Review: Andalou Naturals Healthy Shine Sunflower and Citrus Shampoo

A few months ago I placed my first order at iHerb, and at a whim, added this shampoo to my cart because my current favourite shampoo has recently been reformulated (boo!), and now contains ingredients I try to stay away from, and I was/am still on the search for a replacement. Also, it didn't hurt that it was only around $3.

So. First. The Ingredients List is amazing. It boasts lush ingredients such as black cumin oil (which I have raved about here), hyaluronic acid, chamomile extract and pro-vitamin B5, to name a few. It features aloe vera juice as its first ingredient, instead of plain water like so many other shampoo brands, which I love as aloe is extremely healing and soothing to an area of skin as sensitive as a scalp. It is also cruelty free, fair trade, gluten free, non GMO and doesn't contain nasties like parabens or sulfates.

To shampoo, I squirted a generous dollop into my palms and massaged into my scalp. (I never shampoo the ends of my hair, and I recommend that all long haired folks out there avoid shampooing their ends as well, as all it does is dry them out.) At first it lathers into a thick foam, but as I keep massaging the foam starts to disappear, which is a little odd, but I figure its to do with the gentler cleansing agents found in this product.

It rinses out completely, with no residue, which I love, and my hair looked shiny. However to my disappointment, as my hair started to dry I noticed that my strands felt just a tad dry. Not overly dry, but enough for me to notice. To be fair though, Andalou Naturals does not make any claims about it being suited to dry hair, so I might be better trying one of their shampoos better suited to my hair type. Due to this, I will not be repurchasing this shampoo, but I recommend it to those that have oily hair and need a good cleansing shampoo.

Unfortunately it looks like I am still on the hunt for the perfect shampoo. Now I have started trialling a new way of cleansing my hair. More to come in a future blog post on that though.

Full Ingredient List: Aloe barbadensis juice*, sodium laurylglucosides hydroxypropylsulfonate, sodium cocoyl methyl taurate, helianthus annuus (sunflower) and linum usitatissimum (flax) oils*, vegetable glycerin, nigella sativa (black cumin) oil, cyamopsis tetragonolobus (guar) gum*, chamomilla recutita (chamomile) extract*, pyrus cydonia (quince) extract, fruit stem cell and bioactive 8 berry complex*, hyaluronic acid, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), tocopherol (vitamin E), aspalathus linearis (rooibos) and hibiscus rosa-sinensis extracts*†, allantoin, sodium benzoate, citric acid, potassium sorbate, ethylhexylglycerin, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) and citrus tangerina (tangerine) oils*

Have you found your holy grail shampoo? Do you use natural shampoo/no poo? Let me know in the comments section.

Review: Flight Skincare Floating Hydration Serum

I was lucky enough to win a bottle of the Floating Hydration Serum by Flight Skincare several months ago. I was so excited to try it out, that I opened the bottle almost immediately after receiving it! The beautiful floral scent was the first thing that captured my attention, likely due to the beautiful floral waters of jasmine and neroli. Next was the colour and consistency; a thin, lightweight, milky coloured water-based serum. Also, I loved the stellar list of ingredients! Squalene, Honey and Glycerine stand out to me as tried and tested ingredients my skin loves.

I have been really enjoying using this serum on a daily basis. For a point of reference, I have super dry skin that is extremely prone to cystic acne, particularly in the chin and jaw area. This means that I am constantly on the painful hunt for products that hydrate my skin without clogging my pores. I have been using this serum under makeup as a primer, and patting it on to hydrate my skin if it feels dry at any point during the day. It spreads so easily onto my skin and disappears quickly, due to the lightweight consistency. It doesn't leave my skin feeling sticky or tight, like some serums can. It also didn't cause my skin to breakout! If you are someone with oily skin, you might find that this serum is perfect used alone to hydrate your skin. However, if your skin is dry, I recommend you pair it with an oil or moisturiser for optimal hydration.

This Floating Hydration Serum is the perfect product to use on the go when my parched, acne-prone skin needs some extra help. I highly recommend it!

Full Ingredients List: Water (Aqua) Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Gel, Vegetable Glycerine, Citrus aurantium (Neroli ) Water, *Jasminum nudiflorum (Jasmine) Water, Sorbitol, Squalene, Organic Honey, *punica granatum (Pomegranate) Extract, *Dioscorea villosa (Wild Yam) Extract, Syzigium australe (Lilly Pilly) Extract, Camelia synensis (Green Tea) Extract, *Citrus aurantium (Orange) Water, Limnanthes alba (Meadowfoam)Extract, Zanthomonas campestris (Xanthan) Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Parfum, Albizia julibrissin Durazz (Mimosa) Oil*Certified Organic Ingredients