L'Oreal Paris Botanicals Safflower Rich Infusion Softening Ointment Review

'My hair was so soft when I washed it I couldn't even feel it' - this was the comment my 7 year old daughter made after using my L'Oreal Paris Botanicals Safflower Rich Infusion Shampoo & conditioner. I have to agree with her as my hair has never felt this soft with my regular shampoo.

We had some trouble working out how to open the shampoo pump but that was more of a user error (should have been wearing my glasses ;-).

I tried different drying techniques to see how it would look and I'm so impressed. After the first wash, I let it dry naturally and I was actually able to leave the house with naturally dried hair that looked half decent. I would never usually leave the house without blowdrying or straightening my hair - or at the very least tying it up as it just sticks out all over the place due to it being dry. After using the botanicals safflower shampoo & conditioner it dried really nicely and sat really well which is unheard of for my hair.

Next up was blow drying, and again, no need to straighten it as it was sitting really well. It looked really soft, silky, shiny and healthy - not the dry lifeless hair I'm accustomed to.

Lastly I blowdried and straightened my hair and it was still so soft, silky and healthy looking after the additional heat treatment. My hair can look a bit like straw sometimes after I've straightened it.

The ointment is also fantastic on both wet and dry hair. I tried the ointment over the weekend on dry hair that had been washed, blowdried and straightened the previous day. It was perfect at smoothing all the fly away hairs, without it looking greasy or unwashed. It actually looked shiny and as if it had been just washed.

We also tried it on wet hair, both my daughter and my own. I felt that it gave some extra protection before blowdrying my hair - definitely less fly away hairs. It was fantastic to use on my daughter's hair as she has long wavy hair which tangles easily. This was fantastic at detangling and leaving her hair looking amazing. All three products smell particularly lovely, as if I've just been to the hairdressers.

Overall we're so impressed with the shampoo, conditioner and ointment that we will definitely be buying this in future. The kids currently have their own shampoo & conditioner but I think I will buy this for all of us in future, or at the very least my daughter and I as it has made a huge improvement for both of us.

I have been using this along with the matching shampoo and conditioner. I feel like the shampoo had the biggest impact, making my hair feel much softer and more hydrated, but this was a good follow up to lock in more moisture. I also like how it helps strengthen the nice scent of the range.

I use quite a large amount because I have really long and thick hair, but I only put it into the bottom 2/3's of my hair.

You can either apply it to towel dried hair, or dry hair. I do both - damp hair to add moisture, and then when it's dry to tame any wispy bits!

When using this product on damp or wet hair, I absolutely loved it. I agree fully with the claims of restoring softness without weighting hair down and leaving hair detangled and nourished. My hair felt so moisturised and fresh after using this, and I felt like it made my curls feel softer but also keep their shape for longer! It feels rich and hydrating, while not being oily or heavy - something I love.

I don't need to use much of this product for my long hair, a walnut sized amount, as directed, is effective. I feel like for this reason, it will last me ages. The product comes in a screw-top bottle and is creamy, smooth and easy to apply.

I didn't like applying this to my hair dry - it made my hair frizzy and boofy. This didn't worry me though, as I find that with most products like this - I can only apply them when my hair is wet or damp.

Would definitely recommend this for dry hair, and will consider repurchasing when my bottle runs out!

The smell with this range is amazing and this ointment is no exception! Hints of mint, coconut, and just a fresh pleasant scent. The packaging is a bit understated, same as the conditioning balm, I feel it could have been a bit more upmarket. I feel the word ointment is strange for a hair product but something different that I haven't heard before. I used the 100ml and feel like it will last a good while as you really don't need that much, even having long hair and using it wet and dry twice it still feels new. Tthe consistency is thick creamy and a bit like a skin moisturiser so I am surprised I don't have to use too much. After using this product along with the rest of the range my hair was easier to manage the tangles when wet and I had less frizz. I also used it on dry hair between hair washing days and was surprised how soft it made my ends, these are normally quite damaged and a bit straw like so to have them soft and shiny was a bit of a feat. I wouldn't repurchase at $17.99 but if it was on special then I would consider it.

I have been using the matching shampoo/conditioner for just over a week now with thus ointment.

I have had mixed reviews on these products- see my separate reviews.

It does take a great product to help my hair, as it is long, chemically treated and really needs a lot more tender loving care than it gets!

I applied this product a couple of times over the week to assist with getting the brush through my hair.

I used the product on towel dried hair and followed it up with a quick blow dry to get the dampness out.

Yes, it helped me to get my hair brush through my hair, though it didn't provide any miracles.

I liked how it left my hair, it didn't leave a greasy look, which meant I could have the treatment in my hair throughout the day.

The ointment had a nice smell and did not leave my hands greasy.

Overall I am pleased with the ointment results.

When you hear the name "ointment" it almost brings a medical image to your mind, Despite its name it turned out to be a very useful product designed to "tame" those wild hairs that seem to not want to conform to normal hair standards, and my fliaways were definitely a contender! After applying to my wet hair using the three step program (shampoo, condition and then ointment) I felt it was almost too much product overload, nonetheless I pursued, and the result was surprising, it change my flyways to be under control, and helped smooth away the split ends, leaving a nice refreshing scent, once my hair had completely dried, it was softer and very easy to handle, the resulting condition staying present for at least a day, on applying to standard dry hair, there was no remarkable difference, in fact I would go so far as saying don't do this, the pack size is easy to use in a tube, and with a clip lid to close, there is no tamper proof foil seal under the cover which I was surprised with, yes although its hair product, with its price range I would of thought that to be standard. The tube is nicely present in fresh colours, making it a suitable tube to have on display without embarrassment, and it's refreshing scent sure was good for the nose, Overall this is a pleasing product but expensive, it's something of a nice to have, but not a need, as similar products on the market with a more affordable bracket.

Although the description does recommend using it on dry hair, I typically carry this product around with me for when I know I'm going in the water. Whether at beaches or the pool, this is a great leave-in product if you know you're not going to be able to shower and condition your hair straight away or even just as a pre-shower softening mask in a pinch. Over summer, when I was suddenly swimming a lot more often and working in the sun, I noticed my hair drying out very quickly. I picked a bottle of this ointment up and began using it almost daily and noticed a difference in the dryness within about a week and a half!

I am very fussy when it comes to aftercare hair care products. If they don't do what they say they are going to do, then I will move on to the next good thing. This may be the case for this product.

I first tried it after the shampoo and conditioner in this range before styling my hair. When it came to drying my hair with my hair dryer, I felt it didn't offer any protection and my hair felt dry (after it had felt so soft after washing and conditioning). FAIL. I then went on to straightening my hair with my trusty straightener and wow, it was actually super easy to straighten my hair. Hard to tell if this ease came from this product, or the previous shampoo and conditioner use in this range, but hey, I was impressed. I then went to try it as an after styling treatment but unfortunately found it too heavy for my hair.

Being one not to give up I decided to try another tactic. The product said to try it on wet hair before styling - so I decided to try it as a deep conditioning treatment...and you know what? It worked!

Unfortunately this is probably my least favourite product in the range, but I am going to experiment with it some more to find the best result with it for me.