Natural shampoos put to the test

Remember how I said I was on a hair care trip a few weeks ago? Well here is one part of the results of that trip. And it took me so long to get back to it because I really wanted to put research into this... sort of.        I tried 4 different natural shampoos that are free of any nasty ingredients in order to help you pick and find one for yourself. I know that oftentimes natural shampoos kind of lack compared to what we might be used to from conventional shampoos. Notably the main thing most people will complain about is the lack of lucious foam and the sometimes oily feeling remaining even after washing your hair. Well let me tell you this, you‘re in for a treat. Cause even the shampoo that will get my lowest rating is still pretty darn good compared to those nonfoaming and awful shampoos that you might have tried before.

I‘ll list them up in the order that I tried them and only at the end of the post will I reveal my actual rating. We want to keep it interesting right? If you aren‘t interested in details, you can scroll all the way down. But I do recommend reading the whole thing, so you know what each shampoo really does. 

Upfront disclaimer: I wash my hair two to three times a week, so I don't know how these shampoos will act when you use them daily. I am not a fan of daily washing so I wouldn't recommend it anyway.

 

Olival Natural Rosemary and Lemon Shampoo

Price 7,49

Bottle size 250ml

Packaging design The bottle has a flip switch cap and comes in a short white bottle (Update: it is now sold in a clear bottle but still the same model)

Appearance and smell The shampoo is a clear gel that smells fresh of citrus and herbs

Performance The shampoo spreads really well on the wet/damp hair which I have found to sometimes be an issue with other shampoos I have tried in the past. They sometimes just seem to stay in one place and not spread to the rest of the hair, which makes you end up using more and more product to cover the whole head. Not with this one! It spreads so easily, even in my long and thick hair that I only sometimes need to get another small drop of product to catch a missed spot. Overall I can use one application though to wash my whole head. The shampoo foams really nicely, it creates a rather small bubbled lather but a very nice feeling one, that covers your whole head. A big plus is the immediately clean feeling you get when you wash your hair, even when the shampoo is still on there. It almost starts squeaking without it being rinsed, it has a very high and quick cleansing power but is very mild on hair and scalp.

After wash feel and look
It doesn‘t make my scalp itch or feel overly dry. It rinses out easily, leaving that squeaky clean feeling, it makes the hair soft and I can easily brush it without having to use a detangling product. It gives a nice shine, doesn‘t wash out my natural hair dye or strip my hair. It doesn’t leave a feeling of residue, or as if there was a film on your hair, it just feels soft and clean. I really don’t like a residue feel so this is optimal for me. It leaves them soft and shiny, they grease back within about three days, which is normal for me. With dry shampoo on the third day, I can get 4 or 5 days out of one wash before having to wash them again.

Overall review This is a perfect shampoo and I will be buying it again. It does everything I want it to do and it smells good too.

9/10

Logona Henna Colour Care Shampoo

Price 6,99

Bottle size 250ml

Packaging design Flat dark bottle with a normal cap that flips open

Appearance and smell The shampoo is a bright orange gel and smells herby

Performance This shampoo spreads a little less well and I normally apply it in two smaller portions as this has given me the quickest way to lather up my whole head. It has a very small bubbled but smooth lather. It has the same squeaky cleaning feeling right from the start though and I must say I loved that feeling. This shampoo is also very good at washing but it doesn‘t strip your hair or makes your scalp too dry.

After wash feel and look The final feel of the hair is almost identical to the Olival shampoo, which is great. Only difference? This shampoo was formulated to give an extra boost of colour to red hair or to keep dyed (red) hair a colour protection. This does seem to work, my hair is deffinitely a bit more red after I use it but the most important part: my hair has never ever looked as shiny as with this shampoo. The shine on my hair becomes mirror like after I use it, I could possibly blind someone (just kidding). I don‘t know how they do it but I love it and I want my hair to be glossy shiney all the time. You know how hair can sometimes look really dull and matte? Well not with this one (at least for me).

