L’Oreal Paris Extraordinary Oil

Last week, I received a special package from Crowdtap. They sent me free full-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner and oil serum to test and review. This review is for L’Oreal Paris Extraordinary Oil for Dry, Lifeless Hair. Okay, I wouldn’t call my hair lifeless. It’s dry, but that often means it’s totally out of control.

Shampoo

What are you expecting from this shampoo?

The shampoo boasts lots of oils, but it can’t be too oily or it won’t clean my hair. Argan oil is listed first, so I’m expecting that rich sort of amber fragrance.

Smell?

Right on the money with this one. I love that scent. It’s not overly fragrant, so you probably won’t have that fun effect of fluffing out a clean hair smell when you run your fingers through it later.

Texture?

This is thinner than most shampoos that I’ve used. I like that, because it gets down to the roots and scalp quickly and builds to a good lather. Less time spent scrubbing it through the layers means less tangled mess and less water used during my shower. Nice one!

Ingredients?

I’m going to have to knock a few points on this one. I use temporary hair color, and in order to improve its longevity, there are some ingredients to stay away from. Sulfates are a big one for hair color. They are added to shampoos to make it lather. Well, this shampoo doesn’t have a problem lathering, so I can see this in action right away. A rich purple (my dye) foam rinses away when I wash my hair. The next no-no is isopropyl alcohol. You need something in a shampoo to cut your own natural oils to get it clean, but alcohol is a little too good at this job. Hopefully the blend of oils used in this shampoo will protect the hair as it is being cleaned. Lastly, propylene glycol, which is FDA approved for human consumption and often used in foods as an antifreeze agent to prevent frost crystals from forming in tv dinners. In shampoo, it is used to help your skin absorb other ingredients in the shampoo (probably to make your scalp more receptive to the oils). This one is advised against because it can be a skin and eye irritant, so if you have scalp sensitivity, discontinue use. You’ll be hard pressed to find a mainstream shampoo that doesn’t contain this ingredient, and everybody already knows it sucks getting shampoo in your eyes.

Overall thoughts after use?

After rinsing the shampoo away, I don’t feel like it took away more hair color than the average drugstore shampoo. It was less drying, which I liked. This was a pretty solid shampoo. 4 out of 5 only because I can’t recommend it to all my friends in terms of ingredients.

Conditioner

What are you expecting from this conditioner?

I’m expecting that all these oils will make it harder to rinse out. I’m also expecting it will have the same argan oil scent as the shampoo. I’m pretty sure my hair will feel softer, but I have no real expectations beyond what other natural oil conditioners have offered me.

Smell?

I can’t really even smell the conditioner. I think any smell I’m getting is just in the damp air from the shampoo.

Texture?

Wow! Talk about creamy! This is a conditioner with a fat ass. You can control exactly where this goes to make sure it gets plenty of time on your dried out ends. It was easier to work through my hair and melted tangles away. And surprisingly, when I went to rinse it out, it didn’t leave my hair feeling slick and slimy like I’d never get it all rinsed out. It just washed away in seconds.

Ingredients?

Not even mad at this one. True, it contains isopropyl alcohol as well, but that’s really the only thing to fuss about, and it didn’t stand a chance against the rich blend of oils in this conditioner.

Overall thoughts after use?

Great! I’m growing my hair out for the first time in years, and I can’t remember having issues with it being so tangled after showers the last time. This conditioner eliminated that problem. No tangles, no breakage. That’s just what I needed! 5 out of 5.

Oil Serum

What are you expecting from this serum?

I’m expecting it to smell like the shampoo, and I’m expecting I will only have to use a tiny bit rubbed all over my fingers so I don’t make my hair look like it’s a week overdue for a shower. I expect that if I get the amount and application just right, it will keep my broken hairs tucked neatly into the rest of my hair, and make my stressed out underlayer look soft and shiny like the rest.

Smell?

Oof! This is super sweet. It smells like brown sugar + vanilla lotion.

Texture?

This feels just like any oil serum. You’ll just want to put a little dab on your fingers and rub it around so that you can control where you apply it.

Ingredients?

What? This doesn’t use argan oil? No! But it feels like those expensive argan oil treatments I’ve been testing. Okay, I’m pretty impressed. It includes rose and gardenia oils, and allows the blend to shine without any of the naughty list ingredients. Good stuff!

Overall thoughts after use?

Don’t spend a ton of money on fancy argan oil serums, this stuff works just as well. It restored the natural wave to my hair that had been killed with bleach. May not have been strong enough to tame all the broken ends, but my hair definitely feels as soft as if I’d just gotten it cut. Really good product here. 5 out of 5.