Palmolive Dry Shampoo Fresh and Volume in Mixed Berries Review

After our aunt had a stroke, caring for her became a challenge. She was bedridden and could only sit for a few minutes while leaning on something or someone. She also had a feeding tube on. 

She was heavy and we weren't strong enough to bring her to the bathroom let alone keep her upright for so long. We had to make do with sponge baths.  My sister bought a canister of Palmolive Dry Shampoo Fresh and Volume in Mixed Berries in the hopes of keeping her hair and scalp fresh and clean. 

Dry shampoos come in spray cans. Their key ingredients for addressing oiliness are usually alcohol or starch. Palmolive Dry Shampoo Fresh and Volume in Mixed Berries has both. They are sprayed on hair sections a couple of inches from the roots and then massaged through hair and scalp.

We used this every other day and stopped after over a week when we noticed she had more hair fall than previous. Her hair also felt weighed down and greasier. 

It's been five months since and my aunt is doing relatively okay now, no longer bedridden.

I decided to break out the Palmolive Dry Shampoo Fresh and Volume in Mixed Berries one cold morning recently as I didn't have time to wash and dry my hair. I thought maybe the hair fall was due to my aunt being sick. Girls, was I wrong. 

My hair felt heavy and a lot stickier after using this. I couldn't wait to wash it off when I got home. Which I did, and there were lots of strands on my bathroom floor. The berry smell is not that long-lasting.

Note that my aunt and I both have thick hair. My sister has thin hair and it works for her. I think this would work too for rebonded hair.

I heard somewhere that baby powders are a good alternative to dry shampoos. Haven't tried that, maybe I will in the future.

Ellips Hair Mask Hair Repair Review

I had high hopes for Ellips Vitamin Hair Mask Hair Repair variant since Ellips Hair Vitamin Hair Treatment variant did wonders for my hair. 

I bought a tube hoping it will combat frizzy, dry hair brought on by hot temp and humidity. While work from home has become an acceptable set-up for some companies following the pandemic, almost everyone now is out and about. So it's back to trying to looking presentable when environmental factors and stress want you to look haggard.

Apart from hair treatments in tubs and jars, I don't think I've tried other hair masks before aside from the no longer available Human Nature Avocado and Gugo Hair Mask. I remember it not being  potent enough for my hair.

So, Ellips Hair Mask is applied to hair pretty much how you would conditioners. Just leave it on far longer before washing it off. It is why I use it only on weekends, when I have time to spare.

After a month of use, Ellips Hair Mask seems to be only at par with most conditioners. It's better to get those hair treatment products instead. HBC's Color Hair Spa is one of best I've tried, too bad it's been discontinued. They have other hair treatment products though. Or maybe I'll just stick with the Ellips Hair Vitamins.

Creamsilk Rich Organic Powerfusion Ultra Conditioners and Hydra Fresh Light Conditioners

These Creamsilk Conditioners are part of the stash from a previous trip to Thirdy's.

Creamsilk Rich Organic Powerfusion Ultra Conditioners (made in the Philippines) claim to have no sulfates, parabens nor phtalates. Sulfate-free hair care products are said to be good for dry and/or color-treated hair. Sulfates remove dirt and oil. Too much can be drying or irritating to sensitive scalp. However, I have checked the ingredients of all the conditions we currently have (Palmolive, Syoss, Dove, other Cream Silk conditioners) and I haven't come across one that has sls/sles. Methosulfates in Syoss and Palmolive Expertique are actually antistatic ingredients.

With  Creamsilk Rich Organic Powerfusion Rich Lustre for Lifeless and Brittle Hair with almond nut balm and essences of aloe, bamboo and cassia leaves, I need less product to detangle my shoulder blade length rebonded hair than other conditioners. Matipid sya. However, I've noticed that after a day, it weighs my hair down. Another downside is when I use this for a month, every other day, I see a lot of strands on my drain. So I'd give this a rest and use other conditioners, particularly Creamsilk Hydra Fresh.

Creamsilk Rich Organic Powerfusion Rich Moisture Ultra Conditioner for Dry and Coarse Hair with Shea balm and essences of honeysuckle, hibiscus and gallica and damascene roses smells like Del Fabric Softener Forever Love which is jasmine-tempered non-gourmand vanilla. The effect is similar to when I use VCO on my hair, silky smooth strands. I use a tiny bit more of this than the other Creamsilk Ultra Conditioner. 

Both of the above have coconut oil (not surprised with Rich Moisture then) and even Rich Lustre has shea butter. They're my current favourite conditioners as they make my rebonded hair look really, really good. No strays or flyaways.

