Alright for a Sheep (Dove Shampoo for Coloured Hair)

Member Name: aefra

Product:	Dove Shampoo for Coloured Hair
Date:	06/06/02 (781 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: smells and feels nice

Disadvantages: as op

I have no hangups about being post-middleage. Indeed there are compensations. I am content with who I am, can reflect on the past and hope that I have learned much and, since retirement, nobody tells me what to do. Not that they could before anyway. I have the wonderful choice of throwing myself into new endeavours or letting life drift on as it wills. Only two downsides come to mind as I write this. One is that, like Cassandra and with the foreknowledge of experience, I can see youngsters about to make crashing mistakes and they won't believe me. The other is that nowdays I show people photos of myself with the words, "That is how I was at 35."

Why can't we gain the wisdom and confidence of age and still look the same? Why do we have the same measurements as at 25, but they have mysteriously rearranged themselves? In the old days it was "Who's that tall girl with the long dark hair?" Lately the biggest compliment I have had from an attractive man was "Doesn't Val scrub up well?" :-).

But my hair hasn't got older. It is still thick but fine, although I now keep it short. It used to be so long that it would drift out of the open window of my car and I would be trapped when I wound it up. It doesn't turn heads or anything - the only styling being to wash it under the shower every day and push it around with my fingers as it dries. I know that it has turned grey - although I have never allowed myself to find out by how much. However I do take care of it. After all, one of my favourite throwaway comments is "At least I still have my teeth and my hair." I need to see it shine and the style, such as it is, to drop back into place with a flow rather than a thud.

It wasn't until I asked advice from my hairdresser after reading a dooyoo op that I realised that I had been doubly lucky. I was told that I had been fortunate in being able to use Pantene 7 da
ys a week for years without seeing adverse effects. It was clearly time to try other shampoos, instead of walking past them to grab Old Faithful. Besides there hasn't been much adventure in my life lately. I don't expect to see my hair miraculously double in length or turn wonderfully curly or anything, but there should be little harm in experimentation. God! How sad has my life become recently? I have tried a few new products (thanks dooyoo people) without my hair falling out, but a few days ago succumbed to the tempting advertisements for Dove Moisturising Milk Shampoo.

The pure looking white container with the blue top tells me that it is 1/4 moisturising milk which will hydrate my hair without weighing it down. I wonder about this as I was always taught that hair is "dead" and cannot be vitiminised or such. The blurb on the bottle goes on to say that my hair will be noticeably softer, more supple and shiny. It already has these qualities, but you never know. Improvement can never be a bad thing. The range covers a selection for normal, normal to greasy, dry/damaged or the one I chose, coloured hair. I paid £1.72 on offer from £2.59 at Sainsbury.

Setting to one side my Clairol Herbal Essences, I began. Dove is a pleasant shampoo to use. It has a quiet unassuming perfume, the creamy whiteness of light face cream, and felt oh so soft on my fingers as I massaged it in. This was good. The lather was instant although I began to worry a little as I felt the hair thicken as if it might tangle. The Dove rinsed easily enough, although it would anyway under a shower, and I finished as usual with a little conditioner before allowing my hair to dry.

Now for the result. Frankly I was disappointed. My hair is clean and came back into shape. But I had to push it back and there was a very slight "wooliness"to the touch. It looked ok and was not actually dull, but didn't have the shiny
drift to it that I am used to.

After another couple of washes things have not improved. In fact I would say that my hair is beginning to lose shine as well as still being "woolly". I am stuck with it and will finish the bottle before returning to the original so ignominiously thrust into the cupboard. The Dove is acceptable if nothing else is available and very pleasant to use, but not as effective as other less expensive products. I wouldn't buy another.

Summary: