2017 Quarter One Empties - Hair Care - Yes To, DGJ Organics, Superdrug, 7th Heaven, Batiste

So, if anyone read my life update in January, you'll know things were a little chaotic at the end of last year/start of this year. I haven't done empties since November, December and early January don't count because of Christmas and travel, so I've been collecting these since the start of January. The only sensible thing to do seemed to be to split them down into categories and hair care was the smallest so I decided to start with it.

Not crazy big or scary. Anyone that's been here for a while might recognise one or two of these from my 17 by 2017 project, which sadly got scrapped when the boiler died in my old flat. 

So we have the Yes to Blueberries Shampoo and Conditioner (full review here) which I loved, and sadly Boots now only stock online in the UK. They smell great, don't irritate my scalp and sort my hair out. I'll definetly buy them again. Having to order online and collect in store is a pain in the bum but, in all honesty, I really think they're worth it.

DGJ Orangics Hair Juice Shampoo and Conditioner. I didn't love these as much as the Yes To Blueberries ones but they're still pretty nice. Again, zero scalp irritation and worked fine with my crazy hair. The smell is to die for though. I never thought I would like melon scented shampoo, that sounds kind of gross I think about it, but it was so nice. Thinking about it again (I finished these over a month ago) makes me really want to re-order it. Bad Kirstie, Bad. I have three or four shampoo and conditioner sets in my stash right now, and thats not including whats in my bathroom so I need to get through them before I re-purchase anything.

Onto masques and treatments (and the photo had to be blurry!!). On the left is the Superdrugs Coconut Water and Coconut Oil Masque, it's the only other product in this particular post I've done a dedicated review on (here). I really like this, its more like a thick conditioner than what I expect a masque to be, and it leaves my hair really soft and shiny. I've already re-purchased it and am half way through that one. Also because it's not so masque-like its really easy to wash out, meaning I can use it during the week and not have to stress about it taking seven rinses and an extra 23 minutes to wash my hair. 

So, want to know something funny, this is the second time I've typed up this next bit. Blogger thought it would be hilarious to not save, despite me hammering the save button about twenty times. So, I'm sorry if it sames extra sassy and angry but I worked two hours overtime, had salad for dinner and took the time to actually spell check the original post, only for my hard work to disappear off into the ether. 

And then we have this little stinker. And by stinker I mean it literally stinks. It has the same strong fake powdery honey sent of a Lemon & Honey Lemsip, and that smell does not bring back good memories (because who wants their hair to smell strongly of "my nose is snotty, I'm coughing and my ears need to pop so badly they hurt" medicine. I don't like it, it didn't do much for my hair and I wouldn't repurchase or recommend it.

So now we have an *shrug* product, something I hated with a passion and dry shampoo. If its OK with you I'll skip the Batiste as everyone knows what it is and what it does. It's that magic in a bottle that gives me an extra 20 minutes in bed some morning, if I don't mind a slightly irritated scalp for the rest of the day.

Pantene Aqua Light Something Spray, I've binned the bottle already. I got this out the Poundshop a couple of years ago and it didn't do very much for my hair so it just hung about in my collection. I don't really know what else to say, it didn't do a lot, but it smelled nice, There we go, lets be positive here.

And last, and also least, we have the DGJ Organics Argan Oil. Smelled OK but weighed my hair down more than I thought was possible. It also felt sticky and I had to wash my hands after using it. Normally with hair oil I'm wet, my hairs wet and I'm wearing a wet towel so I can just rub my hand on my hair and then rub them on the towel and bobs your teapot, no more hair oil. This stuff needed a proper soapy lather to get it off. 

Like I said, I can't believe how much more curly and bouncy my hairs been since I went back the Superdrug Macadamia Oil. Lesson learned, the thing that costs at least 2x what the thing you know works won't always be better.   

So thats all, not to painful (despite the double type). Thinking next it will either by makeup or body care. I'm currently undecided.

XOXO Scruffy

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

Yes To... Blueberries Smooth & Shine Shampoo and Conditioner Review - Cruelty Free Hair Care

When it comes to buying cruelty free I'm great with makeup and skincare, but when it came to hair care I found my options slightly limited and that I was a bit confused about what was and wasn't cruelty free. That's why I was delighted when an Instagramer I follow posted saying she'd been able to pick up some of the Yes To hair care range in Boots. I made a mental note to look out for them next time I was in. 

Yes To are a cruelty free brand (Leaping Bunny certified) that try and make products that are at least 95% natural, affordable and packed full of fruit and veg based goodness. Boots stock most of the range, however they don't seem to have the Cucumber colour protection one, which is a little bit odd. They also don't stock the 500ml bottles I can see advertised on Yes To's website for a couple of the shampoos.

I chose the Yes To Blueberries smooth and shine shampoo and conditioner for frizzy hair, because my hair has a habit of being more than a little out of control. Boots also stock the scalp relief, volumising, and ultra moisturising ones. 

Now to get down to business. The packaging is fairly standard for shampoo, two big squeezy tubes that you pour from the bottom. I personally prefer this design to stiffer plastic bottles as I find it easier to get every last drop of product out of them. I also like that these look very uniform but as the shampoo has a soft blue panel on the front they're also easy to tell apart, even if you get shampoo in your eyes.

Back of the pack has a lot of info on it about whats in the shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo has blueberries and kale leaf extract in it, and it has an unexpected herbal lemon kind of scent. Its like that plant with leaves that smell like lemon when you rub them (googled it, its lemon balm. The shampoo smells exactly like lemon balm). Its really pleasant and I think I prefer it this kind of scent to overly fruity or floral one. 

The conditioner is advertised as being a mix of blueberries and shea butter extract. Having now read the ingredients for both they each have shea butter and kale extract in them. The shampoo just has more of the kale extract than the conditioner.

I just took a photo of this as I don't think I've ever seen a sealed shampoo bottle before.

The shampoo is really nice and thick, it lathers well and leaves my hair feeling really nice and clean.  The conditioner is nice and thick, but also washes out easily. Also, as I've already said, it smells amazing. 

So here's a photo from the first morning I used it. I was loving it. My hair was soft and shiny, had plenty of bounce and smelled really nice. This is how my hair has looks every time I use this. I love it. 

And this is how my hair looks the day after I've washed it. This looks extreme, but this is how messed up my hair gets on a regular basis. Also its easily tamed. Some frizz ease spray and a tangle teezer and it's at least ponytail friendly. 

These products do this consistently though. So I know day one is great, and if I go for a second day it needs a bit of love. With most hair products I can't tell what the first day will be like, let alone the second. Being able to tell exactly what my hair will be doing day to day is something I've never been able to until now and I really appreciate it.

For that reason (and the smell, have I said how nice it is yet?) this is now my favourite thing to wash my hair with, even with the crazy second day hair. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good shampoo for frizzy hair, or hair care that smells amazing. Its also cruelty free, and having tried some of their skincare too, and I would recommend Yes To... products to anyone looking for skin and hair care that's not tested on animals. 

Given Yes To.., products a go? Let me know what you think.

XOXO Scruffy

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com