Thursday 6 September 2007

Kiehl's Protein Concentrate Shampoo for Oily Hair



RRP: $15.50/21 euros/£13 for 200ml

--About the brand--
Kiehl's is an American brand that has various ranges (for men and women) of hair care, skin care, body products, fragrances and sun care, as well as products for babies and pets. Est 1851. It's available in most department stores and can be bought online too (direct from the Kiehl's website if you live in the US; from Space NK Apothecary in the UK).

--What does the promo say?--
"With conditioning ingredients and oils of rosemary, sage, and lavender and panthenol. Not tested on animals. A thick, concentrated shampoo for a gentle, thorough cleansing of oily hair and scalp."

--Packaging--
The brand is over 150 years old, and this bottle wouldn't look out of place on the shelf of an old-timey pharmacy. Though the white label is jam-packed with information, its style is quirky and traditional and somewhat scientific-looking rather than irritating. It's also most definitely unisex - this shampoo's actually my boyfriend's, but he kindly said I could sneak a little for testing. The bottle itself is made from opaque plastic. The lid is a white plastic flip-top lid.

--Application--
Flip open the lid and squeeze a very small amount into your palm. For my shoulder-length hair, I only needed a 10p-sized amount, and this was more than enough. Lather up, wash out. Repeat as necessary.

--Appearance--
The shampoo is a yellowish-brown colour and very watery, rather than being viscous like most shampoos.

--Scent--
The shampoo smells primarily of rosemary and sage, though the smell is not very long-lasting - I like to be able to smell my shampoo on my hair throughout the day and you can't smell this one at all, even right after you've washed it.

--Lather--
You really only need a small amount to get a decent lather? I'd recommend not using more than a 10p-sized amount unless you have very long hair. The lather doesn't slip out of your hair before you're ready to wash it out.

--Washing it out--
Easy to wash out - I didn't find any traces of the shampoo in my hair after I was finished drying my hair.

--How does your hair look/feel afterwards?--
The hairbrush seemed to go through my wet hair more easily after using this shampoo. Until recently I'd been using L'Oréal Elsève, purely on the basis that it was 2-in-1 (I hate it when the conditioner runs out before the shampoo, or vice versa), and it hasn't served my hair well at all, making it feel flat and lifeless. However, this shampoo brought back the bounce and shine! Yay! However, it didn't bring really any extra smoothness to my hair, though my hair is quite dry anyway. (Paradoxically my hair is dry but I have very oily roots, grr.)

--Effects throughout the day--
It's the evening now and the difference is still visible from using the shampoo this morning. The volume is definitely back - impressive given that this isn't marketed as a volumising shampoo. However, I have started to notice a severely oily/greasy patch on the back of my head that was most certainly not there before. Could be that I need to try the shampoo for normal hair.

--Value for money--
It's a wee bit expensive for a shampoo, though this depends where you buy it. I'm going to keep experimenting, and unless I can find something just as good (or better) for less money, I'll come back to this.

--Other comments--
There is also a version available for normal hair.

perfect partner
Hair Conditioner and Grooming Formula 133, $18.00/22 euros 50/£16.00 for 200ml

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