ARTec Is Winning My Votes

Hi Everyone,Five days ago my long hair stylist recommended that I try the ARTec smoothing shampoo for my newly highlighted hair. I was skeptical coming off disasters testing Aura and Abba.She used the ARTec on my hair at the salon and my hair felt really great. So I bought a small bottle (13oz) of the Smoothing shampoo. I paid $9.00 for it plus tax.I have to tell you all, I have been experiementing like crazy. The first day I used the ARTec smoothing shampoo and the smoothing conditioner. WOW. My hair, 1st day after a highlight was like silk. I also used the Aveda Curressence leave in spray (but only used a tiny squirt).Day #2 I used the shampoo and Aveda Cherry Almond Bark. My hair was silky but the Cherry Almond Bark cranked up the waves, so I have silky layers of soft waves. WOW again. I did try some Joico leave in spray similar to the Curressence. I liked the Joico spray too but I don't think it made much of an impact on the overal condition of my hair.Day #3 I used the shampoo and Aveda's Curressence. I used Aveda Elixer. My picks were sliding through my hair like it was unbelievable.Day #4 & #5 I went back to ARTec shampoo and matching conditioner. I also used the ARTec Hydrating Treatment. Super WOW.I have been getting more compliments on my hair than I have in a long time. I am going to write up all my notes and put them in the Tips & Articles section on ARTec. I went back to the beauty store tonight and bought one of all their products. They have a new color line like Aveda and I bought the Lemon Flower. Also, I bought the Kiwi shampoo to try in Clare and Cher's honor. :-)I must say, I am impressed. As you all know, I try lots of products every year and rarely find one that competes in my opinion with Aveda. Only Phytologie and Fuerter got really close. At this rate, I may be hanging out in the ARTec aisle for awhile.I am not giving up Aveda, just playing and mixing and matching. I did find the Aveda to really add to the combination of the ARTec shampoo.Thanks for encouraging me to do a test on this product line.KarenPS. 12 ounces costs from $6.75 to around $9.00 and 32 ounces goes for anywhere from $14.45 to $18.00.You can find ARTec at the big name beauty supply stores like Ultra3 and Cosmetics Plus and Rickey's in NYC.

Dear Karen,What exactly does ARTec smoothing shampoo do for your hair? Maybe I should buy some of that. I am really into trying new products. I recently discovered Sebastian Laminates Conditoner which is very good for curly hair. Maybe ARTec has something simillar. I am going to the salon tomorrow. I will ask. Thanks so much for bringing this line to my atttention. If you find any other line of products made for curly hair that can be purchase at a local salon. Please let me know. I have being dying to use Ouidad, but I am a bit skeptical on mail-order hair products. Thanks again and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!!Marsha :-)

Hi Marsha,ARTec was designed with fragile and color treated/chemically treated hair in mind. That is why my stylist originally encouraged me to try it. I was very skeptical because of my love affair with Aveda for all these years and the disasters I encountered from trying Abba and Aura and Riquette in the past few weeks.So when my stylist used the ARTec Tex Smoothing shampoo and conditioner on my newly highlighted hair, it felt silkier than it had in a long time. I bought some and made the decision to stick with it from several shampoos. Every day my hair stayed as silky (if not more so) than the day before.I also mixed and matched with Aveda conditioners but I also did a pure ARTec thing for a couple of days and my hair is softer and shinier than ever. This after 1 weeks of highlights. Normally when I have my hair highlighted it takes about 2 weeks of heavy Aveda conditioning to get it back to pre-highlight softness.With ARTec it was back right away.Today I tried the Kiwi shampoo and conditioner from ARTec. Last night I went nuts at the Beauty Store and bought all the different ARTec products to try. I bought the KIWI line and more Smoothing (Tex) line and also their volume shampoo.What does ARTec do? When the Smoothing was designed to condition and soften dry, chemically treated or colored hair. The shampoo itself is very creamy and includes several herbs and natural ingredients.The Kiwi smells divine but it was not as moisturizing as the Smoothing shampoo.For curly hair I have to tell you that Ouidad is the absolute best. Until the end of June there is a special with Hair Boutique where you can get the Ouidad sample kit for just $15.00. You have to call their customer service line (instead of the regular order line) and you have to give them my name and Hair Boutique and you will save $10 over their lowest cost. It is an excellent deal.Also, for curly hair, my stylist uses Phytologie which makes an good curly hair product line. However, I have heard that Ouidad's line is the absolute best for curly hair. After all, Ouidad has struggled with her own curly hair forever and she designed her hair care line just for that purpose.Good luck. Let me know how you like ARTec if you try it.Thanks for the Birthday wishes.Karen> Dear Karen,> What exactly does ARTec smoothing shampoo> do for your hair? Maybe I should buy some of that.> I am really into trying new products. I recently> discovered Sebastian Laminates Conditoner which> is very good for curly hair. Maybe ARTec has something> simillar. I am going to the salon tomorrow. I> will ask. Thanks so much for bringing this line> to my atttention. If you find any other line of> products made for curly hair that can be purchase> at a local salon. Please let me know. I have being> dying to use Ouidad, but I am a bit skeptical> on mail-order hair products. Thanks again and> HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!!> Marsha :-)