Overall review I love the red tinge and the gorgeous luminous shine it gives. The only slight minus this shampoo has is the spreadibility of the product, I need to use it in two portions for it to really cover my head.

8/10

Natura Siberica Repair and Protection Shampoo

Price 7,99

Bottle size 400ml

Packaging design Thin and tall lilac bottle with silvery details, elegant. With a flip switch cap

Appearance and smell The shampoo is a clear gel and smells slightly floral

Performance The shampoo spreads ok, but not great. I do need two portions to lather up every spot of my hair. It gives a nice bubbly foam. It doesn't give me a squidgy clean feel either and makes the hair feel slightly coated. It washes well though and is mild to the scalp. I just don't like the residue kind of feel it leaves. (It reminded me of the Lavera shampoos which I don't use anymore for this same reason, this one is a little less bad though.)

After wash feel and look The hair becomes soft and smooth and unlike my expectation it doesn't lie flat on the head. That is what the Lavera shampoos did to my hair, it would loose all volume and hang flat and lifeless because whatever the residue was made them so heavy. This is luckily not the case with this one, it doesn't feel heavy or droop down, though it does lie a little tiny bit more flat than with the two previous shampoos. This miht be good for taming curly hair but I don't recommend it for flat and thin hair as it could make the hair look very sad.

Overall review The shampoo is ok, it's not my favourite but it does the job and looks pretty.

6/10

Organic Shop Treasure of Sri Lanka Volume Shampoo

Price 2,59

Bottle size 280ml

Packaging design Tall and skinny white bottle with a screw cap

Appearance and smell The shampoo is  clear gel and smells woody, floral and slightly spiced

Performance The shampoo can be applied in one time and lathers up pretty well. If I have greasier hair though I might need to use another small portion to really get it clean. I love the smell of this one, it's very warm and spa like. The shampoo gives a very clean feeling but again isn't drying or irritating to the scalp. I like this one more and more as I use it more often.

After wash feel and look The hair is soft and smooth, keeps its volume, and doesn't fat back too early.

Overall review I am starting to like this one more and more. It's becoming a favourite though my only complaint is the screw cap which makes it more tedious to open the bottle, especially with wet and possibly soapy hands and more water from the shower can actually get into the bottle which could potentially cause issues.

7.5/10

 

So to my final thoughts and my final rating, which will be divided into two. One objective rating considering the scores and one very biased rating by myself cause I take personal preferences into account as well!

The factual order is:

1. Olival Natural Rosemary and Lemon Shampoo

2. Logona Henna Colour Care Shampoo

3. Organic Shop Treasure of Sri Lanka Volume Shampoo

4. Natura Siberica Repair and Protection Shampoo

 

My personal order is:

1. Organic Shop Treasure of Sri Lanka Volume Shampoo

2. Logona Henna Colour Care Shampoo

3. Olival Natural Rosemary and Lemon Shampoo

4. Natura Siberica Repair and Protection Shampoo

 

See, these results aren't rational cause I do like the Olival shampoo alot as well and at first I thought it was my favourite cause it definitely has the best performance as a shampoo out of all of them BUT and here's the key, while writing this review I noticed which shampoos I do actually like the most eventhough they might not perform as well! And that is what personal preference does. I like the smell and feel of the Organic Shop shampoo and I love the shine and colour of the Logona shampoo more than I like the pretty basic smell and normal shine of the Olival shampoo. The Natura Siberica shampoo isn't bad at all but in this case it's a little less good in my opinion than the other shampoos. Someone with different hair might love it though because of the way it behaves. 

I hope this review was in any way helpful to you if you've been thinking about trying out a new shampoo. I had a lot of fun actually testing them over a longer period of time to really get a feel for them. I also went ahead and actually stepped out of my comfort zone cause I am not normally one to purchase things in full size just to try them out if I have no previous knowledge about the product or brand. It was refeshing to see that a little daring can often be rewarded! And in this case it did, I found new shampoos that I like and will repurchase.

And with that I wish you all a very wonderful day!

Until next time,

xoxo