Garnier Goes Affordable And Great With Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying Shampoo!

The Good: Great scent, Wonderful cleaning power, Surprisingly affordable, Conditioning properties
The Bad: Still a little pricier than comparable shampoos.
The Basics: Garnier Fructis's Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying shampoo is a wonderful shampoo thar strengthens hair and makes it smell wonderful!


For most of my life, Garnier Fructis has been a brand that is notable to me for being a premium hair care product. So, as the brand has moved into more affordable territory, I have been pleasantly surprised as it has allowed me to try more of their products. On a recent business trip, I had to pick up some shampoo because my hotel was horrible. For the first time, the best-priced shampoo at the grocery store I went to was a Garnier product! Since then, I've been using Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying Shampoo and my wife and I love it!

Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying shampoo is one of the more affordable shampoos in the Garnier line; I found it for $3.50 for a 12.5 oz. bottle and that was quite reasonable for the quality. The bottles are flat on the sides and top, which makes it easy to hold when wet. Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying is a white creamy shampoo that has good viscosity, though it is a little thicker, almost like a conditioner. The Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying shampoo comes with a flip-top cap for easy access to the shampoo with one hand while in the shower.

Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying is a shampoo, so there is no trick to using it. Simply place a dollop on your hand and rub it into your wet hair until it lathers up. Then rinse and repeat if necessary. I have long hair and I usually can get away with a quarter-sized dollop to clean my hair with most shampoos. That has easily held true with the Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying Shampoo.

This Fortifying shampoo cleans and seems to do an amazing job of actually strengthening hair. My hair has gotten cleaner and stronger over the last two weeks, without even having to use conditioner!

On the scent front, Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying Shampoo smells delightfully of apples. The scent is strong and pleasant and it endures on the hair for hours after the shampoo is rinsed out of the hair.

All in all, Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Paraben-Free Fortifying Shampoo is worthwhile and does all that is promises!

For other shampoo reviews, please check out my takes on:
Pantene Pro-V Dream Care Shampoo
Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend shampoo
Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo

9/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please be sure to visit my Health And Beauty Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Delightfully Aromatic, B-leve B-Passionate Body Wash Works!

The Good: Good lather, Easy to open bottle, Inexpensive, Good aroma, Adequately moisturizes
The Bad: Scrubbing grit does nothing, Not antibacterial
The Basics: B-leve Antibacterial B-passionate Body Wash is a good body wash that does a decent job at moisturizing and making showers smell great!


There are so many body washes on the market these days that it is sometimes tough to cut through the hype and brand names to simply find a body wash that works. As a result, I continue to try a lot of different body washes and review them. One of the recent pleasant surprises in the body wash field for me has been B-leve B-Passionate Body Wash. I found the B-leve B-Passionate Body Wash on clearance at my local grocery store, which is clearancing the whole B-leve product line.

The B-leve B-passionate body wash is a good body wash, with a fresh, clean, fruity scent. This is ideal for those who want to clean their bodies and leave their skin moisturized and with a clean scent to it.

B-leve B-passionate body wash is nicely aromatic and cleans fairly well. In the steamy environment of a shower or bath, the floral and fruity scent effervesces well. The 17 fl. oz. bottle usually sells for $5.19 and was commonly available in Michigan, at least until my local places started to clearance it. The B-passionate Body Wash is an effective, easy-to-use product that leaves skin feeling clean and mildly aromatic. When one is especially dirty, the B-leve B-passionate Body Wash gets one clean and it deodorizes well when one scrubs.

Body washes generally seem disproportionately expensive to me, though the B-leve B-passionate Body Wash was one of the mid-range body washes by price, at least for one that is not an antibacterial body wash. B-leve's B-passionate Body Wash offers less than other body washes that actually exfoliate and this one psyches the consumer out by having tiny beads in it that are for the aroma, as opposed to scrubbing. The B-passionate Body Wash lathers up incredibly well, so it is good for a thrifty shoppers.

The B-passionate Body Wash is a translucent pale purple fluid about the consistency of most shampoos. This is a smooth body wash, despite the tiny bubbles in it which appear to be scrubbing grit but are actually just aromatic, so it does nothing to exfoliate the skin. Using the B-passionate Body Wash is simple. The bottle features a flip top that opens with the flick of the thumb. The bottle is easy enough to open and close one handed as to make it convenient in the tub or shower, especially if one is using a loofah or washcloth in the other hand. The bottle of B-passionate Body Wash is rounded and slippery when wet, so it is important to get a good grip on this body wash bottle!

Dispensing the B-passionate Body Wash is very easy. Simply squeeze the bottle and apply the very fluid body wash to your hand, loofah or cloth. In my experience, the body wash is more fluidic than creamy and, as a result, comes out of the bottle very easily when one squeezes it. As a result, about a quarter-sized dollop is all that is necessary to clean my whole body when it mixes with the water from my shower or bath. I've found it most effective to dole out the body wash in one fell swoop as it lathers very easily and completely fills a loufah when one does.

Part of the reason the product washes off so well is that it lathers exceptionally well. Used sparingly, the B-passionate Body Wash may be spread over an entire body the way it lathers up. Simply agitating it on the skin yields a foamy, clean lather that both moisturizes and cleans skin. Without a loofah or other rough applicator, it does not remove dirt or grime beyond what one expects from water running. As the water flows over it, it washes off easily leaving behind no film or residue, only generally clean skin.