Hi Cheryl,I would like to suggest you consider ordering from Mickhael at World Wide Beauty at the URL below. I have talked with the man and he is an excellent authority on hair care products. His on-store carries ARTec along with lots of the other products. His prices are great.I know that sometimes it is a little scary to order on-line but I have had good luck with doing this and will be ordering stuff from Mickhael myself.I got your URL...thank you. I will be sending you a private email later today when I get caught up. I had a great idea for you. :-)Thanks for sending the URL. I think you might like ARTec's Tex Smoothing shampoo and conditioner as a possible alternative at times. Of course there is no guarantee because as we all know...everyone's hair is different but I think you might enjoy it.I tried the Kiwi shampoo this morning and it smelled absolutely wonderful. My hair is not as soft as with the Smoothing, but still good.More later.Have a great day Cher.Karen> Karen...I haven't heard of any of those beauty> supply stores before. Maybe Cosmetic Plus, but> that would be closer to DC in my area, if at all.> Is there a phone number on the bottles that you> could give out for the ones interested to call> to try to locate distributors? I would love to> give it a shot also, for a test. Sounds like another> winner and if it is as good for my hair, I would> alternate it with Aveda and maybe save a bit on> the wallet!! I am headed today to the salon to> get the layers cut off.. it will take off quite> a bit of length but I can't handle them anymore.> I would rather get it all one length again and> go from there. Plus it will cut off most of the> coloring that didn't wash out and my hair will> be more uniform. Thank God my hair grows fast> or I wouldn't dare.. Did you receive my URL address> for the pics? Happy Birthday.. Cher~Related Link:World Wide Beauty Store

Hi JM,Oops...I didn't read your post before I put mine in to Cher. Sorry. :-(That will teach me to read everything before I post a response. :-)You are right...Worldwide Beauty Store. Good place.Let me know if you try the ARTec Orange Marigold. It sounds very cool. I am dying to try the Lemon Flower myself.Have a great day.Karen>> Also, the WorldWide Beauty Store (http://www.wwbeautystore.com)> carries the ARTec color line. I'll have to try> the Orange Marigold! I think Karen has a direct> link to the site on here.> Hope this helps, JM

Do their products contain silicons?-jennifer

I can't yet speak for the color shampoos because I have not personally tested them yet and have been working my way from the Tex Smoothing shampoo and conditioner to the Kiwi shampoo (which I used today with good results).I bought the ARTec Lemon Flower shampoo and conditioner but will probably not get to them for a few days.I have been reading a lot about ARTec though and I suspect that their color products are going to be as good as Aveda's.Yes...in bold letters on all the bottles....Not Tested By Animals. Legally they can not claim that if it is not true without getting in lots of hot water. So yes...no cruelty.I am also going to try their Volume Shampoo.I had another male friend try the Kiwi Shampoo and conditioner today and he called me to tell me his hair looks great, feels great and he loves the kiwi aromas.If you try the ARTec color shampoos please post and let us know what you think.Thanks,Karen> Hi!> I've been interested in trying ARTec and> now I'm even more interested. I have fine hair> with some wave to it. Are their color shampoos> as good as Aveda's? Also, are the products cruelty-free?>> Thanks!

