Today, I am reviewing two of their products together and not separately, because they are obviously a shampoo and conditioner duo which I have used one after the other every time I showered. It was easily the best way to document my experience for both in one single post rather than have two individual reviews.
First, we have this Neem & Aloe With Cleansing Lemon Peel Shampoo. This is an 'anti-dandruff' shampoo and has a list of amazing ingredients that are natural and in their purest forms. It is also free from SLS/SLES, parabens and any animal-derived ingredients making it an all round vegan-friendly product. It has a sweet, herbal-ish scent that is pleasant without being overpowering. It also has these tiny little particles in it which I'm guessing is the lemon peel. The product comes in a sturdy plastic bottle with no fancy packaging and has a gel consistency. But does it deliver as good as it sounds?
Sadly no. And yes, I am really and truly sad to say this. Not only am I a proud supporter of Indian brands, I also love using as many natural products as I can. So you understand my high hopes regarding SoulTree despite never having tried it before. For the product itself, what I really dislike about it is the way it makes my hair extremely dry and brittle. It is so stiff and rough that I hate having to touch it even accidentally. This shampoo does not foam much either, but that is something I easily overlook. It is the SLS that makes products foam, so any formulation without it will not yield any good frothy base. I usually oil my hair prior to shampooing, and it doesn't completely remove the oil off the hair either.
Moving on to the Hibiscus Hair Conditioner, this comes in an extremely nice plastic jar which I'm totally recycling. The scent is nice, pleasant and has all the good stuff like shikakai, henna, coconut oil, and of course hibiscus. No extra additives, silicones, parabens etc. But dang, this is another disappointment. Conditioners are supposed to soften the hair, moisturize the strands to reduce breakage, detangle the hair and what not. And this does nothing. Okay I may be lying, to be completely honest. But the maximum percentage of benefit it might have given me would be a mere 20%. Which is bad. Especially if you, the conditioner itself, claims to "nourish, strengthen and provide lustre" to the hair and don't live up to your own words. You suck.
What's more? This whole hair care duo was supposed to be "anti-dandruff" and it does nothing to get rid of that condition either. I have mild dandruff due to my hormonal imbalances and no matter what I do, it doesn't go away completely. I can only try different stuff to ensure that the condition is at its minimum and have tried effective homemade remedies to combat it overtime. However, a good rinse greatly helps to keep the scalp free of any stray flaky dandruff. And nope, this duo didn't do that either.
I have another bottle of shampoo, and a jar of conditioner to go through and I'm dreading using it. Literally. I might give SoulTree the benefit of doubt, and maybe get a different shampoo to try. I think they have a couple more in their range. But to be very honest, I'm really skeptical about them already. Besides, they only have this single conditioner in their range and I'm never getting it again in my life. It is utter useless. While I'm all for natural, chemical-free products, it is equally important for brands to actually deliver positive results and this hair care duo has done me no good. Would it be too early to write off SoulTree from my list? I don't know. Yet.
If you have fine dandruff-prone hair that is dull and breaks easily, I do NOT recommend this shampoo and conditioner.
The Neem & Aloe with Cleansing Lemon Peel shampoo retails at INR 295 (120ml), and the Hibiscus Hair Conditioner retails at INR 295 (100gms). Available at Purplle.com, Nykaa.com