The B-passionate Body Wash has a strong scent that is right on the border of fruity and floral. There are hints of citrus in the bouquet of this body wash, but it finishes with a scent like lilacs and roses. The combination of fruity and floral scents mixes nicely; I'm not certain if it is actually a scent of passion, but is smells wonderful.

B-leve B-passionate Body Wash is not antibacterial and it does not exfoliate the skin, but it is pretty wonderful despite that!

For other body washes, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Silkience Bath And Shower Shea & Cocoa Butter Body Wash
White Rain Ocean Mist Body Wash
Dial Lavender & Twilight Jasmine Body Wash

7.5/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my Health And Beauty Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Wavetree & London Australia Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap Is Fun, But Overpriced!

The Good: Impressive lather, Amazing scent!
The Bad: Expensive, No scrubbing grit, Not antibacterial
The Basics: Wavetree & London Australia Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap is a fun way to get clean with a partner, but beyond that, it's just an expensive bar of soap!


Who pays $8 for a bar of soap? Well, it turns out when my wife is in a good mood and enjoying being out of the house shopping with me, I do. At least, that's what happened when we went together to our favorite local Hallmark's open house a little while ago. During that shopping trip, as my wife loaded our basket up so we'd get better freebies, one of the items I consented to buy her was a bar of Wavetree & London Australia Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap.

The Wavetree & London Australia Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap is a good Natural Plant Oil Soap, but it is a niche market that cares about plant oil soaps . . . and it's an $8 bar of soap. Wavetree & London Australia Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap is exceptionally aromatic and cleans fairly well without drying out one's skin at all. In the steamy environment of a shower or bath, the environment takes on the scent of being immersed in a pina colada. This is not an unpleasant scent at all. The 7 oz. bar is available at specialty stores and, thus far, the only place I have found them in my neck of the woods is Hallmark Gold Crown stores. The Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap is an easy-to-use product that leaves skin feeling clean and leaves no lasting aroma. When one is especially dirty, the Wavetree & London Australia Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap gets one clean and it deodorizes well when one scrubs.

Despite the expense, I was impressed by how the Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap lathers up. This bar of soap seems to last longer and give more consistent results because of its lather quality.

The Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap is an opaque white bar of soap. This is a smooth Natural Plant Oil Soap, so it does nothing to exfoliate the skin. Using the Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap is simple. Simply unwrap the paper wrapper from around the soap, wet, and lather. This soap is very slippery when wet, so it is important to get a good grip on this Natural Plant Oil Soap.

The Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap has a very clear aroma to it. This Natural Plant Oil Soap smells precisely like a pina colada. It makes anyone's bathing experience smell just like pineapple and coconut and for anyone who loves a pina colada - even just the aroma - is likely to enjoy this product in action.

Wavetree & London Australia Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap is not antibacterial, but it seems to clean very well. So, while some soaps do more with grit and antibacterial power, the Wavetree & London Australia Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Natural Plant Oil Soap seems to clean just fine without any gimmicks. Of course, there are other soaps that do more for less money, just without the amazing scent . . .

For other skin cleaners, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
White Rain Ocean Mist Body Wash
C.O. Bigelow Mentha Body vitamin Body Wash
Dove Mandarin & Tiare Flower Body Wash

5/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my Health And Beauty Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Gillette Treo Works Well For What It Promises!

The Good: Easy for a caretaker to use, Delivers a close shave, Convenient combination of shave gel and razor
The Bad: Only one blade on the head, Nebulous pricing
The Basics: The Gillette Treo provides what it promises as a way for a caretaker to shave their charge with the feeling of control and safety for a Gillette-close shave.


When it comes to health and beauty products, one of the most expensive and least-enduring products are disposable razors. The truth is, I never had much cause to review disposable razors. After all, my general impression on razors has been that they are proportionately more expensive than they need to be; regular razors with disposable blades are much more cost-effective and efficient for shaving. But, when Gillette announced the Treo disposable razor, I thought it was an interesting concept worth investigating.

The Gillette Treo is a disposable razor with shave gel in the handle. The single-use disposable razor is intended for assisted shaving. The purpose of this disposable razor is to provide a safe shaving experience for people who are unable to shave for themselves and their caregivers/family members who must shave them.

The Gillette Treo is a surprisingly short disposable razor. The handle is a tube filled with shaving gel and a flip-top lid to dispense it. The other end of the soft plastic tube holds the razor head that is enhanced for protection. The razor head swivels and comes with a plastic guard. The entire Gillette Treo is surprisingly soft, save the actual metal razor on the razor head. The Gillette Treo measures 3 3/4" long, 15/16" in diameter on the shave gel end, and has a razor head that is 1 11/16" wide by 5/8" deep. The sharp edge of the razor is protected by a hard series of vanes that separate and lift hair, in addition to the soft guard that must be removed to access the razor blade.

Using the Gillette Treo disposable razor is a little more complicated than the standard razor. First, one should wash the area that needs to be shaved and then flip open the cap to dispense the shave gel. The shave gel from the Gillette Treo has a mild, inoffensive, slightly citrus scent to it. For a disposable razor, I was surprised by how much shave gel came in the Gillette Treo; I have a pretty big face and neck and there was enough shaving gel in the handle to cover my whole shaving area at least three times.

