Frooty Tooty (Original Source Haircare Products in general)

Member Name: Gwenick

Product:	Original Source Haircare Products in general
Date:	12/10/01 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see op

Disadvantages: see op

In my long quest to find that ‘perfect’ shampoo I have used many different products and brands. The most recent one that I have tried was Original Orange Source – Orange and Tea Tree for dry/damaged hair. I don’t actually have dry or damaged hair but I’m so desperate to find a shampoo that really works for me that I’ll try anything once. It cost £2.99 for a 300ml bottle from Tesco.

The Bottle: As shampoo bottles go this shampoo isn’t really very inspiring. It's an average sized, clear bottle with a black lid. However when you first see it on the shelf it is very striking as the shampoo is bright orange – very hard to miss. On the front of the bottle in BIG bold letters it says ‘Original Orange Source’ and underneath that Orange & Tea Tree. Then comes the catchy little slogan that is supposed to make us the gullible consumers rush to buy the product “A Zesty, never felt before experience for healthy, strong and shiny hair” – wow sounds great! On the back of the bottle there is a rather lengthy bit of blurb about how wonderful this shampoo is. Its in tiny writing and, as I’ve just discovered as I start to write this opinion, is impossible to read once you’ve finished the shampoo – because the bottle is clear!

Anyhow, just for all of you readers out there I have peeled of the sticker with the writing on, stuck it on a piece of white paper and shall now tell you – briefly – what it says in my own words. Apparently the ‘bush remedies of Ellen Walkerman’ inspired this range of shampoo. She was the daughter of some missionaries in Australia and managed to disgrace her family by running away to join in the Australian gold rush in 1857. During the course of time she was taught how to use some of the healing powers of plants that grow in the Australian Outback – and later became famous for her herbal cures.

The label th
en continues to say that the Original Orange Source shampoos contain the same amazing ingredients – making your ‘sense come alive’! This particular shampoo has been designed to ‘re-moisturise hair which is dry and lifeless and” apparently “produces fresh citrus aromas giving you a zesty and fresh sensation”. All of this is claims that we couldn’t possibly have experience before using this product.

All of this marketing nonsense is then followed by instructions. I’m never quite sure why they put instructions on shampoos, as I would have thought it would be something that everyone knows how to use. Just in case there is anyone here who doesn’t know how to use shampoo I shall give you a quick run down of how to use it.

Wet your hair, put the shampoo in it, and rub through to form a lather then leave for one minute to “feel the unique formula working”. Keep the shampoo away from your eyes. Repeat the process if ‘required’ – in other words if a) you have the time or b) if you’ve got really dirty hair that you haven’t washed for a week. Of course for ‘best results’ you should follow up the shampoo using an Original Orange Source conditioner. If you have sensitive skin you should test the product on a small area before using on your head.

Ok I’m almost finished the boring bits (well maybe you think that reading about shampoo is boring anyway – but that’s a different story). Here, for those of you that are interested, is a list of the ingredients:

Aqua (Water) – wow an ingredients list that actually acknowledges that ‘aqua’ is only water!!!
Sodium Laureth Sulfate,
Cocamide DEA,
Lauryl betaine,
Citrus Sinensis (Sweet Orange Oil),
Sodium Chloride,
Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit Oil),
Sodium Lactate,
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree Oil),
Disodium EDTA,
P
anthenol,
Cocamide Mea,
Laureth-10,
Glycol Distearate,
Ammonium Nonoxynol-4 Sulfate,
Sodium Styrene/Acrylates/Divinylbenzene Copolymer,
Magnesium Chloride,
Magnesium Nitrate,
Lactic Acid,
Methylchloroisothiazolinone,
Methylisothiazolinone,
Cl 15510

And just to make everyone, especially animal lovers, happy it states very clearly at the bottom of the bottle that “This product uses natural oils not synthetic fragrances and is not tested on animals”. So it got an initial thumbs up from me.

So, that’s the shampoo from the outside of the bottle, but what about inside? On opening the flip-up lid I was greeted with a very pleasant, but strong, orange smell. Well, actually I’m not sure that I would describe it as orange but it was certainly VERY fruity. It smelled so good I could quite honestly say I could have eaten it (if it wasn’t dangerous to do so). I tipped a small amount onto into my hands and proceeded to rub it into my hair. The lather it produced wasn’t really very spectacular and at first it felt like any other shampoo – a bit boring really. Where was that ‘zesty’ feeling I was supposed to get – or the ‘tingling’. Wait……..hold on a minute. What was that strange sensation I could feel on my head?

There it was. The feeling that had been so extravagantly promised on the bottle was ACTUALLY happening to me. For once it wasn’t just hype – it was real. I’m sure I must have left the shampoo on my head for much longer than 1 minute the first time I used it – the combination of smell and sensations was so overwhelming – a feeling that I wanted to last forever as I knew that as soon as I was out of the bathroom my son would be demanding attention. Anyway, to get back to the shampoo. I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair and then got out the shower – I don’t use conditi
oners as they make my hair even worse and my son doesn’t usually allow the luxury of two ‘doses’ of shampoo. After getting dressed I noticed that the smell was still there……..not bad considering getting dressed usually takes nearly 1/2hr when my son is around me.

However, the big test would come when my hair had dried. I’ve used many shampoos before that have been wonderful to look at, smell, and use – but when it comes down to the final results I’m still looking for ‘my perfect mate’. With my son’s breakfast in his tummy it was time to finish drying my hair and give it it’s final brush. When I looked in the mirror I was very disappointed. Despite the wonderful smell and sensation my hair looked completely flat and dead. The shininess that this shampoo had offered simply wasn’t there – at least not in my hair – and my hair seemed to be lying VERY flat on my head. Then, shock, horror there was worse to come. I started brushing my hair and it went ‘frizzy’. I haven’t had a problem with static electricity in my hair for ages but this shampoo brought it back. One stroke of my brush through my hair and there was life in my hair – but not the type I was looking for. I looked like a scarecrow.

Needless to say I was very disappointed with the results that this shampoo gave me. The actual use of it was one of the best I’ve ever used – that tingling is just out of this world and the smell is divine. However, as most of you will realise it isn’t the smell and sensations that are most important in a shampoo – its results. And for me I’m afraid that this shampoo simply wasn’t the one and I certainly won’t be buying it again.

If you want further information on Original Source Products contact:

Health and Beauty Solutions Ltd,
Palladium House,
1-4 Argyll Street,
London,
W1V
2LD

Or visit their website at www.originalsource.co.uk

Now if only there was another shampoo with the same smell that worked for me………………… ;..

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