Smelling of nettles, not petals (The Body Shop Nettle Oil Balance Shampoo)

Member Name: chrisandmark

Product:	The Body Shop Nettle Oil Balance Shampoo
Date:	24/08/04 (1952 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cleaned my hair brilliantly, Left it soft and tangle free, A lovely clean smell

Disadvantages: The bottle is very medicinal looking

I was given a free sample of shampoo and conditioner in The Body Shop last week from their new hair care range, shampoos powered by natural ingredients. I've had bad experiences with shampoo from both Body Shop and Lush in the past so was a bit wary of trying this, but when I'd used the sachet I was back to the store *the next day* to buy a whole bottle of the stuff.

The sample I was given happened to be the Nettle variety which is for normal to oily hair types, now whereas I haven't really got oily hair I do wash it every day (sometimes twice) because it feels greasy sometimes even if it doesn't look it. The shampoo is oil free and contains a nettle extract to naturally help reduce any excess oil in your hair and scalp.

The shampoo itself is clear, instantly dispelling the notion that it's going to be green. Come on! The bottle's green, nettles are green. Wouldn't you expect green shampoo? Never mind, not important... It's a nice consistency, clear and runny rather than a cream shampoo which gets me wondering about how well it's going to lather because in my experience clear shampoos don't bubble up well at all.

My worries are unfounded, my hair was wringing wet when the shampoo went on and it lathered beautifully. It was a thick lather full of small bubbles like you get from washing up liquid and felt really luxurious, I could feel the lather working on my scalp as I massaged it through my hair.

I've no idea what a nettle smells like but I'd reckon this is pretty damned close. It smells fresh and earthy, there's nothing pretty about the scent of this shampoo but it smells completely natural. Which is good, I use perfumed bath and shower goodies so don't really need another fragrance in my hair. It's all about layering girls.

After rinsing, my hair felt really clean and I even managed to get a comb through it without resorting to the kids detangler. I hadn'
t used conditioner the first time as I wanted to get a true picture on how well the shampoo worked on its own. Although nothing is mentioned on the packaging about it, the shampoo does seem to have its own natural conditioning action. My hair felt soft as it dried and squeaky clean, it was pretty much tangle free too which is a minor miracle for me. The shampoo rinsed out easily taking all the residue that had built up from my anti-frizz serum, the serum leaves a dusty appearence on my scalp but after using the nettle shampoo my scalp felt clear and refreshed.

My hair continued to feel clean and soft all day and I got away with not washing it again until dinner time the next day, I usually feel like my hair needs washing at least every 12 hours but I didn't get that 'polluted' feeling at all. My hair looked shiny and healthy despite not using conditioner, I didn't get the greasy feel which irritates the hell out of me and even after getting caught in the rain (no coat let alone brolly!) my hair still had the clean feeling after it had dried... again. My hair smelled beautifully fresh, no particular smell just a crisp clean scent. Another important consideration for me is the fact that this shampoo didn't make me itch, I can use more or less any shampoo on the market but now and then *something* will make me start scratching and I'll have to buy something gentle like Johnsons. This is a fairly gentle shampoo and feels mild as it's cleaning. While it cleaned my hair well, it would possibly be too mild if you use a lot of styling products but if you're near a Body Shop pop in and ask for a free sample and try it.

The Nettle shampoo costs £4.50 for a 250ml bottle, which is on a par with Charles Worthington and the like. I'd say it represents good value for money as you really don't need a huge amount to give a good wash with plenty of lather. The new range also includes a shampoo specifically to care for the scal
p and one for moisturising, each item having a partnering conditioner. Add to the fact that it's community traded (fair prices for the growers and everyone involved) and not tested on animals - you can pop your halo on top of gorgeous looking hair.

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