Baby fine, super thin, dark hair on a very pale scalp ... maybe I'm paranoid, but I swear I have visions of the balding lunch lady when I'm having a bad hair day!!!! My mom, brother, husband and children are all blessed with thick full heads of hair, but not me! I absolutely *MUST* use products to fluff up or somehow help with my lack of hair!

Back in the 80's and early 90's I could disguise my lack of hair with a nice layered cut, a perm, and a ton of mousse. The boys in Cinderella had nothing on me! *lol* But not wanting to look like a reject from That 80's show ... I gradually let the layers grow, got a bobbed blunt cut, and even gave away the spiral perm rods. (Though I've got to admit, I still have a bottle or two of mousse in the back of my linen closet! *lol*)

Matrix Amplify has been one of the BEST shampoos I've ever used! I used to swear by Redkin Fat Cat shampoo and hair products, and I still think they are good products, but I have finally decided that I think I like Matrix Amplify even better! Fat Cat improved my hair and made it much healthier, but Amplify seems to do even more and makes my hair even fuller and gives more of an illusion of thickness. Combine this with a bit of 'Root Lift' and a large round brush and blow drier and I'm ALMOST in big hair heaven!

Why did you purchase this product?

About two or three times a year, I manage to go to Salon International near Lenox Mall and get my hair cut by a young man named Jay. I consider Jay to be a true master stylist and not just a hair cutter. No one can give me head full of Julia Roberts waves and curls, but he seems to be able to draw every bit of life and style possible from my meager head of hair. Jay recommended Matrix Amplify so I had to give it a try.

Unlike the gals over at Hair Cuttery or Great Clips (where I get my hair cut the other 4-6 times a year because it fits my budget so much better :-( *lol*) Jay doesn't push a new hair product on me every time I visit. I try not to fault the chain store hair cutters, I know the company pushes them to push products, but I get soooo tired of being told I need 2 or 3 or even 4 new products every time I set foot in the place.

Heck one time I got my hair cut and bought a shampoo they recommended, and then took Skye in for a haircut days later and they tried to sell me a different shampoo that "would be soooo good for your and your daughter's fine hair ..." Yeah ... whatever! *lol* But, even with my little rant over the pushy product sales, I have to add that Great Clips carries the Matrix Amplify products and I'm more than happy to be able to purchase them locally when I go for my cheapy hair cuts!

Did it do what it promised? Was it effective?

According to the packaging and advertising hype, Matrix Amplify "Leaves hair looking and feeling thicker. A weightless cleansing complex works beneath the surface of the hair fiber to add fullness. Actually generates volume with each use. " My understanding is that the Matrix formula contains a polymer that wraps around the hair and is deposited specifically on the underside of the hair cuticle to help each individual strand be fuller and actually physically thicker. I'm not a chemist, I have no clue how this works technically, but I do know that it does seem to actually do what it's supposed to do.

The first time I used the shampoo I felt that it made my hair look nice. I wouldn't say that it was visibly thicker, but it did dry and style well. After repeated use, I've found that my hair DOES look fuller and less thin than before I began using Matrix Amplify.

Did it improve the way your hair looks or feels?

In addition to looking fuller and less fine, my hair is also noticeably healthy ... it looks shiny and fluffy but not frizzy. My hair feels soft and silk. And even with almost daily washing and blow drying and occasional hot roller or curling iron use, it does not appear damaged or dry.

I also use this shampoo on my daughter Skye and while it is NOT a tear-free shampoo, if your child is old enough that that isn't an issue, this is a fantastic shampoo for children, very gentle, and it leaves her blond hair so shiny and beautiful! For a quick comparison check out the 'flower girl' picture as opposed to the snapshot of 'Skye and David - Spring 2002' at http://www.geocities.com/elainehn2002/ . AMAZING!!!! In all fairness though I do have to admit that ofcourse her hair was JUST washed and blown dry for the wedding in the flowergirl picture, and I used a bit of the Amplify hair spray after drying her hair ... where as in the other picture, her hair is not freshly washed and she has probably gotten hot and sweaty on the playground at some point that day ... but STILL ... you can see a major difference in how her hair looks, and I think it truly does look more voluminous, as well as being terrifically shiny and bouncy.

What is it like using this product?

