Radiant Red Red Boosting Conditioner 250ml

Love this shampoo, have been using it on my auburn hair for years and was a bit worried when i couldn’t purchase it from anywhere but notice now it was just a package change

I’ve been using John Frieda Radiant Red Boosting Conditioner (along with the John Frieda red-boosting shampoo) for a couple of years, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to review it through Vine. If you’re considering buying this, you probably already know how quickly red-tinted hair fades! This doesn’t really boost the colour exactly — it just slows the fade a bit. You still lose colour with every wash, and how much is largely driven by how often you wash it and the temperature of the water you rinse with (cooler is definitely kinder to red). What this does is soften that loss compared to using a standard conditioner. It’s worth being clear that stronger colour-depositing products do a more noticeable job of maintaining or refreshing colour. Those are more effective — but they come with trade-offs: they can stain your hands (and anything else they touch) and can sometimes over-correct the tone. This is much gentler and easier to use, so it depends what you’re after. As a conditioner, it’s perfectly good — it leaves my hair soft and smooth without feeling heavy. Overall, I’d see this as a low-effort, everyday option that helps your colour fade more slowly, rather than something that actively restores or intensifies it.

Suits my hair beautifully but not easy to get

In normal light, my hair is dark brown, but in the sunlight, it has a copper glow inherited from family members a couple of generations ago. People have always said my hair looks like a different colour in the sun, but it was never truly that noticeable—until now. I used this conditioner for the first time and only left it on for two minutes. The next time I went out in the sun, the difference was striking! I have no dye in my hair at all, but this product really brought out my natural red and copper tones. I’m absolutely delighted because I often find my plain brown hair a bit boring. I was also pleasantly surprised by the price. At only £5.30, I expected a small trial-sized tube, but it is a full 250 ml bottle. For a well-known brand like John Frieda, this is great value. It’s definitely a win when a "boring" brown turns into a multidimensional copper for under six quid! My hair also feels quite soft after one application and in good condition. Longevity wise I can't say how long the effect lasts if you stop using the conditioner, but I do know that I intend to keep using it if it brings out my natural colour. The condition smells very nice too.

Leaves hair soft and manageable i would say it adds a shine rather than actually deposit red tones like some.

I went for this for my daughter really, but tried it myself ~for science~ on my highlighted/gray hair to see how much pigment actually gets deposited. THE INSTRUCTIONS CLEARLY SAY NOT FOR USE ON BLONDE OR GRAY HAIR, but in the spirit of properly testing the products, I thought it would be a useful experiment. I did use this in conjunction with the matching shampoo, so my overall results are based on using both together. I was expecting the conditioner to be a deep red shade, but it comes out more of a pastel, milky maroon (if that makes any sense), so I wasn't convinced at first that it would leave any decent colour behind. It is a nice, thick consistency and spread easily through my hair. I left it in a shower cap for just under 10mins while I did the rest of my shower stuff, then rinsed. My hair felt super smooth after rinsing, and dried nicely using a hairdryer without too much frizz. My hair felt really, really soft after drying. I was left with a nice pink tint on the ends of my hair, where there is more bleach. It didn't do anything to the greys at my roots whatsoever. It washed out in one shampoo. I was surprised by the colour left behind and I think the set of both products would be a nice touch to add some dimensions to gingers, browns or auburns, without any commitment.

I currently use the John Frieda Precision Foam Colour to colour my grey, and it has a nice red tint to it, and I thought this might help boost that red. I appreciate that these have to be used consistently over a long time to see if it makes any difference. But on the short time I’ve been using them, I have noticed a slight “glow-up”, but the main benefits are that this conditioner makes my hair nice and soft. I found it easy to use, and it applied well to my hair. £5.30 (at time of ordering) is, I think, good value for money.

I had to investigate further - I really wasn’t sure if this product was meant for those who had dyed red hair and therefore needed to maintain their colour, or if it was meant for natural redheads in their various hues, or.. if it was suitable for both! It turns out that it is suitable for both.. My daughter has long wavy hair and is a true redhead. I am a more muted but a natural browny-auburn with the odd grey bit mainly at the front. I use an expensive conditioner, my daughter almost the cheapest going. We both liked this conditioner for differing reasons. Conditioner in a tube is great - keep it head down and it is easy to access the product in the shower. My daughter liked the scent and the shine that it left her hair with. She didn’t notice any difference to her hair colour - perhaps it builds up over the weeks? I did notice a very slight tint to my hair - but my partner didn’t (as in his comments about my hair). Compared to what I pay usually this conditioner is an absolute bargain. Even compared to my daughter’s outlay it is good value for money. I don’t think you can expect miracles as the how much more red it might make your hair but this is a great conditioner in its own right. Although I’d be wary about using it if I was a platinum blonde..