Money Mist: Behind the Scenes, Behind the Science

Achieving luxe, glossy, healthy, “expensive looking” hair might seem like an impossible dream. 

What with hair color chemicals, hot tools, UV rays and environmental pollutants (not to mention the everyday pulling, yanking and styling stresses we impose on our tresses) our hair is under constant assault, and desperately in need of stepped up healthcare in the face of everyday “fiber attacks.”  

To counter these constant attacks, it’s critical to revitalize and bolster stressed-out, weakened hair with an intensive reparative, fortifying treatment (like Color Wow Money Masque) on the regular: ideally once a week. 

Whatever your hair type and condition, if you want to keep it fit, flexible and looking super healthy, it's essential to take some “saturation time” (Money Masque works in as little as 3-5 minutes) to fully immerse your hair in a deep treatment designed to replenish nutrients, “refill” moisture and restore supple, fluid, healthiest-looking texture. But in-between deep reparative treatments, could there be a way to nourish hair health, transform texture and achieve luxe, glossy, supple results... instantly, effortlessly?  

Plus, help make the hair stronger and safer from heat and environmental aggressors? 

THAT is the challenge Color Wow CEO Gail Federici posed to our in-house chem crew and award-winning hair product innovators, Dr. Joe Cincotta and Linda Coppola.

Known for tackling the most frustrating hair problems, this “seal-team” of veteran hair experts headed by Federici has won many awards for first-of-a-kind, game-changing hair formulas. (Several have been inducted into the Beauty Hall of Fame.) 

You can read more about the Color Wow team and our ingredient story here.

From Concept to Reality: The Development of Money Mist

But this particular challenge – finding a quick, easy, texture-transforming health boost for all hair types - was a real toughie. 

Linda Coppola, formulator-in-chief on this project, explains why:

“Basically, we knew this had to be a leave-in conditioning treatment, and that type of product comes with its own set of limitations.

Currently, there are tons of leave-in conditioners out there, but the problem with most of them is that the key ingredients (emollients and humectants intended to moisturize, detangle, create shine) do not really penetrate deep into the hair.

With most leave-in conditioning formulas, the appearance of the hair is changed on the surface – smoother, sleeker, softer – but it’s just a superficial change: the ingredients do not penetrate to actually fortify hair.

AND because the moisturizing ingredients don’t absorb, it’s very easy to use too much product, which weighs the hair down and leaves it greasy.”

Over to the Color Wow Lab and fast forward through years of ingredient sourcing, batch formulations, testing on hundreds of heads. And back to the drawing board for many, many reformulations. Gail Federici explains:

Formal trials showed Money Mist consistently delivered major transformations on every hair type and texture:

And independent studies confirm: the use of Money Mist resulted in 69% less breakage and 81% less frizz.

Color Wow collaborator and celeb stylist Chris Appleton, who is always concerned first and foremost with the “quality of the hair” when working with products, was blown away; 

“Not like any other leave-in! I literally use Money Mist on everyone.

It totally transforms any head of hair, no matter whether it’s fine hair, color-treated, curly or textured. 

The hair instantly looks stronger root to tip...because it IS!  Luxe, glossy results for every hair type. It’s a game-changer.”

Money Mist Science Explained

How is it possible that one product works wonders on all hair types? 

Dr. Joe Cincotta explains the science behind this superlight but super powerful leave-in that won’t weigh down even thin, baby fine strands:

“We formulated Money Mist to work on multi-levels of hair fibers so it not only makes hair look glossy and luminous, it actively bolsters and reinforces fibers to help make them structurally stronger and flexible.... enabling strands to withstand stress and grow longer. 

According to Dr. Joe, there are two key innovations in Money Mist’s formula that enable it to transform all hair types.

1. Groundbreaking Adaptive technology 

Money Mist can adjust to an individual hair fiber’s needs due to the diversity of the size of molecules, the molecular weight and type of ingredients found in the formula. Each fiber is nourished with the precise level of peptides, hydration and conditioning it requires to strengthen, moisturize and smooth texture.

2. Our proprietary Baolyzed Amino Acid Complex

It’s important for a person’s ideal health and fitness to have a strong core. The same is 100% true for our hair.

The cortex of the hair is a crystalline structure that due to chemical processing, heat damage, wear and tear, breaks down over time and becomes weak. To strengthen and reinforce the inner core, our chemist, Dr. Joe Cincotta, developed Baolyzed Amino Complex. 

Baolyzed Amino Complex penetrates to reinforce crystalline macro-fibrils deep within hair's cortex.

Enriched with Amaranthus seed and Baobab amino acids and peptides this complex can penetrate the hair shaft easily, helping to reinforce the inner damaged crystalline region for increased strength, elasticity and bounce.

Super easy to apply, thanks to a “continuous mist” bottle, Money Mist is the key to transforming any hair type from “rags to riches” in minutes. 

Read more about the science behind Color Wow products and our team of innovators on the Blog: 

• Discover our Curl Wow Line & Innovative ‘Naked Technology’
• Get to Know our Powerhouse Creative Team & Stylists