Good, But With An Unfortunate Defect, Suave Professionals Black Raspberry + White Tea Shampoo Is Okay!

The Good: Inexpensive, Good cleaning power, Good ingredients, Wonderful scent
The Bad: Causes build-up on hair faster than other Suave Professionals shampoos
The Basics: A decent, inexpensive, shampoo, Suave Professionals Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo is one of the few that should be regularly alternated with another to prevent waxy build-up!


Suave Professionals is an interesting permutation on the inexpensive Suave hair care brand. Suave Professionals is the "higher end" premium shampoo product line from Suave and perhaps what is most impressive about it is that the "premium" Suave product is still usually less expensive than most other brands of hair care products. The latest in the line that I have tried is the Suave Professionals Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo. And it is all right, but more than any of the other Suave Professionals products I have tried, the Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo causes a build-up on hair when it is used for more than a week straight.

My monthly haircare experiment for the last month has been using the Suave professionals Black Raspberry + White Tea Shampoo and that experiment was successful enough that I learned all the effects of this shampoo on one's hair. As my life has become more active with work and walks with my Siberian Huskey, Suave Professionals' Black Raspberry + White Tea Shampoo has come through to keep my hair clean, manageable and smelling great, but with continued use, I've found it weighs the hair down and gives it a bit of a greasy appearance.

After a week of use, the Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo stopped cleaning well and made my hair heavy and greasy-looking. Two days of using a non-Suave shampoo sufficiently dried my hair back out/removed the heavy residue from the Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo. The Suave Professionals Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo otherwise managed to impress me with its cleaning power and its scent. This shampoo is inexpensive, and before it builds up from frequent use, it leaves hair feeling clean and light, while bestowing a nice aroma on one's hair.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners and has been entering new shampoos to the market in their "Suave Professionals" line, which is intended to compete with higher priced shampoos that use all-natural ingredients. In most markets in the United States, Suave Professionals shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $3.49 for a 25 fl. oz. bottle. Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo is one of the newer scents in the Suave Professionals line which explicitly tries to compete with Aveda. The 25 fl. oz. bottle is a flattened tube bottle with a pump dispenser that makes it easy to dispense the shampoo with one hand. Because it is not contoured extensively, the bottle gets slippery when wet. So, not having to pick up the bottle is a smart way for Suave to make this shampoo!

Inside the bottle is the Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo and it is a pale white, opaque gel. This shampoo has good leg and is more viscous than watery. The scent is vague and it smells strongly of raspberrys. I'm not sure what the difference in scent for raspberries and black rasberries is, but this is a pretty bold raspberry scented product. When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo's scent fills the shower fast and it endures there. As a result, it is a strong smell that is enough to overwhelm the scent left on the hair by virtually any activity! In addition to cleaning, it deodorizes hair well.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only squirt a dollop of the shampoo into one's hand before applying it to the hair. The Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up remarkably well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Black Raspberry + White Tea, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a nickle to quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 25 oz. bottle lasted my wife and I more than a month, especially once I started alternating it with other shampoos.

For the most part, the Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Black Raspberry + White Tea shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test. Only after prolonged use did this shampoo stop cleaning adequately. Regardless of how it is cleaning, it always leaves a decent, fruity scent in the hair.

Black Raspberry + White Tea Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Black Raspberry + White Tea works fine, but its overall value is reduced by the fact that one has to use a separate shampoo every few days to cut through the residue that this one leaves.

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Mango Mandarin
Professionals Sleek
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint

6/10

For other haircare products, please check out my Health And Beauty Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Not The Citrus Cleaner We Truly Want, Suave Mango Mandarin Shampoo Leaves Me Unimpressed.

The Good: Inexpensive, (Mostly) Cleans hair, Lathers well
The Bad: Scent does not endure, Faint smell, Does not cut through grease or oily build-up on hair!
The Basics: Mango Mandarin shampoo by Suave does not do all the cleaning jobs one hopes for from a shampoo and it does not sufficiently scent the hair to make it worth trying.


Picking up the Suave Mango Mandarin shampoo was my wife’s idea, but one I eagerly went along with when I smelled the fluid in the bottle and when I considered all the hype that surrounds citrus cleaners. Unfortunately, the bottle of Mango Mandarin shampoo I have been using for the last two weeks is one of the few real flops from Suave shampoo.

Mango Mandarin shampoo is disappointing in that it is not quite adequate at cleaning and it has a scent that dissipates in the shower or pretty much the moment it is out of the bottle. It certainly does not linger long enough on the hair to satisfy those who find themselves looking for an olfactory escape in the mid-afternoon.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.00 for a 15 fl. oz. bottle. Mango Mandarin shampoo seems is a fairly standard scented shampoo for all hairs that does not seem to rely on gimmicks. Unfortunately, the lack of a strong scent (out of the bottle) is not what prevents it from even being a worthwhile inexpensive staple shampoo. Instead, it is the fact that Mango Mandarin failed to cut through grease and build-up on the hair.

The 15 fl. oz. bottle is a cylindrical tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand, sort of. The new bottle actually is not perfectly cylindrical, having instead two flatter spots on the sides, which aid the user in holding it. While not contoured, this does make the bottle easier to hold when it gets wet. The lid, however, is problematic. The lid is a standard flip-top lid and so long as the bottle is not wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. The issue, however, is that the top of the bottle is a pressure ring, not a screw on top. What this means is that when one applies pressure to the top to open the spout, the user is almost just as likely to flip the entire top off. This is annoying and my first experience with this top (on another Suave shampoo) resulted in the top coming off through sheer force of gravity and perhaps the best advice I might give is to hold the bottles by the bottom.

Inside the bottles is Mango Mandarin shampoo and it is a light pink/orange translucent gel. This shampoo has good leg and is refreshingly more viscous than watery. The scent is almost exclusively orange. In fact, there is almost no hint of mango in the aroma as the scent wafts out of the bottle. Mango Mandarin smells good in the bottle, but underwhelms in real-world experiences.

