Looking for a long-lasting, truly formaldehyde-free frizz-fighting treatment? One that releases no stealth formaldehyde fumes? I’ve mentioned L’Oréal Professionnel X-tenso before as an alternative to keratin smoothing treatments/brazilian blowouts. Now a new, improved, conditioning formula is about to hit salons, and given the controversy surrounding keratin treatments, it couldn’t be more welcome.
I became an X-tenso fan nine years ago when it first hit salons — I look like a baby in the photo for this story #agingsucks. I’m already a bigger fan of the new generation, X-tenso Moisturist. (See goofy grin in above photo.)
What X-tenso Moisturist does
An in-salon smoothing treatment, X-tenso Moisturist significantly reduces frizz and unruly volume, as well as softens hair and adds tons of shine.
It serves as a styling aid, speeding up the blowdry and making it much easier to style naturally curly or wavy hair straight. (Without X-tenso, it takes me an hour and 10 minutes to go from wet to sleek using a blowdryer, round brush and flat iron. With X-tenso, I can go from wet hair to sleek in 15 minutes — without the flat iron.)
It locks style in until your next wash. If you blowdry your hair straight, the results will last perfectly for days, even in the worst humidity or dampness.
Note: X-tenso is not a chemical-straightening process, so X-tenso-treated natural waves and curls will still be wavy and curly if they’re allowed to air dry or are styled using a diffuser. No-one will really be able to tell you’ve had anything done. But your waves and curls will be softer, smoother, controlled, more polished.
If you prefer your usually curly or wavy hair straight, the treatment can be customized to add extra sleekness.
How X-tenso Moisturist does what it does
X-tenso is a thioglycolic-acid based chemistry. That’s the same chemistry used for perms and relaxers. Zero formaldehyde in the mix, nor will it mysteriously appear as fumes during the treatment process. (And unlike the Keratin Complex Express treatment I had, X-tenso didn’t make my eyes sting.) There is a perm odour, but it’s very faint during the appointment. You might smell it in your hair afterward, but that will go away with your next shampoo/conditioner session (wait 48 hours, advises L’Oréal Professionnel education consultant Georgia Reynolds).
According to Reynolds, the Moisturist formula also conditions the hair with a cocktail of emollients, softening wax and cationic polymers (positively-charged polymer ions attracted to the negatively-charged ions in damaged hair). My hair certainly feels more supple post-treatment, and it’s wicked glossy.
The treatment itself, which costs about $200, takes about an hour to do. The two-step process begins with the even distribution of the cream formula throughout the hair. The cream stays on or about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on hair thickness, texture and smoothing required. After a thorough rinse comes an application of neutralizing cream, which then stays on hair for about five minutes before a final rinse.
If you want to enhance your curly-curl structure, your technician can twist your hair into curls during the first cream-application step.
If you want extra-sleek results, your technician can run a flat iron through your hair after the first thorough rinse, before the neutralizer application.
Who should NOT consider X-tenso Moisturist
Really, X-tenso Moisturist is for anyone with frizzy, unmanageable healthy hair. If yours is extremely fragile, or fried from over-processing, X-tenso isn’t for you. A pre-treatment consultation is a must.
How long X-tenso lasts
The official answer is eight weeks. It doesn’t actually wash out; the natural bonds within the hair simply return to their original state over time, says L’Oréal Professionnel Director of Education Colin FordFord. For me, with original X-tenso it took about 12 to 16 weeks — that’s four or five months in case the math confounds you (it does me). Results are enhanced with the use of frizz-minimizing, smoothing hair care products, which you’re probably already using, right?
For more information, hit www.lorealprofessionnel.ca.
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I am going to get this done! I am going to Europe in September, and if this helps with frizz and make the curls/waves smoother then I am in! That will mean less anti-frizz styling products to lug around! Thanks! :)
It’s made my hair nice and soft, Tracy, much less frizzy. Love it!
I have curly hair that is a bit on the dry side…I have heard that after the treatment wears off your hair is left a bit dry…did you find this?
Hi Sam,
No, I don’t remember my hair feeling any more dry. That was a long time ago, though — this formula is different, made with enough conditioning ingredients that technicians can actually manipulate the hair during the process without worrying that they’re causing damage. (With the original X-tenso, they didn’t touch the hair until the process was finished.) My hair will probably feel dry in a few months, but only in comparison to how it feels now after the treatment, rather than how it felt before. Know what I mean?
I was wondering where i could get this treatment. I will be away for 2 months and I am contemplating whether to get the keratin treatment or this one. I have dry, bushy hair :(.
If you have any recommendation for salons in Toronto, that would be awesome!!
Hi Tenzing,
You’ll definitely want to have a consultation with a salon technician to determine which treatment is better for you. If, despite being dry and bushy, your hair is strong and in good condition, X-tenso Moisturist is an option. If your hair is damaged, bleached or brittle, you might do better with a (formaldehyde-free!) keratin treatment, which coats the hair to add strength and shine.
