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If something promises to bring the salon experience to my home, all I can do is laugh. Seriously, no matter how excellent the product itself might be, it will never offer a salon experience.
I mean, the salon experience isn´t about the products anyway, is it? At least not for me! I don´t care what they use to wash my hair, as long as I get to sit there, read a magazine, sip on a cup of tea and don´t have to get up and look after tiny little humans.
Oh, and then the head massage! Use olive oil, I wouldn´t care, as long as you give me a proper head massage!
It is at home where the actual product counts – without the tea, without the massage, without having five minutes to myself!
So lets see how the Avon Advance Techniques Instant Restore haircare line performed.
What Avon claims
This line repairs damaged and processd hair from the inside with its revolutionary keratin formula, offering solutions for breakage, frizz, dullness and similar conditions.
Whats inside
All of the products do contain silicones, fragrance and the shampoo uses sulphates, so if you are looking for a free from formula, this line is not for you.
It contains hydrolized keratin aiming to repair the structural damage bleach and heat can do to the hair.
As I am not a haircare expert, I will not go into further detail on the formula and ingredients.
Avon Advance Techniques Instant Restore Shampoo (2,09 € here)
Despite using sulphates, this shampoo feels gentle. It lathers well upon application and leaves my hair clean, but not stripped and with volume at the roots for two days after the wash. By day three I need some dry shampoo, but can easily prolong the wash for four days in total. The scent is sweet and slightly fruity, not my favorite, but doesn´t linger in the hair for long.
Recommended? Yes. If your hair is extra dry, it might not be enough, but my processed hair feels soft and nourished when using it.
Avon Advance Techniques Instant Restore Conditioner (2,69 € here)
My hair gets very knotty despite brushing it before washing, so I need a hardworking conditioner to make it manageable afterwards. Sadly the Avon Advance Techniques Instant Restore Conditioner was not the best for that. Yes, it helped a little, but I still felt as if I had to tug more than I normally would when detangling my hair. The plus side is that I could use it on my whole head without it weighing my hair down.
Recommended? Only if you need a very lightweight conditioner. Damaged and dry hair will need more.
Avon Advance Techniques 3 Minute Miracle Mask (2,69 € here)
I do a hair mask on the regular, and the short amount of time needed for this one (3 minutes equals my usual shave and body wash routine) paired with the slightly disappointing performance of the conditioner meant I reached for this one quite often. It leaves my hair soft and silky without weighing it down, like a slightly richer conditioner would.
Recommended? Yes, especially if you don´t have time for thirty minute deep conditioning routines on the regular.
Avon Advance Techniques Instant Restore Reconstruction Spray (3,59 € here)
To be honest, I am a little at loss here. It was the product that tempted me most, yet even after using it numerous times in a multitude of ways I am still not sure what to make of it.
It is supposed to be sprayed into wet hair before styling, or used on dry hair for top ups. It doesn´t claim to be a heat protectant and smells a little like hair spray without claiming to prolong styling. When sprayed on dry hair, it did revive my curls and added texture, but also some crunchiness. On wet hair I just didn´t notice any effect. It might be nourishing in the long run, but after four weeks I didn´t notice any changes in my hair yet. Am I using it wrong?
Recommended? If you want a texturizing spray with added hair care benefits.
Avon Advance Techniques Instant Restore Deep Restore Serum (3,59 € here)
Yes, this is two times restore in the name so naturally I had high hopes! It is a leave in serum with added UV-filters and heat protectant that you use on wet hair, and it is my favorite product.
While it won´t be as good in banishing frizz as a hair oil (the only thing keeping my ends looking alive!) it leaves my hair soft, glossy and bouncy. I apply it after towel drying my hair or in between through the ends for healthy looking locks.
Recommended? Yes.
Final thoughts
Damaged or processed hair is usually lacking keratin, and while nothing will truly repair your strands (they are dead after all), the right products can keep them strong and less prone to breakage while looking healthy. Out of this line the shampoo, the reconstruction spray and the hair mask are good, the conditioner a little underwhelming and the serum the one thing I feel is a must buy for processed and damaged hair.