Review: Nature's Gate Pomegranate Sunflower Shampoo and Conditioner

When you pay hundreds for your hair color, it's a shame to watch it fade in a matter of days. That's why color-safe hair products were developed. It may seem easy just to buy what your stylist recommends, but if you're looking for something vegan or just something more affordable, check out your local health food store. Nature's Gate offers one option for vegans: the Pomegranate Sunflower Shampoo and Conditioner.

Pros:

• Textures similar to conventional products
• Affordable
• Retail availability
• Nourishing for color-treated hair
• Fragrances are phthalate-free

Review: Acure Organics Lemongrass + Argan Stem Cell Shampoo and Conditioner

I tend to be loyal to certain hair products. I have long hair that has a tendency to tangle, so I am particular about my conditioners. I was excited to try Acure's Lemongrass and Argan Stem Cell Shampoo and Conditioner, as I'd heard good things about the line.

Pros:

• Vegan and gluten-free
• Safe for color-treated hair
• Shampoo lathers well
• Conditioner leaves hair soft
• Fresh, lemony scent suitable for men or women
• Made with many organic ingredients

Review: Aveda Men Pure-formance Conditioner

I've been wanting to try Aveda products for awhile. I've been to a couple of their salons, and I heard that they have many vegan-friendly products. I recently acquired a sample of their Aveda Men Pure-formance Conditioner, so I put it to the test.

Pros:

• Pleasant fragrance
• Leaves hair soft and smooth
• Helps detangle
• Gentle ingredients?
• Nice, creamy texture

Cons:

• Salon price ($20/bottle)

Summary:
This conditioner has a fairly strong fragrance, but it is a pleasant scent. The smell is a bit masculine, but I think women could use it, too. The conditioner itself is a great texture; creamy, but not too thick. It left my hair feeling silky and manageable. This product rates about a 4 on the EWG Skin Deep database, mainly due to the use of fragrance. It is available for retail sale in Aveda salons, which are pretty widespread. I was disappointed to see that the ingredients list wasn't posted on the website, but customer service was happy to provide it for me, as well as information on vegan products. If you are looking for a solid conditioner with and love a stronger, "salon" type of scent, this is a nice option.

Also available on Amazon.com.

Ingredients:
Water\Aqua\Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Behenamidopropyltrimonium Methosulfate, Babassuamidopropyltrimonium Methosulfate, Boswellia Serrata Extract, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Seed Oil, Zingiber Cassumunar (Plai) Root Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Yeast Extract\Faex\Extrait De Levure, Tapioca Starch, Ethyl Macadamiate, Hydrolyzed Algin, Canola Oil\Huile De Colza, Malt Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Tricaprylyl Citrate, Capryloyl Glycine, Dimethiconol Meadowfoamate, Stearyl Alcohol, Menthol, Fragrance (Parfum), Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol, Ursolic Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Sorbic Acid (ILN34477)

Product Ratings (out of 5)

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Performance
Presentation
Purity
Value

Disclosure notice: This product was sent to me free of charge by the manufacturer for review. No additional compensation was accepted and the opinions are my own. Please verify any claims with the manufacturer, especially if you have any allergies or concerns.

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Review: Burt's Bees Gud Orange Petalooza Shampoo and Conditioner

When I see new natural products at my local drugstore, I like to check them out. What are the ingredients like? Is it affordable? Burt's Bees new Gud line smelled delicious, so I decided to see if their cruelty-free Orange Petalooza Shampoo and Conditioner performed as good as they smelled.

Pros:

• Lovely citrus scent
• Texture similar to conventional products
• Conditioner helped detangle
• Shampoo left hair clean but not dry
• Easy to tell bottles apart by shape
• Retail availability
• Affordable prices

Cons:

• Moderate safety rating on EWG

Summary:
These products performed similar to conventional shampoos and conditioners. The shampoo and conditioner both had nice textures and left my hair soft. The conditioner wasn't exactly a detangling conditioner, but it did make my long hair a bit more manageable. I love the packaging on these products. As a wearer of contacts, I am often half-blind in the shower, so it is great to have the designs reversed so I can tell the shampoo and conditioner apart without reading the front. I was disappointed to see that these both the shampoo and the conditioner came in at a moderate 5 on EWG's Skin Deep database, and not just due to fragrance. I would like to see these products reformulated to be more gentle, and I would also love to see Burt's Bees pursue the vegan market by actively marking their products without animal ingredients as such. While I loved that these products are cruelty-free, I would like to see a reformulation before I can recommend them over competing natural products.

Also available on Amazon.com: shampoo and conditioner.

Product Ratings (out of 5)

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Performance
Presentation
Purity
Value

Disclosure notice: This product was purchased by the reviewer. No compensation was accepted and the opinions are my own. Please verify any claims with the manufacturer, especially if you have any allergies or concerns.

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Review: Shikai Color Reflect Daily Moisture Conditioner

In recent years, hair products designed to for specific colors have gained popularity. ShiKai jumped on this trend by creating its Color Reflect line, which has shampoos to bring out one of four hair colors and a conditioner that works with them all. The conditioner is called Color Reflect Daily Moisture Conditioner.

Pros:

• Creamy texture
• Helps detangle hair
• Mild scent
• Suitable for all hair types
• Safe for color-treated hair
• Retail availability
  

Review: Aubrey Organics Swimmer's Normalizing Shampoo and Conditioner

It's the height of summer and many of us are enjoying the season with a little pool time. I live near a community pool, which is convenient and refreshingly quiet. While swimming is a relaxing and fun way to exercise, I wanted to make sure that the chlorine wouldn't damage my hair. So I did some research and decided to try out Aubrey's Swimminer's Normalizing Shampoo and Conditioner.

Pros:

• Vegan formula
• Light scent
• Shampoo balances pH
• Conditioner detangles
• Contains organic ingredients
• Retail availability
  

Cons:

• Conditioner is a little thick

Summary:
While this shampoo and conditioner set effectively cleansed my hair after swimming, it also was very effective for removing sweat residue and other impurities from my active lifestyle. The scent is light and doesn't overpower. When used together, my hair came out looking and feeling great. I loved how these are labeled vegan on the bottle and have the leaping bunny logo as well. Although an older formulations rated a 4 on EWG's Skin Deep database, the newer formulations rate 3 (shampoo) and 2 (conditioner). The newer formulations appear to have removed items such as rentinol (vitamin A) and PABA, which is a great update to improve product safety.

I also appreciated that, even at just over $10 a bottle, these products were available at my local health food store, saving on shipping costs. The only item I was disappointed in was the texture of each product; the shampoo is a little runny and the conditioner just a little thick, so you have to apply a firm pressure on the bottle to dispense. If you're looking for clean and soft hair and lead and active lifestyle, I highly recommend this set.

Also available on Amazon.com: shampoo and conditioner.

Product Ratings (out of 5)

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Performance
Presentation
Purity
Value

Disclosure notice: This product purchased by the reviewer. No compensation was accepted and the opinions are my own. Please verify any claims with the manufacturer, especially if you have any allergies or concerns.

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