Creamsilk Hydra Fresh Light Conditioners are water-based, easy-rinse and non-greasy. The Fresh and Hydrated for Oily and Greasy Hair variant is like the  Creamsilk Ultimate Reborn Conditioners in terms of performance (hello soft, easily detangled hair) except it's very light that I feel like I need to use more for my hair, the opposite of the Rich Organic Power Fusion Ultra Conditioners. It has a sweet fruity fragrance.

All of these conditioners have dimethicone and sunflower seed oil.

Another Creamsilk conditioner that's really, really good is the Triple Keratin Rescue Conditioners. But that's for another post since this is already quite lengthy.

Finds at Thirdy's Bocaue: Unilever Hair Care Products and Reviews of Clear and Dove Dermacare Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoos

Before the pandemic, my brother discovered Thirdy's, a store in Bocaue which offers imported And local chocolates for cheap. 

These are some of the chocolates and snacks they got in one of their runs.

Perfect for Valentine's Day!

There, they found out that the store also carries bath products and fragrances, also at super low prices. The items are legit, not fake. They work.

Sale items get snapped up pretty quickly. So what you gonna do when faced with shampoos and conditioners at about 50% less mall prices with the possibility that the next time you are there, they wouldn't be? 

You hoard several tubes and bottles.

Some we still haven't used up

For most of last year until now, because of this, me and my sister have been using Unilever hair care products like Dove, Clear and Creamsilk.

I don't really have terrible, large, flaky, crusty dandruff but I occasionally get tiny flakes and my scalp sometimes would become dry and itchy. Thus the dandruff shampoos. 

Clear Anti-Dandruff Shampoo in Ice Cool Menthol and Clear Men Anti-Dandruff Shampoo in Cool Sport Menthol are both able to rid me of those annoying tiny, oily, dandruff that tend to fly this way and that close to my scalp by drying them out. The former just has a minty floral but masculinish scent while latter has a minty orange one.

But the primary reason I got these particular Clear Anti-dandruff Shampoos is the minty feeling they impart. Scalp feels really refreshed and considering we live in the tropics where 30 degrees is not a summer but a normal daily temperature, having a cooling product is a need for me. And to think I get cold easily.

The thing with Dove Dermacare Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoo in Soothing Moisture is, I noticed that after using it for weeks,  my below shoulders rebonded hair started to lose its straightness.  But my hair feels much more softer when I use this than it does when I use Clear. Clear is better in addressing dandruff though. It has a vanilla fragrance. 

All these three products I have are made in the Philippines.

Before heading over, it's best to check Thirdy's Facebook page to see what's on sale. I think they also deliver. 

Hana Shampoo Review and Scent Variants Comparison

Hana Shampoos were known as Shokubutsu Hana Shampoos when they first appeared in the Philippine market. The different variants of the shampoos then dealt with specific hair problems. A few years later, Shokubutsu was dropped fromt the brand name. Lion is no longer listed as co-manufacturer in the label.

My sis-in-law says she does not like Hana. Thinks it's not a suitable shampoo for humid weather. For me it's passable, better than Pert Plus Shampoo with Henna Extracts and Revlon Flex Keratina Anticaspa Shampoo but below other commercial brands. Currently all the variants' labels offer a general promise, soft and smooth hair and they do just that. Emphasis on just. I feel they do not help tame my frizz. I haven't noticed any difference on the effect on my hair from using four shampoo variants. They only differ by scent.

Pasabuys: Revlon Flex Keratina Shampoo and SYOSS Revive 7 Conditioner Reviews

Pasabuy is a play on the Filipino word "pasabay", which means to come with or to have someone include something for you. The pandemic forced people to stay indoors. When the lockdown / community quarantines started, aside from essential personnel, only one person per household was allowed outside the house and just to buy necessities. Only private and essential vehicles were allowed on the roads. Because of this people would either ask someone they knew who's going to the grocery to also buy for them. Realizing they could earn from this, some people would then either charge a handling fee as they call it or mark up the items they were asked to buy.  Pasabuy was born and coined.

When a co-worker ended up at SnR, she offered to pick up stuff for everyone as a lot of items were on sale. People joked that most of us would end up smelling the same since we got similar shampoos and conditioners. This had happened previously when we purchased the same fabric conditioners from another co-teacher.

Since Revlon is a well-known brand which usually delivers, I said yes to a bottle of Flex Keratina Anticaspa Shampoo. Well two since they were buy one get one. The 650ml bottle which could have used a pump given the size, was P240. That's basically half the price of a commercial shampoo in the Philippines like Dove and Sunsilk.

