Pureology products have long been the top choice by professional salons and spas for longest lasting color maintenance and excellent performance. Before L'Oreal. After the charming people at Pureology decided to sell out to L'Oreal, almost the entire line has sunk to new lows. The product contents, which used to start with "Certified organic botanicals of..." now seem strikingly similar to all the other products at the store beginning with "Eau/Water..." So now instead of spending twenty something dollars for one bottle that will last for several months and save you money, you are spending the same amount and getting one bottle that makes it maybe a month. Not really the concentrated product we all used to know and love. L'Oreal's next fantastic move was to release a public statement claiming the ingredients never changed. Well, read the bottle everyone! Right there in plain and simple, smaller font size, text is the proof that they are lying. If nothing changed I can't imagine the ingredient label would need to change, now would it? Then to top off the entire ridiculous takeover , L'Oreal did the most idiotic move they've made yet, and there are a lot to choose from. Just today, our Pureology rep showed up and handed me a crisp clear contract demanding a signature. By signing this "diversion contract" we are agreeing to not sell Pureology products to discount stores, supermarkets and drug store. Give me a moment to tear it up. The idea that a "contract" with Pureology would be enforced is almost as laughable as them claiming the product has not changed at all since the purchase by L'Oreal. This contract is a demand by the company to make it seem like they actually care about the salons they do business with. Obviously, since Pureology, or rather, L'Oreal, has been selling the products outright to places like Giant Eagle, Target and CVS. Why should there be a contract between salons and L'Oreal when L'Oreal has always been about the same thing from day one: Purchase a smaller company with a good reputation, mass produce and destroy integrity. The salon that I manage launched their grand opening with Pureology in 2004 and had much success with the product. Pureology proved to be a superior product for restoring and maintaining healthy shinny hair and the "Nano" technology made the product very concentrated so you only needed a little bit to do the job making the bottle last forever. Since then Pureology can be found in grocery stores drug stores and discount chains not to mention anywhere online. Not Exactly the "prestige line sold only in fine salons" as they once marketed themselves.

Tabitha is a beauty professional at Salon Destino in Strongsville, Ohio and a writer for www.beautykazoo.com