AWWWW NUTS! (The Body Shop Brazil Nut Rich Shampoo)

Member Name: alma1

Product:	The Body Shop Brazil Nut Rich Shampoo
Date:	03/06/03 (260 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gentle on scalp.

Disadvantages: It's not cheap.

Having extolled the virtues of my chosen conditioner, it's only logical I suppose, to give my shampoo the same treatment.

Brazil Nut Rich Shampoo is brought to you by The Body Shop giving you a certain amount of confidence in buying a well established brand.

It comes in a plastic bottle which is not only recyclable, but which will get you ten percent off your next purchase of the same product, if you return it washed and in good condition at the time of said purchase.

Handy flip-top lids are generally included with 250ml bottles but not with larger bottles. Although a pump action dispenser used to be available separately for a nominal fee, I've never found the need personally. It'll be a sad day when I'm too lazy to unscrew the lid.

On opening it, if you're expecting that rich nutty smell you get at Christmas with the nut selection, then you're going to be disappointed. There is a faint hint of Brazil nuts there, but mostly it's a light flowery/soapy kind of smell, which is in no way overpowering.

The consistency is really thick, like PVA glue. At this point I should perhaps take time to say to those of you who were only half concentrating as you read, DON'T WASH YOUR HAIR IN PVA GLUE (that's in capitols, Dooyoo bug not withstanding)! Paying attention again are we? Good! Then I'll continue.

Although a bit on the pricey side, I find you only need use a little. Typically, I use about as much as a Maltezer, if you can imagine that as a quantity, spread across the palms of my hands. I then work it into my hair. I don't have particularly thick hair, but it is quite long i.e. half way down my back, and this small amount really does wash it all. Don't expect bucketfuls of lather though.

This leaves my hair light and glossy, without being flyaway. That's important to me. Having fine hair always means you have a head start on the 'fingers-in-the-light-soc

ket' look. Any shampoo that has a calming effect is as welcome as a winning lottery ticket. It is designed for dry, damaged and chemically treated hair. OK, so some of us abuse our hair! What of it! At least we can go some way to saving it from all dropping out by using a gentle shampoo. In my case, this fits the bill. Having somewhat difficult skin, it is easily prone to irritation (as am I some days). This shampoo has never caused me to react in any way, in the many years I've used it. It's itch free all the way. Yippee!

The light smell disappears quite quickly, which suits me as I can well do without the competing fragrances of shampoo, deodorant, conditioner and my chosen perfume of the day battling it out for who can be top pong. If I chose to wear Chanel, then that is what I'd like people to smell. Not some vile conflict of toiletries.

The green label bears the usual Body Shop logo and is fairly uniform, giving rise to the warning, 'read it carefully'. It's all too easy to come home with Brazil Nut Conditioner instead of shampoo if you're not concentrating on what you buy. I know, because I've done it. Incidentally, the conditioner's OK, but I prefer the banana stuff or Herbal Essences given the choice.

They have kindly listed the ingredients on the bottle. They have not so kindly listed them in such a manner as to be unreadable by Joe Public. On the one side we are told it contains brazil nut oil, yet a quick perusal of the list of ingredients shows us nothing vaguely close to the words brazil nut oil. Now, I'm fairly sure they're there. But safely hidden within technical terms or possibly latin.

The label also boldly claims, Against Animal Testing! Well that's a very noble sentiment, but what does it really mean. Put it this way. I'm Against Paying The Phone Bill, but I still end up doing it. The Body Shop website tells us they are actively against testing on an
imals
and that cosmetic products do not, by law, need to be tested on animals. But some ingredients may have been tested in the past. Presumably before people decided it was a bad thing. Moreover they are actively promoting other methods of testing products these days.

I must confess, the cynic in me wondered at such noble sentiments from a large company intent on making vast wadges of cash. However, I have found several independent sites which back-up these claims. Non-testing though, doesn't necessarily mean they do not occasionally use animal products in their range.

A 250ml bottle costs £3.50 and 500ml costs £6.00, though if you avail yourself of the returned bottle discount as mentioned earlier, this makes £3.15 and £5.40 respectively. Due to the small amount needed, these do last very well and probably in the long run, work out at much the same cost as cheaper bottles.

Thankyou for reading!

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