BirchBox September: Beauty Protector Shampoo and Conditioner

I already have a shampoo that I am in love with, but I'm always happy to try something new! It helps that I adore Beauty Protector's UV Spray.

This shampoo and conditioner combo smelled just like that spray. Beachy, soft coconut. It smells like breezes on islands and summer memories. It's a gentle smell, not one that lingers all day, but enough to give me a little pep in the morning.

As far as product goes, these were all right. Nothing really amazing about them.

I feel like if you were to pair these up with a whole line of similar products, it might make a difference. But as stand alone products, they were just kind of meh. I didn't notice  a disitinct difference in my hair's texture or shine. Just clean and a little softer than when I don't use conditioner. Which makes sense.

Although I have to say, for the price tag of $22 a pop, I'd look for something a little more sensational.

Nice try, Beauty Protector, but not for me.

A to Z: D is for Dermorganic

This shampoo changed my life. And I'm not really exaggerating.

Look at that long list of goodness!

This is an all natural shampoo that trumps all of the other fancy shampoos I've tried. And my favorite part? It's dirt cheap online.

Dermorganic was recommended to me by an online friend, and I have to say that I am so happy that I gave it a shot. 

The formula is a little creamy, but the exciting thing is that even though it's SLS free, it still foams up! Not as heavily as you might expect, but the more water you add, the better it gets. Also good news: A little goes a long way. I've had this liter size bottle for a little over 8 months.

After using this shampoo, my hair has gotten less brittle, I don't have to wash it as often, and my hair is constantly shiny, silk, and beautiful. The argan oil really helps keep hair moisturized, but because it's argan oil, it doesn't make your hair greasy or slimy. Similar to the macadmia oil I reviewed a few weeks ago. 

One thing to note: This stuff doesn't necessarily smell wonderful. It's kind of an all natural, astringent-ish kind of smell. Luckily, it isn't strong at all and the smell fades the instant you step out of the shower. That way you won't have the weird "smell cocktail" if you use other products in your hair. 

This shampoo really does change the game as far as all natural shampoos go, and I wish more people knew about it. It's one of the things I'm most glad to have introduced into my routine. It's repairing years of mistreatment for my hair. It making my hair absolutely a delight to work with. And I can feel good knowing that this stuff is good my body chemistry AND good for the environment.

Knowing that you don't have to compromise is a very good thing indeed.

Thanks for reading!

Birchbox January 2013 - Rahua Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner

So far, this is the only thing I’ve gotten from Birchbox that I didn’t care for. I was really excited because I really love all natural shampoos. And I’ve been definitely feeling the hair oils lately, especially with winter making even my normal hair kind of dry.

But after opening it in the shower, I had to force myself to use the product. The smell was so overpowering. I can’t identify the culprit, but I just really didn’t like it. The sharp, woodsy smell, kind of like this neem hair oil I tried ages ago, made me really unhappy. And then there was this undercurrent of black licorice. Normally, I love black licorice, but this just seemed super overpowering.

And worse, it stuck around for ages. Normally, shampoo smells fade relatively quickly. But this one wouldn’t. I would catch whiffs of it every time I moved. It even lasted through the night, although by morning it had faded into something more tolerable for me.

I only used half of the sample and will be giving the rest to my best friend in the hopes that she will like it more than me.

The product itself, however, does as it is intended. My hair is soft and silky, a little shinier, and very, very voluminous. It really brought out the waves in my hair, which would be excellent for lots of people. This is by far one of the best volumizing shampoos I’ve ever used, and I would love it to bit and pieces if it weren’t for the unfortunate smell.

So if you can’t handle strong smells, this product probably isn’t for you, as it isn’t for me. But if you like that woodsy, really strong scent that smells like you’ve been clawing your way through a rainforest made of licorice, and you’re also looking for lots of volume, then this might actually be great for you!