Shu Uemura Color Lustre: Get to know the revamped range with high-tech fermented ingredients
Coloured hair needs special attention.
Whether it's been lightened with bleach, darkened with permanent pigment, or a combination of both (for example, balayage), using the right products is essential to maintain the vibrancy of the colour and the health of your hair.
That's why our colourists at Paul Edmonds London highly recommend Shu Uemura Color Lustre.
This much-loved range is renowned for its ability to preserve pigment and nourish tresses - and now it's back with a high-tech reformulation featuring the next big thing in haircare: fermented ingredients.
To mark the launch of the revamped cult classics, here Paul Edmonds explains everything you need to know about looking after your hair with the brilliant Colour Lustre collection…
HOW HAS THE COLOR LUSTRE FORMULA CHANGED?
Following a trend for fermented ingredients that started in the wellbeing world before expanding to skincare, the newly reformulated Color Lustre products are infused with nutrient-rich sake kasu, a byproduct of the Japanese sake-making process.
Sake producers were known to have incredibly soft, wrinkle-free hands, which alerted beauty experts to anti-ageing and antioxidant properties of nutrient-rich sake kasu, which is also beneficial for hair.
"During the fermentation process, rice water is broken down with koji mould, meaning the carbohydrates can adhere themselves to the hair cuticle and make it feel plumper and fuller," Paul explains.
"And then you've got amino acids that will actually go inside the hair and help strengthen the structure."
The other key ingredient is also commonly found in skincare serums, he continues: "Niacinamide, which is also called vitamin B3, helps the hair retain moisture within it."
As well as potent new ingredients, the Color Lustre range has a fresh scent profile.
"It's a grapefruit-y citrus, so it's a citrus with a slightly bitter edge to it, but it's still quite sweet," Paul says.
"It's got vanilla in there and also a woody kind of finish to it. I always think wood notes bring a feeling of luxury to hair products."
HOW DOES COLOURING AFFECT HAIR?
The reason hairdressers recommend colour appointments are spaced at least six to eight weeks apart is because the chemicals in the products used can impact your hair health and texture.
"Imagine the cuticle layer on the outside of the hair strand is like fish scales," Paul says.
"When your hair is coloured, they're lifted up to allow the colour in. So what you're then trying to do after is compact the 'scales' to seal them."
When the cuticle is sealed, hair looks shiny and healthy, but when it's raised, hair can appear dull and frizzy.
This effect is even more pronounced with bleaching, which uses prelightener to eliminate the dark pigments. If not cared for properly frequent colour treatments can cause more severe damage, leading to dry, damaged hair that's prone to breakage and fading.
That's why it's crucial to use nourishing products at home, and that's exactly what the Color Lustre range does, keeping blondes bright and brunettes vibrant.
"The Color Lustre formula compacts the cuticle and makes the hair colour stay within the hair shaft, so it will extend the life of your hair colour," Paul says. "And it also makes the hair, as in the name of the product, more lustrous. It gives it a lot of shine."
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HOW SHOULD YOU USE THE PRODUCTS?
The Shu Uemura Color Lustre range features four products: Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatment and Color Sealer Spray.
"There's a whole debate at the moment about single shampooing versus than double shampooing," Paul says.
"If, like most people, you wash your hair quite often then you don't really need to do two shampoos. You want to clean it, but you don't want to take away the natural oils completely, especially on the scalp. But always make sure you rinse thoroughly."
He recommends using the treatment mask every other week for an intense dose of hydration: "After shampooing and rinsing, towel dry your hair, apply the treatment and leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes if you can."
If you haven't got that much time, he suggests this time-saving tip: "After rinsing your shampoo, apply a small amount of the treatment, leave it for a few minutes and then either put your conditioner over the top, which will seal it in, and then rinse."
What's the difference between the treatment and the conditioner?
"With conditioner you want to protect the hair so you're coating the hair and putting nourishment inside, but not as much as with a mask, which is why you leave the treatment on a bit longer, to allow it to penetrate."
The final step in the process is the gloss-giving Color Sealer Spray.
"You finish off with the spray," Paul says. "It helps seal the hair shaft and make it ready for any styling product that goes on after - it helps the colour last but also the style last as well."
All four Colour Lustre products are suitable for any hair type and can be cocktailed or mix and matched with your other styling essentials.
"They work across the board for all coloured hair types, so if you want to then use something to curl or straighten the hair you can add those products after," Paul says.
"If you've got very curly or coily hair that's coloured I'd probably alternate between using Color Lustre half the time and then your product for your curly hair the rest of the time."
Flying colours
Our colourists have been fans of Shu Uemura's iconic Color Lustre line for years, and now they're raving about the relaunched range.
If you've struggled with dryness, damage or fading after having your hair coloured, try this best-selling quartet and see how it can lock in pigment, boost hair health and deliver unbeatable shine.
Ready for a summer colour top-up? Book your next appointment at Paul Edmonds London.