**Introduction and reason for purchase**
I've recently become a fan of Avon products after a 'dry spell' of around a year of not being able to buy them. I say 'not being able to buy them' quite loosely as although products are readily available to buy from the avon shop on their website I do not purchase enough in one order to justify paying for P&P and until recently there were no local Reps in my area. Recently this has changed with a school mum friend eager to earn some commission by running Avon herself and being the supportive friend (that's my excuse) that I am I have been ordering the odd few bits from each brochure. I find some Avon products have been a bit hit and miss over the years but certain ranges have stood out for me with the Naturals collection to be one of them.

I've found shampoo and hair products in general from Avon haven't always been suitable for my hair, but after being very impressed with Chamomile & Aloe Vera shampoo - also from the Naturals range - I decided to order both the shampoo and conditioner in the Almond Oil & Avocado fragrance to see how they would compare.

My review will now discuss my thoughts on the shampoo..


**Price, packaging & availability**
I'm a real sucker for a bargain and when it comes to buying from the likes of Avon and Yves Rocher etc I will 90% of the time only make a purchase when items are on offer, it's not being 'tight' but merely necessary as with not a lot of spare money once the bills are paid I like to think I'm making the most of any remaining money. Luckily when it comes to Avon the majority of products are quite purse friendly and there are nearly always offers on in each brochure. I paid just 99p for my shampoo and also the conditioner which I deemed a bargain given the fact the bottle holds 250 ml worth of product, though the RRP is only £2 which again is economical enough to buy at full price.

Availability wise this is an Avon branded product so is available to buy via their brochures through a Rep, online @www.avonshop.co.uk or by checking out eBay where there normally are a wide range of products available.

The packaging for this is slightly dull and doesn't exactly stand out from the crowd, though apart from the bargain price of 99p, it was the fact that this shampoo is aimed at 'dry and damaged' hair and whilst I wouldn't say my own hair is damaged it's dry at times due to the fact I colour it these days so a good moisturising shampoo for me is essential.

The bottle itself is an uninspiring colour which I can only describe as 'mucky white'! I suppose to liken it to anything it does have a slight beige hue to it. The design is an upright standing bottle complete with flip top lid for accessing the product finished off with an image on the front featuring several almonds and a small avocado picture in the corner. There is very little decoration but I suppose it does fit in well with the natural theme of the range.



**My experience of using this shampoo**
I try to stick to washing my hair every other day as by the second day it tends to have a straggly appearance that is hard to style though is not 'dirty' as such. I've been colouring my hair for years now as despite being a natural blond when younger my hair turned into a rather dull version of itself in my late teens and so I helped it regain some colour by highlighting. I've since been using home colouring kits and colour all of my hair which these days I tend to have cut shortish into an inverted bob though it can become dry if not cared for properly. Whilst I am a huge fan of the Aussie hair care range, I am not a fan of the prices so use these premium products once or twice a week as a pamper and stick to good quality but cheaper hair products for all of the other times.

I purchased the Chamomile & Aloe Vera shampoo in the Naturals range a while ago and was very impressed by how soft and shiny it left my hair feeling so I had high hopes for this product too, especially as it specifically targets dry/ damaged hair.

On opening the easy flip top lid I was instantly greeted with a very sweet and enticing aroma and was impressed on my first impressions of the product. Having squeezed the shampoo into the palm of my hand, ready to apply to my already damp hair, I noticed that the shampoo had a much thicker consistency than I had expected though still retained a runny appearance.

I found that a 10p coin sized blob seemed the right amount to thoroughly cleanse my hair though this may vary from person to person depending on length/ thickness etc but for me this amount suffices. The shampoo has a 'nutty' beige colour to it but as soon as it's rubbed into the hair and scalp it turns into vast white bubbles and lathers up incredibly well.

The aroma of this product is actually very beautiful - if you like the scent of almonds that is (which I do) - and though it has a sweet element to it it also emits a nutty scent, though as for the avocado oil that doesn't seem to make itself very known fragrance wise.

The shampoo felt soft on my hair and didn't seem to pull or drag the hair follicles like some products can so it definitely scored points with me there. Rinsing was an easy affair too as despite the mass of creamy lather that it forms the shampoo rinses away very quickly leaving no residue in it's wake just clean feeling hair.


**Recommended?**
I've used this shampoo since the end of November of last year, at least 3 times a week so I've had plenty of uses from it and still have at least a 1/3 remaining in the bottle so if anything it's very economical as it seems to last for ages. I've used this product with both the matching conditioner as well as other branded conditioners and each time I've had the same results which I'm pleased to say have been very impressive.

The shampoo leaves it's sweet nutty aroma lingering on my hair for at least a day, though is more intensified if I've used the matching conditioner afterwards as obviously there is double the amount of fragrance then.

My hair has felt soft and smooth with no flyaway strands and has been both easy to style and manage since using this shampoo and I really haven't got a bad word to say about it. Okay so the packaging is a bit insipid and dreary looking but so what? At the end of the day this shampoo leaves my hair feeling thoroughly cleansed, hasn't irritated my scalp in anyway and makes my hair feel nourished and shiny and for the money - even at the full RRP - is excellent and a purchase I will be remaking again in the very near future.

I've always found Avon hair products in the past to leave my hair feeling lank and greasy or the opposite of overly dry but the Naturals collection seems to really suit my hair type and is a nice affordable luxury for once.

Top marks from me

5/5