X-Tenso Moisturist will be available at L’Oréal Professional Salons, such as Salon Daniel locations in Yorkville and at the Soho Met hotel downtown. You should be able to get more info re: salons at http://www.lorealprofessionnel.ca
formaldehyde-free keratin treatment as in ???? I thought all the keratin treatment had some kind of formaldehyde in them.
Someone is always trying to tell me theirs is formaldehyde-free. But the problem is that formaldehyde isn’t always listed in the ingredients (or maybe people don’t know what methelene glycol is) — it seems to show up mysteriously in fume form when stylists hit the hair with a flat iron. A brand called True Keratin claims to use vinegar (what’s the scent like, I wonder??) instead of formaldehyde or any other aldehyde. But they don’t list their ingredients on their website, so…
Safer for now to assume that yes, all keratin treatments contain formaldehyde, in which case, I take back that suggestion. X-tenso all the way — as long as your hair is healthy to start with.
thank you for all your help!! here i come X-tensooooooooooooooo
:)
Any salons in Charlotte area do this X-TENSO treatment?
I just tried the x-tenso treatment 2 weeks ago and my hair has never felt softer and more manageable. The only downside is my hair gets oily the day after I wash it (I only use Moroccan oil at the tips, so I figure my roots should be fine). But, my stylist told me that curly hair tends to get more oily with these kinds of treatments. My only saving grace, my dry shampoo and an up do for the second day!
My only question is, is there another product I could use for my hair, which tends to be quite dry at the ends?
Yay! I’m happy your hair likes the treatment, Lala!
Makes sense that curly hair would seem oilier after such a treatment, actually — sebum finally has a straight route to travel down the hair shaft. It doesn’t do that as well with curly hair; that’s why curly hair is so dry.
To temper that oily-root issue, though, you could always try a volumizing shampoo, and use a smoothing conditioner on your ends. Shouldn’t mess much with the general results of X-Tenso.
Also to help with those dry ends, maybe a leave-in conditioner is what you need there, or a bit of styling cream. If you like Moroccanoil, you could check out their Hydrating Styling Cream. And consider deep conditioning the ends of your hair once or twice a week.
Let me know how it goes, ‘k?
Hey Janine,
I bought the Nexxus Pro-Mend Overnight Treatment for my split ends and let me tell you, it delivers! I apply it to the ends of my hair before bed and wash it off in the morning and it feels and looks like I never had any split ends. Of course it works better with continued use, so looking forward to having split-end-free hair!
I’ve heard good things about that treatment, Lala! I mentioned it on The Marilyn Denis Show, here. La Coupe also does an overnight-repair product that got a Good Housekeeping seal of approval as the top budget type (they do their own independent product testing; cool, right?).
Where can I get this done in NYC???
I’m interested in NYC salons too, that do this treatment on ethnic, textured hair.
Hey Jasmine!
I have wavy hair frizzy and lots of volume on it but I haven’t had any chemical treatments like smoothing coloring etc, so is it right to have X-Tenso right now? and after months will it back to basic form of me hair or it will be better?
Do you have to use any special shampoos or conditioners after the straightening? I would love to have this done, but hate the shampoos and conditioners they force you to use.
Not after X-tenso, no :-) You’ll probably be encouraged to use “professional” sleek-hair shampoo and conditioner, but any shampoo and conditioner designed to minimize frizz will do.
How can u get it in Egypt ? Is there any website can I get it buy shipping ?
Hi Janine,
I had the X-tenso Moisturist treatment done yesterday (Friday) morning. I’m so excited to see the results!
Before I had the treatment I was told that I would have to wait 48 hours after the treatment before washing my hair again. However, when I left the salon my hairdresser said I should wait until Monday morning to wash – that is 72 hours.
I usually wash daily and after 30 hours I’m already feeling very irritable and can’t see myself waiting till Monday.
Would it be ok to wash after 48 hours or would I be jeopardising the treatment results?
I would appreciate your advice.
Regards,
Renita
Hi Renita!
The X-Tenso chemistry is basically perm solution. The more time you give it after your salon treatment, the better you safeguard the results. But if waiting 72 hours is a near impossibility — I totally understand why! — at least give it the full 48 hours :-)
Hello,
I have had the Permanent Blowdry (at least that’s what my hair stylist in London calls their version of the Keratin treatment) done for three years. It used to work miracles, until they reduced the percentage because of complaints about hair losing volume, (i gather they probably were health complaints about the formaldehyde). I have noticed slowly though, that I have much less hair than I used to a couple years ago. Not bald spots or anything, but seriously my ponytails now is super thin compared to three years ago. So I had heard about this Moisturist, and was wondering if you had ever heard complaints about hair loss, etc.