When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses poorly. I anticipated that in the shower, I would have orange or mango scented showers, rich in a citrus aroma, especially considering the bottle advertises a longer-lasting scent. No such luck. Instead, Mango Mandarin shampoo seemed almost scentless in the steam. Over the course of my two week trial, there was not a single time I opened the bottle to use the shampoo that it wowed me the way it did in the store.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Mango Mandarin shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Mango Mandarin, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 15 oz. bottle may easily last a full month to six weeks with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested.

As a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Mango Mandarin shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test.

I tend to like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. Given that the Mango Mandarin Shampoo seemed to smell like oranges in the stores, I was disappointed when it didn't live up in the shower with its rich scent. Once that happened, it was little surprise that it left no scent on my hair after it was rinsed out. Instead, it left my hair smelling neutral and like hair as opposed to anything else. This mostly just means I cannot smell my hair throughout the day to get any sort of energizing effect or be taken away in my mind to somewhere more pleasant.

Mango Mandarin Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Mango Mandarin is one of the few Suave shampoos that did not leave me at all impressed.

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Wild Cherry Blossom
Soothing Lavender Lilac
Suave Professionals Sleek
Suave Professionals Men Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo
Suave Professionals Almond + Shea Butter
Refreshing Waterfall Mist
Tropical Coconut
Fresh Mountain Strawberry
Ocean Breeze
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint

2/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Suave Cleans, But Fails To Impress, With Their Wild Cherry Blossom Shampoo!

The Good: Inexpensive, Intriguing scent, Cleans hair, Lathers well
The Bad: Scent does not endure, Packaging
The Basics: "Wild Cherry Blossom" shampoo works all right, but without a strong or enduring scent outside the bottle or on the hair.


Over the summer, while my wife and I were separated by our employment situations, we both picked up a lot of supplies that we are still making our way through now that we have consolidated our resources again. In the case of our shampoos, I was somewhat unsurprised that my wife picked up the Suave Naturals Wild Cherry Blossom shampoo. It seemed like something that, by its scent, would be right up her alley. I was, however, surprised when her family-sized bottle lasted into the new year.

After using it, I am far less surprised.

The Wild Cherry Blossom shampoo works adequately, but its scent is exceptionally weak outside the bottle and it does not endure on the hair for any noticeable length of time. As a result, it becomes a far less impressive shampoo than most of Suave’s other inexpensive shampoos.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $2.50 for a 22.5 (or 30, with the free bonus bottle!) fl. oz. bottle. Wild Cherry Blossom shampoo seems is a fairly standard scented shampoo for all hairs that does not seem to rely on gimmicks and is ideal for a staple shampoo. The 30 fl. oz. bottle is a cylindrical tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand, save that it is a bit bulky as it has a wider diameter than the traditional 15 fl. oz. bottle. The bottle is not contoured and does get slippery when wet. Indeed, the shape of the bottle might not necessarily be problematic save that when it is wet, there is very little friction on the bottle and it slips from one's hand quite easily.

Even more problematic is the lid. The lid is a standard flip-top lid and so long as the bottle is not wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. The issue, however, is that the top of the bottle is a pressure ring, not a screw on top. What this means is that when one applies pressure to the top to open the spout, the user is almost just as likely to flip the entire top off. This is annoying and my first experience with this problematic aspect involved carrying the bottles; the top came off of one though sheer force of gravity and perhaps the best advice I might give is to hold the bottles by the bottom.

Inside the bottles is Wild Cherry Blossom shampoo and it is a light pink translucent gel. This shampoo has little leg and is more watery than most shampoos. The scent is a powerful floral scent initially. The cherry blossom smells a lot like lilacs and is very subtle after the first moment. It then takes on a slight cherry scent, like an afterscent.

When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses reasonably well. However, the scent quickly dissipates in the steam and one is left without a strongly scented shower.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Wild Cherry Blossom shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up remarkably well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Wild Cherry Blossom, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 30 oz. bottle may easily last quite some time.

As a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Wild Cherry Blossom shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test.

I tend to like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. The Wild Cherry Blossom Shampoo smelled fairly strong coming out of the bottle, but in the steam and on the hair, the scent dissipates exceptionally quickly. More than that, after one’s hair is dry, it no longer smells like the fruit or flowers the scent had coming out of the bottle.

Wild Cherry Blossom Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Wild Cherry Blossom works fine as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair, but for those looking for a bold scent, actual moisturizing qualities, or something that will do more than simply strip away dirt and bothersome scents, this is not the shampoo for you, with or without its accompanying conditioner!

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Soothing Lavender Lilac
Suave Professionals Sleek
Suave Professionals Men Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo
Suave Professionals Almond + Shea Butter
Refreshing Waterfall Mist
Tropical Coconut
Fresh Mountain Strawberry
Ocean Breeze
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint

5/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please be sure to visit my Shampoo Index Page for an organized listing of them!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Aromatic And Pleasant, Suave Soothing Lavender Lilac Shampoo (Mostly) Works!

The Good: Wonderful floral scent, Easy to use, No residue left in hair, Inexpensive
The Bad: Minor bottle issue, Smell dissipates in hair fast
The Basics: Suave Soothing Lavender Lilac Shampoo is an inexpensive way to clean hair and give one a relaxing shower experience!


When it comes to shampoos, I tend to shake up my hair cleaning regimen about once a month in order to allow me to review more products and experiment with more experiences. My hair, generally, loves this because by changing one’s shampoo – especially between different brands – one’s hair usually does not get any build-up. Like shampoos cause build-up. So, shifting to a regular Suave Naturals shampoo from the more pricey shampoo I’d been using, I had reasonable expectations for the Suave Naturals Soothing Lavender Lilac shampoo.

