My hair type tends to vary depending on how many times I have it coloured and of course cut. My hair is coloured, blow dried and straightened. However, compared to other peoples use of styling appliances I only tend to use my straighteners the once I never normally re-straighten my hair. However, during the winter months I noticed my hair was looking a little lack lustre, the harsh weather had clearly taken a toll and I wanted a shampoo (and conditioner) to help put a little life back into my barnet.

I didn't do much research into looking for this 'wonder' shampoo I just browsed in my local Sainsburys and opted for the one which was on offer! The shampoo in question is the Clairol Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo. Clairol Herbal Essences over the past few years have taken a major transformation ditching the usual bottles and varieties to newer, more modern bottles with what seems like more varieties. I must admit I was never a big fan of Herbal Essences before their re-vamp but I have been quite attracted to their newer products.

The Hello Hydration shampoo comes in a brilliant blue coloured plastic bottle with a lid that has to be pressed in so it snaps up on the otherside. Like all the Herbal Essences range each 'collection' comes in coloured coded bottles so any products in this Hello Hydration range with come in the same bright blue colour. On the front of the bottle there is an image now I couldn't tell you what that image is as it just looks like a bunch of swirls and this seems to be repeated throughout the collections! On the back of the bottle is the usual information such as ingredients, warnings, usage and contact information. The bottle is transparent (despite being blue) so you can see just how much you have left.

The Hello Hydration range has been specifically formulated for dry and damaged hair as its specially chosen ingredients are designed to quench your hair, helping not just the condition of your hair but to also give it a healthy shine. Herbal Essences have gone with a gorgeously rich formula of orchid flower and Hawaiian coconut extracts to help boost your hair and inject a bit of healthy life into your hair. I'm a big fan of the coconut fragrance and anything I have used which has had orchid extract in has always smelt wonderful and considering I bought a bottle for £1.00 from Wilkinsons I didn't think I was going to break the bank trying it! Apart from the shampoo, Herbal Essences also have created the matching conditioner and an intensive conditioning mask.

The shampoo itself is a pale blue shade which is quite fitting with its packaging and it does have quite a decent thickness for a shampoo. Not too think where it runs straight through your fingers after you've squeezed the bottle but not too thick where you can't get it out of the bottle. I have shortish hair where it sits just before the base of my neck and I have found (by trial and error) that I only need around a 50p piece sized blob of shampoo as it easily gets through the hair and to the roots. It of course lathers up easily once you start to massage it in and provides you with quite a rich, white lather which is easily rinsed away. Applying too much will result in far too much lather and it will take a while to rinse it all out. In this case a little goes a long way.

The aroma of this shampoo is lovely. It is light, fragrant and gives you a vague reminder of a holiday you have once been one! The coconut aroma is present but not overbearing as the orchid flower extract does round it off with more a floral edge but however the two key ingredients want to work together the end result is lovely. Not just does it last on your hair for quite some time after washing I have found that my en suite also keeps this fragrance locked in for quite some time too. I have also found that the aroma lingers once my hair has been dried and straightened which is certainly quite nice and definitely makes a nice change from other shampoos I've tried.

I am sometimes a bit dubious when it comes to products claim they can work wonders but if I don't try then I will never know. I have used this shampoo until the bottle ran dry which for me is an achievement. I used the whole bottle as I wanted it to work rather than be a one hit wonder. With regard to blow drying my hair and styling my hair was very easy to manage, knot/tangle free and the result was great. I have dark brown hair so generally a shine is easier to see on that rather than blonde hair but the shine was almost instant, granted I had my hair cut twice whilst using the bottle which of course helps keep the hair healthy but the shine was definitely noticeable! It was also nice to see it looking a lot healthier, it had a bit more bounce and life to it rather than looking a bit flat and drab.

Whether my hair was having a few bad months and was going to bounce back I do not know but I do know the shampoo gave it a good kick start! The shampoo is easy to use, you don't need to use half a bottle to cover your hair and it rinses out easily. The end result was that my hair just looked a lot better, was easy to style and retained a nice healthiness about it. For £1.00 I don't think I did too badly really and I wouldn't hesitate using the shampoo again should my hair need a bit of a boost! Definitely something worth trying before you head towards the more expensive brands as the relatively cheap price (I bought mine on offer) will hopefully be far better on your bank balance but you will still get the good results! 5 stars from me (and my now shiny mane!).

Ingredients:
Aqua, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Dimethicone, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ammonium Xylenesulfonate, Cocamide MEA, Parfum, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Hexyl Cinnamal, DMDM Hydantoin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Benzyl Salicylate, Propylene Glycol, Limonene, Linalool, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit, Cocus Nucifera Fruit Extract, Paraffinum Liquidum, CI 42090, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, CI 61570, Methylisothiazolinone, Potassium Sorbate.

~ Useful Info ~

Brand: Clairol/ Herbal Essences
Availability: Most supermarkets, pharmacies and discount stores
Price: From £1.00 (discount)