An apple a day: Head & Shoulders Green Apple shampoo and conditioner review


product review

A fresh, clean feeling

Drugstore shampoo and conditioners have come a long way, baby. Now, the options for nourishing, nurturing and remedial hair washes are increasing — bottle by carefully blended bottle. And let’s face it, since the entire dandruff issue isn’t appealing, wouldn’t you rather have a sexy pair that deals with this elegantly?

The saying “an apple a day” is not just for the doctor’s office anymore. It certainly applies to the beauty department!

The new Green Apple shampoo and conditioner by Head & Shoulders promise a long-lasting clean and fresh new scent and a nice, clean scalp. Since psychologists have determined the importance of scents related to moods and feelings, the brand brings a bouquet of crisp fruits, florals and clean musks to your daily shower routine.

What it promises

With the reformulation comes a bouquet of promises. Here are the claims and how they measure up:

  • A “fresh, clean feeling:” There’s no question that this shampoo/ conditioner combo will leave your scalp and hair feeling really clean… not a “squeaky” clean, mind you, but a nicely moisturized clean.
  • A “vibrant” scent: The scent is pleasant but not overwhelming, so don’t expect to find Charlie the fragrance in a bottle. If you’re marketing something as a “green apple” fragrance, I expect it to be natural and pleasant — which thankfully, it is.
  • “Pro Clean” technology for scalp and hair to have a long-lasting clean: This technology uses a blend of three specialized cleaning active ingredients that work together to remove oils and dirt from the scalp. It also uses ZPT (or Zinc Pyrithione), specifically targeting the removal of the Malassezia yeast that causes dandruff.
  • Long-lasting scent: According to the brand, a clean scalp is the basis for having a long-lasting scent. And the new Green Apple shampoo and conditioner have gone out of their way to formulate a scent with top notes of green apple, Asian pear and juicy wild strawberries; middle notes of lilies and rose; and base notes of jasmine, warm woods and soft musk. While the scent during the shower was particularly pleasant, I felt that it didn’t necessarily last as strongly throughout the day. In other words, the fragrance is not overwhelming throughout the day. In my view, that’s a definite plus because you don’t want something so powerful that it interferes with your signature scent.

The bottom line: Not only does it clean the hair and scalp effectively, the Green Apple shampoo/conditioner is a gem for removing frizz (and now, I bet you didn’t think of that!). You may be inclined to buy it for the scent and the formulation, period, rather than an anti-dandruff treatment. Yes, it’s that sexy, and we’re thankful we tried it. More than anything, we’ll be sticking with it during our summer haircare routine because of the fragrance.

Availability and pricing

And at $5 per 14.2 ounce bottle, it doesn’t get much sexier because the delicious buzzword these days is value. This reformulation debuted in stores in the beginning of 2012, so you’ll likely find them everywhere at mass retailers. The Green Apple duo joins the other 13 Head & Shoulders offerings that include Itchy Scalp Care, Classic Clean and Active Sport for men.

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