little white truths

I was sent these haircare items to review months ago and I'm getting towards the end of the conditioner now, so best I review them before they're gone for good.

Long story short, they're ok but they're not the best haircare products I've found for my dry hair - plus the conditioner never washes out properly - so I wouldn't buy them myself. More on that below.

Garnier claims/product details:

• Formulated for coloured and treated hair types
• The exclusive paraben-free range is enriched with a shot of fortifying fruit actives that supplies hair with the optimum injection of nourishment for hair health, shine, resistance and protection
• Inspired by nature and activated by science, the new Fructis formulas also include vitamins B3 and B6 to deliver healthier, stronger hair
• RRP: $6.49 AUD for 250ml or $13.95 AUD for 700ml (each)

Verdict

These products are fine but they haven't done anything amazing for my hair so I personally wouldn't buy them. Having said this, they've had great reviews (see eg beautyheaven's website) so they obviously work well for some.

The shampoo smells lovely and fruity, and it washes my hair well. I always do a double wash when I use this, although I double-cleanse with all shampoos so that's normal for me. I like that it cleans my hair without stripping it, and that it also does a good job of removing any build-up from my hair (eg leave-in conditioner) so my hair always feels cleaner and lighter after I've used it.

The conditioner smells fruity too although there's a chemical scent underneath that, which overtakes the fruit. I need to apply quite a bit of this because I have long hair, but again, I'm used to needing a truckload of conditioner because my hair is dry so that's standard for me.

I usually leave the conditioner in for a few minutes under a shower cap and I find that I can brush my hair through with my fingers before I wash the product out, and it has a detangling effect then - it just doesn't have one later.

What I find with these products combined is that my hair always feels heavy and coated after use, and it looks dull to boot. It's as though I can never wash all of the conditioner out - and I think that, of the two products, it's the conditioner I have issues with and not so much the shampoo.

Indeed, I washed my hair again last night and what I found was that, despite how much time I spent washing the conditioner out, I've woken up with hair which has that product-overloaded, thick feeling, and my hair is knotty and frizzy to boot. Yes it feels a bit stronger, but it doesn't look or feel good (it's not shiny or manageable) and it's also harder to brush.

Overall I think these products are ok and while I would recommend the shampoo, I don't recommend the conditioner and I personally would never buy one product without its matching pair, so it's safe to say that these aren't for me and I'll be happy to finish them and move on to something else.

Not my favourites.