Review: Nature's Gate Lavender and Aloe Shampoo

I've mentioned over and over again on the blog that I try to buy only cruelty free hair products, but finding cruelty free hair products that are good is actually surprisingly difficult. Recently, I did find a shampoo, as well as a conditioner, that I really like, though. And it's cruelty free, so I am quite happy about it.

The shampoo in question is from a brand called Nature's Gate, and besides being cruelty free, it is also organic and sulfate free as a bonus. I wasn't familiar with this brand before trying this shampoo, but I like the shampoo so much, I will definitely try more of their products in the future if given a chance.

So why do I like this shampoo so much?
Well, first of all the scent is great. I am one of those people who wash their hair before going to bed sometimes, and lavender has always had a very calming effect on me, so having my hair smell of lavender in the evening is really great! The shampoo is actually supposed to be a lavender and aloe one, but I think it mostly smells of lavender, I can't say I feel the aloe scent very much.

Second of all, it makes my hair very clean and doesn't dry it out, like some shampoos can (which is a disaster for someone like me, who has dry hair to begin with!).

So this is definitely one of my favorite shampoos at the moment!

Review: Macadamia shampoo

I got another set of hair products recently, when I got my shampoo and hair mask from Kava Kava: A Macadamia shampoo and a Macadamia hair mask as well. Even though I was not quite as happy with the Macadamia products as I was with the Kava Kava ones, Macadamia's hair care line seems to be pretty good too, so here are some thoughts on it:

First of all, I really love the luxurious packaging the Macadamia hair care products come in. They all come in a cardboard jar, you can see the one for the shampoo here:

And while I won't be saving the jars I think (I keep my shampoos and conditioners in the shower, so they would just get wet and start falling apart, I think), it does make these products seem rather high end, so I like it.

I also like the fact that Macadamia products are not tested on animals, since I am only trying to use cruelty free hair care products these days. I am not too keen on the smell though, but it is very light and very natural, so I am thinking it's a good fit for anyone who doesn't want too much scent in their shampoo. The shampoo is also both sulfate free and paraben free, which is great!

Now, to the cons: My hair doesn't feel completely clean after I wash my hair with this, so I've actually washed my hair twice with this shampoo each time I've used it. It could be a mental hang up from my part of course, but something about this shampoo doesn't make my hair feel like it usually does after I've just washed it. So I think I will run through a bottle of this really, really fast, if I need to wash my hair twice each time!
But you don't need to use a lot of the shampoo each time, on the other hand, so maybe it's not really that big of a deal?

My hair also seems drier than usual, kind of like what happened when I tried the Moroccan Oil shampoo a while ago. So either my hair doesn't agree with the oils these products claim to contain, or they are simply not all what they are hyped up to be, if you ask me.

So I probably would not buy this shampoo again, even though I love the Macadamia hair mask. But more on the mask itself in a separate review!