Monat Balance Treatment System... Starting a new hair adventure...

A friend (who works at my old orthodontist's office) has been posting pictures of her hair since she started using Monat hair products. I was intrigued. Sometimes it helps to see the results of someone you know, who wouldn't fib to get sales.

Since then, I've been looking online and checking out blog posts. And... I continued to be intrigued. I haven't seen very many poor reviews. Additionally, they have an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau.

So last Friday I took the leap and joined as a VIP customer ($19.00) and purchased the Balance Treatment System ($99.00 MSRP, $84.00 VIP 15% discount). This is the most I've ever spent on hair care products! I suspect this is the case for many women. And if I like it, I'll probably join so I can get 30% off products.

Per Monat's site:

Our patent-pending age-prevention formula of ingredients seep hair with incredible moisture, reducing dry and brittle texture to deliver new life and hydration to every strand. MONAT features powerful active botanicals and bio-functional catalase that serve as UV protectors and prevent thinning, free radical neutralizers that keep hair looking and feeling naturally healthy, and an exclusive blend of vitamins and minerals to combat oxidative stress along with proactive amino acids that repair and replace essential nutrients. You’ll see and feel the difference in an instant, and with regular use, you’ll discover a brilliant, youthful glow to your hair, along with long-lasting conditioning results.

Some people have magnificent results in growing their hair quickly... Which is what I'm looking for. My goal is to donate it again. And it would be awesome to do that sooner, rather than later.

Some find that they have regrowth where it was once thin. 

And most find their hair becomes sleeker and smoother. Not to mention healthier. Not a bad thing, when you consider how much abuse our hair endures. Okay, so my hair doesn't get abused, cuz I don't invest much time in it.

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Anyhoo, today I received my order of Renew Shampoo, Restore Leave-In Conditioner, and Replenish Masque. Let me tell you- it smells amazing! A very pretty floral scent.

I couldn't wait to wash my hair tonight! As someone who *hates* washing her hair, that is something new, different, and noteworthy.

To get ready for this new hair "adventure," I had my hair trimmed about 1.5". That way I can start with cleaner strands. After getting it cut, it is about 15" long from my center part to the ends.

Some things about my hair:

1. It's pretty thick, but has finer strands. Some are a little more coarse underneath (those are almost a kinky black-brown).
2. The center, back of my hair has a little bit of wave... Not sure why it can't be all over my head. LOL
3. It's predominately brownish-red with some blondish strands. Oh and some shiny silver ones interspersed. 😖
4. There's usually quite a few strands lost in the washing process.
5. Even after washing, it feels heavy and almost waxy. A build-up that only several washings can get rid of. But after a few days, it's back.
6. After towel drying, it stays wet for a pretty long time.
7. Once dry- it isn't super parched, but it isn't soft and supple looking either.

As for my low-maintenance hair routine:

1. I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week. And most of those showers are spent with me rinsing shampoo and conditioner out.
2. My shampoo and conditioner is called FAST by Nisim. It is for maximum hair growth. I used this back in 2003 and was able to grow my hair 3" in 3 months.
3. Since I wash my hair at night, it air dries. I very infrequently use a hair dryer.
4. It only gets curled *maybe* 5 times a year.
5. Just like getting curled, that's about as often as it gets styling products.
6. I'm a ponytail (scrunchy), giant hair clip kind of girl.

Here are my observations after my first washing.

Renew Shampoo:

1. Not sure on the bottle. Hard to close when you have shampoo in your palm. I rested it on the side and some shampoo came out. I'll figure it out.
2. Feels creamy and lathers up nicely.
3. It feels silky and my hair instantly felt soft and smooth.
4. It rinses out better than I had hoped. I didn't spend the whole time rinsing.
5. It towel-dried relatively quickly after washing.

Replenish Masque:

1. Easy to apply and felt wonderful.
2. I was able to comb through easily with minimal strand loss.
3. Rinses out easily. (I left it on for about 10 minutes)

Restore Leave-In Conditioner:

1. It only took about 4 squirts to work through my hair from root to tip.
2. Easy to comb through.

Overall first impressions:

1. I washed my hair almost 3.5 hours ago and it is about 90% dry and STILL smells amazing! Usually after a short time, I can no longer smell my shampoo/conditioner.
2. My hair feels amazing! It's soft, silky and it might just be dry before I go to sleep.
3. The words "silky, smooth" and Zohan come to mind. 😜

I look forward to seeing how my hair looks after being slept on. And how it combs out after a night of tossing and turning (the back is usually pretty snarly by the AM).

Here are my before pictures:

Pre-Monat hair clump from 04-27-16 hair washing.

The front of my hair. You can see on the top that it doesn't lay down too well.

Right temple. You can see that I could stand to have a bit more fullness.

Left temple. Same story as the right temple.

And a few after pictures:

After first washing with Monat Renew Shampoo. Impressive!!! Hardly any clumps this time.

Front of my hair looks a tad smoother. And feels great!

Back of my hair looks pretty good. We will see how it looks tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned for more pictures... And have a great day! 🌺

Sara's Monat site is: http://sarajc.mymonat.com