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: F is for Folicure

This post is for my husband, since this is one of his products.

This is one of the products I picked up at Sally's out of necessity. 

You see, my husband has wonderful hair. It's relatively thick, grows lightning fast, and is adorably curly. Unfortunately  he also sheds more than my cat. We have spent so much money on drain cleaners because his hair falls out all of the time. And not just a hair here or there. I'm talking, you could make a pet of his hair. 

So when I saw this, I figured it might help. It's supposed to be for thinning hair, which he has a little bit of a problem with, but I was hoping it would cure his shedding problem.

Unfortunately, this was $7 down the drain. I don't know if it's because we only bought the conditioner and not the shampoo (he's hooked on Herbal Essences), or if it's just a waste of money. 

Either way, the shedding hasn't stopped or let up seemingly at all. Not to mention, this stuff smells dreadful. Like a chemical bath at a hospital. 

If anyone knows of any products that actually help with thinning hair (besides Rogaine, his pride won't let him use that), let me know in the comments! I would absolutely love to not find man hair all over the bathroom every day. 

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!