstore brand lines have come out with their version. The first time a stylist suggested it to me, I thought ‘yeah right’ another gimmick to spend money on. Why not just use some mousse or spray gel? But low and behold … this stuff is DIFFERENT! It really does make my hair look more full … it really does give me lift where I want it … it even allows me to have a bit of a pouf at the crown if I want it!
Root Lifter, according to the Matrix web site, is a product “especially developed to build body and thickness where hair needs it most-the roots. A directional "snozzle" applicator provides optimal lift with a weightless, humidity-resistant formula.”
How do you use Matrix Amplify Root Lifter?
Root Lifter truly is not difficult to use. Most people may do great with it the very first time. But a few of us less skilled and still-holding-on-to-outdated-styling-techniques kind of gals may need to practice a bit to get just the right combination of product application saturation, drying process and finished styling methods. Use this product over the weekend before using it on a work or school day morning. Or if you’re a stay at home gal, try it for a few days at home rather than for the first time on the one day you’ve got big plans. Don’t let a bad first try turn you against the product … it took me about 3 days to get really good results and about a week to feel completely comfortable using the product. After about 6 months, using Root Lifter is no more difficult and takes no more thought than shampooing my hair.
The product is a liquid that is sprayed onto the roots of the hair. The manufacturer states that it can be used on dry or damp hair. I tend to use it after towel drying my hair before blow-drying it. I have tried using it on the root area when my hair was dry but I didn’t care for the finished effect. It was a bit too stiff at the root area. Instead if I need to style my already dry hair and I don’t want to wash it, I use a spray bottle of water to mist it till damp and then add the root lifter.
Since Root Lift should be applied at the roots, you will need to section your hair so that you can use the snozzle to direct a spray of the liquid directly at the roots. The easiest way for me to do this is to hold my head to one side and brush my hair in that direction … I then spray just a bit above my ear … then I use a comb to make a part about 1” up from my ear and comb that hair down … now I can spray that area … then I proceed around my head making parts about every inch or so and spraying one or two quick spritzes along the part. Once I’ve gone all the way around my head, I flip my head forward and just use my fingers to comb a few sections into the back and spray each of them. I don’t try to be terribly exact but the basic idea is to get the root lifter to the roots and not all over the length of the hair. Individuals with extremely long hair may find it easier to pre-section their hair and twist it and clip it in place all over their head and then spray all the root areas at once. When finished spritzing, I use my fingers to sort of massage the root lifter in all over my head and distribute it more evenly … but again, the idea is to keep the product near the roots … so insert your fingers into your hair and move around your scalp … don’t rub along the length of your hair.
During styling, lift the hair at the roots … most likely using a large round brush and a blow dryer … and the root lifter dries to add thickness at the roots and to lift the hair away from the scalp. I tend to flip my head upside down and dry my hair partially without doing a lot of brushing or combing. Then when my hair is close to being dry, I flip my head up and use a large round brush to create lift in specific areas and to curl the ends under or up as desired. Regardless of whether you desire a smooth straight haired look or a curly finished look, for maximum volume always lift the hair from the scalp as it dries. You can finish out the length of the hair with a large round or paddle brush or with hot rollers or a curling iron or whatever you like, but during the drying process be sure to lift the hair away from the scalp. To hold that finished style, I usually follow up with Matrix Amplify Hair Spray. The Root Lifter seems a bit like non-aerosol hair spray, but it truly isn’t designed to give all over hold and shouldn’t be used as such.
Did it do what it promised? Was it effective?
Most definitely! Granted, Matrix Amplify Root Lifter hasn’t given me a head full of thick luxurious waves … but it has made my otherwise fine, thin, limp hair a ton of fluff and body. It lifts my hair away from my head and allows me to create more of a finished looking style than just a straight, flat to the head, lifeless bob. I can style my hair with a big round brush to create a smooth flip with enough height at the crown to create a somewhat sophisticated look or I can use hot rollers to curl all over and have a sort of tumbly, intentionally messy funky look. In either case, my hair is soft and fluffy and looks ‘bigger’ than when it’s all just lying flat against the sides of my head.
Did it improve the way your hair looks or feels?
Without a doubt!!! A bad hair day isn’t going to cause me to hide in my bedroom and refuse to face the world … but I definitely know when I feel good about my appearance and when I feel less than satisfied with it. Over the years my main frustration has been with my hair. I could have the perfect outfit, my skin could be blemish free, my make up applied like a masterpiece … but if my hair was mousy and flat and styleless, I felt yucky! I loved the late 80’s days of a slicked back short ponytail at the base of the neck (ala Robert Palmer hotties) because it was a look that I could actually do and that didn’t require a ton of thick wavy bouncy hair. But one can only wear that look so long before one turns from Robert Palmer chic to Lillith from Cheers! *lol*
Since beginning to use Root Lifter I have felt better about my hair than I have in years. It is definitely THE styling product for my hair … it works with its thinness and texture and my cut wonderfully. It leaves my hair soft and touchable and doesn’t give it a crunchy or hard or sticky finish. It works great in conjunction with the other Matrix Amplify products, but I’ve also used it after using other shampoos and it works perfectly well on its on. The first root lifter product I ever tried was a sample size by Redken (which I thought was great too) and at first when I purchased the Amplify brand I didn’t think I was going to like it as well … but now I can’t even remember why.
The only possible detractors that I can think of is that the Matrix Amplify Root Lifter doesn’t have quite the same intense yummy salon product scent as some of the other brands, but this might actually be a good thing. It does have a pleasant scent, but it’s not a very strong one and it dissipates as the product dries. And that if I apply it too heavily and too directly to my scalp instead of the roots of my hair, it can leave my scalp a bit shiny. This might not be a problem for most people … but with my having extremely thin hair and very dark hair on an unusually pale scalp (think Casper here), having a shiny scalp is something I definitely try to avoid. By directing the spray to my hair roots and not directly onto my scalp, I can usually avoid the scalp shine.
Price, Availability, Ingredients, etc.
The 8.5 ounce bottle is about $10-$12, a little more or possibly even a little less depending upon where you purchase it. This one bottle has lasted me many months already and is only about half used up. I can imagine that with average daily use one bottle will probably last most people 4-6 months! You can buy Matrix products at many independent salons and some chain salons such as Great Clips, and through various on-line stores such as Drugstore.com.
Ingredients: Water, PVP, Chitosan, Lactic Acid, Panthenol, Wheat Amino Acids, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Silk Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Fragrance, Polysorbate 20, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Phenoxyethanol, FD&C Green No. 3
Recommended:
Yes
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elainehn
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Member: Elaine HN
Location: Near Atlanta, GA
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