Grahams Natural Shampoo and Conditioner

RRP: £11.99 each
 
--What does the promo say?--
"A gentle blend of organic and natural ingredients to relieve and protect a dry and sensitive scalp."

--Packaging--
The bright yellow and blue combination is bold, youthful, unisex and unique, meaning it would definitely stand out on the shelf.

--Usage--
Business as usual here: lather up the shampoo and massage through wet hair before rinsing out. Follow this by smoothing the conditioner through the roots and leave for a few minutes before washing it out. The usual amount required; a blob around the size of a 50p piece should suffice in each case.

--Appearance--
Both come out an unorthodox blue colour; no idea where this comes from. They foam whiter, though, and leave no visible residue.

--Texture and consistency--
As is normal, the conditioner doesn't lather as such, but just remains a blue, creamy, slightly pearlescent lotion. The shampoo foams up a bit into a slightly whiter concoction with some effort, but again, is a blue nacreous cream to start with. Both rinse out without difficulty.

--Scent--
Weirdly, slightly pepperminty or menthol-ish. Again, no idea where this originates. You can smell the coconut a bit if you sniff hard enough, which is good for those who aren't especial fans of the coconut scent.

--Effects on the hair--
Easily as effective as any commercial shampoo and conditioner, leaving hair softened, volumised and degreased. Scalp-wise, dry skin is definitely reduced and there is no irritation.

--Value for money--
Admittedly I balked at the price when I saw it online, but we perhaps shouldn't be so surprised: if we want quality results on our hair without the artificial ingredients, we surely need to pay for the care that goes into selecting authentic components. Commercial products are frequently so ludicrously cheap that we just aren't used to paying what things actually cost anymore. If by buying this you get good results without the chemicals, and kick dry and itchy scalps into touch too, then tant mieux. However, I think Grahams need to pimp the packaging if they want consumers to believe this is a high-end product that delivers equally good results. While this current packaging is unique and eye-catching, sophisticated it ain't. It's also significantly more expensive than, say, Lush's natural shampoo bars, which also deliver excellent results through natural ingredients, without the plasticated packaging. So while Grahams' hair products ultimately have a good basis, I'd say there's still a few tweaks to be made.

perfect partners
Grahams Natural Soap, £5.50
Grahams Natural Sooth-It Balm, £17.99
Grahams Natural Bath Oil, £14.50
Grahams Calendulis Plus Cream, from £13.95
Grahams Natural Kids Eczema Cream, £18.99

Apicare Cleanse Me 4 in 1 Manuka Honey Wash

RRP: £8.50/70ml

--What does the promo say?--
"This gentle, soap free wash is so effective it is suitable for use on hair, face, hands and body. The mild, soap free wash contains naturally soothing Aloe Vera, Green Tea Extract and New Zealand 16+ Active Manuka Honey to gently cleanse hair and skin without drying. Combined with a fragrant blend of balancing essential oils, this foaming wash is designed to be used morning and night to cleanse and refresh the skin."

--Packaging--
Simple and cheerful in yellow and white, the honey bee bullet points serve as a playful way to highlight the product's uses. However, I'm not quite sure what the 16+ in front of "Manuka Honey" on the first bullet point is supposed to signify as this is never fully explained. The packaging is very usable, anyway, and suitably dinky for travel purposes.

--Application--
For hands: rub onto wet hands and then rinse off. For face: rub onto wet face and then rinse off. For body: rub onto wet body and then rinse off. For hair: rub into wet hair and then rinse out. Simples :)

--Appearance--
A slightly yellow, runny translucent gel that leaves no visible residue on the skin or hair after use.

--Scent--
Smells very lemony; delish. Sadly it doesn't really linger on the body after use, though.

--Effects on the skin and hair--
Face, hands and body are all washed adequately, leaving skin smooth, calm and clean.
The hair, however, is a different story. As a shampoo, the product is extremely difficult to wash out and hair is left almost greasier than when you started. A shame.

--Value for money--
This is really more of a 3-in-1 product than a 4-in-1 due to the epic hair failure detailed above. However, multi-use products get a big thumbs up, especially since it can actually be quite difficult to get a product to do more than one thing well (even more so given that some companies even seem to struggle with getting the original thing right to begin with), so for it to get three things right is still very good. The travel size is a big plus and the price tag is affordable too. For a sweet-smelling product that takes us all one step further towards being able to travel on hand baggage only by doing 3 things at once, I'd definitely recommend this. Just pack a Lush solid shampoo to cover the rest.

perfect partners
Saving Face Skin Balancing Face Moisturiser, £8.50
Protect Me Manuka Honey Lip Balm (SPF 15), £5.00
Rescue Me First Aid Manuka Honey Gel, £12.50