[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I am totally a sucker for any hair care that flags ‘glossing’ as an asset. I had to look up Chris McMillan as he is better known in the US than here as a celebrity stylist, but when I say he created ‘The Rachel’ you’ll have a reference point straight away. I think that Drunk Elephant have done exactly the right thing here in teaming up with an expert – they could, in theory, chuck out any hair care just to add the category to their roster but they haven’t, they’ve used an authority (a non-obvious one at that) to oversee it for quality and efficacy.
The first thing I noticed about the shampoo is the scent – very almondy, so if you don’t like a Bakewell tart, you won’t like this. I love it, but know that almond is a big divider. The second thing is that this is a very rich shampoo – I think more suited to normal to dry hair – and you don’t need a lot of it. I made a bit of a mistake by factoring in hard London water before I knew if I needed to or not so I ended up having to do more rinsing than usual.
The conditioner has the same almondy scent – it’s reasonably lightweight but I pulled back on amount after the shampoo overload and still got a light feeling smooth down. The glossing claim comes from the additional amino acids and I can’t say my hair isn’t shiny because it is. It’s not like a halo but I feel the brief was completed on the glossing front. My hair still feels swishy and free two days on and showing no signs of needing another wash yet. There are a lot of oils in this formula – from argan and blackcurrant to passiflora and camellia – and because you don’t need a lot at a time (and only need one application, not two) I think the price of £21 (each) seems reasonable for what feels like a luxury shampoo and conditioner.
My one little niggle with this is that the sticky label that holds the lid on is really, really difficult to get off. I ended up using tweezers and even then it come off in about six sticky pieces. I am fairly sure that it will be changed in due course. I see that SpaceNK has free delivery over £20 and either will fit into that category so you can find it HERE. If you’re choosing between one and the other, I’d opt for the shampoo.
Non affiliate HERE.
Transparency Disclosure
All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.