Odylique by Essential Care Gentle Herb Shampoo Review

Reviewed by Janine Rumble
Gentle Herb Shampoo by Odylique is a product that the company says is ‘100% natural, certified organic, fairly traded and is delivered to you in recyclable packaging (even the white nuggets your products are packed in are biodegradable and dissolve in water’- I tested this claim, they really do!). The shampoo comes in a 200ml white bottle, with the company logo and a drawing of a herb, with information about the product written in a light olive green colour and in English and French. It is a very stylish looking bottle and looks very smart in the bathroom.
On the bottle, it states that it is a ‘conditioning soothing shampoo for natural vitality and shine and is suitable for all skin types’ and people with sensitive skin. Having never tried a ‘natural’ shampoo I was very interested to try Gentle Herb Shampoo for myself. On the back of the bottle it lists the ingredients, underneath which is a very helpful sign that says ‘Plain English’ before listing ingredients that I recognise such as aloe vera juice, gentle cleansers from coconut and corn glucose, coconut oil, chamomile, nettle, horsetail and rosemary herbs, sunflower (non-GM) lecithin, sugar cane alcohol and plant origin stabilisers. It also has a symbol next to some of the ingredients, with a helpful key to explain which ingredients had been organically grown and produced/Bio or were from an organic origin. Very useful information for anyone who is keen to know what ingredients are in their shampoo, especially if you are concerned with the impact on the environment. It also states on the bottle that it is ‘tested only on sensitive-skin human volunteers. No sulphates, petrochemicals, common allergen tree nut oils, soy, wheat or dairy, no palm oil and vegan’. Which again is very useful information.
The shampoo is not of the consistency you would expect of a shampoo. It is quite cloudy looking and is not as viscous; it also has lumps in it. It also has a strange scent, like wine that has fermented for a while, it is not an unpleasant smell or an unpleasant texture, it is just unusual. It does not later up as a traditional shampoo does and as such, I probably put more on my head than was needed to get a lather. It never really lathered and I was not sure if all of my hair had been washed. I followed the instructions on the bottle to leave it on my head for 2-3 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Again, I was not sure if it was thoroughly rinsed out, as it did not squeak when squeezed.
Drying my hair was fine and I did not see any obvious differences between my hair washed in traditional shampoo and this organic shampoo. Although I did notice that I could leave my hair a day or two longer before washing my hair again, so this made it good value and would last longer.
If you are a vegan or someone who is interested in organic products, then I heartily recommend this shampoo to you. In addition, even if you are not, I recommend this product. I will certainly be buying this again, even though it is a lot more expensive than I would normally pay.
Odylique does not just sell shampoo, on their website they have a large range of products, including products for your face, body, hair, make up, mum and baby, gift sets and they also have samples, which is a brilliant idea, being able to try before you buy. I have already started looking to see what I can order from them. Take a look at their website www.odylique.co.uk and get buying.
Rating: 4/5
RRP: £2.50 (20ml) / £12 (250ml) / £22 (500ml)
For more information or to buy online visit www.odylique.co.uk.
