Almost Good Enough To Eat

Introduction

Well, just when you think you've seen it all, something new comes along. Philou has created a line of shampoos and conditioners that smell almost good enough to eat; Green Apple, Bubble Gum, Licorice, Chocolate Mint, and Banana!

Yours truly tried the first three. I had my doubts about using hair products that smell so much like food, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

One of the neat things about Philou shampoos is that you can use them on color-treated and permed hair with no problems. In fact, when this line was created, it was originally intended for "the most abused hair of all--teenage hair." Because of this, the shampoos are kept at a low PH level of 4.9, which is the recommended PH for colored/highlighted hair.

NOTE: The dechlorinating apple shampoo may be used on colored treated hair, but DO NOT use it daily as it may start to strip the coloring away.

The Philou products are concentrated, so you don't have to use as much; a little really does go a long way!

Apple Shampoo & Conditioner

This super-foamy pale green shampoo is especially formulated to deep-clean and remove damaging chlorine from the hair; great for the swimmers among us! It smells great, and the lather is very silky-feeling.

The conditioner is deep-penetrating, and is formulated to add moisture and shine to the actual hair shaft. It also keeps hair manageable and prevents static electricity. It, too, is pale green, and feels fabulous on the hair.

Bubble Gum Shampoo & Conditioner

This bubble gum pink shampoo is mild and foamy and made especially for dry to normal hair. I personally found the scent way too reminiscent of my Bazooka Joe B.B. (Before Breasts) days; I had the overwhelming urge to hurl spitballs at my boss when I got out of the tub.

The conditioner (also a nice candy pink) is deep-penetrating, and is formulated to add all kinds of moisture and shine to the hair. It also keeps hair manageable and prevents the old static from building up.

I don't have kids of my own, but if I did, THIS would be their shampoo and conditioner!!

Licorice Shampoo & Conditioner

This pearl-gray shampoo is very mild, and is wonderful for dry to normal hair. Although not a licorice fan myself, I have to admit that the scent was very pleasant and invigorating.

The conditioner (white, not gray) is a good one to keep on while leg-shaving, etc. as it adds extra moisture to the hair shaft. I was quite pleased with the results on my own hair-lots of shine and no static!

Shampoo Ingredients

Water, DiSodium Laureth Sulfoccinate, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, DiSodium Cocomphodiacetate, PEG-18 Glyceryl/Oleate/Cocoate, Glycol Stearate, Lauroyl Glucoside, Cocmidopropylbetaine, Propylene Glycol, Urea, Sodium EDTA, dl Panthenol, Dimethicone Propyl PG-Betaine, Laureth-3, DATEM, Sodium Hydroxymethygly-cinate, Methylchlorosothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance. The Dechlorinating Shampoo: In addition to the above listed ingredients, this shampoo also contains Malic Acid (aloe vera fruit acid) to remove chlorine without overdrying the hair.

Conditioner ingredients

Water, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Sorbitol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polusorbate-60, Laureth-3, DATEM, PEG-15 Cocopolyamine, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Fragrance, FD&C Red40. Philou does not test on animals.

Usage

I tried the Apple shampoo first, using about a dime-sized amount. (NOTE: the shampoos are so concentrated that, unless your hair is quite long, you'll seldom need more quantity than this.) It makes an amazing amount of lather, and the fresh apple scent was wonderful. Let me say here for the record that Philou shampoos and conditioners give you that spa experience in your own shower; you are absolutely enveloped in a cloud of scent!

Starting from my bangs, I worked the shampoo into my scalp, massaging it into all areas of my hair. Almost immediately my hair felt silkier! (If you're in the mood, this lather makes terrific "shampoo horns," too!)

Now the Bubble Gum shampoo makes good lather as well, but again, the scent is too kid-like for me. In fact, upon lathering up, I felt as if I were trapped on the Tilt-A-Whirl at the fair. However, I can't deny how good my hair felt afterward; soft and tangle-free, and with loads of shine.

I actually liked the Licorice scent the best. The shampoo made buckets of luxurious lather, and it seemed to me that my hair felt silkier. I noticed a lot more manageability as well.

All of the conditioners worked well for me. You can leave them on for several minutes if you like for extra-deep conditioning, or do the usual 60 seconds and rinse out. Although they are geared for dry to normal hair, they are so extremely gentle I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't work equally well on oily hair. The true test of their effectiveness came after my hair dried out. Even using the strong gels I prefer for my "Bed Head" look, my hair still felt soft.

Fragrance

It truly bears repeating here that your hair will NOT smell like apple, bubble gum, or licorice all day after using the shampoos and conditioners! The apple is light and fresh, and very pleasant. The bubble gum is a bit on the sweet side, but it's a fun fragrance. If you're not careful, it just might put you in a younger frame of mind! The licorice is absolutely delightful, and wakes you up along with your hair.

Please don't feel, because the Philou hair products come in fun scents, that they aren't "adult" shampoos! I am a 40-something woman working in a professional atmosphere, and I have yet to have my boss sniff my hair and say, "Do you have a lollypop stuck in your hair?"

Packaging

Philou shampoos and conditioners have the most visually pleasing packaging I've ever seen. The bottles are reminiscent of baby bottles in shape, and have a cute, almost nipple-like top. The matte finish of the bottles show the colors; apple is light green, bubble gum is bright pink, the licorice shampoo is gray, and the conditioner is white.

How I Tested These Products

Since I usually wash my hair about every other day, I used the apple shampoo & conditioner for a few days, then the bubble gum, and then the licorice. I've found that my hair has responded very well to these hair products, and I have certainly enjoyed the different scents. By the way, there's no need to feel that you can't mix it up a little. One morning I used licorice shampoo and followed it up with bubble gum conditioner! Try out your own combinations; apple with licorice, bubble gum with apple, and so on. Just remember that the apple shampoo is a dechlorinating one, and should not be used daily on color-treated hair.

Conclusion

In my opinion, Philou makes terrific shampoos and conditioners, and the different scents are fun to try out. As my own hair is very coarse and dry, I can tell a lot about hair products from the way they make my hair feel. I was very pleased with the results I had from using the Philou Green Apple, Bubble Gum, and Licorice shampoos and conditioners.

Jane's Rating

On my own scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, I give these excellent Philou shampoos and conditioners a 9!

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