I've got the HURGE to HERBAL (Clairol Herbal Essence Shampoo/Replenisher)

Member Name: hpoulton

Product:	Clairol Herbal Essence Shampoo/Replenisher
Date:	01/11/01 (552 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Meets all my shampoo requirements

Disadvantages: Extremely irritating advertisement

Avid television viewers amongst you will recognise the title of this opinion as the strap line (or my suggested anglicised, yet still alliterative, variation on it!) from the painful, American, court-room based advert for this shampoo. A lawyer suddenly bursts into song and informs us that she has ?the urrrrrrrge to urrrrrrrrbal?, joined by a large group of men who seem to appear from nowhere. Well, whichever advertising executive thought that advert would transfer well across the Atlantic was somewhat misguided, because the only urge it seems to create in anyone in this country is an overwhelming one to throw a brick through the television screen. Okay, I know that ?hurge? is not a word either, but it is surely a little bit less irritating than ?urrrrrrrbal?!

Fortunately, for me and for Clairol, I started using Herbal Essences long before their naff advert hit our screens. Had I not, I would almost certainly never have bought it on principle! I first tried the brand on holiday with a friend - we had arranged to share toiletries so as to cut down on luggage, and she was providing the shampoo, which turned out to be Herbal Essences!

There are several different formulae available in the range, suited to different hair types. I currently use the one which ?Replenishes Coloured/Permed/Dry/Damaged Hair?. Despite having highlighted my hair for some 5 years now, my hair is in surprisingly good condition ? but you can never be too careful, and wherever possible I try to use hair care products specifically designed for treated hair. Previously I used the formula for fine and flyaway hair, but decided that healthy hair was more important than a tiny bit of extra body! There are around four different versions available for different hair types. Each one comes with a matching conditioner, and several, including this one, are also available in a 2 in 1 formula. There is also a Herbal Essences intensive conditioner available, although I have to say I don?t fin
d this has much of an advantage over the normal conditioner.

The shampoo costs around £2.19 for a 250ml bottle in Boots, although larger sizes are occasionally available, and also lower prices can be found if you search around. It comes in a clear plastic bottle with a green flip top lid. The information label on the back of the bottle has an attractive picture of roses on its reverse, which show through the shampoo from the front giving a very aesthetically pleasing effect! The rose motif is also repeated on the front of the bottle within a smaller logo.

The front of the bottle also tells us that the shampoo is ?with Botanical Shine Complex? and ?with Rose Hips, Vitamin E and Jojoba in Mountain Spring Water?. None of these make much sense to me, and for all I know it could be absolutely terrible to put rose hips on your hair, but it sounds nice so I am quite happy, which just goes to show how much we ? or at least I ? can be influenced by clever marketing! I really ought to take note of this, seeing as I have just started working in marketing myself!

The natural, environmentally friendly angle of the product definitely seems to be the unique selling point settled upon by the marketing team, and is continued on the information label which tells us that Herbal Essences Shampoo:-

? bottles use 25% post-consumer recycled plastic and are recyclable;
? uses high quality ingredients derived from pure renewable plant sources ? no animal by-products (although I know for a fact that Clairol are not totally against animal testing even if this particular product is animal friendly);
? uses herbs grown under certified organic conditions ? no petrochemicals or pesticides.

Despite all that, I am sorry to say that there is still the usual hefty list of unpronounceable chemical sounding ingredients, but I think that you would really struggle to find a shampoo these days that doesn?t have at least a few of these!


The shampoo itself is a pale pink colour and is quite thin in consistency, which makes it easy to lather and easy to get out of the bottle when it is starting to get towards the end. I live in a very hard water area, but never have any problems getting a good lather with this shampoo. When I went on a course in Devon, where the water is softer, I used the same amount of shampoo as I do at home, and ended up with so many bubbles I didn't know what to do with them all! The shampoo has a pleasant fruity, flowery smell which is not overpowering or overly reminiscent of one particular fragrance, but nevertheless leaves your hair and bathroom smelling lovely!

It is easy to rinse out of hair, and I only ever need to shampoo my hair once (although I do wash my hair daily) and then use the separate conditioner. Having long, fine hair and suffering from tangles and knots, I am just not a 2 in 1 kind of girl!

After washing with Herbal Essences, my hair always feels clean, fresh, soft, shiny and free from residue. Despite using the product daily, my hair never feels ?squeaky? or like it has been stripped of its natural oils and is never lifeless or dry. In the past I have always changed my shampoo regularly, as I found that my hair got used to a brand quickly and didn?t respond as well after a few months ? but I have been using this one for over a year now and it is still going strong!

I have to admit I wouldn?t go as far as to recommend using the shampoo on its own, because on the occasions that I have done my hair has been a mass of tangles ? although my hair is very prone to tangling anyway so I don?t think this is unique to this brand of shampoo! However, if you are looking for a new shampoo to use in conjunction with the same brand of conditioner then look no further as this one comes highly recommended!

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