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Side by side

amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner vs amika The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner

48% function match · 3 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner and amika The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner share 1 ingredient among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner — maximum slip
  • The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner — fine hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner — 9.2 oz container amika

Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
amika The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner — 9.2 oz container amika

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Lightweight
Price, size & price per ounce
$29 9.2 oz · $2.72/oz
$30 9.2 oz · $3.26/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a conditioner $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 69% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 77% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
High Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula. Your hair
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair Differs
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
High Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Hard-water defence Differs
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Coarse, very dry hairthis is a light formula for its category
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Conditioner
Conditioner
Line
Bust Your Brass
The Protector
Where to buy
Brand website
Salons · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientBust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair ConditionerThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#34Below the 1% line
#34Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner

Full ingredient list — Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner (37)
Full ingredient list — The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner (38)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsBust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair ConditionerThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner
Supported
0
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner

  • tones unwanted brassy huesStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • 2.2x stronger hair with 55% less breakage after 1 use, clinically tested as a systemStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • clinically proven safe for color-treated hair when used as a systemStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner

  • Protect your hair color for up to 40 washes with this nourishing color-protecting conditionerSupportedLess fade per wash.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner

Reviewers with straight to curly blonde hair report visible smoothing and softening after use

multiple hair types 1a-3b

Several reviewers consider it worth its premium price point given results

general

Reviewers with curly hair report the line works well as part of their blonde-maintenance routine

curly (3a-b) hair reviewer

Reviewers say it noticeably tones/cools brassy tones and rate it above other purple conditioners they have tried

general blonde-hair reviewers

The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner

Reviewers report reduced frizz and improved manageability without a heavy or weighed-down feel

general users, some noting thick hair

Reviewers with dyed/vivid hair (e.g., ruby red) report the conditioner keeps color vibrant and hair soft

color-treated hair, including vivid/fashion-color users

Reviewers describe the formula as creamy with good slip, and note a little goes a long way

general users

Scent is repeatedly called out as a positive alongside performance

general users

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$2.72/oz vs $3.26/oz — amika The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner costs about 1.2× more per ounce than amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $2.72/oz Bust Your Brass Cool Blond $3.26/oz The Protector Color Protec

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners with a computable unit price.

Value readBust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair ConditionerThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner
Label
Upper-mid price for a conditionerSits in the middle of the range for conditioners per ounce.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner vs SUPER GARDEN ConditionerR+Co · 90% function matchThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner vs BLOW.DRY RINSEKevin Murphy · 93% function matchBust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner vs Wavy Hair ConditionerFunction of Beauty · 90% function matchThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner vs Fine Hair ConditionerOuai · 93% function matchBust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner vs Repair Blonde Purple ConditionerMarc Anthony · 86% function matchThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner vs Bond Rx ConditionerPaul Mitchell · 90% function matchBust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner vs The Kure Strength Repair Conditioneramika · 85% function matchThe Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner vs Nanoworks Gold ConditionerPureology · 88% function match

Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Conditioner · The Protector Color Protect + Strengthen Conditioner · All conditioners in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 8 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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