This weekend I got a glimpse into the world of luxury salon extensions. I was on assignment for Racked, covering the Mane Addicts Mane University class founded by Kim Kardashian’s stylist, Jen Atkin. Mane University showcases Jen’s stylist buddies based on their expertise, and this time around it was all about extensions.
I’m no stranger to extensions although I’ve recently given them up in favor of wigs. It’s just easier for me to remove them and treat my scalp and ends nightly. I honestly spent most of the class staring at Chrissy Teigen, people watching, and jotting down the occasional tip that the everyday woman can appreciate.
One nugget of wisdom came from celebrity extensionist Priscilla Valles. She removes tape extensions with citrus oil and needs a powerful clarifier to get rid of the residue. Her product of choice? Palmolive. Yeah, the dish soap. “Nothing suds like Palmolive!” she stated. “It’s the best clarifier in the world, really.” Hold on. Best in the world? I want some “best in the world!”
There are some obvious problems with this. Palmolive is not sulfate-free and I was worried that it would be super harsh on my already dry hair. I didn’t have any crazy buildup. I didn’t even need such a powerful cleanser like Priscilla’s clients, so why was I even doing this? Eh, curiosity I guess.
I prepoo’d with coconut oil and got to work. Turns out it’s amaaaaazing suds-wise. Comparable to ORS Olive Oil Creamy Aloe Shampoo, I would say. I used a few drops and had suds for days. Did it dry out my hair? Nah, it felt pretty normal. But I did get a minuscule drop in my eye and was nearly blinded. Was it squeaky clean? Like, the cleanest hair of my life? Actually no. My Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Pure Castille Liquid Soap? Now that’s a squeaky clean.
Will I be using Palmolive again? Probably not. Part of it is because of the temporary blindness I endured and part of it is because I just really love my Dr. Bronners right now. I will try using it on my wigs since it did get the job done. For now I’ll stick to my lovely peppermint and leave the Palmolive under the sink. 🙂