The shaving gel does not lather up, nor tingle. Despite that, Gillette recommends letting the gel sit on the washed face for at least thirty seconds before beginning to shave. After the shaving gel has sat for thirty seconds, remove the soft plastic guard and begin the shave.

My wife performed the shave on my face and neck so we could see how well the Gillette Treo worked. Over the course of ten minutes, we did two passes on my face. She noted that the Gillette Treo felt very easy to manage; she felt very in control the entire time. She attributed some of that feeling of control to the comparatively short handle on the Gillette Treo. The extensive guard on the Gillette Treo made it difficult for the razor to cut anything other than the facial hair. As a result, while working to get the harder to reach areas, my wife had to push a bit.

That said, the Gillette Treo shaved exceptionally close and after two passes, there was only minimal blood. Under the stubble I had before the shave, there were apparently five pimples or bumps in the skin that were lacerated by the Gillette Treo. That said, washing my face and neck after the shave left almost no sign of the cuts and within fifteen minutes, my face felt clean-shaven and smooth.

The Gillette Treo appears to work quite well and might be ideal for having a razor on camping trips, travel or other places where space and weight are at a premium. Until Gillette puts a price on the Treo, though, it will be hard to determine if the all-in-one shaving solution is truly worth it.

For other health and beauty products, please check out my reviews of:
Arm & Hammer Complete Care Plus Whitening toothpaste
Just For Men ControlGX Grey Reducing Shampoo
Burt's Bees Tropical Pineapple Flavor Crystals Lip Balm

7.5/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my Health And Beauty Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Silkience Bath And Shower Shea & Cocoa Butter Body Wash Is Disgusting!

The Good: It does not cost much
The Bad: Absolutely disgusting scent (vomit), Poor lather quality, Not antibacterial, No scrubbing grit
The Basics: Silkience Bath And Shower Clean & Simple Shea & Cocoa Butter Body Wash smells like barf . . . so there's not much more that actually needs to be said about it.


Every now and then, I experience a product that it does not pay to make a sophisticated review of. These type of products have a glaring issue with them that overwhelms any other aspect and makes the product unbuyable. There was, for example, a hot chocolate I once reviewed that tastes more or less like battery acid. Nothing else mattered about it. So it is with Silkience Bath And Shower Shea & Cocoa Butter Body Wash. Silkience Bath And Shower Shea & Cocoa Butter Body Wash smells like vomit. It smells like vomit in the bottle, it smells like vomit in the shower, it smells like bile on the skin.

I, sadly, purchased a bottle of Silkience Bath And Shower Shea & Cocoa Butter body wash while on the road last weekend for a convention. I needed body wash and at the dollar store where I purchased it, it seemed to smell fine. But no, the moment I opened it in the shower, I gagged. It smelled like vomit.

I used the Silkience Bath And Shower Shea & Cocoa Butter Body Wash for three days/showers. When I returned home to my wife and tried to get close, she noticed that my skin smelled different (something it never has before when I've returned to her). It is quite possible the Butyrospermum Parkii in the body wash causes the smell because there is a derivative acid that some in the vaping world assert smells/tastes like vomit. I don't care to dig that deep; it smells like vomit.

How is the lather quality? Who cares?! It smells like bile. (The lather quality is quite poor, though, necessitating an above average amount on one's skin to try to clean it)

Is it effective at cleaning? Who could tell; it leaves skin smelling like vomit.

Is it expensive? No, not really, but what price would you put as "good" on a product that made your skin smell like barf? I paid more than zero dollars, which, frankly, is more than I would usually pay for anything that left my skin smelling like any other bodily fluid.

There may be a multitude of products using shea and cocoa butter that leave skin smelling clean and wonderful. This product is not one of them. Don't waste your money: Silkience Bath And Shower Shea & Cocoa Butter Body Wash has a simple, fatal, flaw that makes it unbuyable: it smells like vomit.

For other body washes, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash
C.O. Bigelow Mentha Body vitamin body wash
Dove Mandarin & Tiare Flower Body Wash

0/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my Health And Beauty Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo Delivers Average Results

The Good: Cleans hair well, Good lather, Appears to work to diminish frizz
The Bad: Expensive! No recognizable scent.
The Basics: Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek shampoo lacks a compelling scent, but cleans well-enough to justify its price.


Lately, I've been doing a lot of yardwork and the truth is, my hair has begun to see the strain of being outdoors. My hair had begun to get a little frizzy when I started using the Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo. Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo is fine, but the truth is that in recent years, I have come to expect more of shampoos that bear a premium price tag. I tend to want more clear cleaning and conditioning properties and/or a scent that infuses the shower experience with a wonderful and memorable scent.

Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo did a fairly good job of cleaning my hair and reducing the frizz of my dry, weather-beaten hair. My hair was noticeably cleaner, less dry and my hair was far less brittle after using the DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo for a month. This shampoo, on its own, always left my hair perfectly clean and far less oily than when I began. Given how much I have been working outside of late, my hair is usually sweaty and gross, so the cleaning power of this shampoo cannot be understated.

I tend to like shampoos that both clean and leave hair smelling good. The Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek shampoo did the former well, but the latter poorly. After my first use of the shampoo, my hair was perfectly cleaned and smelled clean and neutral. After my first week of using the shampoo and conditioner, my hair was clean, bouncy, more manageable and looked better. The shampoo on its own effectively reduced the brittleness of my hair while cleaning my hair.