Thank you for your help,
Theresa
Hi Theresa,
I think the first thing to note is that X-Tenso Moisturist is still a chemical treatment, a perm solution that is combed through hair rather than used with rollers. If your hair is in a seemingly delicate state, it’s probably wise to avoid it, especially if your colour is double-processed (highlighted with peroxide) :-(
A friend of mine experienced a lot of breakage in the months after X-Tenso; it made her hair drier and more brittle. She’s a dark blonde who lightens to a pale blonde. I’m a natural brunette, and although I’ve found the straightening effects of X-Tenso Moisturist have lasted far longer than they did with the original formula, I’ve suffered no breakage or hair stress. But my hair was technically virgin hair before the process.
What’s your natural hair texture? Have you given a thought to trying some of the newer home-smoothing options? Ojon Super Sleek is getting good buzz and provides wonderful conditioning besides.
Thank you for answering,
Did you friend -the one who experienced breakage, etc, do the Moisturist or the original X-Tenso? My hair is naturally wavy (they go in curls rather ran waves) but it’s thin so even the keratin (which only de-frizzed my wavy/curly friends) made my hair almost poker straight, because it’s very easily mouldable (it takes me only 10 minutes maximum to blowdry my whole head of hair, which is very long by the way).
I’m having a look at the Ojon option, thank you! Nevertheless was still hoping to have a treatment because my hair is rather beautiful naturally air-dried with a keratin or smoothing treatment, but gets too curly if I don’t do anything, and it’s been all to nice to have to go back to the old blow-dry times :(
By the way, I have just found this. Know of anyone who has tried it? It’s called Zerran Realisse.
http://zerran.com/services/ServiceView/3
Yes, as a matter of fact I do. A friend of mine tried it; results didn’t really compare to the results of a keratin treatment. Her hair looked nice immediately afterward, but she felt the results lasted only through the first or second shampoo (she used their maintenance products, but still didn’t love the results).
She did the Moisturist version.
Have you ever tried Phyto’s botanical smoothing balm? Phytolisse goes onto sopping wet hair after your wash. It cuts the blowdry time down and works in a cumulative fashion — the more you use it, the more it reduces frizz and improves the blowdry. It’s good stuff, available at select salons.
Hi Janine,
Just stumbled upon your wonderful beauty blog while Googling Xtenso Moisturiser…
I had an original Xtenso straightening treatment about 4 years ago; it relaxed my curls, which was great, but my hair became very brittle and snapped easily. The strange thing was that I had healthy, black, thick, curly hair and I’d never bleached/coloured it!
I’m hesitant to try the new Xtenso Moisturiser because I don’t want to ruin my hair like last time… So, would you be able to tell me how your hair is, strength-wise? Does it snap when you style it?
Thanks in advance!
Alisha
Hi Alisha,
Thanks for your comment!
I think you need some kind of “patch test” to decide. You know, where you test the product on a small section of hair you can hide afterward?
I had zero negative effects from the original version of X-Tenso. My hair was just less frizzy, and five months later its original texture seemed to return. I liked the process enough to do it three or four times over a couple of years.
This time, my hair hasn’t recovered quite the same way. It isn’t dry or brittle — no snapping either — but nine months after the treatment, my natural texture hasn’t returned. X-Tenso Moisturiste straighted my hair more than the first formula did. When it’s blowdried, it looks and feels super shiny and healthy — perfect. When I don’t blowdry (the normal state of things!), it’s much straighter than it used to be, but in a needs-a-blowdry-to-look-better way. It’s not a huge problem, but sometimes I miss my natural wave :-)
Janine, thanks very much for your reply!
You’ve helped me quite a bit :-)
I’m glad! Hair-texture treatments are tricky!
Hello,
I used to apply keratin treatment to my hair, I would like to try x-tenzo moisturist, is it safe to use it after coloring my hair.
Thanks for your replay.
Aziza.
It depends what kind of colour you have, Aziza. If it involved bleach or peroxide, you have to be very, very careful. Best to book a consultation with a technician, and if you decide to go ahead with it, make sure the technician does a patch test.
Good luck!
Hi Janine !
Your inputs are very helpful.
Could you please guide me further..I have got hair straightening done 4 times. 3 times with extenso and once with schwarzkopf. With schwarzkopf my hair felt like cactus and only after lots of hair spas they started looking n feeling normal. I use loreal excellence to colour my hair.
Its been15 months since I got my straightening done. Want to try extenso.moisuturist this time. What do you recommend ? Should I go ahead ? How long will it last?
Hi Iris,
You should be okay with X-Tenso Moisturist if your hair is healthier now, but you can’t really take my word for it. You’ll have to check with your stylist or have a consultation with a stylist that does X-Tenso Moisturist. There is no guarantee your hair will respond the way it did to the original, and definitely no guarantee it’ll respond like mine did.
I’m actually not fully certain how long the results last — definitely at LEAST as long as the original would have for you. But for me, it’s been nearly a year and my original hair texture hasn’t returned, and blowouts still last nicely.
Hi Janine,
I have fairly straight hair but it is prone to turning into a kinky/wavy mess is the rain, drizzle or damp weather. Holidays are always a nightmare due to humidity!!
My hair is lightened with “nice and easy” champagne blonde but is in good condition……..would x tenso cure me of my “holiday hair” nightmare?
Thanks
Fiona