Color Fanatic NZ: What the 21 Benefits Actually Do

First, a quick clear-up, because we see the mix-up in searches all the time. Color Fanatic is a Pureology product: Pureology Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray, the one known for its 21 benefits. Pureology and Redken sit in the same professional family, which is why people confuse them. This guide is about the genuine Pureology spray, what those 21 benefits actually deliver, and whether it earns a spot in your routine.

It's one of the leave-ins our colourists reach for at the basin, particularly after a fresh tint or balayage. Here's the honest version of what those 21 benefits do, grouped so it actually makes sense.

Is the Pureology 21 benefits spray Pureology or Redken?

It's Pureology. Color Fanatic sits in Pureology's colour-care line, and the 21 benefits are Pureology's own list.

The mix-up is easy to make. Pureology and Redken are both part of L'Oréal's professional family, both are built around coloured hair, and Redken makes its own multi-benefit leave-in. So people type "redken 21 spray" and land here. We get asked about it at the desk too.

One small oddity on our site: the web address for the product page still has "redken" in it, left over from when it was first loaded. The bottle you get is Pureology Color Fanatic, $49.28.

Why it matters at all: Pureology is the vegan, sulfate-free brand, so if you're building a fully Pureology routine, Color Fanatic slots straight in after your shampoo and conditioner.

So what is Color Fanatic?

Color Fanatic is a lightweight, spray-on leave-in primer for colour-treated hair. You spritz it through damp, towel-dried hair before you blow-dry or style. It doesn't rinse out, it's a stay-in treatment, which is exactly why it works so hard. One bottle is meant to replace the small army of products people pile on after a wash: a detangler here, a heat protectant there, a smoothing serum, a shine spray. The promise is 21 jobs from one step, and for once the marketing is fairly close to the reality.

The 21 benefits, in plain English

Pureology groups Color Fanatic's benefits into a few clear outcomes. Rather than list 21 buzzwords, here's what they translate to once the spray is on your hair.

Protection (the bit that matters most for colour)

This is the headline. Color Fanatic helps shield your colour and your strands from the things that fade and stress them: heat from your dryer and irons, the friction of brushing and combing, and the wear of everyday styling. For colour-treated hair, heat protection isn't optional, it's the difference between vibrant tone at week one and brassy, flat tone by week four. If you've invested in balayage or a glossy brunette, this is the benefit doing the quiet work in the background. It's the same logic behind a good colour-safe routine, which is why we pair it with leave-in treatments rather than relying on shampoo alone.

Detangling and manageability

Several of the 21 benefits live here: easier detangling, smoother combing, better brushability, less breakage while you're working through knots, and reduced static. In practice, the spray glides a comb through wet hair without that horrible drag, which is where a lot of mid-length snapping actually happens. If your hair feels rough or fragile after colour, this is the difference you feel first.

Smoothness, softness and shine

Another cluster of benefits covers the things you can see in the mirror: softness, silkiness, smoothness, a healthy look, and genuine shine. Colour processing can leave the cuticle a little raised and dull. Color Fanatic helps lay it flat so light bounces off properly. It's not a heavy gloss, the finish stays natural, which is why fine hair tolerates it well.

Frizz control and a faster blow-dry

The remaining benefits are the practical, daily-life ones: frizz control, body, moisture, conditioning, and a quicker blow-dry. That last one surprises people. Because the spray helps smooth and prime the hair, your dryer does less fighting and you're done sooner, less heat exposure overall, which loops right back to protecting your colour.

Who Color Fanatic actually suits

It's a genuine all-rounder, but it shines for a few people in particular. If your hair is colour-treated and you want fade protection without a fuss, it's an easy yes. If you've got frizzy, unmanageable hair that needs taming before styling, it earns its keep. And if you've got fine hair that goes limp under heavier creams, the lightweight spray format is a relief, you get the smoothing and protection without the weigh-down.

One honest caveat: Color Fanatic is a styling primer and protector, not a deep repair treatment. If your hair is genuinely damaged or broken from over-processing, you'll want a bonding or reparative mask doing the heavy lifting too, with Color Fanatic handling daily styling on top. The two work together rather than competing.

How our colourists use it

The technique is simple and it's where most people go wrong. Spray it through damp, towel-dried hair, not soaking wet and not bone dry. Mist it mid-lengths to ends, where colour and damage concentrate, and skip the roots. Comb through, then style as normal. A few pumps is plenty; this isn't a product you drench hair in. Used this way, one bottle lasts a good while and your blow-dry genuinely speeds up.

