Review: Liz Earle Enters the World of Haircare: Botanical Shine Shampoo/Conditioner

Like Sherlock Holmes, looking for the minutiae with his internal magnifying glass, I studied the list of ingredients on the sleek robin’s egg blue Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo tube.

I am such a lover of packaging and a tube snob, but I was drawn to everything about this tube: from the sleek grass-patterned band on top, to the clear listing of ingredients to the Liz Earle insignia below the fine print.

Typically, I have a strong aversion and reaction to anything chemical and “compound”-ish. When a shampoo uses the world “Naturally Active” and “Botanical,” I expect it to smell like the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Liz Earle does not disappoint: the shampoo’s relatively strong aroma is that of the apple and orange extracts.

The shampoo is a luxuriously moisturizing experience (note, the shampoo is for all hair types) because it contains West African Shea Butter, Natural Vitamin E and Aloe Vera.

The conditioner (for oily hair–this one gets specific), is another thing of beauty. I had to stop dead in my tracks like a hunter when I read the ingredients “Black Cohosh” and “Blue Seakale” –I thought, what the heck is a COHOSH? It sounded dangerous and positively narcotic, maybe an outlier welcomed in Mendicino County, CA.

But I relaxed a bit when I found out that the Black Cohosh is a tall perennial plant of the buttercup family, and used by Native Americans to heal a variety of medicinal conditions.

The conditioner’s smell is also strong, but instead of apple and orange extracts, you smell the Kenyan Yangu Oil more than anything else. When I applied the conditioner to my hair, I was surprised at how smooth, velvety, and instantly pin-straight the strands became.

You will NOT need a frizz tamer after using this duo, and your hair will be a thing of beauty wherever you go (if I sound like a cheesy, Romantic poet, blame it on Liz Earle).

Both retail at www.lizearle.com for $14.50 each. Six years in the making and SLS (sulfate free) tubes are well worth it, and may make the perfect stocking stuffers.

Charu Suri

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