This post is part of the affordable series.
I always feel that I am a negative person when it comes to judging things and places. I believe I use the word “love” sparingly when it comes to things. I did not love the following two brands of shampoos and conditioners. My hair is thin, has no volume and it gets greasy very easily. I have to wash my hair everyday otherwise it just doesn’t look clean and I feel uncomfortable.
The first set is 365 Everyday Value Lavender Shampoo and Conditioner
Ingredients/ Company/ Safety: This brand is Whole Foods Market’s own brand. These products are not 100% organic, just some ingredients are. They claim to be free of parabens, sulfates and artificial ingredients. They do meet Whole Foods Market Premium Body Care guidelines. Whole foods Market has come out with their own standards to classify products based on safety, efficacy of ingredients, the source, and the environmental impact. Each of these product carry this label:
The Skin Deep EWG score is: 4 (I had to manually enter all the information to get the score). That means that it is categorize as moderate hazard, the best would be low hazard. Here is a link for more info.
Accessibility and Price: a 16oz set of bottles cost (I bought this set when it was on sale) I have only seen these products at Whole Foods Market. I do not know for sure if the prices change from one whole foods market to another. In their website they do not have a price for their product which makes me think that the price changes according to location (booo 😦 )
Application and Wearability: The shampoo smells like lavender; not all lavenders smell the same, to me this shampoo smells like the cheaper version of lavender. The consistency was pretty watery (mainly the shampoo). It always seemed as if I squirted the shampoo too hard because it would just gush out and I would drop it on the floor. I used the whole bottle of the shampoo (did not last long) only used like a ¼ of the bottle of the conditioner as I tried to use only small amounts on the tips of my hair. I wash my hair every night and by mid day the following day was greasy around the roots. I would not buy this product again. The conditioner was just ok, it somewhat detangled my hair, but to be fair I only used it on the tips of my hair.
The second set of shampoo and conditioner I tried is call Everyday Shea Shampoo Lavender and Everyday Shea Lavender Conditioner for all hair types.
Ingredients/ Company/ Safety: This brand Alaffia is like an umbrella for different small branches that also make shampoos, conditioners, face care products, body care soaps and lotions. They also make a few purses, headbands, and miscellaneous things: Aunthentic, Everyday Shea, Everyday Coconut, Beautiful curls, and Queen Alaffia. Their mission is about empowerment to alleviate poverty and encourage gender equality in African communities, especially Tongolese communities. Their Empowerment Projects include several Education-Based Projects, Maternal Health, FGM (female genital mutilation) Eradication, Eyeglasses and Reforestation. Their ingredients are not organic but Alaffia is certified Fair for Life: Social & Fair Trade by IMO (Institute for Marketecology), one of the first and most renowned international inspection & certification agencies for organic and social (fair trade) accountability. IMO’s Fair for Life certification combines strict social and fair trade standards with adaptability to local conditions. (I am sharing a few of the pictures of their website because I think it is very nice and impressive what this company is doing!)
The Skin Deep EWG score is: 1 (I had to manually enter all the ingredients to obtain a score) Which is categorized as low hazard (what it would be probably recommended to use)
Accessibility and Price: I bought it at Whole Foods Market and you can also get it online at their website. Price $13.99 for 32 oz (Big Bottle!)
Application and Wearability: I really like the presentation, I like that it comes in a convenient bottle to apply, I also like that it was a big bottle (if you know for sure that you like the shampoo and conditioner). The downside is that it comes in such a big bottle (if you end up not liking the shampoo 😦 . This shampoo had a very nice smell, the consistency was creamy, not watery, but by the afternoon my hair was greasy around the roots. I used this shampoo for what seemed like forever, maybe close to two and a half months. I did not like the conditioner at all, it felt like it did not detangled my hair, it felt like the consistency of applying body lotion on your hair.
I personally would not buy the above products again but that does not mean that they do not have other products or even other type of shampoos and conditioners of the same brands that are better. I bought the Everyday shea body wash and I have really liked it! I hope this helps for your next buy!
Con amor,
Wendy
The Minimal Sisters 