Fabulous hair for just £1! (Alberto Balsam Intensive Conditioner Honey & Almond Extracts)

Member Name: pink_glitter

Product:	Alberto Balsam Intensive Conditioner Honey & Almond Extracts
Date:	05/06/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap, soft, moisturised, conditioned, smooth hair

Disadvantages: smell can be a little sickly

I like to treat my hair to an intensive conditioning treatment once a week, and recently as the Alberto Balsam range was on 3 for 2 at ASDA I Picked up a tube of this honey and almond treatment along with a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. I have used Alberto Balsam's shampoos and conditioners before, but I hadn't seen this particular product, and since it says 'new' on the tube, I guess it has just been launched.

The conditioner comes in a tube as I'm sure you can see from the picture, and is clear, so you can see how much of the pale yellow treatment you have left. Appearance wise this is OK - I think it's obvious from looking at it that this is not a premium product, however there's nothing terrible about the look of the tube. Saying that, I have found it to have one slight design flaw, which is the lid. The tube actually has a screw off lid, which can be a little inconvenient - especially when you have just squeezed out some conditioner into one hand - you then find yourself struggling to put the lid pack on one-handed. I think it would be better if it had a flip-top lid, but I think perhaps this screw top lid has been provided to save on costs?

The treatment contains honey and almond extracts and states that it will help repair dry or damaged hair, smoothing rough cuticles and restoring softness, manageability and shine. Up until very recently, I had very long hair which had become dry and ratty, so this product was perfect for my hair type. Even now that I have had the majority of it chopped off (I got bored!) the ends of my hair are still a little dry and there is some noticeable damage, probably from where I have over-used the straighteners on it, so I am still using the product.

Using this is very simple, you just use it in place of your normal conditioner. After shampooing simply work the translucent, yellow coloured cream through the hair and leave on for between one and three minutes depending on how much of a treatment your hair needs. Personally I always leave it on the full three, as I suppose I feel that way I'll get the best results.

The scent of the product is a very sweet yet gentle honey fragrance. It can sometimes seem a little sickly but on the whole it smells quite nice, and you only have to put up with it for three minutes!

In terms of results, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this. Whenever I've used Alberto Balsam products in the past, I've generally found that I liked the shampoos but the conditioners were a little watery and a bit too weak for my thick, frizz prone hair. This treatment however, is absolutely fantastic, and is better than some of the more expensive treatments I've used, including the last one I tried by Soap and Glory which cost nearly £6 and made my hair feel heavy and weighed down.

Whenever I have used this, I've found that not only does it condition my hair, adding some much needed moisture to the ends, but it also leaves it feeling incredibly soft. In fact after the first time I used this, I spent the whole day running my hands through my hair! Another thing this does is to add some shine. Unfortunately the shampoo and conditioner I bought at the same time as this left my hair looking quite dull, and I have noticed that this gives my hair some much needed shine without making it look greasy.

Unlike the last intensive conditioner I used, this doesn't weigh down my hair, just leaves it soft and bouncy and it even seems to be easier to style. The sweet honey and almond scent doesn't seem to linger on my hair, but to be honest that's not too much of a problem for me, because I tend to add loads of styling products to my hair which would disguise the smell anyway.

I bought this from ASDA and as the Alberto Balsam range was on a 3 for 2 offer, technically I got it for free, however it retails at just £1 for a decent sized 200ml tube. Personally, given the results I got, I think this is excellent value and at that price, there's no reason why you shouldn't give it a try! I haven't seen the product on sale anywhere else yet, but that could just be because it's new out. I'll certainly be adding another tube of this to my trolley on my next shop and I'd recommend everyone else does too!

Summary: Bargain of the year!