Redken Extreme Length is the salon line for hair that snaps before it gets long, built on protein and biotin. Here it is with strengthening masks and leave-ins, and the habits that matter more than any bottle.
Redken Extreme Length and the Strengthening Routine Around It
Paula Kent was a Hollywood actress with baby-fine hair and sensitive skin in the late 1950s when she found there was no science behind hair care, and in 1960 she founded Redken with her hairdresser Jheri Redding, using her earnings from a beer commercial. The name joins Red and Ken. The brand started with three products and an education program for hairdressers, built on protein technology and an acidic pH of 4.5 to 5.5, and Kent bought out Redding in 1965. The Extreme line, which pairs protein with moisture, dates to the 1980s, and Redken Extreme Length adds biotin for hair that breaks before it gets long. The shampoo and conditioner are the base, the leave-in adds protection, and the Triple Action Treatment is a third step for lengths. No shampoo can make hair grow faster, since growth happens at the root, but less breakage means you keep more of the length you have. For thinning or shedding, see a dermatologist.
Four strengthening masks
Kérastase, credited by its parent company with the first care mask, makes Première to repair damaged hair. Shu Uemura's name comes from the Japanese makeup artist who returned from Hollywood to open his own atelier, and the Ultimate Reset mask targets very damaged hair. Amika, whose name means friend in Esperanto, makes The Kure, an intense strength repair mask. Gail Federici co-founded a major hair brand and built its best-known frizz line before starting Color Wow in 2013 with root cover-up powders, and the Money Masque is its deep conditioning treatment. Use one of these once a week in place of conditioner.
Leave-ins, and the skip
Oribe's Hair Alchemy serum strengthens fragile hair, from the brand co-founded in 2008 by Oribe Canales. Nancy Twine left almost a decade at Goldman Sachs to start Briogeo in 2013, inspired by the remedies she made in her family kitchen, and the Don't Despair, Repair oil gives a smooth, glossy finish. Kérastase's Genesis leave-in adds heat protection for weakened hair, and Moroccanoil's Light oil is the version for fine hair. What I would skip is heavy protein every day. Too much can make hair stiff and brittle, so alternate with a moisture mask. Apply leave-ins from mid-length down, never at the roots.
Keeping your length
Book trims every 10 to 12 weeks to stop splits traveling up. Detangle from the ends up with a wide-tooth comb. Turn heat tools down and always use protection. Sleep on a smooth pillowcase or in a loose braid. Tight ponytails cause breakage at the band, so switch up where you tie, and use soft coils instead of elastics.
