L'Oréal Paris® Botanicals Lavender Soothing Therapy Shampoo Review

I was really looking forward to trying something new and loved the idea of the No Sulfates (i noted the asterix). My first impression was I love the packaging. Easy to use with the pump top and attractive graphics. Something I'd be happy to have in the guest bathroom as it looks pretty. Unfortunately the nice surprises ended there. I found the fragrance very masculine. Almost like an aftershave. I don't like that smell on my hair afterwards and it really did linger. The packaging is quite feminine but the fragrance does't match up. The shampoo foamed up allot and washed away cleanly. I looked into the No Sulphates but specifically No sulphate surfactants as I thought with this being such a prominent selling point I should know more about it. I already knew that Sodium Laurel Sulfate is a harsh surfactant and was pleased to see it not in there but what was disappointing to see is that a substitute, Cocamide MEA that does exactly the same and is just as harsh is being used. I think this can be a bit misleading as people steer clear of sulphates not because of the name but because of what it does and these substitutes do exactly the same! My hair felt nice afterwards. It wasn't drying although wasn't particularly hydrated feeling which after the claims I was expecting. Maybe with longer term use? I think the price is fair for the size of the product.

I was using this shampoo in the shower and hubby poked his head in to tell me something. He wrinkled his nose and said 'Smells like Dettol!'. We happen to use the purple, lavender scented Dettol for cleaning and I had the same response as he did. For that reason alone, I probably won't buy it. In terms of functionality, it lathers pretty well, it doesn't seem to hydrate my hair as it promises though. The pump bottle is easy to use, which is a bonus. At a RRP of $18, I feel like you can get better for half that price.