Aveda Scalp Benefits Balancing Conditioner

Following on from my Aveda Scalp Benefits Balancing Shampoo review, I am about to review the Scalp Benefits Balancing Conditioner. I have been using this product for about 3 years and it really is a great product.

The Scalp Benefits range is designed to help clean and clear your scalp and hair to ensure that your hair is healthy and strong. It deals with problem flake areas by removing sebum and build up of products in order to help ...
...on its own. Although Aveda are launching a male grooming range, this product is great for guys as well. It smells creamier than the shampoo which may be because it has more hydrating products in it. The conditioner is designed to hydrate the hair and yet soothe the scalp and this is exactly what it does.

The conditioner is a creamy colour with a light creamy texture. The beauty of this conditioner is that it is easy to spread around ... more

Following on from my Aveda Scalp Benefits Balancing Shampoo review, I am about to review the Scalp Benefits Balancing Conditioner. I have been using this product for about 3 years and it really is a great product.

The Scalp Benefits range is designed to help clean and clear your scalp and hair to ensure that your hair is healthy and strong. It deals with problem flake areas by removing sebum and build up of products in order to help to stimulate the scalp and produce the right environment for good growth. But as well as removing the problem areas it also calms and soothes the hair and scalp to help prevent further irritation.

I started using this range after an unfortunate highlighting incident ruined my hair and caused my already flaky scalp (caused by very mild psoriasis) to get even worse. After initially using intensive treatments to regain the condition of my hair, I began to use the Scalp Benefits shampoo and conditioner to treat the flakiness and have not looked back since.

The conditioner itself contains the same active ingredients as the shampoo - Burdock Root, Vetiver, Echinacea, Sage leaf, Seabuckthorn oil and Babassu so you are getting double the effectiveness. So often you get a shampoo and conditioner that have differing active ingredients so it was nice to see one stick to its guns. Like the shampoo it has the same distinctive smell of burdock root and is still warm and earthy but not quite as strong as the shampoo and does not have quite the same calming effect as the shampoo on its own. Although Aveda are launching a male grooming range, this product is great for guys as well. It smells creamier than the shampoo which may be because it has more hydrating products in it. The conditioner is designed to hydrate the hair and yet soothe the scalp and this is exactly what it does.

The conditioner is a creamy colour with a light creamy texture. The beauty of this conditioner is that it is easy to spread around on the hair. A generally use a dose about half the size again of a 50 pence piece dose (with my shoulder length hair) spread between both hands and run through the hair front to back usually does the trick as long as you use a wide toothed comb to run the conditioner through with. Whatever comes off on the comb I use on the ends and then I massage it in well. Sometimes, especially if I have been rained on or we have been by the sea, I have left the conditioner on for a couple of minutes but generally you only need to apply it massage in and rinse. It's better to leave it on for a little longer than to use more of the product. Like the shampoo it rinses quickly and easily in any water hardness.

After using the shampoo on it's own my hair feels soft , smooth, shiny and manageable but it feels even better with the conditioner. One thing I notice when I don't use my conditioner is that when I towel dry my hair I can get it fairly dry but when I use the conditioner it stays wetter and it takes longer to dry. If I dry it with the hair dryer, it is always very smooth and glossy and the smell on my hair is intensified. It does feel slightly heavier than when I just use the shampoo but it still has lots of life and volume. It's almost as if the hairs themselves are just fuller. if I look at my hair right down to the very tip it looks smooth and healthy. As for my scalp it is calm and feels hydrated. There is no tightness and the flakes, even when I have an outbreak, don't seem as bad and clear up quickly.

As a product I cannot fault it - it works brilliantly for me and any product that gets my loyalty must do a go job. I generally use it 3 times a week but if I have a flake attack or if I have just had my hair coloured I use it every time I wash my hair. Using it this way it gets used up roughly at the same time as the shampoo which is handy as it is only available in Aveda concessions, Aveda salons or you can buy it on the internet. I tend to get mine from my Aveda salon and this is where we come across it's only slight draw back. It is £14.50 for 200ml and £47 for 1 ltr. But if you buy it online you can get it for a little cheaper but if you are part of Aveda's Pure Privilege loyalty scheme you can't claim any points. I always buy it now in the 1 ltr bottles and use 1 full and 1 half pump (not as accurate as the one pump for the shampoo but I found 2 pumps was too much to use on my hair). Again after a year I have about 20% left so over the course of the year it works out to be the same (if not a bit cheaper) than designer conditioners from the likes of Trevor Sorbie or Charles Worthington. I tstill think it is quite expensive compared to the shampoo but it is worth it when I see the results - just hurts the bank balance initially when I buy the two together.

Another reason I like this product and Aveda products in general is that they use sustainable natural products and work closely with indigenious people to secure supply and support the community. Aveda's mission is to produce products which are not just environmentally sound but also ethical and it just goes to show that rather than using too many chemicals if we use the benefits of plants and flowers around us and use them sensibly that you can have good and effective products without causing too much damage to the world around us. For more information on Aveda's policies visit http://www.aveda.com/customerservice/ourmission.tmpl

So if you have got problems with a flaky scalp or you just want great feeling and healthy hair, I would recommend this product to you without any hesitation. 

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