Fortunately, those expectations were (largely) met.

My wife is more for the floral smells and I am more for the fruity ones when it comes to hair products, but Suave Soothing Lavender Lilac shampoo was so good, it made me a convert to flowers for the last month! I'll confess that I'm not well-versed in flower scents - I can tell pines from roses and roses from lilacs, but that's pretty much it! - but the pleasant scent of Suave Soothing Lavender Lilac was enough to make me enjoy the shower and if only that smell endured on the hair better, I would more enthusiastically recommend it.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.00 for a 15 fl. oz. bottle. Soothing Lavender Lilac shampoo seems is a fairly standard scented shampoo for all hairs that does not seem to rely on gimmicks and is not bad for a staple shampoo or a good one for those looking for a change of pace from fruit or neutral scented shampoos. The 15 fl. oz. bottle is a cylindrical tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand, sort of. The new bottle actually is not perfectly cylindrical, having instead two flatter spots on the sides, which aid the user in holding it. While not contoured, this does make the bottle easier to hold when it gets wet.

More problematic is the lid. The lid is a standard flip-top lid and so long as the bottle is not wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. The issue, however, is that the top of the bottle is a pressure ring, not a screw on top. What this means is that when one applies pressure to the top to open the spout, the user is almost just as likely to flip the entire top off. This is annoying and my first experience with this top (on another Suave shampoo) resulted in the top coming off through sheer force of gravity and perhaps the best advice I might give is to hold the bottles by the bottom. I did not have any problems with this with the Soothing Lavender Lilac shampoo, but it is worth noting there is the potential for disaster here.

Inside the bottles is Soothing Lavender Lilac shampoo and it is a light lilac-colored translucent gel. This shampoo has good leg and is refreshingly more viscous than watery. The scent is a very flowery scent that is the exact scent of lilacs. Having grown up in a city that has an annual lilac festival, I recognize the scent of lilacs and this shampoo has that scent. It lacks the spicier smell of lavender, except in the shower when interacting with the steam. For those looking for a strong scent in the shower, this lives up well. It does not, however, remain in the hair for much time afterward.

When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses wonderfully. I anticipated that in the shower, I would have lilac and lavender scented showers and the rich floral smell did fill the tub area and bathroom well, just by being opened and warmed up. Soothing Lavender Lilac shampoo effervesces well and prepares the user for a great cleaning experience. As well, it seems to have a potent-enough smell that it continues to burst forth with floral scent each time the bottle is opened.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Soothing Lavender Lilac shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Soothing Lavender Lilac, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 15 oz. bottle may easily last about six weeks with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested.

As a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Soothing Lavender Lilac shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test. Even so, what Soothing Lavender Lilac did so well was both cut through the grease and grime and build-up from the last shampoo I used. There was no need to rinse and reapply. On the first try, this shampoo got my hair completely clean. It was wonderful in that regard!

I tend to like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. Given that the Soothing Lavender Lilac Shampoo seemed to smell significantly like lilac initially in the bottle and in the shower, I was a little disappointed that the smell did not remain in my hair.

Soothing Lavender Lilac Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Soothing Lavender Lilac works fine as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair and those looking for a bold scent and a shampoo that strips away dirt and bothersome scents, this is the shampoo for you, with or without its accompanying conditioner! It is well worth picking up!

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Suave Professionals Sleek
Suave Professionals Men Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo
Suave Professionals Almond + Shea Butter
Refreshing Waterfall Mist
Tropical Coconut
Fresh Mountain Strawberry
Ocean Breeze
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint

7.5/10

For other health and beauty products, please check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

The Suave Professionals Product That Completely Fails To Clean: Sleek Shampoo Is Not Worth Buying!

The Good: No bad ingredients
The Bad: Not a decent or interesting scent, Does not clean . . . at all, Not the least expensive of the Suave shampoos.
The Basics: One of the worst shampoos I have ever used, Suave Professionals Sleek Shampoo only earns a point by not making one’s hair smell bad!


Shampoos have three essential components for me: price, aroma, and cleaning quality. Suave Professionals Sleek Shampoo falls down on all three fronts.

The meat of my review comes in this: after three weeks of using Suave Professionals Sleek Shampoo, my wife poked me and said, “Hun, have you washed your hair lately?” “Umm, yeah.” “No, I mean in the last few weeks.” “Yeah.” “New shampoo?” “Yes.” “Pan the hell out of it.” “Really?” “Yeah; it’s not working. Like, at all.”

The Sleek Shampoo is a little more expensive than the average Suave Shampoo. The 12.6 fl. oz, bottle is a little more expensive than the average Suave shampoo. This “adjective shampoo” does not smell like anything at all and it does not clean hair.

The Suave Professionals Sleek Shampoo is intended to be paired with the same brand's Sleek conditioner, but given neither work particularly well, it is not worth going through the trouble to synergize them.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and Shampoos into the professional haircare market where they are trying to compete with shampoos and Shampoos from the likes of Matrix. With Sleek Shampoo, the brand is on shaky footing. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave Professionals shampoos and Shampoos may be found on sale for $1.50 - $1.99 for a 12.6 fl. oz. bottle. The Sleek Shampoo has an indistinct, vaguely medicinal, watery scent. That scent dissipates after about fifteen minutes after using. The 12.6 fl. oz. bottle is a flat tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand. While it gets slippery when wet, it is easy enough to hold onto because of the flattened sides.

Inside the bottle is Sleek Shampoo and it is a pearlescent white colored fluid that is about the same consistency as liquid dish soap. It .has a fair lathering quality, but requires a little more to use to go through a whole head of hair.

When it comes to use, this is a simple Shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense about a quart-sized dollop into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Sleek Shampoo requires a decent-sized dollop to get a lather going in a full head of hair. I have better than shoulder-length hair and it takes approximately a quarter to half-dollar-sized blob of shampoo to make it stretch through my mane. While it lathers fine, it does not actually clean hair well at all.

