Revolutionary conditioning system locks moisture in while creating and maintaining your style, writes Sarah Bunker
Heat is a huge part of the hair routine, both in the salon and at home. While effective, it's incredibly damaging to your hair, leaving it dry and frizzy. So, what about using cold temperatures to revive hair?
A Tauranga company has done just that and Inverse, the world's first hair conditioning system that uses the power of ice to restore hair, has hit the shelves.
Designed and developed by Locus Research for Roholm Ltd, Inverse uses sub-zero temperatures to lock in moisture to naturally condition and revitalise all types of hair.
The stylish device is easy to use, cordless and completely natural, and while it looks like a straightener, there's no heat in sight.
"Unlike other hair treatments that anneal, coat, or modify your hair, Inverse uses ice to reverse the damage from heat styling and chemical products," says Locus Research managing director Timothy Allan. "It's proven to give you softer, smoother, shinier and more manageable hair. And the more you use it, the better it gets."
Otumoetai's Pam French, a former award-winning salon owner, is the first to admit she's used hundreds of lotions, potions and devices to get her hair looking great.
"As a 53-year-old woman, my hair was no longer young and vibrant after colouring, blow waving, flat ironing and sun damaging my hair since I was a teenager," says Pam, who ran a successful salon in Auckland for 14 years.
"It didn't matter how many treatments and top-notch products I used, my hair looked tired, dry, brittle and knotty even after conditioner."
Locus Research discovered that if you treat the hair at a sub-zero temperature, the fibre itself changes, locking in moisture and improving strength and elasticity within the hair.
Mother of two Pam, one of the first people to try Inverse, noticed softer, shinier hair after using it three times.
"What I found most astonishing was after 10 uses I would wake up in the morning and my hair would be sitting just like it had been when I went to bed the night before. It looked great! I would normally wake in the morning and my hair would look like I had been through a cyclone!"
Inverse was tested on all types of hair with a wide range of women noting healthier, stronger hair and noticeable colour benefits.
"My colour now stays more vibrant throughout the month and doesn't fade. I don't use any styling aids and only use a fraction of the conditioner I used to," says Pam. "I save about $40 a month on product and use my hair dryer or flat irons a lot less - it's a real pleasure to do my hair now."
Inverse can be used on towel dried, damp or wet hair, before or after straightening and even in the shower.
"It's great because it fits in with whatever your current hair routine is. I run four or five times a week so I need to wash my hair quite often. Using it in the shower after washing and conditioning my hair is perfect for me. I keep my body under the warm water and flip my head upside down out of the water then run my fingers through the hair followed by Inverse. It only takes me about 90 seconds and the knots just melt away."
She says the great thing about Inverse is that the effects last.
"Other conditioning treatments only coat the hair, Inverse restores it from the inside out. If I am travelling for a few days I can use it before I go and won't have to worry about my hair until I get back."
With years of hairdressing experience under her belt, Pam knows women are always looking to save time and money on their hair.
"I now spend about an hour less per week blow-waving and straightening my hair," she says.
"I can get up and go in the morning without the hassle of having to prepare my hair for the day. Best of all, my hair feels 21 again!"
*For more information, visit www.inversehair.com