Many years ago, I came across a glossy shiny hair hack that made you use a bottle of beer to rinse out your hair. It also made me try a hair hack that said mayo was good as a conditioner as it has similar properties and rinse with that beer to remove the excessive oiliness and smell. Of course, I was too young to purchase a can of beer just to wash my hair with and I had mayo smelling hair for a day.
So ultimately, I was excited to use this malted barley haircare line to test it out! My hair has been in dire need of some hydration and the weather just dries out my hair faster than normal.
I redeemed this free samples from the Sample Store. (If you haven't read my previous article on how to save some coin when doing haircare reviews, click here!) This product is cruelty free and vegan and made in the USA. At first glance, the contents in the shampoo bottle looked like they had the foam at the top just like carbonated beer has, while the conditioner as the all foam/yeast looking content.
Here are the ingredients which I managed to get online as the samples did not list the ingredients on it. (extracted from Sample Store's website)
*Disclaimer for those who do not wish to consume or use beer infused products, this line does contain beer as part of their ingredients to formulate the products.
Description
Our ultra-performing, “thickening mixology” taps barley protein to bodify, amplify and volumize. Infused with extracts of Aloe leaf, to soothe. Topped with caffeine to stimulate the scalp, and wake up those follicles! THICKENING conditioner takes a shot of our natural alternative to silicone, for effortless detangling, and weightless gloss The Scent? Our intoxicating Citrus Crème 100% natural scent smells awesome, not like beer! We promise. Natural notes of Orange, Grapefruit, and Vanilla Cream pH-balanced, Color-Safe, Vegan, No animal testing How to use: Shake Well, Pour, Lather, Rinse, For maximum results, use with Thickening Conditioner, Ingredients: Beer, Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Capryloyl/Caproyl Methyl Glucamide, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba (GUAR) Gum, Hydrolyzed Barley Protein, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium PCA, Glycol Distearate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, *Fragrance. (*100% Natural Fragrance) Suitable for: Anyone Target age: 18 & Above Where to buy: Guardian, Redmart, AmazonPrime, Website: http://aussiehealth.com.sg/
Other informations: no sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates no parabens no phthalates no silicones no dyes no artificial fragrance no harsh preservatives no phenoxyethanol no PEGs no DEAs, MEAs, TEAs no dioxane no polyquaterniums
First Impression
When I first started using the product my hair was in such a frizzy dry state and it was the perfect situation to see if the product would give me silkier hair to the touch and sight.
The Thickening Shampoo was very liquidy, however I did only use appx 1/4 of the product from the bottle to lather onto my scalp and hair. I would say that this sample given would last me for about 3 washes in total. The scent of it was as they mentioned, citrusy and fresh. The application and the scent of it reminded me of another shampoo with similar consistency, but I can't seem to place a finger on which product it was similar smelling to. It gave a very light lather and was easy to work onto my scalp and hair.
After rinsing off the shampoo, I then proceeded to apply the conditioner, which had a very thick consistency and it looked like bread dough left to rise to let the yeast ferment. It even had those air pockets that made it seem like it. It had a very light Chai Tea Latte colour to it and the scent of it was the same as the shampoo, citrusy and fresh.
I let it sit for about 3mins before rinsing it off under warm water and then let my hair towel dry before air drying it. It had a good scent that lingered after washing. I didn't apply any hair serum after this to allow myself to see how the product faired without the use of any frizz serum or gloss serum after the wash.
So the images from left to right. The day after hair wash. The 3rd Day. End of 3rd Day.
As you can see, the product did do some volumising to my hair and it did feel silkier to the touch and sight for those 48hrs. However the weather here in Singapore isn't very forgiving and dried the ends of my hair out fairly quick and made it really frizzy. I wouldn't put the blame of the frizziness on the shampoo since frizz is a factor for static in hair. Next time I'll use the product, I'll probably use a frizz serum after to control the static in my hair since I do incorporate a silky/frizz serum daily onto my hair.
Second Impression
I tried the shampoo and conditioner the same week after that and used my favourite Ellips Hair Vitamin serum on my hair after it had air dried. I used this product as I know how the product works and would like to see how it complemented with the shampoo and conditioner. Prior to the application of the hair serum, my hair felt really soft and smooth near the scalp, however the ends approximately the last 10cm of my hair was still frizzy.
I let the serum set into my hair while in a bun for a little bit before seeing the results. I would say that my hair definitely felt more softer and the curls more defined and the ends less dry. I feel that this product is definitely something unique using beer as an ingredient for silkier hair, and it does have that soft silky touch to it after the hairwash. However if you do have frizzy hair or ends like mine, a smooth serum will help you with that.
Juice Box Summary
1. Moisturising: 3/5
2. Affordability: 3/5
3. Endurance in Humidity: 3/5
4. Efficacy: 3/5
Avg Juice Box Rating: 3/5