Suave Professionals’ Sleek Shampoo does not clean, does not condition, and does not make hair smell distinct or good. All it has going for it is that it does not make one’s hair smell worse after using. That, sadly, is not enough to make it even worth trying, though.

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Suave Professionals Men Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo
Suave Professionals Almond + Shea Butter
Refreshing Waterfall Mist
Tropical Coconut
Fresh Mountain Strawberry
Ocean Breeze
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint

1/10

For more haircare reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Exceptional Cleaning Power And A (Mostly) True Scent Make Suave Professionals (For) Men Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo A Must-Buy!

The Good: Inexpensive, Great scent, Wonderful cleaning power, Good ingredients.
The Bad: Slight interference in the scent that prevents it from being completely true, No accompanying conditioner!
The Basics: A wonderful shampoo, Suave Professionals Men Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo is well worth buying!


I am, I am certain it is obvious to my regular readers, a cheapskate when it comes to health and beauty products. I want to look clean (good is really dependent upon the day!) and as a result, I tend to gravitate toward brands like Suave and VO5. Lately, I’ve been enjoying exploring new products and scents a little bit more, so I’m willing to pay a little bit more to try some of the new, premium, products from the inexpensive brands. One of the ones I was most eager for was the Suave Professionals Men Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo.

Since moving to Michigan, I have needed to work to keep my hair clean; unpacking boxes and the moving truck is seriously sweaty work and Myah has been enjoying exploring the nearby pine forest, so sap in hair has become a real syndrome for me! And yet, switching to Suave Professionals Men Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo has actually, genuinely (unfathomably!) kept my hair clean. Despite the increased physical role and environmental changes, Suave Professionals Men' Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo has come through to keep my hair clean, manageable and smelling great!

Deep Clean Peppermint shampoo by Suave Professionals Men has effectively wowed me. Truth be told, I was prepared to be wowed when I first opened the bottle and the shampoo smelled so good and, as far as useage, I was thrilled with it from the first use when it cut through sweat and grease in my hair and replaced it with clean hair (and scalp) that smelled great. This shampoo is inexpensive, smells wonderful, leaves no residue and leaves my hair clean and light. It is one of the best shampoos I have ever used and it makes it very easy to recommend it.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners and has been entering new shampoos to the market in their "Suave Professionals Men" line, which is intended to compete with higher priced shampoos that use all-natural ingredients. In most markets in the United States, Suave Professionals Men shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.99 - $2.49 for a 12.6 fl. oz. bottle. Deep Clean Peppermint shampoo is one of the first outings in the Suave Professionals Men line which explicitly tries to compete with American Crew (which, believe it or not, I had never heard of until I picked up this bottle). The 12.6 fl. oz. bottle is a flattened tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand. Because it is not contoured extensively, the bottle gets slippery when wet. Even so, the bottle is very stable when one gets down to the last of its contents, it is quite easy to get the rest of the product out of the bottle.

The lid is a standard flip-top lid and even when the bottle is wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. Despite the fact that Suave's Deep Clean Peppermint shampoo uses a pressure ring to hold the cap on, there is little chance of flipping the whole cap off the bottle. As a result, Deep Clean Peppermint is easy to dispense and store with little waste or risk of accidents.

Inside the bottle is the Deep Clean Peppermint shampoo and it is a completely translucent gel. This shampoo has good leg and is more viscous than watery. The scent is an intriguing scent which is exactly what the shampoo promises it to be. This smells like peppermint. However, the more I used it, the more I noticed an additional scent in the smell palate and it reminded me of a cologne. That muskier scent prevents the shampoo from being a true, perfect, peppermint scent and while it is not bad, it is distracting to me as a lover of pure mint.

When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses exceptionally well. Thus, in the shower, one has showers that smell of a peppermint factory. The scent is very rich, classic and clear!

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Deep Clean Peppermint shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up remarkably well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Deep Clean Peppermint, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 14.5 oz. bottle may easily last a full month with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested and a pleasure to use.

And, quite simply, as a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Deep Clean Peppermint shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test.

I tend to like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. Given that, Deep Clean Peppermint shampoo was a pleasant surprise. My hair comes out light and manageable and after twenty hours, both my wife and I were able to find the scent still lingering there (though not when I was unpacking the Uhaul in the sun!). My hair was not weighed down with any grease or residue and the scent was not at all overbearing, but my hair had the faint peppermint scent and was quite clean.

Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is, alas, NOT a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Deep Clean Peppermint works fine as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair and it leaves a bold scent in the hair, even if one needs to stick their nose right in to get it. On the plus side, with hair this clean, it is hard not to want to stick your nose right in!

For those looking for an affordable option with professional results, Suave Professionals Men provides with their Deep Clean Peppermint Shampoo, which smells strongly of mint and lightly of a masculine cologne.

For other mint-scented personal cleaners, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Suave Limited Edition Peppermint Shimmer Body Wash
Bath & Body Works Sassy Strawberry Mint 3-in-1
VO5 Vanilla Mint Tea Shampoo

8.5/10

For other haircare products, please check out my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Worthwhile, But Not Superlative, Suave Professionals’ Almond + Shea Butter Shampoo Is Fine.

The Good: Inexpensive, Good cleaning power, Good ingredients.
The Bad: Utterly indistinct scent
The Basics: A good, inexpensive, shampoo, Suave Professionals could have made their Almond + Shea Butter shampoo more memorable.


I have a deep love of hair products that either thrill me with their scent or have a distinctive scent memory associated with them. That makes my reviews of them somewhat more subjective than most, but given how scent is what most people are buying in a shampoo, it also provides a decent statement on a shampoo to consider the impact of the shampoo’s aroma. Sadly for Suave Professionals’ Almond + Shea Butter shampoo, there is no impact. In fact, this is one of the most mundane shampoos – in an olfactory sense - that I have ever encountered. Fortunately, it makes up for it with pretty amazing cleaning power.

