It's not Helena's - it's mine! (Toni & Guy Model.Me Helena Super Hydrating Shampoo)

Member Name: jo1976

Product:	Toni & Guy Model.Me Helena Super Hydrating Shampoo
Date:	10/03/09 (226 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Leaves hair in great condition, gorgeous smell

Disadvantages: RRP is expensive, doesn't lather up much

I went a bit wild in the aisles at Home Bargains recently and purchased pretty much the entire range of the Toni & Guy Model.Me hair care products! I couldn't resist when I saw them going cheap as every item in the range was on sale for £1.59 each rather than an RRP of around £5 or so per item. All of the Model.Me products are endorsed by one of three top models - Helena Christensen, Erin O'Connor and Jamelia. I chose products from both the Helena and Jamelia ranges as my hair is very coarse and prone to frizz and split ends. I've already reviewed the hair serum and conditioner, so please don't think you're going mad if any of this sounds familiar!

Like all of the products in the range, the Helena Super Hydrating Shampoo is packaged in a white square plastic bottle, covered in a card sleeve which lists the ingredients and gives you some information about the product. I like the design of the packaging, particularly as I have the entire range on display in my bathroom and it looks like expensive stuff, but the square bottle isn't really the most practical of shapes for a shampoo. The bottle has a pump action dispenser which only releases a small amount of shampoo at a time, so I need several pumps to produce enough for my long, thick hair.

The actual shampoo has a shiny translucent texture. The first thing I notice is the beautiful smell. All of the Helena range is fragranced with a lovely rose scent so the different products work together and build on the same fragrance. The only criticism I would make about the shampoo itself is that it doesn't really produce much lather. This makes it quite difficult to work through my long hair evenly, although it washes out easily enough. I tend to use this shampoo in conjunction with the Helena conditioner, just to build up the gorgeous smell in my hair, and using both leaves my hair feeling in great condition. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it gives me 'model standard' hair but it does leave my hair smoother, softer and shinier than my previous shampoo and conditioner ever did. After blow drying, my hair doesn't feel as dry at the ends and the frizziness is calmed down too (although the product doesn't actually claim to do away with frizz at all.) According to the sleeve, this shampoo has '...cationic conditioners to target dry areas while leaving your hair feeling smooth and soft with a healthy shine.' I can't vouch for the cationic conditioners, whatever they are, but my hair definitely feels lovely to the touch after using this stuff and the fragrance lingers in my hair for the next couple of days.

The shampoo is currently selling on Boots.com at £4.88 for a 250ml bottle, although have a look in Home Bargains as you might find the range much cheaper in there, as I did. I'm always reluctant to pay full price for anything, as a general rule, but I would probably pay the RRP for this shampoo if I had to. Luckily I've stocked up while it's going cheap and suggest you do the same!

Summary: Stock up on the Model.Me range before I buy the lot!