Pert Plus Shampoo with Henna Extracts for Stronger Hair Review

Annually, our cousin would gift us with a balikbayan box full of stuff - bags, perfumes, teas, treats and beauty and household products. Among the recent loot was a large bottle of Pert Plus Shampoo with Henna Extracts for Stronger Hair. I tried it for a month before it took permanent-until-empty residence in my sissy's (who's concerned about hair-fall) bathroom.

blurb: Pert Plus which is inspired by the traditional recipes that Arab women have been using for centuries keeps your hair soft and smooth.This variant, with henna extracts, also helps nourish your hair to keep it strong against combing damage. With Pert Plus, great hair no fuss.

Ingredients: aqua, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium chloride, panthenol, lawsonia inermis leaf extract, prunus armeniaca kernel oil, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, glycol distearate, citric acid, sodium benzoate, peg-7 glyceryl cocoate, cocamide mea, dimethicone, parfum, laureth-4, peg-40, hydrogenated castor oil, styrene/acrylates copolymer, peg-120 methyl glucose, dioleate, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride. propylene glycol, butylphenyl methylpropynal, linalol, laureth-23, glycerin, benzyl alcohol, citronella, hexyl cinnamal, alpha isomethyl ionone

Delon Olive Shampoo and Unicare Cream Nature Perfume Body Wash

I'm that person who would hit the sale/promo section at the supermarket before seeking out the items on my grocery list in their assigned shelves. I get a high out of scoring things with a freebie or  cheaper than they usually are. Yes, I'm mababaw. But wouldn't you feel bad when you learn that the milk pack you purchased could have gotten you a water jug similar to a Coleman's had you dropped by the sale/promo area?

So while I was perusing the toothpastes on said section (The usual Colgate Fresh Confidence Gel Red Extreme or stripe-y Triple Action Anti-Cavity?) I spotted the Scotch-taped Unicare Perfume Body Washes which were buy one get one. A lone Delon Olive Shampoo sat next to the bottles. It's about half the price of a mainstream shampoo (Sunsilk, Dove). In the cart they went with the red toothpaste.

Daiso Camellia Oil in Shampoo Review

A few years back, Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoos and Conditioners became quite the rage. People were raving about how soft, frizz-free and fragrant their hair have become from using these hair products. Some also experienced less hair fall.

When I first heard of Tsubaki, my brain immediately went female childhood best friend in "Your Lie in April." Because, of course, me who's into anime would think that. Ang layo. Tsubaki is a flowering plant priced for its oil. The oil is widely used in Japan for hair and skin care, either as a product ingredient or as it is, because of its moisturizing ability. It's said to be used by geishas and maikos for lustrous hair. (1)

There were those who were able to snap Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoos and Conditioners from Daiso, priced higher than the usual P88, but amazingly lower than in other stores. I think it's the price point, still higher than mainstream shampoos and conditioners, and availability which kept these products from the masses. Me, I never got to get my hands on them. I think those few years back was when I experienced prolonged lost time, marked by my absence on socmed. I was able to try Daiso's Camellia Oil in Shampoo though.
 

See, Tsubaki happens to be Camellia japonica. It's one of the ingredients of this shampoo.

Celeteque Clarifying Shampoo Review and a Really Off-Putting Salon Agent

My sister bought two bottles of Celeteque Clarifying Shampoos after her coworkers raved that it had effectively addressed their hair fall problem. One of them even gifted a bottle to another coworker who easily became a convert.

Herbs and Beauty Shampoo with Rose and Chamomile Calming Essence Review

Some time ago, after a nasty argument with a (ping) CSR over their system malfunctioning/getting hacked thus putting me and my family at risk and gleaning through our conversation that they have little love for people who join their online club/group and that they do not care at all about what you think about their products, given that they have no regard for reviews (I am beginning to suspect that their replies on their fb pages are canned), I felt like flushing all the (ping) products we have in the house in the toilet. Didn't go through with it. Used them to clean the toilet instead. To think their products were house staples. Well not anymore.

So since I am staying away from (ping) products forever, I've been on an adventure to try other products in the market.

Herbs and Beauty Shampoo is a little known shampoo brand from Personal Collection, a direct selling company. It's not readily available in physical stores. I have a feeling though that this is where we are heading now. Due to traffic, people are finding it more convenient to buy stuff online, from neighborhood stores, people they know who also sell stuff or from people who visit their office or house.

What's Inside the Cream Silk Transformation Boxes?

