Salvatore Tanino Therapy Chemical Repair Duo Step 1 + Step 2 (550ml) is the take-home pair for hair that has been smoothed, coloured or lightened, in a pH-control formula. Neither list carries formaldehyde, a formaldehyde releaser or glyoxylic acid. Step 1 is a 300 ml shampoo with panthenol. Step 2 is a 250 ml mask built on macadamia oil, collagen and keratin. Both fronts print the same two words, pH control, and that is the job. It settles the fibre after chemical work and keeps it there between salon visits.

Why this duo

Every chemical service leaves the hair on the wrong side of neutral. Smoothers, colour and bleach all open the cuticle on an alkaline swing, and the fibre feels rough and porous until something brings it back. That is what Salvatore built this pair to do. The shampoo cleans without stripping and holds the pH line with citric acid. The mask lays macadamia oil and two proteins into the open cuticle and closes it. We'd hand this duo to every client leaving a Blue Gold Premium or Tanino Smoothing service, because the smoothing lasts as long as the aftercare does. Made in Brazil at Salvatore's own plant in Presidente Prudente.

What is in the kit and what each step does

Step 1 is a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser softened with betaine and cocamide, so it lathers and rinses clean. Two light silicones give slip, and panthenol with a guar conditioner leaves the hair combable. Citric acid and MEA set the pH. Fragrance allergens: citral, citronellol, linalool and hexyl cinnamal. Step 2 is a rinse-off cream mask on cetearyl alcohol and conditioning quats, with macadamia seed oil sixth on the list. Under it sit the two proteins, panthenol, silanetriol and an amodimethicone that bonds to damaged sites rather than coating everything. Fragrance allergens: hexyl cinnamal and eugenol. The mask lists no sulfates, and neither product lists parabens or a formaldehyde releaser. Full INCI on each product image.

What to expect

Softer, smoother lengths from the first wash, and a shine that comes from a closed cuticle rather than a coating. What we tell clients is honest. This does not add smoothing, it protects the smoothing you paid for. Used daily, the roughness after a colour or a lightening settles within the first few washes and the ends stop catching in the comb. It is a maintenance routine, so the result holds for as long as you keep using it.

Who it is for

• Clients going home after a tannin smoothing, who need a shampoo that will not undo the service
• Coloured, highlighted or bleached hair that feels dry and rough at the ends
• Salons that want one take-home duo to recommend after every chemical service

Who it is not for

• Virgin hair with no chemical history, where the pH-control base has nothing to correct and the Restructuring or Moisturizer duos suit it better
• Anyone expecting a smoothing effect from the bottle, because it maintains and does not straighten
• Scalp concerns, since this pair is built for the lengths and the Scalp duo is the one for the root area

Professional tip

The mistake we see most is the shampoo used like a scrub. Salvatore's own directions on the bottle are precise. "Distribute the product from the length to the tips, without rubbing the fiber." Wet hair with chemical work on it is at its weakest. Let the lather do the work and keep your hands open. On the mask, comb it through with a wide tooth comb before you count the minutes, because the product only works where it touches. And take the label's own advice on the jar: alternate this pair with the Restructuring line when the hair needs body as well as balance.

How to use

Run the two steps as one routine, in this order. Step 1 cleans and sets the pH, Step 2 feeds the fibre and closes it. Use it daily if the label's daily-use line fits the client, or on wash days at the very least. Rinse water can be cool or warm; hot water undoes the cuticle you are trying to close.

The order matters because the mask cannot bond to hair that is still carrying styling residue or an alkaline pH from the salon. The shampoo takes both away first. A small amount is the printed quantity for both steps, so a 300 ml bottle and a 250 ml jar last a normal head of hair a good few weeks.

1. Step 1, wash. On wet hair, apply a small amount of the shampoo and massage gently. Draw it from the lengths to the ends without rubbing the fibre, then rinse until the water runs clear. Repeat if the hair carried product.
2. Squeeze, do not rub. Press the excess water out with your hands or a towel, because the mask spreads further on damp hair than on dripping hair.
3. Step 2, mask. Take a small amount of the mask and glove it through the lengths and ends with your hands. Comb it through with a medium comb so the whole length takes it up.
4. Leave 3 to 5 minutes. That is the time the label gives, because the mask is absorbed within it and a longer wait adds little.
5. Rinse and finish. Rinse thoroughly, because any mask left on the hair dulls it, then style as you like. Keep both products closed between washes and out of the shower spray.

Where it fits in the range

Chemical Repair is the aftercare pair in Salvatore's home line, the one that follows the salon services. Each step is also sold on its own, as the Step 1 shampoo 300ml and the Step 2 mask 250ml, for the client who runs out of one before the other. We'd start with the pair, because the two are formulated to follow each other. The whole home line sits under Salvatore Home Care, one duo per concern.

In short

• Shampoo 300 ml plus mask 250 ml, the pH-control aftercare for chemically processed hair
• Macadamia oil, keratin, collagen and panthenol; nothing on either list that a smoothing client should worry about
• Daily use printed on the label; wash, squeeze, mask, 3 to 5 minutes, rinse
• The duo that keeps a tannin smoothing or a colour looking like the day it was done
• Each step available alone once it is clear which one the client runs through first

The Chemical Repair line is the home care that follows a salon smoothing service. The Salvatore home care chooser shows which set follows which service, and the aftercare guide covers the first thirty days.