Hi Cher,Did I ever tell you that I lived in Triangle, Virgina for about 4 months many many moons ago? It was right up old highway 1 from Manassas.So hey...I think you will enjoy at least trying the ARTec. I am always excited when I find a hair care product that really works for my hair. It happens just about once a year...if that. Last year I found Phytologie but it is so hard to get (only Nordstroms & Neiman Marcus in Dallas) and very expensive even compared to Aveda. I liked Kiehl's products too but they are harder to get than Phytologie. I also loved Fuerter (a review coming soon) but the prices will knock your socks off because the product is imported from France and makes Aveda look very reasonable.Some of the Redken products work on my hair, but I always want spectacular changes. Not just "it works on my hair". So far, with ARTec is is WOW every day. I love that. I small WOWs with Phytologie last summer. ARTec is giving me big WOWs.Let me know how you do. Enjoy lunch with your hubby.:-)Karen> I looked in our yellow pages and found a> distributor of Artec.. But I will again have to> travel up towards Northern Virginia to shop. It> gives me a good excuse to have lunch with my husband,> so not a problem! Seems one street in the same> city my husband works has two salons that carry> both the Aveda and the Artec.. Since you are raving> so about it, I have to give it a test.. Cher~>

Hi Jennifer....Here are the ingredients in the KIWI Shampoo exactly as listed on the bottle:Botantical Extracts (Deionized Water, Pure Kiwi Fruit, Wild Pansy Coffee Bean, Quillaja (soapbark), Yarrow, Chinchona, Nettle Birch, Horestail and Chamomile, Sodium (14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamide DEA, Cocomidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Polysorbate 20, Hydrolyzed Soy protein, Biotin, Folic Acid, Benzophenone-4, Panthenol, Jojobo Oil, Aloe Vera Oil, Olive Oile, Rice Bran Oil Lactamide MEA, Isostearyl Benzoate, Walnut Oil, Allantoin, Polyquarternium-10, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Superoxide Dismutase, Proplene Glycol, Glycol Stearate, Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, FD&C Blue No.1, FD&C Yellow No. 5.WHEW. Lots of hard typing there. :-)I did not see any obvious "cones". Maybe Laura Jane has some ideas on some of the chemicals that might not be so good. I did notice the ingredients listed at the top are natural such as Pure Kiwi Fruit, Wild Pansy Coffee Bean, Yarrow, etc.Hope this helps. I will be glad to post the ingredients from the ARTec Lemon Flower, Volume and Smoothing shampoos. From what I can see...not a "cone" in sight.Hard to believe since my hair feels so great and I know that Aveda's Shampure does contain very small amounts of "cone" ingredients...although they are very small and listed far down, they are still there. So if ARTec really doesn't have "cones" as it seems not to, it is pretty interesting how well it works.KarenKaren> Do their products contain silicons?> -jennifer

Hi Cher,I don't blame you about chickening out. I have actual nightmares when I am sleeping that someone has dragged me into a hair salon and chopped off my hair. Literally I dream...er...have bad dreams...about it. So I understand.Hang in there...you will do what is best when you feel comfortable.I support you 100%.Karen> Karen: I definitely know where Triangle is..> We are in Fredericksburg. I hope to get up to> Alexandria next week to get the Artec. I will> post my findings too after I give it a try. Thanks> for all of your leads on the best products for> our hair. Also, I chickened out on the haircut> today. Everytime I think I have the nerve to go..I> back down. :-/ Til later..Cher~

Bummer about the coffee bean. Do you have any idea why that would include coffe bean? I have never heard of that ingredient before.My friend (male) that I gave some of the Kiwi to use if raving about how great his hair smells. He loves it to death.Thanks for the chemical consultation. :-)Karen>> No silicones. It looks wonderful, except> that it has coffee bean in it! (I'm allergic.> It figures!) I'm glad I didn't buy any when I> was out shopping today.> Laura Jane lswanson@sunflower.bio.indiana.edu>

Hi JM...It is a small world...isn't it? :-)Karen>>