My monthly haircare experiment for last month was using the Suave professionals Almond + Shea Butter Shampoo and that experiment was a great success. As my life has become more active with work, time at the beach (lots of sun!) and showers to beat the heat, Suave Professionals' Almond + Shea Butter Shampoo has come through to keep my hair clean, manageable and smelling great! Especially as summer makes everything in life that much more difficult, who could truly ask for more?

After three weeks of use, Almond + Shea Butter shampoo by impressed me with its cleaning power, but not its scent. This shampoo is inexpensive, leaves no residue and leaves my hair clean and light, but does so without having much of an aroma. Outside that, it is one of the better shampoos I have used and it makes it very easy to recommend it.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners and has been entering new shampoos to the market in their "Suave Professionals" line, which is intended to compete with higher priced shampoos that use all-natural ingredients. In most markets in the United States, Suave Professionals shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.49 - $1.99 for a 14.5 fl. oz. bottle. Almond + Shea Butter shampoo is one of the first outings in the Suave Professionals line which explicitly tries to compete with Aveda. The 14.5 fl. oz. bottle is a flattened tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand. Because it is not contoured extensively, the bottle gets slippery when wet. Even so, the bottle is very stable when one gets down to the last of its contents, it is quite easy to get the rest of the product out of the bottle.

The lid is a standard flip-top lid and even when the bottle is wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. Despite the fact that Suave's Almond + Shea Butter shampoo uses a pressure ring to hold the cap on, there is little chance of flipping the whole cap off the bottle. As a result, Almond + Shea Butter is easy to dispense and store with little waste or risk of accidents.

Inside the bottle is the Almond + Shea Butter shampoo and it is a slightly pale white, opaque gel. This shampoo has good leg and is more viscous than watery. The scent is vague and it does smell faintly of almonds. Actually, it smells like slightly warmed almond butter and the scent is light and otherwise indescribable. When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses quickly. As a result, it is a weak smell that quickly becomes no smell. This does not leave a scent in the hair after it is rinsed out, even when used in conjunction with its accompanying conditioner.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Almond + Shea Butter shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up remarkably well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Almond + Shea Butter, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 32 oz. bottle lasted my wife and I a month and a half with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested and a pleasure to use.

And, quite simply, as a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Almond + Shea Butter shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test. My hair was not weighed down with any grease or residue and the scent was not at all overbearing, but my hair had the faint ocean scent and was quite clean.

Almond + Shea Butter Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Almond + Shea Butter works fine as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair, but that is all.

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Refreshing Waterfall Mist
Tropical Coconut
Fresh Mountain Strawberry
Ocean Breeze
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint


7/10

For other haircare products, please check out my index page!

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

Suave "Refreshing Waterfall Mist" Is An Average Shampoo!

The Good: Inexpensive, Intriguing scent, Cleans hair, Lathers well
The Bad: Scent does not endure, Packaging
The Basics: "Refreshing Waterfall Mist" is an adequate shampoo, but it is not one that lights the world on fire or especially inspires one to buy it.


About two weeks ago, I actually had a few extra dollars, shampoos and conditioners were on sale and I had my first proper haircut in fifteen years, so I felt inspired to take care of my hair. I bought a whole bunch of inexpensive hair care products to use and review and it wasn't until I got them home and began to use them that I came to realize I had gotten Suave products, not the usually similarly priced VO5 ones!

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.00 for a 15 fl. oz. bottle. Refreshing Waterfall Mist shampoo seems is a fairly standard scented shampoo for all hairs that does not seem to rely on gimmicks and is ideal for a staple shampoo. Technically, this listing is for a four-pack of this shampoo; the content of the bottles is identical and often there is little price savings on the bulk pack. The 15 fl. oz. bottle is a cylindrical tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand, sort of. The bottle is not contoured and does get slippery when wet. Indeed, the shape of the bottle might not necessarily be problematic save that when it is wet, there is very little friction on the bottle and it slips from one's hand quite easily.

Even more problematic is the lid. The lid is a standard flip-top lid and so long as the bottle is not wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. The issue, however, is that the top of the bottle is a pressure ring, not a screw on top. What this means is that when one applies pressure to the top to open the spout, the user is almost just as likely to flip the entire top off. This is annoying and my first experience with this problematic aspect involved carrying the bottles; the top came off of one though sheer force of gravity and perhaps the best advice I might give is to hold the bottles by the bottom.

Inside the bottles is Refreshing Waterfall Mist shampoo and it is a light blue translucent gel. This shampoo has good leg and is refreshingly more viscous than watery. The scent is an intriguing sea scent. "Waterfall" is actually a fair name for this scent as this has the scent of water. The best way to describe the scent is that this smells like everything after one surfaces from swimming in a clear freshwater body. The scent is like having the concentrated smell of water up one's nose.

When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses reasonably well. Thus, in the shower, one has water scented showers, which seems somewhat redundant. The point, I suppose is that this is supposed to make one feel clean. It works on that level.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Refreshing Waterfall Mist shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up remarkably well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Refreshing Waterfall Mist, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 15 oz. bottle may easily last a full month to six weeks with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested and a pleasure to use.

And, quite simply, as a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Refreshing Waterfall Mist shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test.

