May 26, 2009

Review & Rave: Clairol Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship

Over a year ago I read a review of this product on 15 Min Beauty. Raspberry? Volume? Cheap? Long hair friendly? Me want!

But this entire range was not available in London where I was living at the time. When I returned to Malaysia my heart did flipflops when I saw this range on the shelf. But damn me if the brought in every other product BUT the only one I wanted! Argh!

So when I saw this in Beijing, I finally ended my quest for it. Of course now I went all the way to a foreign country to buy it, it becomes avaliable in Malaysia. Thank goodness I really like it. BUT I just checked it out up close and personal, and the Malaysian shampoo is cloudy pink, not clear green, although the packaging is identical. So I'm not sure if it will perform the same. =(

Scent
Odd as it sounds the main selling point plugged by Clairol for this range of haircare products is the scent. And it really is worth mentioning.

Long Term Relationship (LTR) smells of raspberries. Sadly not fresh, tart and juicy raspberries which is what I hoped for the scent is actually quite sweet and well... Teenie bopper. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I actually really like it. *blushes*

The shampoo smells of raspberry soda - slightly chemical but also sparkling and refreshing. The conditioner is scented exactly like a berry smoothie. I prefer it slightly but both products compliment each other really well.

The scent lasts in my hair all day. Not so strong that it messes with my fragrance, but present enough that I catch myself happily sniffing my hair. Mmm...happy scent! :D

Performance
Thank goodness it's not just a pretty scent. It works really well too! I find the shampoo is more drying than. Dove's Hair Fall Therapy, but the conditioner is more moisturising to compensate.

After a week's use my hair is shiny, sleek, volumnised, and raspberry scented - did I mention the raspberry scent?

Some tips though. Because the shamp is a little drying, don't leave it for too long in your hair unless it's oily. And beacuse the condi is heavy don't use it above the nape of your neck unless your hair is dry.

I leave the shamp to sit on my oily scalp a bit before washing the rest and quickly rinsing it out. And I never apply the condi higher than the nape of my neck. This leads to happy, shiny, bouncy hair!

Conclusion
LTR shamp and condi retails at about RM8.90 for 160ml and RM14.90 for 300ml each which is a great price for such an awesome product.

I admit I have the nagging - and perhaps slightly misguided feeling - that Dove is better for my hair in the ong term. I have no proof, I just feel that way. But the truth is LTR has worked great and the scent makes me smile in the morning. So I will repurchase and swap between it and Dove.

There's also a hair mask available which I now want!

7 comments:

AskMeWhats said...

so true about the scent, I purchased Clairol once because of the scent and the funny commercial on the girl going "YES YES YES!" because of the scent!

Petra said...

My ex sat next to the yes yes yes girl in the cinema. He decided to imitate her on the spot.

She rolled her eyes and went, yeah, very funny.

Shuu said...

Ah yeah, I tried Clairol shampoo once when I stayed at my cousin's. I forgot to bring my own shampoo then. It does smell good but I'd still go back to my good ol' L'Oreal xD

Jenn said...

Clairol shampoos smell so divine, but unfortunately they make my hair look like hay!! >.<

I'll probably give them a try again when i go back... hopefully they've reformulated it!! :D

prettybeautiful said...

i love all clairol scents but all of them made my hair looks like hay too =/

but the advertisement YES YES YES OOH is so so classic

Kahani said...

Nikki: LOL! She does look soooo happy. =P

Petra: Really now? She must get it a lot, poor thing.

Shuu: I like changing between this one and Dove - depending on my mood. =)

Jenn & PrettyB: My hair is pretty oily, so if you have dry hair I'd suggest you try "Hello Hydration" instead. I think it's coconut scented.

Petra said...

Hey Em, I tried looking up the ingredients of Dove Moisture Daily Therapy and ended up confusing myself.

I alternate between Clairol and Dove too. Dove takes the cake, though, because my pharmacist dislikes the detergents in Clairol and I trust her, because I prefer Dove ads and because I read for moisturisers, the best sort is still what your skin produces.

So it makes sense to me not to strip my hair in the first. If you think Clairol is a bit drying maybe a bit of olive oil prior to washing or your hair masks will work?

I also don't know about you - but the more stripping something is the oiler my face and hair gets. It is slightly the case with Clairol but not to the degree of my tea tree shampoo. (can't remember the brand, not BodyShop)