Where it sits next to Pureology and Kérastase

Since the search that brought you here mentioned Pureology, it's worth a quick comparison. Pureology is fully vegan and built around sulphate-free, colour-care formulas, brilliant if that's your priority and you want a matched shampoo-and-conditioner system for coloured hair. Color Fanatic is the single-step leave-in primer that slots into almost any routine, including a Pureology one. They're not rivals; plenty of clients run a sulphate-free Pureology wash and finish with Color Fanatic before styling.

For the premium tier, Kérastase is the range our colourists reach for daily, and its Chroma Absolu line is the dedicated colour-protection system if you want to go all-in on radiance and longevity. Think of Color Fanatic as the smart, affordable workhorse and Chroma Absolu as the indulgent upgrade. Both sit alongside the rest of the Pureology and salon haircare we ship across the country.

What hair care brands do colourists recommend for protecting colour?

Ask five colourists and you'll get five answers, so here's what we actually put on the trolley at Crew.

For the wash, a sulfate-free shampoo made for colour. That's Kérastase Chroma Absolu for most of our tints and glosses, like the Bain Chroma Respect ($57.12), or Pureology if you want vegan. Pureology Hydrate Sheer Shampoo ($58.08) suits finer hair that still wants moisture.

Then something that stays in and handles heat. Color Fanatic does that in one spray. If you'd rather stay in Kérastase, the Serum Chroma Thermique ($70.56) is the one we use before the dryer.

The habits matter as much as the bottles. Wash in cooler water, give fresh colour a couple of days before the first wash, and wear a hat on the mountain. UV at altitude here fades colour faster than most people expect.

Pureology 21 benefits spray or Kérastase? Two ways, choose by budget

Two ways, choose by budget. Both go on damp hair before the dryer and both protect from heat.

	Pureology Color Fanatic	Kérastase Serum Chroma Thermique
Bottle	Color Fanatic spray	Serum Chroma Thermique 150ml
Price	$49.28	$70.56
Format	Light spray	Serum

Color Fanatic suits fine to medium coloured hair and anyone who wants one quick spray. Chroma Thermique suits thicker coloured hair that wants more smoothing, and pairs with the Chroma Absolu wash we use in the salon.

The short answer

Color Fanatic earns its 21-benefit reputation because it genuinely consolidates a handful of separate steps, detangling, heat protection, smoothing, frizz control, and colour defence, into one light spray. It won't repair serious damage on its own, but as a daily primer for colour-treated hair, it's one of the most useful bottles you can keep by the dryer.

Shop Pureology Color Fanatic and the rest of our colour-care range at Crew. It's genuine salon stock from the brands' NZ distributors, picked by Queenstown stylists, with free NZ shipping on orders over $75.

Frequently asked questions

Is Color Fanatic a Pureology or a Redken product?

It's a Pureology product: Pureology Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray. The two brands are commonly confused because both sit in the same professional family and both are colour-focused, but Color Fanatic belongs to Pureology. Our product page address still reads redken in the link, but the bottle is Pureology.

What are the 21 benefits of Color Fanatic?

They cover protection (heat, colour, breakage), detangling and manageability (smoother combing, less static, easier brushing), and finish (softness, silkiness, shine, frizz control, body, moisture and a faster blow-dry). In short, it does the work of several separate products in one light leave-in spray.

How do I use Color Fanatic spray?

Spray it through damp, towel-dried hair before blow-drying, focusing on the mid-lengths and ends and avoiding the roots. A few pumps is enough. Comb through, then style as normal. It stays in, so there's no rinsing.

Is Color Fanatic good for colour-treated hair?

Yes, it's designed for it. The heat and colour protection help prevent fade and brassiness between salon visits, while the smoothing and detangling reduce the breakage that dulls colour over time. It pairs well with a sulphate-free colour-care shampoo and conditioner.

Does Crew ship Color Fanatic across New Zealand?

Yes. Crew is a Queenstown salon selling genuine salon stock from the brands' NZ distributors, shipping nationwide with free NZ delivery on orders over $75.

Does Color Fanatic work as a heat protectant?

Yes, heat protection is one of the 21 benefits Pureology lists. Spray it through damp hair before you blow-dry or use irons. If you straighten or curl every day on high heat, keep your tools at a moderate temperature as well. No spray makes hot irons harmless, it just takes some of the sting out.

Can I use Color Fanatic on dry hair between washes?

A light mist on dry ends is fine for smoothing flyaways or softening hair that's gone crunchy in the wind. Keep it to one or two sprays and keep it off the roots, or fine hair can start to look flat. It works best on damp, towel-dried hair, so save the full dose for wash day.