I tend to like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. Given that the Refreshing Waterfall Mist Shampoo barely smelled like anything outside water to begin with, it was little surprise that it left no scent on my hair after it was rinsed out. To be fair, the shampoo adequately cleaned the hair such that other scents were eliminated, but it did not leave anything remotely scented in terms of bouquet behind. So, it being winter as I write this, my hair is often subjected to smoke from the wood stove I use to heat my house. It takes on the faint aura of smoke if it is not washed for a day. The Refreshing Waterfall Mist shampoo removed the smoke smell just fine. But it left my hair smelling neutral and like hair as opposed to anything else. This mostly just means I cannot smell my hair throughout the day to get any sort of energizing effect or be taken away in my mind to somewhere more pleasant.

Refreshing Waterfall Mist Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Refreshing Waterfall Mist works fine as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair, but for those looking for a bold scent, actual moisturizing qualities, or something that will do more than simply strip away dirt and bothersome scents, this is not the shampoo for you, with or without its accompanying conditioner!

A coin-toss ultimately determined that I would not recommend this very average product.

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Tropical Coconut
Fresh Mountain Strawberry
Ocean Breeze
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint

5/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please be sure to visit my index page here for an organized listing of them!

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

Simplicity In Good-Smelling Shampoo: Suave's Tropical Coconut 22.5 oz!

The Good: Inexpensive, Intriguing scent that lasts, Cleans hair, Lathers well
The Bad: Packaging
The Basics: A perfectly good shampoo, in a decent size and price, Tropical Coconut leaves hair looking and smelling clean!


I'll be very straightforward about my opinions on virtually all hair care products; I don't want my hair to smell bad and I want to put minimal effort into getting my hair clean. I don't want to spend all day on cleaning my hair and I don't want to spend a fortune on it. There are days I just wash and go; I don't even brush through my hair and I have pretty long hair. I'm not into spending all my life cleaning or looking like I am headed out to a movie premiere every night. So, if you're huge into style and form, I might not be the voice for reviewing shampoos you want. If you're into function, I'm all about what works and not so much the flash.

That's probably why I gravitate toward Suave shampoos, like their Tropical Coconut scented one. It's easy to use, inexpensive and it works without me having to take any extra steps, go through any magical processes or even think about what I am doing. This is the plug and play, the point and shoot of hair care products.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.50 for a 22.5 fl. oz. bottle. Tropical Coconut shampoo is a well-scented scented shampoo for all hairs that appeals to those who want their hair smelling slightly fruity. The 22.5 fl. oz. bottle is a cylindrical tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand, sort of. The bottle is not contoured and does get slippery when wet. Indeed, the shape of the bottle might not necessarily be problematic save that when it is wet, there is very little friction on the bottle and it slips from one's hand quite easily.

Even more problematic is the lid. The lid is a standard flip-top lid and so long as the bottle is not wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. The issue, however, is that the top of the bottle is a pressure ring, not a screw on top. What this means is that when one applies pressure to the top to open the spout, the user is almost just as likely to flip the entire top off. This is annoying and my first experience with this problematic aspect involved carrying the bottles; the top came off of one though sheer force of gravity and perhaps the best advice I might give is to hold the bottles by the bottom.

Inside the bottles is Tropical Coconut shampoo and it is a light white, pearlescent mostly opaque gel. This shampoo has good leg and is refreshingly more viscous than watery. The scent is an intriguing and authentic scent of coconuts. Suave Tropical Coconut smells precisely like a freshly split coconut warmed by the sun. The scent encompasses the user and infuses the hair with the fresh, coconut smell.

When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses reasonably well. Actually, in the steam and heat of my showers, this smells almost identical to Celestial Seasonings' Sweet Coconut Thai tea (reviewed here!). And that's a wonderful thing!

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Tropical Coconut shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up remarkably well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Tropical Coconut, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 22.5 oz. bottle may easily last six weeks to two months with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested and a pleasure to use.

And, quite simply, as a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Tropical Coconut shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test.

I tend to like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. Given that the Tropical Coconut shampoo is a very appealing scent to me, I was pleased to find that the scent did not rinse out of my hair. Throughout the day, I can smell my hair and find the scent of the Tropical Coconut shampoo still on it and I've found it there up to eight hours after a shower. The scent is an energizing one (I have fond memories of some things with a coconut smell!) and that it endures is a wonderful selling point for people who like that!

Tropical Coconut Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Tropical Coconut works wonderfully as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair, but for those looking for actual moisturizing qualities or something that will do more than simply strip away dirt and bothersome scents, this is not the shampoo for you, with or without its accompanying conditioner!

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Fresh Mountain Strawberry
Ocean Breeze
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint

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.
| | |

Remarkably Average, Suave Fresh Mountain Strawberry Shampoo Cleans And Nothing More.

The Good: Cleans hair, Lathers well/rinses out, Inexpensive
The Bad: Scent is a little off, packaging.
The Basics: Despite problems with the initial scent and the failure for the smell to linger on the hair, Suave's Fresh Mountain Strawberry shampoo actually cleans hair wonderfully!


It is hard not to like Suave shampoos; they tend to be relatively inexpensive and they do the job they set out to do. Suave is not known for making hair care products that light the world on fire, but they do make wonderful products that actually clean where they claim to clean and leave hair feeling fresh and manageable. I have a pretty great love of all things strawberry, so when I discovered Suave's Fresh Mountain Strawberry shampoo, it was one I picked up without so much as smelling it. I had faith.

Unfortunately, that faith has been somewhat undermined.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.00 for a 15 fl. oz. bottle. Fresh Mountain Strawberry shampoo is a scented shampoo for all hairs that appeals to those who want their hair smelling slightly fruity, unfortunately, the scent is a little off. The 15 fl. oz. bottle is a cylindrical tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand, save that it is not contoured and does get slippery when wet. Indeed, the shape of the bottle might not necessarily be problematic save that when it is wet, there is very little friction on the bottle and it slips from one's hand quite easily.

