evo Colour Protect Review: Why I’m Recommending This New Range to Anyone Who’ll Listen
Erin Cook is a beauty and lifestyle journalist who has been slinging words for magazines, such as marie claire, ELLE, Harper’s BAZAAR, Cosmopolitan and Body+Soul, for the better part of a decade. As part of this role, she's had the pleasure of interviewing countless experts, such as dermatologists, trichologists, makeup artists and brand founders, to get their two cents on the latest beauty trends or to answer consumer questions. She loves a good hyaluronic serum, tinted moisturiser or glossy lipstick almost as much as she loves her cats. Almost.
In Partnership With Evo
Full disclosure: if your hair is completely untouched by bleach, tint or dye, this article isn’t for you.
But if you’re loyal to your salon colour appointments – or occasionally reach for a box dye in the bathroom (I won’t tell) – keep reading.
Australian haircare brand evo recently released its new Colour Protect range and just quietly, I think this might be one of their best launches yet. Only to be rivaled by the Scalp range evo released late last year.
I’ve tried it, loved it and have a few thoughts. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Why use a colour protect shampoo, conditioner and leave in?
If you’ve spent a lot of money on your salon colour, a take-home colour protect shampoo and conditioner can help keep it looking rich, glossy and vibrant for longer between appointments.
Colour protect products are especially important if you’ve gone darker – like dark blonde, brunette or red – over pre-lightened or blonde hair. As the colour fades, underlying tones can start to peek through, and if you’re not careful, your hair can start throwing hues you didn’t agree to.
Just FYI, colour depositing, colour safe and colour protect are not the same thing. Here’s a breakdown:
Colour depositing: Products in this category double as lightweight hair dyes. You pick a shade and it actually deposits colour to your hair while you shower; however, they’re not as colour-rich as a salon or at-home hair dye.
Colour safe: If a product is labeled as ‘colour safe’ this means it won’t actively strip your dye. This is the bare minimum if you have colour treated hair.
Colour protect: This is the category that the new evo Colour Protect range falls into. Think of these products as going above and beyond. Colour protect shampoos, conditioners and the like, are specifically formulated to prolong the life of your colour. The Rolls-Royce of haircare if you’re sporting strands that have been enhanced with dye.
Evo Colour Protect Range Review
Evo Atonement Colour Protect Shampoo, $46
What it promises: This colour-protecting shampoo works to cleanse the scalp and hair while helping preserve your shade, so it stays brighter and richer between salon visits. It removes impurities without disrupting the hair’s moisture balance, helping maintain softness and shine.
My evo Atonement Colour Protect Shampoo review:
This product landed in my hands at just the right time after I decided to go brunette again after a brief foray as a blonde (couldn’t be bothered with the regrowth, but that’s a story for another day).
I’m an evo fan from way back, so I’ve used a few of their shampoos, but Atonement Colour Protect Shampoo and the also recently-released evo Common Ground Scalp Shampoo feel like a step up on the brand’s existing shampoos.
The viscosity of the product is more lightweight than other evo shampoos, which makes it easier to distribute throughout your hair. (I have thick hair which is both a blessing and a curse.) It foams up really easily, which is impressive considering the formula contains sugar and coconut-derived surfactants, rather than harsh sulphates.
I only wash my hair about twice a week, so I want a shampoo that foams up well and can really thoroughly cleanse the scalp and hair. This formula does just that.
The difference between evo Atonement Colour Protect Shampoo and other cheaper alternatives is that it doesn't overstrip your scalp with harsh sulphates. Some of the supermarket variety shampoos feel great initially, but are too stripping, causing your scalp to overproduce oil in the aftermath.
Atonement Colour Protect Shampoo leaves my scalp and hair clean but balanced, so I have 2-3 days of clean hair before it starts feeling oily.
Evo Atonement Colour Protect Conditioner, $48
What it promises: This lightweight yet nourishing conditioner works to replenish moisture while helping lock in colour, so your shade stays brighter for longer. It smooths the hair fibre to enhance shine and softness, leaving strands looking glossy and feeling silky to the touch.
My evo Atonement Colour Protect Conditioner review:
I don’t know about you, but I want my conditioner to do two things: make my hair feel soft in the short-term and have a strengthening effect in the longer-term. Plus, I want it to do all of that without weighing my hair down or leaving a greasy residue.
evo Atonement Colour Protect Conditioner gets a tick, tick, tick.
This formula is chock-full of good stuff like cationic conditioners (to preserve vibrancy), uv filters (to protect against sun-induced colour fading) and hydrolyzed quinoa (to strengthen and protect vibrancy).
I’ve been using this shampoo and conditioner for a few weeks and can confirm that my salon colour remains intact. The real test will be how my hair colour looks in a month or two, but we’re off to a good start.
Evo Hue Dini Colour Protect Leave-in, $44
What it promises: This versatile leave-in treatment works to shield colour-treated hair from fading while delivering hydration and smoothing benefits.
My evo Hue Dini Colour Protect Leave-in review:
Did you know that using heat tools can strip your colour? It’s a bummer, but it’s true.
I love the evo Hue Dini Colour Protect Leave-in because you can spritz it on your hair post-shower and it won’t leave a greasy residue. It’s lightweight, smells great, helps prevent colour fade and also protects against heat damage.
Overall, it’s a really solid, hardworking product that could have a big impact on the health of your hair and the vibrancy of your colour over time.
If you’re going to go to all the trouble of dyeing your hair, promise you’ll use a heat protecting leave-in like this one?