Since starting to use Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo a month ago, this shampoo has adequately protected my hair from further breakage. Instead, in conjunction with the DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Conditioner, my hair has not returned to a place where it is frizzy or damaged again.

With a cost of approximately $5.99 for a 12.6 fl. oz. bottle, Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek is comparatively expensive. The bottle is smooth and is more flat than round. When wet, it slips out of the hands easily. The cap has a flip-top that makes it very easy to get the shampoo out with only one hand. As well, the large cap makes it even easier, though because the hole is still fairly small, there is no waste from the bottle.

The scent of Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek is entirely neutral. There is a vague fruity scent that comes out of the bottle the first moment the bottle is opened, but after that the scent dissipates and the shampoo has no discernible scent either from the shampoo or on the hair it is used on. Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek is a white, opaque shampoo that is creamy and smooth. It has a non-watery consistency and while it is not especially thick, it does not need to be watered down to get the most out of the product.

Like most shampoos, there is nothing mysterious to using this product. You wet your hair, lather it up with this shampoo and rinse. Like most shampoos, I can get away with using about a quarter-sized drop and that is so with the Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek. This is pretty consistent with other Pantene products I have used, but I have been impressed by how very well Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek shampoo lathered up. This becomes one of the most foamy shampoos when lathered into the hair that I have ever used. That also helps it wash out exceptionally easily.

This shampoo has an excellent lather quality. It took almost nothing to work it up to a lather and that lather spreads into the hair and cleans amazingly. Indeed, with average usage, the product was one of the easiest shampoos I have used to spread through my hair. This required very little agitation to lather it properly and the results were spectacular, especially for the minimal effort.

This shampoo rinses out incredibly easily, as well. When I am in a hurry and can only wash my hair, the Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek shampoo rinses out very quickly and leaves my hair quite clean. Moreover, the shampoo alone leaves the hair without any scent, so there is nothing to rinse out. The Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek required almost no effort to rinse it out, making is a quick shampoo to apply and rinse out.

The Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo does not make my hair feel heavy when it is still wet, and once dry, the shampoo lives up to its promise of clean, smooth-looking hair. Washing my hair as much as I do, I have ended up with very dry hair in the past, but the DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo eliminates any adverse affects to washing hair so much. Restoring my hair to cleanliness and eliminating frizz is enough to recommend this shampoo, regardless of the price and despite its lack of a memorable scent.

Ultimately, the Pantene Pro-V DreamCare Smooth & Sleek Shampoo is an average shampoo at a premium price.

For other Pantene product reviews, please check out my analysis of:
Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo
Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect Conditioner
Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect Shampoo

5/10

For other health and beauty reviews, visit my Health And Beauty Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Effective, Economical, But Not Enduring In Aroma: Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo Still Thrills!

The Good: Decent cleaning power, Amazing aroma in bottle and shower, Good lather quality, Comparatively affordable for the quality, Good ingredients
The Bad: Scent does not endure on the hair
The Basics: Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo smells amazing, has great ingredients and works well, but its impressive scent is overcome by the aroma of any conditioner used with it.


Whenever I try something new - or new to me - one of the ways that I can ultimately tell how much I like the product is by how I seek out (or refuse to buy!) more products from the same brand. Not too long ago, I had my first experience with a Maple Holistics brand shampoo. Perhaps the greatest endorsement of the product line would be that as soon as I was out of the Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair (reviewed here!), my wife and I immediately began hunting for other shampoos that sounded interesting from Maple Holistics. It did not take long before we found one that was instantly intriguing: Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo. As a lifelong lover all things mint, the promise of a shampoo featuring five different varieties of mint was too good to pass up!

Fortunately, the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo lived up to all the hype and quality I could hope for from the shampoo. After a month and a half of use, I'm finally ready to review the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo and it is hard not to sound like I am simply gushing with praise.

Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo is a shampoo that is not marketed with any clear gimmick, outside creating an experience analogous to a "cooling winter sensation." So, instead of making broad promises to fix split ends, restore dry hair or cut through greasy hair, the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo goes for more of a shampoo experience, as opposed to marketing restorative properties. And Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo lives up to its promises, but not in the most obvious way.

When I think of minty shampoos and conditioners that actually work, I often associate the scent with a cool, tingling sensation on my scalp. The intriguing thing about the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo is that it does not have that skin-freezing sensation while it works.

At $13.95 for an 8 fl. oz. bottle, Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo would be considered expensive . . . were it not for the fact that it lathers exceptionally well (requiring one to use less of it) and it lives up to its promise of creating a relaxing shower experience when in use and delivering a rejuvenating effect. In other words, spreads far and lives up to its promise to energize the consumer!

The Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo comes in an opaque blue bottle that is very smooth and can get slippery when wet. Inside the bottle, the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo is a pearlescent white shampoo with a medium consistency - thicker than many shampoos, not quite as thick as a hair conditioner.

Opening the bottle of the Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo, the consumer is greeted with a powerful herbal scent. Apparently, the combination of the five specific mints used in the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo results in an aroma that is most analogous to a peppermint and lavender blend. The aroma effervesces impressively in a hot shower; so much so that my wife has commented on my use of the shampoo from an adjacent room a few times when I used it. The scent is minty and spicy and delightful.

The Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo has interesting directions. After applying the Winter Blend Shampoo to one's hair, one is supposed to agitate it and allow it to set (osmose) for two to three minutes. I found, despite having hair that is more than a foot long in the back, that I was able to get away with using a dollop of the shampoo that was little more than a quarter in diameter. The Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo agitated to a nice foam from that and I was able to spread it through my entire mane.

When used properly, the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo cut through normal hair oils and daily dirt to leave my hair clean, manageable, and smooth. I highly recommend using the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo with a conditioner as it was quite effective at cutting through grease and thus has the potential to dry out hair with daily use. Its cleaning power cannot be overstated, though; periodically, my local grocery store will sell bacon at a deep discount and I will buy it in bulk, cooking up thirty pounds (or more) of bacon in one evening. After such a Bacon Day, I used the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo and neither my wife, nor I, could find a hint of bacon scent in my hair afterward. That is cleaning power!

On its own - without the accompanying Winter Blend conditioner - the mint and lavender scent of the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo does not endure in the hair. I did some objective testing with the Winter Blend Shampoo where I conditioned afterward with a scentless conditioner and later with Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle conditioner (reviewed here!) and a Garnier leave-in conditioner (reviewed here!). With an aromaless conditioner, neither my wife nor I could smell anything in my hair; with the other two, we smelled those conditioners. In other words, for as wonderful as the scent of the Maple Holistics Winter Blend Shampoo is during the shower experience, it does not endure in a noticeable way in the hair. This is not necessarily a bad thing and it was certainly not a dealbreaker for me, but it was peculiar to me that such an aromatic shampoo did not hold its scent even against a scentless conditioner!

All that said, the Maple Holistics Limited Edition Winter Blend Shampoo works well, stretches for thrifty shoppers like me, and creates a pretty amazing, rejuvenating shower experience time after time.

For other shampoo reviews, please check out my analysis of:
Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Weightless Shampoo W/Imbe Oil & Aloe
Just For Men ControlGX Grey Reducing Shampoo
Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Extreme Smooth Smoothing Shampoo

9/10

For other shampoo reviews, visit my Shampoo Review Index Page for an organized listing of the products I have reviewed!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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One Of The Enduring Greats: The Body Shop Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter Is Worth Stocking Up On!

The Good: Great scent, Decent protectant/moisturizing properties, Feels great on the skin
The Bad: Comparatively expensive.
The Basics: A wonderful body butter that does all it promises, The Body Shop's Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter hydrates skin and leaves it smelling delicious!


Once upon a time, right around when I first met my wife, I spent a lot more time in shopping malls than I do now. The truth is, I live a couple of hours away from any shopping malls and I get a lot more locally now. But, back in the day, I went to a lot of different shopping malls and they were a place I went a lot with my (now) wife. Quite some time ago, we were at a mall and she expressed a love for products from The Body Shop. This, luckily for me, led to many hours of me massaging her feet and me getting on The Body Shop's e-mail list for exclusive offers. A while back, I stocked up on The Body Shop Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter through one of their promotions and after quite a bit of use over the years, it is a product that has held up well - and I'm glad I don't have to hang around malls to get it!

The Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter is a wonderful-smelling product which does exactly what it promises in that it moisturizes skin and leaves it smelling great. In fact, this is such a good product that it easily overcomes the expense of the product, especially when bought in bulk or on sale! This Body Butter truly does hydrate the skin exceptionally well.

Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter from The Body Shop is designed for normal skin. I have normal skin, as it appears that it takes quite a bit for my skin to break out in hives or rashes and is generally well-moisturized. In fact, the driest skin on my body is in the obvious areas; feet, knees and elbows. Not usually inclined to use a product like this on a daily basis, it has been more of a lark for me having some available to me. I've been using it steadily on those three areas as well as my hands for general moisturizing and after a few days, the access to my wife’s body butter has left my feet perfectly well moisturized. My feet had been cracked and dry, but now the skin there is soft and supple.

As with other body butters, a body butter is a somewhat greasy, near-solid cream (like a pomade) that comes in a disc-like container (like shoe polish) that is designed to protect and/or moisturize skin. Unscrewing the top of the container gives the user ample access to the body butter and this is a very easy product to get out of its container and use. As well, this does seem to go rather far. I've used other containers for months and the last few days with Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter has left not even a dent in the container. I feel good about that as these have been in the $20.00 range for a 6.75 oz. container, which makes it impossible for me to call this product cheap!

The Limited Edition Chocomania body butter smells like wonderfully like dark chocolate. The cocoa scent is inviting and pleasant, exactly what one might hope for from a chocolate-scented lotion. The scent is not overly sweet - it is more true to a dark chocolate aroma - but given how much I love dark chocolate, that was a good selling point for me.

I have discovered the scent of Limited Edition Chocomania remains on the skin – everywhere but my feet - for about four hours. The scent remains clear and delicious-smelling for the duration of its presence on the skin.

Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter actually works. This body butter does an excellent job of moisturizing skin that is dried out. As a married person, I have learned the importance of keeping my feet soft, so I was pleased to discover how well the Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter softens the skin. This is an excellent moisturizer. The body butter moisturized and reinvigorated my skin on my feet, knees and elbows quite well. As well, given all of the typing I do, it was nice to have a moisturizer that kept my fingers and hands soft and supple. This body butter is ideal for slathering on one's feet and then putting socks over them so the body butter can effectively moisturize.

