A few months ago I wrote about using Hanz de Fuko’s shampoo and conditioner, which is actually a brand targeted at men. It doesn’t specifically say anywhere that the hair care range is for men, but I decided to try it because Nick started using it and I wanted to try my hand at an organic, natural shampoo.

I previously suffered from dandruff. It is true that when you use a shampoo with sulphate and other artificial elements, it increases dandruff because it dries out your scalp. No matter what I did, the dandruff kept coming back. That shampoo really eased it for me and I have not had dandruff in so long.

Unfortunately my bottles of shampoo and conditioner started to run out. The range is sold at Sephora, but when I visited the store here, they didn’t have anything from the range in stock. Apparently they had not had anything shipped for months, and the store assistant told me, ‘Yeah, I know it looks like we don’t even sell the brand, sorry about that.’

It was silly for me to leave buying shampoo and conditioner to the last minute, but I decided to go to The Body Shop or L’OCCITANE to see what I could find. I was a bit like, ‘I want to wash my hair today, todaaaaayyyyy I tell you!’

I had such a great experience that I really wanted to write about it.

I passed L’OCCITANE, so, slightly reluctantly, I went in and stared at their shampoo and conditioner range for a while before a store assistant came to my aid. I noticed that all the store staff were Asian, maybe because there are a lot of Asians working in the city or, who knows. I didn’t judge. He asked if I needed any help.

I said that I was after some shampoo and conditioner made from natural products, but I had never tried anything from the store.

‘Yes, it’s all natural! Is there any type you are looking for?’
‘I’ve got pretty damaged split ends. What do you suggest?’

I had already spotted the products specifically for coloured hair. I colour mine a lot, and I mentioned this to the man who was helping me out, and he pointed out his own hair. He said although it was coloured to the extremes, he preferred to use the repairing range – made especially for brittle hair – because it left his hair softer and shinier. It was also the most popular range.

They were out of stock for the small shampoo bottle, but he pointed out their eco-friendly refill bag, which was cheaper than a bottle of the same size. The store assistant suggested buying a cheap plastic bottle at Woolworths or a supermarket and filling it up. I didn’t really want to buy such a huge amount of refill shampoo but I thought, ah, I’ll give it a go. What could possibly go wrong?

I bought the conditioner in its normal small-sized bottle. The store assistant let me have a smell of it too. It didn’t bother me, it smelled strongly herbal, but I think I prefer herbal smells to really fruity and ‘sweet’ smells.

What I bought

• Aromachologie Eco-Refil Repairing Shampoo
• Aromachologie Repairing Conditioner

I signed up for the mailing list while I was at it. Because I spent just over $60, I could have bought some body butter for cheap, but considering I have a brand new tub of body butter and at least two other bottles of body lotion, I really didn’t need to buy any more – cheap or not. When I paid, I asked if they accept Amex (because you know sometimes they just don’t) and he laughed and said, ‘Of course, it’s all money!’

He gave me two face mask samples, I’ve yet to try them out, but that was nice of him. Great customer service.

But I still haven’t talked about the shampoo.

I would be lying if I said it sucked.

It was actually really bloody amazing. I enjoyed the smell. It was kind of therapeutic. I was so afraid of wasting what would be considered a ‘luxury’ hair product that I put it little by little and when some shampoo dripped out of the top of the plastic bottle I poured it into, I wiped it up with my fingers so as not to waste a single drop.

I had read a few reviews on the train on the way home, that said the shampoo left hair feeling very soft and reduced frizz. The only complaint was about the smell, which someone said was like baby powder. I don’t know what that person was thinking, but the shampoo smells mostly of lavender, one of the main ingredients, and they probably had not smelled lavender before.

When I dried my hair I was hoping for a good result, but I couldn’t really see it until my hair dried. In the meantime I had to enjoy the smell, which was strong, but didn’t bother me one bit.

When my hair dried, oh my god, it was so soft. My frizzy ends had disappeared. My hair was very straight and smooth and I didn’t get kinks on random pieces of hair. I was so pleased with the result. I woke up this morning and I gave my hair a quick brush, and it was so straight and so smooth. I was amazed. I was running my fingers through it through meetings today. It was just so damn soft.

I was thinking that maybe Hanz de Fumo’s shampoo and conditioner was mainly for men, and might have been too harsh since men’s hair is usually coarser. I definitely prefer the L’OCCITANE shampoo and conditioner that I have used. I got so excited to try it, and now I am excited to wash my hair again. I only wash my hair twice a week since it doesn’t get greasy or dirty – it’s not common for people to do that, but I’m planning to write a post about how I take care of my hair and explain more about how I manage to wash my hair less often than most people.

I would highly recommend this product if you’re looking to condition and treat dry hair. I had many split and dry ends and although this obviously does not remove split ends, it left my hair so much softer than it was before, and it looks less brittle. I am so pleased with the result. :D

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own.