You use this product much like you do any other shampoo, with one small exception. The manufacturer recommends that after lathering, you allow the shampoo to remain in your hair for 60 seconds to allow the polymers to be deposited and adhere to the hair cuticle for the most volume.

Matrix Amplify is a pretty aqua blue shade. It is available in 13.5 oz. bottles (for around $10) and I've read that 8 ounce bottles are available, but I haven't seen them locally. The bottle is a sort of fat squabby plastic bottle with a dispenser style lid. The type that you press down on one side to reveal the opening on the other ... I like this type top because you don't have to worry about dropping a screw off top, or having a flip-top that breaks off. The scent is pleasant though not particularly one that I just love. It doesn't smell bad at all, as I said it's pleasant, but it just isn't one of those yummy fantastic shampoo smells that makes me inhale as deep as I can and sigh ....

You can follow with the Matrix Amplify conditioner or leave-in conditioning spray, or skip the conditioner if your hair doesn't seem to need it. Then blow dry or style as usual. This shampoo seems to work just fine with the Redkin and KLS and other styling products that I use, but there is also an entire line of Matrix Amplify styling products available.

Who should buy this product? Who shouldn't?

Anyone with fine or thin hair who wants it to look fuller and thicker should give Matrix Amplify a try. I think you'll be pleased with the results. It has been gentle enough for my every day shampoo routine, but still cleanses well and leaves no build up. My hair is pretty normal, not dry, not oily ... and while I color to cover my ever increasing occasional grey hairs, I haven't found that the color my stylist uses is in anyway damaging to my hair, like a bleach process might be. I also don't perm my hair so there is no chemical damage from perms or straightening. So I only use a conditioner very occasionally. However, there is a coordinating conditioner for those who have dry hair or hair that is processed and in need of a little extra TLC. I haven't tried the conditioner yet, but if I can obtain a sample or buy a small bottle I'd like to ... but it would take me years to use up a 13.5 ounce bottle!

Matrix also offers other hair care and styling products in the Amplify line - Amplify XL shampoo specifically for color treated hair, conditioner as mentioned above, as well as a leave in spray conditioner, Amplify Hair Spray which I use and love ... it's FANTASTIC on fine hair, and definitely holds but is not glue like, it's a brushable soft type hair spray which is what I like; Amplify Foam Volumizer (hey didn't we call this stuff Mousse in the 80's *lol*), Amplify Liquid Gel, Amplify Root Lifter (which I will be buying as soon as I use up all of my generously sized free sample of Redkin root lifter ... if you haven't tried a root lifter product but you want body and fluff to your hair, give it a try, I was amazed!!!), spritz (tried it didn't like it ... I expected it to be a non-aerosol hair spray, but it really didn't seem to be what I expected, it was heavier and more sticky when wet and didn't leave hair brushable and soft after use ... this might be preferred by those who like a more solid hair spray)

Anyone with thick, coarse, full hair should probably not use this product. I don't know that it would hurt anything, but it definitely is not needed for your hair, and you won't see the benefits of the product. This could lead to a negative opinoin (or Epinion) that the product line truly doesn't deserve ... because it *IS* specifically designed for those with thin or fine hair.

Price, Availability, Ingredients, etc.

The 13.5 ounce bottle of shampoo is about $10, a little more or possibly even a little less depending upon where you purchase it. The other styling products range from about $8-$12. Matrix Amplify is more expensive than most shampoos available at your local drug store or grocery store, but in my opinion the volumizing is worth the extra cost! It is priced about the same as many salon brands and less than many others. I do however plan to try Suave's version of Amplify soon ... to find out if it's really just as good, like they advertise. If so then I certainly don't mind saving the $8 or so, but if it isn't, I'll be back at the salon buying another bottle of Matrix Amplify.

You can buy Matrix products at many independent salons and some chain salons such as Great Clips, and through various on-line stores such as Drugstore.com and HaircareUsa.com

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamide MEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Fragrance, Panthenol, Wheat Amino Acids, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Silk Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Aminomethyl Propanol, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, FD&C Green No. 3, D&C Yellow No. 10

1/16/03: If anyone is considering trying Suave Professionals Amplifying Shampoo as a cheaper alternative to this shampoo, my suggestion is DON'T! Save yourself $2 and a bad hair week ... and just by the Matrix Amplify to start with! Click the link to read the bad news on the Suave product.


Recommended: Yes