René Furterer Hair and Scalp Treatments

Who or What is René Furterer?

René Furterer, the company, is a subdivision of the French based pharmaceutical and cosmetics company Pierre Fabre. Their laboratories combine science and beauty, developing high quality hair care products that incorporate the latest scientific innovations. Their formulas are tailored to specific needs and provide visible effects.

René Furterer, the man, was a pioneer in improving the health of hair and scalp. He began a long time ago, when women were bleaching, treating, and styling their hair to death in order to look like Marilyn Monroe. Drawing from his roots in the French countryside, and the herbalist lore he was raised with, he sought to create products that would be of benefit to the style conscious client and salon.

In addition to a solid product line, René Furterer was at the forefront of creating hair and scalp services that are half spa experience and half therapeutic treatment. Atelier Emmanuel is proud to be one of the few salons in San Francisco to offer the full menu of Treatments first offered at their Paris Institute.

The René Furterer treatments help with issues such as balancing a scalp which produces too much or not enough oil,  dandruff, hair loss or irritated scalp. The products used are chosen based on the needs of each person. 

Treatment Categories

Regeneration — provides relief for dry hair and scalp

Nutrition — this one takes it up a notch to nourish and revitalize very dry/damaged hair and scalp

Purification — cleanses and balances hair and scalp prone to oiliness. It also brings back lightness and volume

Vitality — gives oomph and body to fine, limp hair

Soothing — especially geared to sensitive or irritated scalp. A good choice if you experience irritation from your products or styling routine

Hair Loss Programme — the hair loss programme has two versions. One addresses hair loss that is progressive and hereditary; the other addresses thinning hair due to stress.

Anti-Dandruff Programme — designed to assertively address dandruff.

So what happens during a treatment? Read on to learn more!

Complete vs Express Treatment

The first thing to know is that there are two versions of the René Furterer Treatments, Complete and Express. The Complete Treatments last longer, deepening the benefits of the formulas used for your hair and scalp. They are also a fuller spa experience. The Express Treatments are a great addition to your blow dry or haircutting session. They give much of the same benefits and help maintain the health of your hair. 

The basic steps of a Complete Treatment are:

(1) Consultation

(2) Scalp Care

(3) Hair Care

(4) Blow Dry

As a list, it sounds straightforward and not that luxurious — Which is, or course, why you should come schedule a session! We’ll get into more details below, though, which will help you get a better feel for these treatments. 

Consultation: 

With 50 products to draw from, the goal of a René Furterer treatment is to customize to the needs of your hair and scalp. During the consultation, the hair stylist identifies what treatment will better serve you. The natural and current state of your scalp, the quality of your hair, what hair services you generally get, and what your styling routine is — all these play a role in selecting your session products.

Scalp Care

Brushing, Scalp Treatment and Massage are the main parts of scalp care. These stages also maximize the benefits of the cleansing and treatment your head will receive afterwards

Brushing goes a long way to improving the circulation of our scalp. Ditto for removing dirt and sebum from our hair. In this case the stylists apply a little more technique than many of us do at home, of course. This will help treatments penetrate the follicle of the hair.

Scalp Treatment:

“Les beaux cheveux poussent sur un cuir chevelu sain, tout comme une plante sur un sol fertile.” — René Furterer

RF has long used this analogy from farming: for the plant to grow well, the soil must be healthy. By analogy, the scalp must be healthy, for beautiful hair to grow. 

There are two options for this section. In brief, one is warming while the other is cooling. Each can be understood, in essence, as an exfoliating treatment for the scalp. 

• Complex 5: Its concentration of orange and lavender essential oils increase microcirculation. When it's applied, you’ll  feel your scalp tingle; this is the effect of the citrus extracts stimulating blood flow and exfoliating dead skin cells.

• Astera is recommended for the client with a sensitive or irritated scalp. Where Complex 5 provides a warming effect, Astera cools, soothes and calms the scalp. This cooling effect is provided by essential oils of peppermint, eucalyptus, and camphor. Another ingredient, extract of Asteraceae (Echinacea), provides anti-inflammatory and healing benefits.

Scalp Massage: 

The scalp treatment is applied to the root of the hair and worked in. It is followed by a massage protocol which helps the essential oils penetrate into the scalp. René Furterer has a set sequence of massage strokes which are applied. Bonus: This can take between 10 and 20 minutes of your session!

(I love these type of old school illustration)

Hair Care

Remedy

This stage may actually precede or follow the shampoo and conditioner. This all depends on which protocol has been selected. For instance the RF80 and Triphasic, both treatments for thinning hair, are used at the end of the session. A steam bath of distilled water is used to help the treatment penetrate the hair follicle. 

Shampoo

All the RF shampoos are bioactive. The preceding stages will have prepped your hair to soak the benefits of the shampoo. Your stylist selects one of these shampoos based on the consultation:

• Astera for very sensitive or irritated scalp, 
• Carthame for dehydrated scalp and hair, 
• Karite for very dry hair, 
• Curbicia for oily hair,
• Tonucia for aging, weakened hair. 
• Forticea shampoo for thinning hair, and to reduce hair loss.

Condition + Leave-in

Like the Remedy stage, a conditioner or leave-in will be used depending on the need of the hair. A steam bath might again be used, to deepen the treatment effect.

Blow Dry

Of course we don’t want you to leave with wet hair, so we do a simple blow dry at the end of your session. You can upgrade to a styling, if you choose. If you are getting a haircut that day, you can just transition straight into that!

Special recommendations

For specific hair care: clients who suffer from specific scalp and hair problems are advised to purchase the treatment products used during their session. These formulas should be used once a week to extend and maintain the effects.

For colored hair: It is not recommended to combine these treatments with same day color services: because color formulas usually contain ammonia that opens the cuticle of the hair, performing these service the same day could irritate your scalp and damage your hair. We advise you to first schedule your RF treatment, and then wait a few days to book your color services.

That's our rundown of the René Furterer Hair and Scalp Treatments. We hope that you're enticed to try one. You can always begin an Express Treatment, which will give you a feel for the benefits.