Products Review: 365 Shampoo and Conditioner for Normal + Dry Hair in Lavender Blend

When it comes to personal care products such as shampoos and conditioners, I rarely stick to one particular brand. I have tried a few products from lines carried in salons such as Pureology, Bumble and Bumble, but most of my commonly used shampoos and conditioners hail from drugstore brands including Tresemme, Herbal Essences, Dove, Organix, L'Oreal, Aussie, etc. This is why my hair dressers (yes, I switch hair dressers as often as shampoos and conditioners) probably hate me. They have all recommended ditching my drugstore shampoos to expensive, non-sulfate salon brands, but even these products do not necessarily lack other chemicals that could be harmful to not just your hair but your health. So the search continues!


While grocery shopping at Whole Foods a few months ago, I picked up two packs of the Whole Foods 365 brand lavender blend shampoo and conditioner for normal + dry hair. Whole Foods also carries the lavender scent in formulations for normal + oily hair, as well as sets in an herbal mint scent. Each set (both shampoo & conditioner included) normally sells for $7.98, but I believe on sale, it was $4 - a ridiculous steal! I snagged two sets for stocking up my bathroom cabinet so I'll be using this for awhile. 

Previously, I had been using the drugstore Organix brand shampoo and conditioner in the moroccan oil and coconut scents. While I realized that the Organix brand is not as "natural" as its name would suggest, a classic example of greenwashing, I really did enjoy the intense scent of moroccan oil. After those products ran out, I switched over to the Whole Foods 365 brand shampoo and conditioner for normal + dry hair, since my hair has been treated and needs all the moisture it can get. (About my hair: long, coarse, thick hair with wavy texture from a body wave done a year ago.) 

Packaging 

The 16 fl oz bottles are made from 50% post consumer recycled content. Since these are large bottles, they are quite hefty to juggle in the shower. I would have preferred a pump top, but I suppose this is a more eco-friendly design. Every time I'm near the end of a product, I always run some water into the bottle and shake to rinse off all the excess product that might be on the inner walls. 

Scent and Texture 

Both the shampoo and conditioner smell like fields of lavender, which I find to be a quintessential summer scent. The rosemary, cornmint, caphor and orange oils also contribute to form this invigorating blend. In a way, this scent reminds me of the Pureology Hydrate shampoo, but with a purer lavender scent. Using the lavender blend shampoo and conditioner in combination do create a more powerful scent in the shower, but it's not an overwhelming fragrance, and I'm not sure the actual lavender scent lingers in my hair for very long after washing. In terms of texture, both shampoo and conditioner are more runny than I expected, especially the shampoo. The clear, slippery and almost watered-down feel of the shampoo makes it difficult to control the amount squeezed out from the bottle. Also because the shampoo forms a weak lather, I find myself going back a second time for more product. The conditioner is slighter better but compared to others, it is still on the runny side. 

Ingredients

The back of the bottle ensures consumers that the Whole Foods Market Premium Body Care Standards uses "ingredients as close to nature as possible. These ingredients are minimally processed, are easy on the environment and are less likely to cause skin irritation or allergies." There are no parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial fragrance, or animal ingredients or testing done. Instead, there are loads of different extracts and oils listed in the ingredients including burdock rot extract, lavender oil, rosemary oil, cornmint oil, camphor oil, and orange oil. To tackle the rest of the list of ingredients, I turned to EWG's Skin Deep database, which unfortunately did not include all the chemicals, and many of those that were had limited scientific data. The ingredient with the highest hazard rating, on the 0-10 scale developed by EWG, is disodium cocoamphodipropionate at a rating of 5. This surfactant compound serves as cleansing, foam booster, and conditioning agents in products and is only found in the shampoo. The main health concern is that it is a known human immune system toxicant, according to the National Library of Medicine HazMap, and while it is deemed safe for cosmetic use, it is subject to concentration or use limitations by Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Considering that so many personal care products contain ubiquitous chemicals that have significantly higher hazard ratings, these products are not terrible, nevertheless, I'd expect Whole Foods to carry fewer chemical laden products. Maybe my expectations for "natural" products are too high. 

Use and Results

I typically shampoo and condition my hair every other day. With the shampoo, I need about two squirts to generate a mild lather that covers most of my scalp. For conditioner, I work it into the lower half of my hair and comb through with my fingers after a couple minutes. I find that both products rinse out very well with water and leave my hair feeling just clean. Once dry, my hair is left in a natural, full state and feels hydrated and moisturized by all the oils in the products. After three weeks of use, I haven't noticed any drastic long-term changes in my hair. 

Overall, the 365 lavender blend shampoo and conditioner from Whole Foods is another step toward overhauling my personal care products. The ingredients are generally less harmful than other drugstore brands, but the products are by no means completely natural. (Perhaps next up - the no 'poo shampoo?) At only $2 per 16 fl oz bottle for an invigorating lavender blend, these will certainly last me past the summer.