My hair was totally fried and this home treatment fixed it
There was once a time when I had virgin hair. It was so healthy, I almost wished it would become more damaged so it could hold a curl or even air-dry with some texture.
But then I started putting glosses on my hair — and then I started bleaching and highlighting it. I soon realized I was picky about my shade of blonde. I loathed the balayage highlights that dominate Pinterest, and all I wanted was bleached-out platinum like Debbie Harry, Madonna, Gwen Stefani or Marilyn Monroe. And I couldn’t find anyone who would give it to me.
So I spent a year and a half of jumping from salon to salon, frustrated that no one would give me the root-to-tip white-blonde hair I wanted because every hairstylist thinks a visible root looks “more natural” these days. I’m finally on the road to the pearly hair I want, but by mid-summer of this year, my hair was a freaking mess.
It was dry, it was brittle, there were roots all over the place. And because of my addiction to the sun and salt water, it was also quickly dying of natural causes in addition to all the bleach.
But then, as if they could read my mind, Kérastase emailed me about a new at-home Fusio Dose treatment. I tested it out over the past few weeks, and it has completely rehabilitated my hair.
So what is Fusio Dose? First, let’s talk about what it’s not. It’s not necessarily a hydrating treatment. When I met with Kérastase’s stylist Matt Fugate, my first question was: “How is this different from Olaplex?”
Olaplex, he explained, is for hydration and moisture. It can be a good complement to Fusio Dose, but they accomplish totally different things. Fusio Dose is more for your hair’s structure. It fills in the gaps where bleach or other chemical treatments have wreaked havoc on each strand.
Okay, you might be thinking. So it’s like Keratin?
Actually, no. Keratin is a one-time treatment and while it can be effective at smoothing textured hair, Matt said the effect usually lessens with time. Someone who goes in for one Keratin treatment might love it, but he sees many clients’ treatments becoming less and less effective at eliminating frizz.
Also, Fusio Dose doesn’t change your hair’s texture. It just repairs the hair, which could mean smoothing, depending on your hair type. But it’s not meant to take your hair from curly to straight, the way Keratin does.
Stylists have been using Fusio Dose in salons for years, Matt told me, but it was only recently that Kérastase started selling the at-home treatment. The treatments consist of four weeks’ worth of product at $98. And it’s kind of like a chemistry set. Once a week, you add one little bottle into a slightly larger bottle, screw on a spray cap, and shake it up. Then, after shampooing, you saturate your hair with the spray concoction, and let it sit for two minutes. After that, you rinse it and you’re good.
You can only buy it from a stylist, thought — you need someone like Matt to take a good hard look at your hair and figure out exactly what it needs. I was almost embarrassed to show Matt my mop back in early September. Not only were my roots long af despite a recent balayage treatment, but also because it was so dry and brittle I was almost scared to run a brush through it.
Matt wasn’t fazed, though. He recommended a reparative base for all three weeks. Then, the second ingredient I’d add would be either strengthening or moisturizing, alternating from week to week. I told him I was getting a pretty aggro single-process a week later, so he made sure to tailor my treatment plan around that.
It’s now been six weeks since I started the treatments and I have to say it absolutely worked. I didn’t even change my regular shampoo and conditioner regimen, and my hair feels so much healthier than it did when I first met Matt. Fusio Dose is pricey and the fact that you can only get it in a salon might seem like an inconvenience, but desperate times call for desperate measures, girl. If you’re at your wit’s end with your hair and Olaplex and Keratin aren’t quite doing the trick, you might want to find a Kérastase salon and get yourself some Fusio Dose.
As for my color — I’m still working on it. But at least once I finally achieve the perfect Madonna circa “Truth or Dare” platinum, I’ll tell you all about it.
