What's creamy and sticky? (Aussie Instant Conditioner)

Member Name: offy

Product:	Aussie Instant Conditioner
Date:	19/03/02 (665 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: NIce smell, leaves hair tangle free

Disadvantages: builds up and makes hair sticky, blocked hole!

Somehow I imagine a hair product with the word Aussie in it to be an excellent product, having to deal with the havoc that lots of sun, sea and sand plays on your hair. When I read the other opinions on this brand, all the other members agreed, but unfortunately I was disappointed.

I thought I'd try this Aussie Mega Instant conditioner as I am not loyal to any brand of conditioner, never having found the perfect one for me. Also (and most importantly if I am honest), it was very cheap - £0.99 from www.halfpriceoress.com. I have since found out that this conditioner can retail for anything up to £3 per bottle elsewhere, making it quite an expensive product.

The packaging is quite simple, a white bottle with a cream label containing 250 ml of conditioner. The embossed kangaroos round the top of the bottle are quite cute though. To get to the liquid, you press the top of the lid and that pushes up the top revealing a hole from which you squeeze the conditioner. After a few uses, this hole blocked with crusty conditioner, so I ended up having to unscrew the lid every time I used it – not the best packaging I have ever used.

The conditioner itself is a light peach colour and is quite thick and creamy in consistency. It smells lovely – clean and fruity, probably due to the fact that it contains Australia kangaroo paw flower. Apparently this is ‘multi coloured and velvety to the touch’ and ‘adds vitality and shine to the hair’. I wouldn’t normally mention instructions for hair conditioner, except there is an unusual instruction for this one. It says to rinse with cool water to achieve a better shine.

The following was printed on the label, which intrigued me:

• Myth: conditioners work better when changed often.
• Fact: only if they build up.
• Our unique formula rinses clean so there is no build up that causes hair to droop.

This was news to
me. I had never noticed a build up of conditioner before, and having read all the good reports of this one, I was ready to try it. I did not use it with the Aussie shampoo as recommended or rinse with cool water, as I was not after extra shine. It rinsed well and left my hair tangle free and smelling fruity. When my hair was dry it looked the same as with the usual conditioners I use (Pantene, Organics or VO5). Nothing special, but certainly worth the money.

However, after a few weeks I began to notice that my hair seemed to be getting sort of sticky, and even washing it (and using conditioner) did not help. I thought back to the claims the conditioner had made and wondered about build up, so I used another one I had in my cupboard for a few washes. Miraculously my hair was back to normal. The only conclusion I could draw was that the conditioner that claimed you did not need to swap as it was the only one that did not cause a build up, was in fact the only one that had ever caused a build up on my hair – how ironic!

This conditioner is part of the Aussie set of hair products which includes shampoos, gels and styling sprays. Aussie was founded in 1979 by an American (!) called Tom Redmond. He visited Australia and he was inspired to create the Australian 3 minute miracle intensive conditioner, which has sold over 45 million bottles. The products are not tested on animals. For more information about the company and range, visit: www.aussiehair.com. Despite the name Aussie and the American connection it is actually made in the UK in Uxbridge by Redmonds products.

I will now use up the bottle (as I can’t bear waste) by using it a couple of times and then alternating with my other brands. Due to my experience of the blocking hole and build up, I cannot recommend this product, but it does smell good and works well a couple of times. Maybe the Australians don’t notice the build up, as their hair is sun bleached and covered
in salt and sand. If only I had that problem!

Summary: