Tela Beauty Organics- Shampoo & conditioner For Curly Hair

As unbelievable as it may seem to anyone who knows me as an adult, I spent my tween and teen years convinced that my hair was the ugliest thing about me. My hair is extremely thick, dense, unruly and carries the visible proof of the diverse nationalities that were incorporated into the genetic material of East European Jews. If you look closely you'll see that some of my hair is very dark brown and curly. Other parts are wavy-to-straight and range in color from auburn to light red. For someone who grew up in the 1970s and 80s, this hair was not a good thing, as there were no products in the known universe that could make it soft, shiny and un-crazy.

I only learned to like my hair and allowed it to grow back from its 80s spiky cut when leave-in conditioners and anti-frizz creams became efficient and available. Hair goop became my friend and I used these products heavily and religiously. Nowadays I rely on good shampoo and conditioners and only supplement with styling products when the weather or my hair demand it.

I wasn't familiar with Tela Beauty Organics until the products were sent to me. After several weeks of use I can say I've found a true love. The Curly shampoo and conditioner are among the best I've ever tried. Both are gentle but effective and are great detanglers without the need to pull and yank. My hair is incredibly soft and manageable and I haven't used a styling product in weeks, even though I have a couple of Tela items waiting to be tested.

It's worth remembering that the weather here in the Northeast has been relentlessly hot and muggy, so it's hard to assess how these Tela shampoo and conditioner fight dryness. Still, not suffering from humidity-induced frizz is a miracle.I love that I can just let my hair be and allow its weight to do all the work of keeping it in place.

Looking at the content of both shampoo and conditioner reveals an unusual amount of natural ingredients and essences, and not just at the tail-end of the list. It seems like there really is a large percent of good-for-you-stuff in there, so maybe that's the secret. Both products have a light lavender scent that lingers close to the scalp even 24 hours later.

Bottom line: I really really like it.

Tela Organic Shampoo and Conditioner ($28, 8.4 oz each) are available at Barneys as well as from select Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus locations. I received them for consideration from the company's PR team.

Photo: myvintagevogue.com

Matrix Sleek Look Shampoo and Conditioner- A Rant About Packaging

Matrix Sleek Look shampoo and conditioner are great products. The are gentle and nourishing, great de-tanglers, never irritate my hyper-sensitive scalp and don't require tons of goop as finishing products (except during this time of the year, when frizz is king). I like them and they're part of my rotation, as evident by the product level in my bottles above.

There's just one issue. Look at this bottles- the only difference between the shampoo and the conditioner's bottle is the color of the cap (one is a darker orange, and don't even get me started on the nail-breaking caps. They're the devil) and the numbers- 1 on the shampoo and 2 on the conditioners. The label itself is printed in a small font, so it's not very obvious at a glance. Now, think of yourself taking a shower and washing your hair before your first cup of coffee in the morning or while already half asleep at night. How observant are you? And while my eyesight is still as good as ever, what about those who can't read without their glasses?

That's why I'm always grateful to brands that make significantly different packaging for their shampoo and conditioners. Matrix has other product lines, like Biolage, which had more thought put into this very issue, so why not this semi-exclusive salon line?

Matrix Sleek Look shampoo and conditioner (about $14 each) are sold in select salons. Mine were PR freebies.
Photo by me.

Pantene Pro-V Red Expressions Shampoo- The Case Of The Mysterious Bottle

I have no idea why I had a bottle of Pantene Pro-V Red Expressions Shampoo in my product stash. I didn't buy it, that's for sure, and since my hair has never been red and there wasn't a matching bottle of conditioner next to it, I can only assume it was sent to me with other random products and got shoved under the sink, waiting for salvation.

I dug it out a few months ago and it's been residing in my shower and getting an occasional use, just because it's red and it's there. But I have to say, red or not, this is a pretty decent shampoo, even if I can't comment on the color preserving issue.

Pantene Pro-V Red Expressions Shampoo smells like apples, which is not something I like in perfume or lotion (it actually makes me gag), but has a nostalgic quality in shampoo. It lathers nicely and feels very pleasant on my scalp and hair, leaving a clean feeling without any itching or dryness. I always use it with heavy duty deep conditioning masks, and it never clashes with these products. The red color is a bit weird and I always make sure to rinse the tub well after use to make sure there's no freaky looking residue. It doesn't affect my dark brown color, but I think my hair looks a bit more shiny after I wash it with this shampoo, or maybe it's just my imagination. In any case, I like it a lot better than I'd expected.

Pantene Pro-V Red Expressions Shampoo can be found at your local drugstore for around $6. I have no idea how it got into my possession, so I assume it was a PR freebie.
Photo: Getty Images

Oribe Hair Care: Signature Shampoo And Conditioner

Celebrity hair stylist product lines seem to be exempt from the yawns, groans and ridicule that follow items such as Paris Hilton perfumes and Ramona from the Real Housewives of NYC skin care. Then again, these products seem to be at least above the average, even if no one actually believes the hair guru worked in the lab and concocting the perfect serum.

Oribe has been one of the biggest names in the industry for decades and was responsible for many runway and cover looks as well as for gossip items from the feud that was or wasn't with Jennifer Lopez to a story about Linda Avengelista throwing a backstage tantrum and sticking her head in the sink, threatening to run the water over her newly coiffed hair just before the show was about to begin, unless Oribe changes the style he gave another model, which was too similar to hers. His work usually features drama and volume and he has a refreshing respect for curls.

The Oribe hair care line is taking the image and reputation to new heights. It starts with the packaging: the ivory-and-black boxes could just as well hold perfume. They call to mind the iconic Serge Lutens box. The bottles are sleek, beautiful and free of the cluttered graphics and print you expect to find. Dark colors, muted and minimal script and the Versace-inspired logo. It's obvious that someone put real thought into the design as everything is easy to grab and hold. The shampoo and the conditioner bottles have a completely different shape, so you wouldn't reach for the wrong one even if you're still half asleep and/or not wearing your glasses.

Normally when it comes to high-end hair products I go straight for the stuff that stays in my hair and isn't washed right away, meaning styling creams, serums and curl-definers. But in this case I received the Oribe Signature shampoo and conditioner (for daily use), so I've been testing them in recent weeks.

The first try is always the scariest. Not just because of the risk for an allergic reaction and scalp itch, but because I never use any additional products for the initial test. Nothing- it's just me and the shampoo/conditioner against a world of frizz. April showers are probably not exactly the best environment for such endeavours, but to my surprise I didn't find myself with hair that is trying to reach the moon when I ventured out on a rainy night with my newly washed locks. Everything stayed in place and felt soft and manageable with only a reasonable amount of frizz.

Close inspection has shown that my hair was clean, shiny and felt great. The delicate floral scent is far above the average and it lasted for a very long time (but without projecting into the stratosphere). Repeat use has shown that Oribe Signature shampoo and conditioner are among those rare ones that require minimal styling products as a follow up. I use either a smoothing balm or my beloved Sebastian Whipped Creme and that's it, so I'm happy and nearly goop free.

The line has a couple of styling products that seem very interesting: A curl defining cream and especially the Supershine Moisturizing Cream, which is described as "Especially loved by medium-to-thick and extra-long hair". I just wish they'd take into account that us, carriers of the extra thick and long hair need bigger bottles.

Thankfully, I wouldn't need to hunt the Oribe line at various salons (these places freak me out. I always feel like everyone there is eyeing my hair and plotting ways to cut it. I'm only half kidding). It is sold at Bergdorf, Blue Mercury and on the company's website.

Both the Oribe Signature Shampoo ($29.00 250 ml /8.5 fl.oz ) and Conditioner ($34.00 200 ml /6.8 fl.oz) were part of goodie bag at a Bergdorf Goodman event.

Photos: Oribe with Alicia Keyes from http://www.geniushair.com/, Coco Rocha in a flaming Oribe creation from models.com, bottle from oribe.com

Ojon Tunu Elastik Cleanser And Conditioner

Hair has been on my mind a lot lately, as you might have guessed last week. I've been testing the Ojon Tunu Elastik system lately, but it took me a while to post because it's not the stuff for everyday use. And if I'm saying a hair care product is a bit too heavy, you can imagine what it would be like for a person with a not insane hair.

The Ojon Tunu Elastik cleanser (you really can't call it a shampoo. It's more of a cleansing lotion) and conditioner would be a very effective restorative treatment for those of us who abuse their locks with heat and color. They are very rich and nourishing, excellent for detangling and I like using them when I'm planning to unleash the styling iron on my curls. But this also means that the Tunu system can considerably weigh down one's hair. The biggest issue I have with it is the lack of shine. No matter how soft it makes my hair, years of shampoo commercials have conditioned most of us to expect at least some shine, if not the full (impossible, I admit) digital effect. Tunu doesn't give that.

The scent, however, is a whole different story. It's a sweet vanillic thing, of the kind that causes certain men to want to bury their faces in your hair and inhale deeply. There's something to be said for that.

Ojon Tunu Elastik cleanser ($25) and conditioner ($27) are available from Sephora online and in store, as well as from QVC. I received both as a PR freebie.

Photo by Derek Cole from AllPosters.com

L'Occitane Hair Products: How I Became (Almost) Goop-Free

When normal people need to pack hair products to take on a trip, they either get those mini bottles of popular brands you find in every drugstore or they decant whatever they're using into empty 1 oz bottles you can usually buy at the same drugstore in their travel section.

These options do not work for someone whose hair is at mid-thigh length (I recently cut off a few inches), so I usually buy the smallest regular size shampoo and conditioner bottles of some decent brand like Matrix and ask myself if I'd ever be able to travel light (the answer to that is a big NO). Back in June I was facing quite a bit of travel, domestic and abroad , and upon taking inventory, realized I need to replenish my stash. I had several things to pick at the L'Occitane store, like their mini hand cream tubes and other luggage-friendly items, so I had a look at their hair care offering and realized they were a good size for me.

I chose a bottle of Aromachologie Repairing Shampoo and tube of Shea Butter Ultra Rich Conditioner. My expectations were mostly that the products wouldn't suck. I was used to applying quite a bit of hair goop according to need, so I never counted on the stuff that washes down the drain to provide my hair with much. But I was in for a very big surprise.

There's only so much I can say about any shampoo. If it's good, it cleans well without stripping the hair and the scalp. If it's bad it makes me itch. L'Occitane Aromacologie is good, effective and gentle enough, and also smells herbal and green, which always makes me happy. I dislike the synthetic fruit notes you find in most mass market hair products.

The big story here is the conditioner. The texture is thinner than I expected and my hair seemed to soak it up instantly, so much that there was very little left to rinse off. But the result was a fully hydrated mane, soft, manageable and healthy looking. I cut back drastically on the amount of leave-in conditioners and other styling products. I simply don't need much, especially on days when the weather isn't anti-hair.

Now, if it only came in family-size packaging...

L'Occitane hair products are available from their stores and online. I buy mine at my local mall.

Creme of Nature shampoo and conditioner

It's a well-known secret that if you have a very thick and dry hair, the ethnic product aisle is a wonderland full of little fixes and surprises, from carrot oil to ultra-nourishing shampoos and creams. Those who straighten, flat iron or use any kind of harsh treatments on their hair are even more likely to find relief for stressed tresses among the heavy potions and lotions.

Creme of Nature seems to be emerging from under the ethnic label and into greener market. The products are now made with some certified organic ingredients and include a long list of natural oils and plant extracts. However, they still contain quite a few chemicals, colors and the eyebrow-raising SLS (in the shampoo I tested) and parabens (both shampoo and conditioner). It's especially weird that the Red Clover & Aloe Soothing Shampoo, which is formulated for a flaky scalp has SLS, a known irritant, in it. Personally, my scalp is very sensitive and many famous brands' shampoos make me itch terribly, but Sodium Laureth Sulfate does not affect me. I found the shampoo to be mild and rich enough to help detangle my hair. Still, I don't get why they had to use this ingredient.

The big success from this line, as far as I'm concerned, is the Jojoba & Olive Oil deep conditioning treatment. When they say "deep conditioning", they really mean it. It took me a couple of tries to realise that I don't need any additional product after using it. That's a new experience for me: I'm a leave-in conditioner addict, but this heavy-duty conditioner does a remarkable job making my hair as soft and manageable as can be, to the point that any additional product just weighs it down. I never expected such results.

I also tried a couple of the leave-in products, but they were too rich and heavy even for me. Those are probably better for real ethnic hair that has a different texture than mine, and perhaps for chemically processed hair (mine isn't and has never been. For the record, I don't even blow dry it). It's not that my hair got too greasy, but it lost some of the bounce in the open waves and the shine that the deep conditioning treatment gives it.

The products I tried smell soapy and herbal. The scent doesn't overwhelm or lingers too much, and, thankfully, it's not fruity like too many other hair products. All in all, I like the shampoo, love the deep conditioning treatment, but will have to skip the leave-in products.

I received four free products for testing from Creme of Nature's PR. The products are available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $7.99- 9.99. For more details see their website.

Elegance in the Shower: Molton Brown

While we all know that products that basically go down the drain as you use them are not the best splurge value, there's something to be said for showering in something that feels elegant and luxurious.

While not comparing to a matching body products for one's favorite scents (think Chanel or Guerlain soaps and lotions), Having Molton Brown bottles in your shower gives the place an understated grownup elegance, much like the scents inside them.

I tried the Radiant lili-pili hairwash (that's Molton Bronish for shampoo), which is made for daily use, and is, indeed, gentle enough on the scalp and hair, and leaves a clean feeling. The scent is very faint and doesn't linger which is fine with me, as a heavy user of leave-in conditioners. No bad side effects as far as my scalp and hairline are concerned.

The other product I tested was Enlivening toko-yuzu bath shower. I love the unisex citrus-woody scent, and wouldn't have objected for a better lasting power. I probably need to try the matching lotion. The shower gel is gentle and non-drying, my sensitive skin didn't protest after a full week of use, so it's all good.

Bottom line: At a price range equivalent to L'Occitane, Molton Brown products are another good option. For me personally, since the length of my hair means that I'm going through big shampoo and conditioner bottles at the same rate some people go through milk, the hair products are more of an occasional treat, while the bath and body ones can easily fit into my daily routine.

Art: Le Bain, Alfred Emile Leopold Stevens, 1823 ,Musee d' Orsay, Paris

From Italy with Love

After my little dirty (but nice smelling) experiment, and the vigorous washing that followed, my hair has definitely earned a treat. Italian made Homocrin shampoo for dry and brittle hair was just the thing to provide it.

This shampoo is a very gentle product that has an impressive ingredient list that includes sunflowerseedamphoacetate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactococcus Ferment, Aloe Vera gel, Wheat Protein, Panthenol, Chicorium Intybus, Acacia, Niacin and Lactic Acid among others. The amino acids are supposed to nourish and hydrate the hair.

It is made without irritants such as Lauryl Sulphates, Ethoxylates and Paraben and is formulated to be delicate and preserve the hair and scalp's natural balance. as someone with a sensitive scalp, I can verify this promise.

I was surprised by the shampoo's consistency. It's thinner than the products I'm used to, but still very effective. It did a great job cleaning my hair without stripping it. It felt pleasant on my scalp and worked nicely with my regular conditioner.

I liked the vanilla scent, although it is of the very foody kind. It doesn't linger and lets the conditioner and whatever styling products you use to take center stage, so I didn't end up smelling like a cookie.