Even more problematic is the lid. The lid is a standard flip-top lid and so long as the bottle is not wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. The issue, however, is that the top of the bottle is a pressure ring, not a screw on top. What this means is that when one applies pressure to the top to open the spout, the user is almost just as likely to flip the entire top off. This is annoying and my first experience with Suave's new shampoos led to an incident where the top came off of one the bottles through sheer force of gravity and perhaps the best advice I might give is to hold the bottles by the bottom.

Inside the bottles is Fresh Mountain Strawberry shampoo and it is a light red, almost pink, translucent gel. This shampoo has almost no leg and it seems more watery than viscous. Strangely, this does seem to be a more fluid shampoo than many of the other Suave products I've tried.

The scent is also problematic as it has a somewhat alchoholy - almost medicinal - scent to it. Unlike the VO5 Strawberries And Cream Shampoo, Suave Fresh Mountain Strawberry smells less like strawberries and more like . . . well, sweetened chemicals. Out of the bottle, the smell of the Fresh Mountain Strawberry is actually somewhat nauseating.

What saves this shampoo is that the scent becomes very strawberry scented when in the shower. When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses reasonably well. In the steam and heat of my showers, this scent is properly reminiscent of strawberries and it makes the bathroom smell delightful.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Fresh Mountain Strawberry shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up remarkably well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Fresh Mountain Strawberry, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Suave products seem to be quite good at that and in this way, Fresh Mountain Strawberry does not disappoint. Used judiciously thus, the 15 oz. bottle may easily last a full month to six weeks with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested and a pleasure to use.

And, quite simply, as a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Fresh Mountain Strawberry shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test.

I like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. Given that the Fresh Mountain Strawberry shampoo is strawberry and therefore a scent I am biased toward to begin with, I was somewhat disappointed to discover the scent washed right out. Getting over the initial chemical scent to have patience to discover the strawberry scent in the shower was one thing, but to then not have the scent linger on my hair is disappointing. I have a lot of fond memories with strawberry-scented things and this shampoo is not likely to be adding to that.

Fresh Mountain Strawberry Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Fresh Mountain Strawberry works wonderfully as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair, but for those looking for actual moisturizing qualities or something that will do more than simply strip away dirt and bothersome scents, this is not the shampoo for you, with or without its accompanying conditioner!

This is a perfectly average shampoo.

For other Suave shampoo reviews, please visit my takes on:
Ocean Breeze
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint

5/10

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.
| | |

Suave's Ocean Breeze Shampoo: A Great Scent, An Inexpensive Price, And It Cleans Hair!

The Good: Inexpensive, Cleans, Good scent, Lathers well, Washes out fully
The Bad: No conditioning properties
The Basics: One of the few perfect shampoos I have so far encountered, Suave's Ocean Breeze shampoo cleans hair well, leaving a mild scent, for a very low price!


It is a rare thing for me to find a shampoo that I can afford that I also will eagerly recommend to readers based on all of the factors I look for in a hair care product. I want a shampoo that smells good, leaves a subtle but enjoyable scent that endures for hours, actually cleans hair without leaving any sort of residue and is affordable. That near-impossible set of conditions for me often leaves me feeling disappointed or, at least, underwhelmed. Suave, which is found equally inexpensively often enough, has yet to wow me in a similar way. Until today.

After a week and a half's use, Ocean Breeze shampoo by Suave has effectively wowed me. It is inexpensive, smells wonderful, leaves no residue and leaves my hair clean and light. It is one of the best shampoos I have ever used and it makes it very easy to recommend it.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.00 for a 15 fl. oz. bottle. Ocean Breeze shampoo seems is a fairly standard scented shampoo for all hairs that does not seem to rely on gimmicks and is ideal for a staple shampoo. The 15 fl. oz. bottle is a cylindrical tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand. Because it is not contoured extensively, the bottle gets slippery when wet. However, Suave has recently changed the shape of their bottles from a pure cylinder to one that has a flat side and that helps to eliminate slippage.

The lid is a standard flip-top lid and even when the bottle is wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. Despite the fact that Suave's Ocean Breeze shampoo uses a pressure ring to hold the cap on, there is little chance of flipping the whole cap off the bottle. As a result, Ocean Breeze is easy to dispense and store with little waste or risk of accidents.

Inside the bottle is Ocean Breeze shampoo and it is a blue-green translucent gel. This shampoo has good leg and is more viscous than watery. The scent is an intriguing scent which is virtually impossible to define. After all, "Ocean Breeze:" that's the scent of air and water! Ocean Breeze is, however, a fair title for the shampoo as it smells not floral, but the memory of it. There is a hint of the salty sea in the scent, but it is the last whiff of the sea scent as it is blowing away. As a result, Ocean Breeze smells fresh and watery, but more clean than briny. The scent is one that it is easy to cop out and suggest simply smells "clean" and it does, but there is a faintly floral afterscent and on the skin and hair Ocean Breeze smells clean and subtly floral.

When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses reasonably well. Thus, in the shower, one has showers that smell of the oceanside (minus the rotting sea creatures and kelp that might have washed ashore), which is absolutely delightful. The point is to make one feel clean and Ocean Breeze works on that level.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Ocean Breeze shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up remarkably well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Ocean Breeze, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 15 oz. bottle may easily last a full month to six weeks with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested and a pleasure to use.

And, quite simply, as a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Ocean Breeze shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test.

I tend to like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. Given that, Ocean Breeze shampoo was a pleasant surprise. My hair comes out light and manageable and after twenty hours, both my partner and I were able to find the scent still lingering there. My hair was not weighed down with any grease or residue and the scent was not at all overbearing, but my hair had the faint ocean scent and was quite clean.

Ocean Breeze Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Ocean Breeze works fine as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair, but for those looking for a bold scent or something that will do more than simply strip away dirt and bothersome scents, this is not the shampoo for you, with or without its accompanying conditioner!

But for those of us looking for manageable, clean hair with a good, simple scent to it after washing. Well, this is one of the gold standards!

