Hair care is one of those things that I seldom compromise. In fact, I am pedantic about ensuring the right product for my crown. (Just because it’s hidden, doesn’t mean we’re not crazy about our hair)
I have gone through years of experimenting with various copious hair products – from the cheap-yet-wonderful results to the criminally expensive brands – I’ve tried ‘em all.
So, giving in to the craze of Herbal Essences which I first discovered on Twitter, I decided to jump onto the bandwagon. I did at one point grew up with the hair care brand, anyway (we all did, didn’t we?) – It’s the crazy selection of heavenly smell – they’re doing the persuasion, I tell you. (No resemblance to real herbs, unfortunately)
The first range that I experimented with was the eternally viral Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner set which my sister bought for herself but which I – by virtue of my natural undying annoying and stingy sister trait – also regularly use.
Herbal Essences boasts that its bio:renew Hair Repair* Argan Oil of Morocco range “cleanses and helps repair for smooth, beautiful hair bringing it back to life. With 90% natural origin, this shampoo will act as hair hydration and help frizzy hair, restoring the smoothness.”
My verdict on the Argan Oil range? Superb. They do a decent enough job at making my hair happy and manageable after each use. My hair feels softer and sufficiently moisturised. My hair essentially feels loved. This range also does not make it feel like you’re committing a crime if you incorporate it for your regular daily use (if needs arise) as it is so gentle to your scalp and tips. And if you decided to go by 2 days or more without a hair wash – so that your scalp can collect the natural oils essential to the health of your scalp – you’ll feel that your hair volume increases massively without the gross greasy feeling in your scalp. Not to mention, the smell still stays after 3 days of use. My fine, brittle hair simply loves this product. No wonder this has become such a cult product.
And when this almost runs out, I undertook a frantic search for a replacement – perhaps with other wildly huge selection of superficial botanical fragrances on offer. (Did I tell you that I can tolerate only an unforgivingly small selection of scents?) So many on offer and yet I can – and should – only try one range at a time. This time, I decided why not try the White Strawberry & Sweet Mint shampoo and conditioner set? Both the main ingredients seemingly sounding exotic (read: paradoxical) than ever. But, in truth, it’s the fuchsia pink packaging and attractive graphic that got me. (Capitalism had a field day with me this time)
Having done very little research on the range, I plunged into purchasing the set online (Shopee has a wide variety of independent sellers selling authentic products like this one) and waited giddily for the items to arrive.
Herbal Essences White Strawberry & Sweet Mint range promises “to cleanse and lift for voluminous, touchable hair” and has a “multilayered scents of white strawberry, delicate jasmine, and invigorating mint”.
My verdict on the White Strawberry & Sweet Mint shampoo and conditioner set? Disappointing. Despite my initial thrill at the exotic sounding scents, I was upset on my first usage of the shampoo and conditioner duo. In contrast to the Argan Oil shampoo which is creamy in form, the White Strawberry & Sweet Mint shampoo has a clear, gel-like look and feel to it. I never thought that was necessarily a problem until I discovered that it takes a handful of my hair out while I was showering. I mean, it literally was balding my scalp! The shampoo felt stripping (I guess its mission to cleanse your hair does give that stripping side effect a pass) and harsh on my scalp. The harshness can only be remedied through a generous squirt of the conditioner for my hair tips. It’s safe to say that my already-fine and fragile hair was not having its best day with the set. And I later discovered that instead of giving me the much-needed volume for my hair, I had to contend with, guess what? – dandruffs! Yes, I could feel that dandruffs are getting more prominent in my hair after regular use of the set. Not even the scents can salvage the damage that the shampoo has done to my faith.
In short, as much as I hate to say that my sister is right (she did warn me to simply follow the crowd and ONLY buy the viral item – Argan Oil range), I’d say if you are looking for a shampoo that can help with a hair fall problem, delicate enough for your oily scalp and frizzy tips and also offers reasonable volume, go with the bio:renew Hair Repair* Argan Oil of Morocco shampoo and conditioner set. But, if you want to experience that cleansing and refreshing feeling for your scalp, you can always give the White Strawberry & Sweet Mint range a go.(My advice: Get the travel size set.)
In a battle between to repair and to cleanse, in this case – I’d choose to repair.
Herbal Essences White Strawberry & Sweet Mint and Herbal Essences bio:renew Hair Repair* Argan Oil of Morocco are available in most drugstores nationwide and can also be purchased online through independent sellers selling 100% authentic products on Shopee (Malaysia) or Lazada (Malaysia). Prices may vary depending on available promotions.
FARHAH AZIZ 