Hello! If I asked a few of you to name some salon brands, what would your answers be? L’Oreal, Redken, Tigi? Today I am talking about a salon brand that is different to all the others – it’s cruelty free. Behold, Paul Mitchell.

Paul Mitchell loves animals. In 1987, they were not “one of the first” but THE first company to stand up and announce that they did not conduct or endorse animal testing. Paul Mitchell are also one of the few “big” names out there that hasn’t succumbed to the Chinese market; after being informed they would have to pay for animal testing to continue to sell into the country Paul Mitchell pulled their products out of China to ensure they remained loyal to their cruelty free promise.

Hairtrade gave me the amazing opportunity of trying out some of Paul Mitchell’s hair care line to prove that great hair doesn’t have to mean sad bunnies.

Super Strong Daily Shampoo – £5.25 (100ml) / Super Strong Daily Conditioner – £6.75 (100ml) / Super Strong Liquid Treatment – £7.40 (100ml) / Heat Seal – £11.26 (250ml)

My hair has had the pleasure of trying the Super Strong Daily Shampoo & Conditioner, the Super Strong Liquid Treatment and the Heat Seal thermal protectant.

The Super Strong Daily Shampoo claims to “gently cleanse the hair and repair damaged strains, improving the look and feel” with the aid of their exclusive Super Strong Complex that rebuilds hair from within. Upon first use, I was struck by how rich and concentrated the product was and when I say a little goes a long way, boy do I mean it. After rinsing, my hair feels cleaner without feeling stripped.

The Super Strong Daily Conditioner claims to “soften, smooth and prevent moisture loss” with not only the help of the Super Strong Complex, but with canola, soy bean and corn starch. Again, this is a concentrated and rich product and I find it’s best applied to 3/4 of the hair, avoiding the roots. This is a conditioner that you will feel and see working; the result is smooth and shiny hair.

The Super Strong Liquid Treatment is the star of the bunch. It claims to “help seal split ends and helps repair from the inside out”, again with the Super Strong Complex but also marine extracts and vegetable proteins. To use, you spray on wet hair after washing and comb through. When I spray it on, I can feel it on my hair, acting as a coating. This is probably due to the use of silicones that are added to protect the surface. Before I began using this range, I did suffer from heavy hair loss especially after washing. I feel that this is the product that has helped minimise the amount of hair I am losing and over time, it will continue to make my hair stronger.

The Heat Seal claims to “guard strands from damage caused by heat styling” whilst building body, enhancing shine and providing light hold. The essential fatty acids and flexible styling agents add shine and memory. The Heat Seal has to be one of the best heat protectants I’ve ever come across. After using heat tools on hair that has been protected by Heat Seal, my hair feels soft and smooth and also shiny; you can’t help but swish. I have noticed that since using this my hair stays straight for longer and it is resistant to frizzing or curling. I no longer need to straighten my hair daily or add any products to it as the style and feeling remains until I wash it.

In summary, I have been incredibly impressed with the quality of these products but also with the results they have given me. My hair feels stronger, smoother, softer and it looks so much healthier since I started this routine. Each product is so concentrated I do not need to drown my hair strands in the product to see a small difference. I would whole heartedly recommend the Paul Mitchell line to everyone.

Danniella Josephine; a red lipstick loving Yorkshire pudding who struggles to write in third person.

Find Danniella’s fab blog at Famous in Japan and tweet her @_famousinjapan