But the cost, not the expense, seemed a bit high. This product goes on greasy and leaves a sensation of being coated. When I've applied it, the The Body Shop Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter absorbs nicely into the skin. This body butter does not leave consumers feeling like their skin is coated at all.

The body butter is recommended for maintaining skin moisture in addition to restoring skin to a normal moisture level when it has been dried out. So, for example, body butter is recommended for application after taking a shower (the body usually dehydrates some after acclimating to a long shower or bath) to keep moisture in the skin. The The Body Shop Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter maintains the feeling of cleanliness one has after showering, which is nice.

This particular body butter melts. I have left The Body Shop Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter in my car and the dark brown container heated up and melted the product. It resolidified when brought inside and left for a day in a cool, dark area, but it seems like this is a liability if it is being carried around by someone in a handbag or such. While this product is not recommended for areas like the lips, it should most definitely not be consumed as it is exceptionally sour and bitter when it hits the tongue.

Limited Edition Chocomania Body Butter from the Body Shop is a wonderful skin hydration product that is well worth the price and stocking up on!

For other The Body Shop body butters, please check out my reviews of:
Pink Grapefruit Body Butter
Passion Fruit Body Butter
Strawberry Body Butter

9/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my Health And Beauty Product Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Effectively Moisturizing Hair, Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner Works!

The Good: Effectively repairs dry and damaged hair, Affordable
The Bad: Lack of a scent, Not "cone free."
The Basics: Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner is a good hair conditioner that justifies its lack of scent through great results!


For the last few weeks, I've been testing a new (to me) shampoo and as part of my rigorous testing of that very scented shampoo, I've actually begun to seek out conditioners that do not have a scent. The basic reason behind this is I've been attempting to ascertain just how enduring the scent of the shampoo I'm testing actually is. One of the best unscented hair conditioners I have found during this testing period is Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner.

Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner is a conditioner that is quite good and effective at what it promises to do in terms of moisturizing hair and making it more manageable. This is a comparatively inexpensive restorative conditioner that leaves hair without any scent of its own. The Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner is a wonderful restorative conditioner for hair.

I tend to like conditioners that make hair more manageable and lustrous and leave hair with a wonderful smell to it. The Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner did the former two well, but not the latter at all. After two weeks of using the Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner, my hair was incredibly manageable and restored from any places it had been dry before. As I hoped for my testing, my hair bore a completely neutral smell after using the Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner (when I used a scentless shampoo with it). I am a big fan of scents that remind me of good memories, but the Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner does not leave a noticeable scent; it leaves hair restored and manageable.

That said, the Miraculously Smooth Conditioner lived up on its promises to reduce frizz and moisturize hair. After two weeks of use, the Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner has nicely restored my dry hair to a manageable, well-nourished state with a decent luster and it appeared to protect my hair from developing any new split ends.

With a cost of approximately $4.99 for a 13.5 fl. oz. bottle, Aussie Miraculously Smooth is a mid-range conditioner on the pricing. The bottle is smooth and is more flat than round. When wet, it slips out of the hands easily. The cap has a flip-top that makes it very easy to get the conditioner out with only one hand, despite the potential slippage.

Aussie Miraculously Smooth is a pearlescent white, opaque conditioner that is creamy and smooth, much like a lotion for skin. It has a somewhat watery consistency and it is one of the less-thick conditioners I have encountered. Because it is thinner, this conditioner spreads easily through the hair. It only takes one half-dollar-sized dollop of the Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner to condition my hair (and I have fairly long hair!).

Coming out of the bottle, the Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner has no discernible scent and after hair is dry, there is no scent from the conditioner. The Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner is ideal for use in conjunction with a well-scented shampoo, as it does not appear to influence any shampoo it interacts with. I could smell very purely the new shampoos I was using in conjunction with the Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner, which suggests this conditioner leaves no scent at all in the hair.

The Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner does not make my hair feel heavy when my hair is dry, though it did increase the volume, body and shine of my nicely repaired hair. For those for whom it is important, Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner is not cone free, but I have noticed no adverse effects from using this conditioner. The Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner effectively reduced frizz on the top of my head when my hair was frizzy, dry and a little broken.

Aussie Miraculously Smooth Conditioner is pretty wonderful, even if I usually like my conditioners to have a scent to them.

For other hair conditioner reviews, please check out my analysis of:
Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner
Suave Professionals Natural Infusion with Awapuhi Ginger & Honeysuckle Anti-Breakage Conditioner
OGX Strength & Body Bamboo Fiber-Full Conditioner

7.5/10

For other health and beauty reviews, visit my Health And Beauty Index Page for an organized listing of the products I have reviewed!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash Cleans Well And Smells Great!

The Good: Decent lather, Easy to open bottle, Inexpensive, Good aroma, Adequately moisturizes
The Bad: No scrubbing grit, Not antibacterial
The Basics: Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash is a worthwhile cleaner, even if it doesn't do all that a great body wash can.


When my local grocery store puts new products on clearance, I sometimes find myself truly wondering why. I was fairly surprised when I found an Olay product on the clearance shelf. I realized that I have not truly tried any Olay products and that my associations with the brand were all with my grandmother's Oil Of Olay products back in the 1980s. Despite that, I decided to pick up a bottle of Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash! And the Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash was well worth the price of the bottle on clearance (about $2.75), even if it wasn't an antibacterial body wash and it did not have scrubbing grit.

The Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint body wash is a good body wash, with a fresh, clean and very specific scent. This is ideal for those who want to clean their bodies and leave their skin moisturized and with a fruity scent to it.

Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint body wash is very aromatic and cleans quite well. In the steamy environment of a shower or bath, the very fruity and creamy scent effervesces well. In fact, the mint seems to manifest more as opening the nasal canal up, as opposed to actually smelling minty as all. The 23.6 fl. oz. bottle usually sells for $5.50 and seems to be commonly available, at least in Michigan. The Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash is an effective, easy-to-use product that leaves skin feeling clean and slightly aromatic. When one is especially dirty, the Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash gets one clean and it deodorizes well when one scrubs.

Body washes generally seem disproportionately expensive to me, though the Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash was one of the least expensive body washes by price. Olay's Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash initial price is high, but it is a much thicker body wash than most I have encountered. The Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash lathers up incredibly well, so one uses a bit less than normal and it dilutes in the shower and stretches much farther than more initially watery body washes.

The Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash is an opaque pink fluid about the consistency of most hair conditioners. This is a smooth body wash, so it does nothing to exfoliate the skin. Using the Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash is simple. The bottle features a flip top that opens with the flick of the thumb. The bottle is easy enough to open and close one handed as to make it convenient in the tub or shower, especially if one is using a loofah or washcloth in the other hand. The bottle of Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash is fairly flat on the front and back and rounded on the sides. It is slippery when wet, so it is important to get a good grip on this body wash bottle!

Dispensing the Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash is very easy. Simply squeeze the bottle and apply the fairly thick body wash to your hand, loofah or cloth. In my experience, the body wash is more creamy than fluidic, but it still manages to come out of the bottle very easily. As a result, about a nickel-sized dollop is all that is necessary to clean my whole body when it mixes with the water from my shower or bath. I've found it most effective to dole out the body wash in one fell swoop as it lathers very easily and completely fills a loufah when one does.

Part of the reason the product washes off so well is that it lathers exceptionally well. Used sparingly, the Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash may be spread over an entire body the way it lathers up. Simply agitating it on the skin yields a foamy, clean lather that both moisturizes and cleans skin. Without a loofah or other rough applicator, it does not remove dirt or grime beyond what one expects from water running. As the water flows over it, it washes off easily leaving behind no film or residue, only generally clean skin.

The Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash has a very clear aroma to it. This body wash smells precisely like strawberries and cream. The fruit scent is a little muted, making for a creamy hint to the aroma. The scent does not seem to carry any hint of mint, though the aroma does open the nose right up, implying that there is mint somewhere in the scent palate.

Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash is not antibacterial, but it seems to clean very well. So, while some body washes do more with grit and antibacterial power, the trueness of the scent and the way the body wash lathers well to make the bottle last make the Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint body wash well worth recommending!

For other body washes, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
White Rain Ocean Mist Body Wash
C.O. Bigelow Mentha Body vitamin body wash
Dove Mandarin & Tiare Flower Body Wash

7.5/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my Health And Beauty Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Without Flair Or Much Aroma, Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner Does What It Promises.

The Good: Effectively repairs dry and damaged hair, Generally affordable
The Bad: Lack of a scent, Unremarkable results for the price, Not "cone free."
The Basics: Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner is an average hair conditioner.


Growing up, Dove always seemed like a premium brand of health care products. Whether that was just a misperception of youth or if Dove has become a more accessible brand over the years, I am not entirely certain. But, when I sit down to review hair care products now, it is clear that Dove is not part of the inexpensive product lines (i.e. White Rain, Suave) and it is not in the same ridiculous price range as the salon-exclusive product lines. Even in the mid-range product lines, I still have expectations. I recently reviewed the Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo (reviewed here!) and I found it to be pretty good. I decided to continue checking out the new formulas with the Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner.

Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner is a conditioner that is okay. Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner does what it promises - it repairs hair over three weeks of use, it moisturizes hair and makes it more manageable - but it does it without any real flare. There are less expensive restorative conditioners that leave hair infused with wonderful scents. The net result is Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner is a fine, average, conditioner for hair.

I tend to like Conditioners that make hair more manageable and lustrous and leave hair with a wonderful smell to it. The Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner did the former well, but not the latter at all. After three weeks of using the Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner, my hair was incredibly manageable and restored from any places it had been dry before. But, it bore a completely neutral smell. I am a big fan of scents that remind me of good memories, but the Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner does not leave a noticeable scent; it only leaves hair restored and manageable.

That said, the Intensive Repair Conditioner lived up on its promises to strengthen and repair hair. After three weeks of use, the Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner had nicely restored my dry hair to a manageable, well-nourished state with a decent luster and it appeared to protect my hair from developing any new split ends.

With a cost of approximately $6.99 for a 20.4 fl. oz. bottle, Dove Intensive Repair is a mid-range conditioner on the pricing. The bottle is smooth and is more flat than round. When wet, it slips out of the hands easily. The cap has a flip-top that makes it very easy to get the conditioner out with only one hand, despite the potential slippage.

Dove Intensive Repair is a white, opaque conditioner that is creamy and smooth, much like a lotion for skin. It has a non-watery consistency and it is one of the thicker conditioners I have encountered. Because it is thicker and only spreads marginally well through the hair, I have to use almost two half-dollar-sized dollops of the Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner to condition my hair.