For other Suave shampoos reviewed by me, please check out:
Juicy Green Apple
Orchid Petal
Rosemary Mint (Suave Professionals line)

10/10

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

© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

An Apple A Day Could Keep Build-up Away, If Juicy Green Apple Shampoo Was Better...

The Good: Inexpensive, New bottle, Cleans hair, Lathers well
The Bad: Scent does not endure, Faint smell
The Basics: Adequate at cleaning hair, Juicy Green Apple shampoo falls down terribly on the scent front, making for a less memorable shampoo.


I have recently discovered that I have certain conditions under which I expect more of a shampoo than simply cleaning my hair. It was not an intentional divergence from my previous standards, but I have found that I do enjoy being able to smell my hair and smell a scent on it that is intriguing and different as opposed to the same, old, bland hair or neutral smell. So, as autumn rapidly arrives to the northeast, I thought it might be fun to pick up some of Suave's Juicy Green Apple shampoo. After all, apples in my area of New York are common and I suppose I thought that it might make me feel a little more connected to the world than I have been. This was not a bad theory.

Unfortunately, Juicy Green Apple is just not that kind of shampoo. Not quite living up to the standards from Suave like the Orchid Petal or the Suave Professionals Rosemary Mint shampoos, Juicy Green Apple is a bit of a disappointment. Quite adequate at cleaning - my basic criteria for a shampoo - Juicy Green Apple has a scent that dissipates in the shower and never quite seems to come back. It certainly does not linger long enough on the hair to satisfy those who find themselves looking for an olfactory escape in the mid-afternoon.

Suave has been expanding its line of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. In virtually every market in the United States, Suave shampoos and conditioners may be found on sale for $1.00 for a 15 fl. oz. bottle. Juicy Green Apple shampoo seems is a fairly standard scented shampoo for all hairs that does not seem to rely on gimmicks and is not bad for a staple shampoo. The 15 fl. oz. bottle is a cylindrical tube bottle with a flip-top lid that is easy enough to open with one hand, sort of. The new bottle actually is not perfectly cylindrical, having instead two flatter spots on the sides, which aid the user in holding it. While not contoured, this does make the bottle easier to hold when it gets wet.

More problematic is the lid. The lid is a standard flip-top lid and so long as the bottle is not wet, there ought to be no problem with using one's thumb to flip the top. The issue, however, is that the top of the bottle is a pressure ring, not a screw on top. What this means is that when one applies pressure to the top to open the spout, the user is almost just as likely to flip the entire top off. This is annoying and my first experience with this top (on another Suave shampoo) resulted in the top coming off through sheer force of gravity and perhaps the best advice I might give is to hold the bottles by the bottom.

Inside the bottles is Juicy Green Apple shampoo and it is a light green translucent gel. This shampoo has good leg and is refreshingly more viscous than watery. The scent is a strangely pungent apple smell. In fact, one of the key selling points for me was that in the store, it seemed like this would be a powerfully-scented shampoo which would satisfy me both in the shower and well afterward. Alas, though, Juicy Green Apple smells good in the bottle, but flops in real-world experiences.

When in the shower and one's nostrils are opened by the steam (I tend to like very hot showers) this shampoo diffuses poorly. I anticipated that in the shower, I would have apple scented showers, rich in the aroma of apples, filling my bathroom. No such luck. Instead, Juicy Green Apple shampoo seemed almost scentless in the steam. Over the course of my two week trial, there was not a single time I opened the bottle to use the shampoo that it wowed me the way it did in the store.

When it comes to use, this is a simple shampoo and one need only flip the lid and dispense a small amount into the palm of the hand before applying it to the hair. The Juicy Green Apple shampoo requires only about a quarter-sized dollop to clean a full head of hair. This lathered up well, which meant I could get away with using less of it. I have long hair and as a result, shampoo can be an annoying expense when the shampoo I am using does not lather up and clean well.

In the case of the Juicy Green Apple, it lathers up wonderfully, such that a quarter-sized dollop can easily stretch to coat a very full head of hair, like mine. Used judiciously thus, the 15 oz. bottle may easily last a full month to six weeks with daily hair washings. This makes its value a little greater than some shampoos I've recently tested.

As a shampoo, it works. Hair comes out looking and feeling cleaner after its use than before. I think the most objective test for a shampoo is to see if hair is cleaner using the shampoo vs. rinsing your hair with water alone and for the basic functioning of a shampoo the Juicy Green Apple shampoo lived up to that basic litmus test.

I tend to like shampoos that leave my hair smelling delightful, like whatever scent they have lured me in with. Given that the Juicy Green Apple Shampoo seemed to smell significantly like apple in the stores, I was disappointed when it didn't live up in the shower with its rich scent. Once that happened, it was little surprise that it left no scent on my hair after it was rinsed out. To be fair, the shampoo adequately cleaned the hair such that other scents were eliminated, but it did not leave anything remotely scented in terms of apple bouquet behind. So, as I enter autumn and might like scented hair - especially before I start using the wood stove, which will leave a smoky smell around - I find myself somewhat disappointed by the Juicy Green Apple. Instead, it left my hair smelling neutral and like hair as opposed to anything else. This mostly just means I cannot smell my hair throughout the day to get any sort of energizing effect or be taken away in my mind to somewhere more pleasant.

Juicy Green Apple Shampoo has no discernible conditioning properties. There is a separate conditioner that has the same scent. As it stands, Juicy Green Apple works fine as a day to day shampoo that will clean your hair, but for those looking for a bold scent, actual moisturizing qualities, or something that will do more than simply strip away dirt and bothersome scents, this is not the shampoo for you, with or without its accompanying conditioner!

For other shampoo reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Bigelow Mentha Hair Mint shampoo
VO5 Blackberry Sage Shampoo

4/10

For other health and beauty product reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2010, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |