Milk_shake Hair Products

Which milk_shake range do I need?

Most people arrive with a symptom rather than a product. These are the five we are asked about most.

• Colour that is fading or going flat. Colour Care. The longer explanation is on the colour care page.
• Blonde or grey going yellow or orange. Silver Shine for yellow, Icy Blonde for orange. The two are set side by side on the blonde and grey toning page.
• Curls or waves. Curl Passion. More on the curls and waves page.
• Dryness or damage. Moisture & More if the hair is dry but sound, Integrity if it snaps. How to tell those apart is on the dry and damaged page.
• Nothing in particular, you just want to wash your hair. Make My Day.

Frizz runs across several of these rather than belonging to one range, so it has a page of its own: frizz control. And if you know the symptom but not the step, help me choose works backwards from the problem to the treatment that fits it.

The ranges we stock

Colour Care

For colour-treated hair that loses tone between appointments. A milk-protein cleanse that cleans without opening the cuticle more than it has to, then a conditioner that closes it again, and a weekly mask. Colour Care Shampoo, Colour Care Conditioner and Colour Care Mask, which is on back-order, with the dispatch date on its product page. Not the one you want if the problem is brassiness rather than fading, because that is a toning job.

Colour Care Flower Fragrance

The same job as Colour Care, made without milk protein. Soy protein and moringa go in instead, which is what makes it the vegan edition, and the floral scent stays in the hair past the rinse. Flower Fragrance Shampoo, on back-order with the dispatch date on its product page, plus two leave-ins: Flower Fragrance Leave-in Conditioner and Flower Fragrance Incredible Milk. Not the one you want if you like the original scent.

Silver Shine

The violet one, and what most people mean when they say purple shampoo. Its violet pigment, Acid Violet 43 on the label, mutes yellow in cool blonde, silver and grey hair, with blackberry, raspberry, bilberry and strawberry extracts running through the line. Silver Shine Shampoo, Silver Shine Conditioner and Silver Shine Whipped Cream. Not the one you want if the warmth reads orange rather than yellow.

Icy Blonde

Black-pigmented, not purple. The black pigment, CI 77266 on the label, counteracts orange as well as yellow, which is why it suits platinum and cool ash blonde, with grape seed and rice bran oils alongside it. Icy Blonde Shampoo, Icy Blonde Conditioner, and Icy Blonde Toning Spray for between washes. Not the one you want if you have a warm or golden blonde you are trying to keep.

Curl Passion

Made for curls and waves, and built around a balance: enough moisture to stop the frizz, little enough weight that the pattern still holds by the afternoon. Milk protein through all three steps, with babassu and pracaxi oils. Curl Passion Shampoo, Curl Passion Conditioner and Curl Passion Leave-in Conditioner, or all three together as the Curl Passion Set. Not the one you want if you are after a rich, heavy cream, because this line is deliberately light.

Moisture & More

For hair that is dry rather than damaged. Hyaluronic acid and papaya extract, in a wash, a conditioner and a weightless foam. Moisture & More Shampoo, Moisture & More Conditioner and Moisture & More Whipped Cream. Not the one you want if the hair snaps when you brush it, because that is a protein problem rather than a water one.

Integrity

The repair line, for hair that snaps, splits or has stopped holding a style. Amaranth seed extract runs through it and the conditioner carries hydrolysed keratin, both off the pack. Integrity Shampoo and Integrity Conditioner, both on back-order, with the dispatch date on each product page. Not the one you want if the hair is dry but sound, because protein on hair that only needed moisture can leave it feeling stiff.

Make My Day

The everyday one, for all hair types and for people who would rather not think about it. Safe to use as often as you wash. Make My Day Shampoo and Make My Day Conditioner. Not the one you want if you have a specific problem to fix, because one of the ranges above will do more about it.

Deep Detox

A clarifying wash for every three or four weeks, carrying salicylic acid to lift out what an ordinary shampoo leaves behind. Hard water is the usual reason hair stops behaving without anything else having changed. Deep Detox Shampoo, on back-order, with the dispatch date on its product page. Not an everyday shampoo, and it is not meant to be one.

Leave-ins

These sit outside the ranges and go on after washing rather than in the shower. Leave In Conditioner is the everyday detangling spray, Incredible Milk 12 Effects is the all-in-one that detangles and smooths as well as protecting from heat, Whipped Cream Leave-in Foam is the light one for fine hair, and INSTA.LOTION is the quick conditioning step for hair that is rough and tangled today, on back-order, with the dispatch date on its product page. The whole shelf is on the leave-in page.

