little white truths

I received a pair of these ages ago via Violet Box, and I remember not liking them at all because the shampoo didn't wash properly and the conditioner didn't have enough punch for my dry hair.

When another pair of these travel sized bottles came along, I was going to give them away until I saw that I hadn't yet reviewed them - and I also don't have a lot of spare hair products lying around so I thought I may as well try them again.

Unfortunately my opinion of the products hasn't changed - they're definitely not for me and I wouldn't recommend them.


Appelles claims/product details:

• Ideal for damaged/colour treated hair
• Encourage hydrated, healthy hair with this shampoo and conditioner pair
• Effective, lightweight and suitable for daily use, our Blackseed Shampoo cleans and nourishes, gently removing excess oil and dead skin from the scalp and providing follicles with the necessary nutrients and hydration for strong, healthy hair
• Enriched with tamanu nut oil, our Tamanu Conditioner repairs and protects hair from UV and chemical damage by maintaining hydration, manageability and softness
• Rosemary cleanses, disinfects and assists with circulation to the scalp, while ylang ylang helps with hair growth
• Lavender soothes and relieves minor irritations of the scalp
• The uplifting blend of essential oils in both products stimulates and energises – resulting in smooth, shiny, freshly scented hair and a healthy scalp
• $16.95 AUD each for 150ml; $39.95 AUD each for 500ml

Verdict

One of my biggest issues with these products is that they cost so much and don't perform well at all. If you're going to charge that much for haircare, you'd want the products to be good. These aren't.

First off, the good things. I like the smell of both products - it's herbal and refreshing - and the packaging looks classy so I'll probably keep the bottles and fill them with something else.

But despite how lovely they look sitting there in the shower, the products themselves don't float my boat.

The shampoo doesn't clean well at all, and I need three washes to get my hair feeling a little clean, and even then it's not washed properly so I invariably reach for another product to get the job done. It doesn't lather well either, so you wonder how much it's actually doing.

Perhaps if you had normal hair that wasn't oily or isn't filled with product (as mine is - I'm always putting something on to manage frizz), the shampoo might be ok. But if you need something to really get in there and give your hair a good clean, then this product isn't it.

As for the conditioner, it's the better product of the two but it doesn't hydrate my hair well at all (and it's designed for damaged/colour treated hair, so it should!). After the first couple of uses with this, I started reaching for another conditioner to add over the top of it, just so I wouldn't wind up with knotted hair that was impossible to manage.

Again, the conditioner may be ok if you have normal hair, but it's certainly not ok for my dry hair.

If I use these hair products alone, my hair feels greasy at the scalp and wet chunks of knots are all through it. Not ideal!

Low marks from me I'm afraid.