Redken Extreme Play Safe Heat Protectant Review

Buying a heat protectant you’ve never tried is always like a puzzle, you will never know if it works on your hair. If you think the Redken Extreme Play Safe looks nice but are not sure if it is the right product to pick, here’s what I thought about this heat protectant.

Packaging and Smell

This new Redken Extreme Play Safe heat protector comes in one size, the standard 6.8oz/200ml bottle with a cool blue finish. Compared to the old packaging, the new bottle is simpler and cleaner, and it clearly says this heat protectant can provide heat protection up to 450 degrees.

One thing that needs to be mentioned is that the Redken Extreme Play Safe looks like a hair spray, but you need to rub it onto your hair with your hands as it’s more like cream inside instead of liquid.

What I appreciate about the heat protectant is that it does not have a very strong smell, and it has a light sweet scent that smells like “professional salons”. Don’t worry, this faint fruity scent won’t make your hair smell chemical. However, from a personal perspective, I don’t hate the scent, but I am not gonna say I’m a big fan of it either.

Solid Heat Protection

It’s hard to tell if a heat protectant is effective to most people, but what I can tell you is that this Redken Extreme Play Safe didn’t give me any burnt smell and it kept my strands nourished and hydrated throughout the whole styling process.

I didn’t have many split ends after using a hot tool like a flat iron or curling wand, and there’s no noticeable overdried hair or heat damage. In addition, I could feel that the flat iron was easier to glide as if there was a smooth barrier between the hair and hot plate. This is why I can ensure you that the Redken Extreme Play Safe does provide reliable protection to hair.

Styling Performance

From my personal experience, this Redken Extreme Play Safe heat protector was a nice leave-in conditioner that offered smoothness and shine. If you ever have the problem to make your hair tamed with a regular hair protectant spray, this Redken heat protectant is more powerful and the cream will go into your hair shafts to keep them manageable.

However, as a heat protectant that can work as a leave-in conditioner, the Redken heat protectant is slightly heavier than most heat protectors. If your hair is thin and fine, you are likely to feel this product is a bit greasy and heavier. Also, the Redken Extreme Play Safe doesn’t provide hold to hair, it is a nice choice for heat protection but it’s better to choose another product for styling.

Things you may wanna know

Old packaging vs new packaging – what’s the difference?

You might have seen there are a few Redken Extreme Play Safe heat protectants with different packaging on the market, are they the same? Yes, the very first Extreme Play Safe heat protectant looked like a toothpaste, later Redken changed the packaging and made it a spray bottle with a temperature scale design, and the latest Redken Extreme Play Safe heat protectant changed the design again and had a new blue bottle. Although they have different packaging, their formulas remain the same.

How much does a Redken heat protectant cost?

Redken claims that the Redken Extreme Play Safe heat protectant is available at its official retailers including hair.com, Ulta, and Amazon. The product retails for $27 USD. And you can also find the nearest Redken Salon to buy the heat protectant.

However, I found there were many other websites selling this heat protectant as well when I was searching for this product on Google Shopping, and the cost was surprisingly lower than the official price. If you want to buy the Redken Extreme Play Safe online, don’t forget to do some digging.