You know something is afoot when you see beauty products being sold at almost half price at the drugstore you frequent. Especially if said product is from Unilever. They've done it before with Pond's products. I hoarded that time, enticed by the price off and fearful at the same time that the products I've been using would be discontinued or the new formulations would not agree with my skin. It was the middle of 2017 when I stocked up on Cream Silk Daily Treatment Conditioners as they were being sold at P75 off.

Kao Feather Nature Plus Shampoos Review

Over the years, a lot of mainstream shampoos just disappeared from the local market. Rave kept my hair in place (it was like it has spray net or something) but also gave me dandruff. Clairol Herbal Essences smelled so divine and tamed my hair. You can still find them in a few supermarkets, only in the imported section. Then there were Kao Feather Shampoos which I couldn't recall much of, except the name.

Apparently Kao Feather Shampoos are still around, only in other countries. Brother and sissy-in-law sent a couple along with other stuff in their last balikbayan box from Singapore. They live in Australia now.

Feather Nature Plus Shampoos and Conditioners, claim their labels, are with 100% natural ingredients, supplement hair and nourish scalp for healthy and beautiful hair from the inside.

How to Get Rid of Head Lice Plus LiceAliz Review

Summer is upon us and with it insect infestations: from mosquitoes invading our homes at night, to ants gobbling up anything they could (they seem especially fond of foam!), to head lice (kuto) suddenly nesting on hair.We recently had to deal with the latter after my sister's students took her comb from her bag and used it, all without permission. And since my sister and I tend to lie on our aunt's bed, all three of us were acting like monkeys, scratching furiously at our itchy scalps by the end of the week. Nits or head lice eggs (lisa) were the giveaway that it was not dandruff that afflicted us.

Did not expect a blue colored shampoo.

So how did we free ourselves from these pest? Based on our experience, these are the things we recommend you should do.

Ellips Hair Vitamin Hair Treatment Variant

I knew it was bad the moment a co-worker, without my prompting, recommended I use hair serum for my frizzy hair. That hair serum being Ellips Hair Vitamin. I actually didn’t heed her call at first but suggested it to my sister who promptly got a blister pack. When her hair took a 360, I was sold.

There are two Ellips Hair Vitamin variants in the local market today: the yellow one labeled Smooth and Shiny with Aloe Vera as key ingredient and the pink one labeled Hair Treatment with Jojoba Oil. I get similar results from both the yellow and pink variants but I prefer the scent of the pink one so it’s the one I kept purchasing. Both their scents last the whole day.

A hair vitamin-filled capsule feels squishy but turns hard once it’s empty. I prefer snipping off the end where its tail is at rather than pulling the rim off to release the contents. On my hands, the hair vitamin feels like slightly thick baby oil. Unlike baby oil though, the greasiness does not last for long nor does it weigh my hair down.

Package instructions:  Use after hair rinse. Pour onto your hands and wipe thoroughly onto your hair. Leave dry.

It’s okay to use it on dry hair but I find it best to apply the hair vitamin while my hair is slightly damp. Note that I still condition my hair even if I’m using this, just to cover all bases. A capsule is enough for my thick shoulder length hair. I don’t need to break-off one everyday since the effect remains until the next day, sometimes the day after next, even after I’ve washed, shampooed and conditioned my hair. Of course the effect doesn’t last forever. The moment I stop using it, if the shampoo and conditioner I’m using are not up to par or it’s really humid, my hair becomes scraggly again after a few days.

Ingredients: Fragrance, Jojoba Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Cyclomethicone, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Pro vitamin B5, Polysilicone-15

Blurb: The combination of Jojoba Oil, UV Protection, Pro Vitamin B5 and Vitamin A, C, E helps treat damaged hair structure and reduce split end(s) caused by hair blow-drying, curling, coloring, rebonding. Hair looks healthier, manageable and shiny.

It delivers on its promise. I really do get manageable, shiny, sleek hair immediately after I use it. Note that it does not make my hair stick straight. My hair remains a bit wavy but frizz-free which is what matters most to me. It does not hold hair in place like gel or hairspray but it tames flyaways while allowing movement.

My sister who gets a lot more stuff done to her hair (blow-drying, curling, ironing, straightening, rebonding) and on a much more regular basis swears by this hair vitamin. For her, the effect is like using baby oil without the greasiness.

Ellips Hair Vitamin is manufactured in Indonesia and is available at Watsons, the beauty section of SM Departments Stores and SM Hypermarkets. A blister pack of 6 capsules goes for P36+ at SM Hypermarket. A plastic tube with 50 pieces is around P300+.