Coming out of the bottle, the Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner has no discernible scent and after hair is dry, any scent that the conditioner might have developed is completely overwhelmed by the smell of the shampoo one uses. I could smell very purely the new shampoos I was using in conjunction with the Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner (after my Dove shampoo ran out!), which suggests this conditioner leaves no scent at all in the hair.

The Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner does not make my hair feel heavy when my hair is dry, though it did increase the volume, body and shine of my nicely repaired hair. For those for whom it is important, Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner is not cone free, but I have noticed no adverse effects from using this conditioner.

Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner is good, even if it does all it promises without flair.

For other Dove product reviews, please check out my analysis of:
Mandarin & Tiare Flower Body Wash
Rebalance Plum & Sakura Blossom Body Mist
Nourishing Hand Wash

5/10

For other health and beauty reviews, visit my Health And Beauty Index Page for an organized listing of the products I have reviewed!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Doing What It Promises, At A Price: Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair!

The Good: Effectively cleans hair, Leaves hair with a pleasant and subtle scent, Decent lather quality
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, No conditioning properties (which is not really an issue for a shampoo!)
The Basics: Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair does all that it claims to and has a decent scent, but costs a little more than other shampoos and more effectively strips away build-up, as opposed to making hair healthier.


In recent years, the lines between shampoos and hair conditioners have been blurred. "Conditioning" shampoos or shampoos that promise results more traditionally associated with conditioners - revitalizing, strengthening, etc. - are at the core of the changing expectations for hair care products. Sometimes, it helps to be reminded of what the reasonable expectations are from a product before I sit down to review it because I recognize that I had some expectations that were not met . . . but not through the fault of the product. That certainly occurred when I started to consider Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair. I suspect that I found myself coming down hard on Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair because, for the price, I expected some conditioning properties to the shampoo, when the truth is this is a perfectly good hair cleaning product that does all it explicitly promises.

Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair is a shampoo intended to restore hair that has become greasy to a drier state. To that end, the Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair worked perfectly. And the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair even had an enduring, if subtle, scent, that turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me. But, to objectively review the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair, I made sure not to use any conditioner for two washings with the shampoo and the results were very clear; my hair was noticeably drier, slightly less manageable, and a bit more fragile than when I used the shampoo with conditioner. In other words, the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair was an ideal shampoo for stripping away all of the build-up and residue I had in my hair, to effectively clean it, but it did not do anything to strengthen, protect or revitalize the stripped-back hair.

I tend to like shampoos that both clean and leave hair smelling good. The Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair did both incredibly well. After my first use of the shampoo, my hair was perfectly cleaned and smelled clean and neutral. What impressed me the most, though, was how well the shampoo deposited a subtle scent into my hair. Try as I might, after the second time I used the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair, I could not smell anything in my hair (I have long hair, so it was easy enough to bring hair from my pony tail forward to my nose to smell). I cooked bacon after my hair was dry and could smell bacon in the air still when I asked my wife to smell my hair. She instantly said, "Lavender!" and continued to stick her nose closer to my scalp to inhale deeply. While I might not have been able to smell it, she easily did and the scent from the essential oils in the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair clearly kept my hair from smelling like bacon grease and gave it a decent herbal scent!

With a cost of approximately $11 for an 8 fl. oz. bottle, Maple Holistics Lavender is comparatively expensive. The opaque bottle is very smooth and can get slippery when wet. Inside the bottle, the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair is a surprisingly fluidic shampoo that is a pearlescent white color. Right out of a bottle, the Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair smells delightfully herbal, smelling precisely like the lavender it promises. The scent effervesces nicely in a hot shower.

Because of its very fluid nature, the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair lathers up exceptionally well. After simply wetting one's hair, the shampoo lathers up nicely. This shampoo recommends letting the lather stay on hair for two to three minutes and when one does that, it very effectively cleans away all residues in the hair and infuses hair with a very subtle lavender scent from root to tip. Because it agitates into such a nice lather, I managed to get away with one good squeeze of shampoo (approximately a quarter-sized dollop, though it is fluidic enough that is spread the moment it hit my hands) for my full head of hair, which includes a decent amount of length in the back.

Because of the wonderful lather quality of the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair, the shampoo rinses out of the hair incredibly easily. When I am in a hurry and can only wash my hair, the Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair rinses out very quickly and leaves my hair perfectly clean. The shampoo alone leaves the hair without a noticeable scent - my wife claims it is there, but I don't smell it. Conversely, this shampoo alone did not allow other, usually intrusive, smells to scent my hair - usually cooking bacon, for example, makes my hair smell like bacon. After using the Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair, the surface of my hair smelled neutral still, but apparently deeper in smelled like the lavender that the shampoo possessed in the shower. The Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair required almost no effort to rinse it out, making it a quick shampoo to rinse out.

The Maple Holistics Lavender Shampoo For Dry Hair does not make my hair feel heavy when it is still wet, and once dry, the shampoo my hair was very dry with no build-up or residue. This shampoo cleaned hair exceptionally well, even if it left me genuinely needing to use a conditioner.

For other shampoo reviews, please check out my analysis of:
Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo
Just For Men ControlGX Grey Reducing Shampoo
Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Energy Orange Ginger Body & Shine shampoo

8/10

For other health and beauty reviews, visit my Health And Beauty Index Page for an organized listing of the products I have reviewed!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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