Image Source: Gemma Cartwright

London hair haven Not Another Salon [1] has built a name for itself with its amazing vivid colour transformations, its friendly staff, and its quirky, rainbow-coloured interiors. With balayage [2] expert and all-round cool girl [3] Sophia Hilton at the helm, the salon offers an "anti-factory" approach to hair, where everything is tailored to you. The salon prides itself on its "no judgement" policy, which means that whether you walk in looking for a rainbow undercut [4], a classic blond bob, or waist-length bubblegum pink waves [5], you are welcomed like a BFF and given a totally personalised experience.

However, this no judgement policy doesn't extend to agreeing to a potentially damaging colour process [6] just because the customer has their heart set on it. Bright colours can wreak havoc on the hair, but that's where Innoluxe [7] comes in. A treatment designed to rebuild the inner structure of the hair that is damaged during intense colour processes, it gives stylists the opportunity to be as creative as possible with colour — to take people lighter and brighter than ever before — without compromising on condition.

The treatment is mostly used as an add-on to a colour service, but it's also available as a separate treatment, to help revive hair that's been damaged in the past. After almost 20 years of highlighting my hair, I visited Sophia at Not Another Salon, who used the Innoluxe v2 treatment to revive my frazzled hair. She gave me hair that felt stronger and looked smoother than it had in months. The results aren't as a dramatic as what I'd see if I got it during a colour, simply because it's much easier to stop damage during the colour process than it is to fix it afterward. However, Innoluxe still helped to make my hair look as smooth, shiny, and healthy as possible.

Image Source: Gemma Cartwright

I walked in the door with a grown-out blond bob that needed some serious TLC and walked out with hair that looked freshly cut, coloured, and styled. I didn't get any of those things (I had no colour and only a tiny fringe trim) but the results of Innoluxe v2 — plus Sophia's serious skills with a hair dryer and hot tools — gave me hair worthy of any Instagram account . . . even the Not Another Salon one [8].

Innoluxe has continued to deliver even without an Insta-famous stylist to tame my waves each day. When I styled my hair at home in the weeks following the treatment, I noticed two things: firstly, it doesn't shed or break as much as it used to. There's barely any hair in my brush, and I'm sure that's down to the way Innoluxe helped to rebuild my hair. Secondly, the difference when I style with hot tools is really noticeable. I'm a big air-dryer, and I'll confess my hair doesn't really look or feel different if I let it dry naturally. But if I use a hair dryer, tongs, or straightener, it's a revelation. My hair will do anything I ask of it, and it stays in place without fluffing up after 15 minutes like it used to.

If these are the results you can get between colours, I'll definitely make sure my next full colour treatment involves a repair treatment. As my hair gets longer, I know it's going to be harder to stay blond without losing condition, but this really could be the answer to going longer and blonder than ever before without sacrificing condition.

An Innoluxe treatment at Not Another Salon [9] starts at £30 and is available as a stand-alone treatment or an add-on during colour services.