Styling and finishing

Thermo Protector is the heat protection spray, and the only step in a routine that prevents damage rather than repairing it. Volume Solution Styling Spray gives fine hair body without the weight that flattens it. Medium Hold Hairspray is the brushable one and Strong Hold Hairspray is the firm one. Both hairsprays are on back-order, and the dispatch date is on each product page.

Three of the ranges are also sold as a set, which costs less than the same bottles bought one at a time. They are together on the haircare sets page.

Questions people ask before they buy

Can I mix ranges?

Yes. None of it is a locked system, and plenty of good routines are mixed on purpose. A toning shampoo with a moisturising conditioner is the common one, because toning is a job for the wash and softness is a job for the conditioner. The pairing worth keeping is the shampoo and conditioner you are relying on to fix the same thing, since those two are made to work together.

Are milk_shake products sulphate free?

Most are not, and it is better to say so plainly than to be vague about it. Nearly every milk_shake shampoo we hold a full ingredient list for contains a sulphate, usually ammonium lauryl sulfate, and the Colour Care shampoos contain more than one.

Two are the exception, and the claim is printed on the bottle rather than ours to make. Integrity Shampoo, the repair wash, is labelled "sulfate / paraben free" on the pack. Deep Detox Shampoo is labelled "paraben/sls/sles free", though it is a clarifying wash for every three or four weeks rather than an everyday shampoo. Both are on back-order, with the dispatch date on each product page.

So if sulphate free is what you are looking for, start with those two rather than ruling out the range. Each product page carries the full ingredient list where the brand has published one, so you can check before you buy.

Is it vegan, and is it cruelty free?

Most of the range is not vegan. It is built on hydrolysed milk protein, which is where the brand gets its name. The Flower Fragrance products are the exception and say so on the pack: soy protein and moringa go in where the milk protein would be. On cruelty free we have no certification to show you, so we do not claim one. If that is the deciding factor for you, ask the brand directly before you buy.

What is the difference between the shampoos?

Less than the packaging suggests, and the difference is in what has been added rather than in how hard they clean. Most of them share the same milk protein base and the same main cleansing agent, and then something goes in on top: violet or black pigment in the toning ones, hyaluronic acid in Moisture & More, babassu and pracaxi oils in Curl Passion, salicylic acid in Deep Detox. Choose on what you want added, not on which one sounds strongest.

Is milk_shake worth it?

That depends what you are replacing. What you are paying for is a range split by need rather than one shampoo asked to do everything, and a line written for how a stylist works, where the product is chosen per head rather than picked off a shelf. We cannot tell you it will work better on your hair than a cheaper bottle, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Several of the ranges carry a smaller size on the product page, which is the cheap way to find out before committing to a full bottle.

What does "professional" mean on the label?

It means the line is written for how a stylist works: sold through salons and their suppliers, and split finely enough that a professional can choose per client. It does not mean it is objectively better for your hair than something from a chemist, and anyone who tells you it does is guessing.

How long does a bottle last?

This is arithmetic rather than a promise. Around 10ml a wash, roughly two pumps for mid-length hair, makes a 300ml bottle about thirty washes. Long or thick hair uses more. A toning shampoo usually lasts longer than that, because most people use one every second or third wash rather than every wash.

Milkshake or milk_shake?

The brand writes its name with an underscore, milk_shake, but most people search for it as milkshake or milk shake. They are the same brand and the same products, so however you spell it, this is the range.

Where to buy Milkshake hair products in the UK

You can buy them here. Innate Beauty is an authorised UK stockist of milk_shake, which most people spell Milkshake, the professional haircare range made by Z.One Concept in Italy. We are a stockist rather than the brand's UK distributor, and we are not endorsed by the brand.

Start with Milkshake shampoo, Milkshake conditioner or the Milkshake haircare gift sets. Orders ship from within the UK, so there is no customs wait and nothing to pay on the doorstep. Delivery times, and the order value at which UK delivery becomes free, are on our delivery page.

Still not sure which range?

The hair quiz asks a few questions about your hair and its condition, then points you at a routine rather than a single bottle. It takes about a minute. Or ask an expert: a qualified hairdresser we work with writes you a routine, free, with no obligation to buy anything, and you get a reply within 24 hours.

Check which milk_shake shampoos are sulphate free: all nine ingredient lists, how Integrity and Deep Detox differ, and their back-order availability.