The exceedingly good folks at Matchstick entrusted this blogger to check out Herbal Essences new Hydralicious line – and I was absolutely thrilled to comply! Can I get a Woot! Woot! for wicked word of mouth marketing!
With true generosity, they sent the whole line of products to test, plus coupons for friends and family. Hope my girls are enjoying some fantabulous hair days!
As the trial period is coming to a close, here’s the first of three (3) product reviews I’d like to share with ya’ll. It’s been an absolute pleasure to wash my hair over the last few weeks – and an excuse to take even longer hot showers (I’ve been known to deplete the hot water supply – once or twice).
Upon receipt of the products, I quickly decided that the Featherweight Shampoo and Conditioner were right up my alley (I subscribe to the Texan motto: the higher the hair, the closer to God). It promised loads of body and bounce, and I loved the cool swirly thing going on – very nice!
OK: Baby asleep; dishes done; water nice and hot; let’s go. “Me” time.
Since the shampoo inside swirled orange and white, I immediately theorized that it would smell like an orange creamsicle, and was insanely excited to take a whiff of the fragrance. BOO! Uninspiring (and unwelcome) standard peach purée. Why do all drugstore shampoos smell like peach purée? Urgh! I scanned the bottle and realized what I was really smelling was a “fusion of water lily nectar & passion fruit”. Sure. With a side of peach purée!!!
So the shampoo didn’t win any points for fragrance, but at least it didn’t smell bad (ever try Redken products? Gross). Time to lather – mmm, that’s better. It was effortless; 0-60 frothy in 20 seconds or less. A good clean puff of goodness… but Achtung! Was it too clean? As I rinsed my hair, I daresay it squeaked. The kind of squeak you get when an overly harsh product strips your hair. Now I understand that to build body you need to rid your hair of residue, but was this really a clarifying shampoo masquerading as a featherweight? Slowly and reluctantly, I reached for the conditioner.
Ooooh. Ahhhh. Ohhhh. I loved the Featherweight conditioner. It detangled and smoothed my hair instantly, and rinsed clean away. My hair definitely did not feel weighed down – it was thoroughly conditioned and felt amazing. And, believe it or not, the conditioner smelled less peachy than its counterpart; another bonus in my book. I liked it sooo much more than the shampoo, and would definitely repurchase it on its own. I truly recommend it.
The results? Shiny, bouncy hair with, ahem, noticeable body! Over-cleaning be damned; my roots were shooting for the stars. And when you’ve got fine hair, the smallest increase in volume can be detected and appreciated. But could I get over my obvious concerns? With my colour-treated hair, I have to be careful to use gentle shampoos that will not cause fading. And after repeated use, I’m just not convinced that the shampoo will be good for my locks over time. Perhaps it should be on reserve for date nights.
So while my introduction to the Hydralicious line was hit and miss, I am happy to report that the second pairing I tried was incredible! Stay tuned for my review of Hydralicious Reconditioning Shampoo and Conditioner – and if you can’t wait, just buy them! They’re that good!
Can you really have too many kitchen gadgets? It’s no secret that I have a weakness for stainless steel gizmos. And colourful plastic things. And, well, basically anything with “KitchenAid” stamped across it.
