Nourishing Oasis Does Not Quite Energize As It Conditions.

The Good: Conditions well
The Bad: Mediocre scent
The Basics: More mediocre than inspiring, this conditioner does its job, but nothing more.


Every now and then, I stumble across something I failed to review and find myself quite surprised. So, for example, it was quite some time ago that I reviewed my VO5 Nourishing Oasis "Energize & Volumize" Shampoo (reviewed here!), but I had not actually reviewed the accompanying conditioner. As a result, I find myself today writing about that conditioner and the truth is, it is a remarkably average conditioner, with little to recommend or condemn it either way.

This Nourishing Oasis conditioner comes in a 14.5 oz. bottle for $1.00 (on sale) and it is translucent and slippery when wet. The bottle tapers near the top to make it easier to hold, but the surface is fairly slippery when in the shower. Fortunately, the big cap is a flip open top that opens and closes easily with a thumb. It's very easy to use this product one handed (which is good because most people I know put the conditioner on their hand before applying it to their scalp and hair). As well, the top has a large, flat surface so when the user is getting toward the end, it may be easily left inverted to let the conditioner come to the egress without the bottle falling over.

This Nourishing Oasis Energize and is a opaque white with a hint of peach color to it; the coloring is quite faint. It comes out fairly thick, causing the user to have to actually squeeze the bottle to get it out.

Equally faint is the smell. This Nourishing Oasis conditioner smells faintly of orange and grapefruit peels, like an olfactory aftertaste. The scent is not strong and it is barely distinct. It smells like the scent of citrus fruit peels left in a kitchen after one has just taken the waste out to the compost pile. You smell the citrus, but it's faint and the memory of the fruit, as opposed to the actual fruit scent. The scent is identical to that of the shampoo and I have noticed the conditioner does not seal the scent in any better than the shampoo did.

That said, this conditioner is a pretty standard conditioner. It is creamy, frosting-like fluid that needs to be worked into the hair a bit. The dollop of Energize & Volumize I use tends to be fairly big, and the consistency of this conditioner is strangely reassuring; like it has presence.

As well, this is a nice option for those who do not like strong scents. That's not me. I've products like the Bath and Body Works Cinnamon Bun Heaven 3-in-1 (reviewed here!) BECAUSE of their scents. Having a faint scent doesn't do it for me. Moreover, for this Nourishing Oasis known as "Energize and Volumize," I find the lack of scent causes it to fall short on that first premise. A strong scent can energize the user. When I use other conditioners with good scents, I look forward to opening them up and slathering them on my hair and letting the scent envelope me. With this, there's nothing. In the shower, the scent is almost unnoticeable and it certainly does not energize me.

Fortunately, while the scent is mild, so too is the effect on the eyes. Unlike the accompanying shampoo, this is very mild and does not sting the eyes. As far as its conditioning products, it does exactly what I expect from a conditioner: it prevents the spread of split ends and it leaves the cleanliness from the shampoo feeling like it is sealed in. It does what it promises as a conditioner, even though it does not especially energize. Given my more neutral reaction to this conditioner, I switched to other VO5 products, so I do not know how a regimen of it outside one bottle actually works toward nourishing hair. There was no noticeable change in sheen or strength of my hair after a single bottle.

Outside that, this is a decent conditioner. It does volumize some; my hair after a month is less limp than it was at the beginning of the month and this certainly does clean my hair. For those who do not like to spend a lot on things like conditioner (after all, it does just go down the drain!) this is a nice, affordable option that does what it promises as far as protecting hair, if not energizing the person showering.

For other VO5 conditioner reviews, please visit my commentaries on:
Honeydew Smoothie
Vanilla Mint Tea Tea Therapy
Split-Ends conditioner
Passion Fruit Smoothie conditioner
Blackberry Sage conditioner

7/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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