| Bumble & Bumble Gentle Shampoo & Deep Conditioner |
| Jane L. Bullock |
| Date: 2/20/2000 |
Introduction  This was my first experience with the Bumble and Bumble line, and I must say I was impressed. The shampoo is great for either damaged hair or hair that tends to be naturally dry, like mine.
It also claims to be a “must” for colored and/or permed hair. And after using it, I can see how it would be a great moisturizing treatment. The conditioner is great, too. (“Deeep” is not a misspelling, but a fact in this case. It penetrates deep into the hair shaft.) I’ve always been a sucker for good text, and I love what’s written on the conditioner. “At last, a cure for the chemically dependent. This treatment for traumatized or normally dry hair is perfect for color junkies, blow-dry addicts and permaholics.” Do you LOVE this? Not only do I like these products, but I’m already in love with the writers!
Bumble and Bumble Gentle Shampoo  The shampoo is extremely moisturizing—you can really feel it working its magic in your hair as you wash it. The shampoo itself is silky and fragrant, making the whole shampoo and shower experience far from mundane.
Usage Use a small amount of the shampoo on wet hair (depending on the length of your hair) and massage it in. The shampoo makes a wonderful rich foam that feels like liquid silk. You may repeat, but with this shampoo it usually isn’t necessary. Rinse thoroughly.
Packaging Bumble and Bumble packaging is fresh and functional. The shampoo comes in an ivory plastic bottle with black lettering. The top is also black, and is easy-open—a plus while in the shower.
Fragrance You would think, with all the hair products I’ve tested, that I would have seen and smelled it all by now. Not true—this product has a sweet, fresh, herbal scent that makes your hair smell heavenly. It’s hard to pin down exactly what makes it smell so good, but I can tell you that it had me dreaming of soft, summer twilights, and those moments when all it right in your world. All this from a shampoo! Who knew?
Bumble and Bumble Deeep Conditioner This conditioner is a terrific daily conditioner, or you can use it once a week for a special deep-conditioning treatment that you can leave on for up to a half hour.
Usage Use just a dab of this—a little goes a long way. Distribute it evenly throughout the hair, and do what I do; leave it on while you shave your legs.
Packaging  The conditioner comes in an unusual celadon-green tube with stark black lettering—very eye-appealing.
Unlike many conditioners, this one has a regular screw-on cap; just be aware of this while in the shower. I say this because years ago I did just that, and the cap of course covered the drain while I was shampooing. At the time I was doing light opera, and did most of my practicing in the shower. I was so into my rendition of “I’m Called Little Buttercup” from Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore that before I knew it, I was mid-calf in water. Let that be a lesson to you.
Fragrance Wow—does this ever smell good! If you’ve read any of my reviews, you know how much I love fruit and flower extracts in hair products. Well, check out the ingredients in this conditioner! The scent is so evocative and lovely you’ll be tempted to rub some behind your ears.
How I Tested These Products Let me give you a little slice of my life: my dear friend Karen (one of Hair Boutique’s creators and Webmasters) gives me a huge box of hair products to take home and try. She pulls each one out of the box as if presenting Fabrege eggs and tells me all about it, who makes it, what the strong points are, and so on. By the time we pack the box back up, I am ready to hit the showers! So, that being said, I was intrigued by the name Bumble and Bumble; I hadn’t heard of the line before. I planned to take a longer shower than usual, and shampooed my hair with the incredibly fragrant Gentle Shampoo, followed by the Deeep Conditioner. Since my hair is so coarse, I appreciate products that make my hair feel soft, if even for the duration of the shower. But wonder of wonders, my hair felt great even the next day after using them!
Shampoo Ingredients Water, laureth sulfate, sodium C14-16 oletin sulfonate, cocamide DEA, cocobetaine, ammonium laurel sulfate, avocado oil, comfrey extract, nettle extract, polyquarternium-7, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, polyquaterneium-11, PEG-150 distearate, propylene glycol, sodium styrene/ acrylates/divinylbenzene copolymer, ammonium nonoxynot-4 sulfate, citric acid, sodium chloride, methylparaben, diazolidinyl urea, fragrance, FD&C green No. 3, FD&C yellow No. 5. CAUTION: Avoid getting in eyes. In case of eye contact, rinse immediately with water. For external use only. Keep out of the reach of children. (BTW, both products are tested on models, not animals.)
Conditioner Ingredients Water, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, cetyl alcohol, polysorbate 60, stearalkonium chloride, PEG-12 distearate, safflower oil, passionflower fruit extract, loquat extract, kiwi fruit extract, mango extract, hydrolyzed silk, hydrolyzed collagen, keratin amino acids, dimethicone, PEG-60 almond glycerides, propylene glycol, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, fragrance. CAUTION: Avoid getting in eyes. In case of eye contact, rinse immediately with water. For external use only. Keep out of the reach of children.
Cost The shampoo runs about $13.75, and the conditioner about $17.00. (Which is another reason to keep them out of the reach of children.)
Conclusion Although these products are more expensive than the usual, they are well worth it. I am convinced that very often you do get what you pay for.
Jane's Rating On my own scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, I give Bumble and Bumble Gentle Shampoo and Deeep Conditioner a 9.5, plus my undying gratitude for making my hair feel so terrific. Hair Boutique Note: Bumble and Bumble has an interesting web site that provides detailed information about all their current products. |