Recently Herbal Essences released a new Naked Volume haircare collection. The shampoo and conditioner I have here are formulated to be free of parabens, dyes, and heavy ingredients that could weigh hair down. Both products are paraben and dye free but only the shampoo is silicone free. They both have a unique fruity-botanical fragrance that lingers in the hair for a few hours.

The overall feel I get from the fragrance is bright and clean. Grapefruit and mint are supposed to be the main notes but to me, the combination ends up smelling like strawberry with a subtle citrusy-green background. It isn’t that synthetic super-sweet type of strawberry, but more of a natural tart type of strawberry. I am enjoying the scent quite a bit right now but there’s something about it that makes me feel that maybe after using these products for a few months, it could be a scent that I’d get tired of.

The shampoo had a good consistency, neither too watery nor very thick. It had a good lather and I felt it cleaned my hair well enough that I didn’t need a second lather. It leaves behind that tell-tale squeak that lets you know your hair is good and clean. My go-to shampoo for getting my hair really clean is usually Lush I Love Juicy Shampoo but it’s hard to find a good drugstore alternative. This is a good option if you are looking to pinch some pennies when it comes to your beauty products.

The conditioner was thick and luxurious while also feeling very lightweight. I didn’t feel that I needed to use a whole lot and it gave my hair a good slip so it wasn’t tangled when I needed to comb it out. It did seem to need a little more rinsing than your average volumizing conditioner but it rinsed out thoroughly in a reasonable amount of time. When I use the conditioner all the way up to my scalp, I don’t feel that it weighs my hair down at all.

The one thing I wasn’t happy about was that after using these my hair can have a tendency to be a little too dry and sensitive to static (imagine floating hair, lol). I think part of the reason for this is that conditioner is ultra lightweight. I have found the best thing for my hair is to use a shampoo that gets my hair really clean and then a conditioner that is more moisturizing only strategically on the ends. That way I get the best of both worlds.

I’d buy the shampoo again because it is a good budget shampoo that actually cleans my hair well but I wouldn’t buy the conditioner again because it just doesn’t moisturize my ends enough.

These shampoos and conditioners were my some of my favorite ones back in high school and I was so bummed when these were discontinued. The fragrance is like happiness in a bottle. I love it. The whole Herbal Essences haircare line was reformulated and redesigned several years ago. About a year ago I tried the Herbal Essences Drama Clean Shampoo and I really disliked it so I never tried any of the other products.

These seem to work as well as I remember them working before. The shampoo has a good lather and cleans well. The conditioner is a little thick and moisturizes well. If you have oily hair, I would only use it on the tips. The fragrance of the shampoo is fantastic but it is slightly different in the conditioner, not quite as nice. It left my hair easy to comb through after showering and 6 hours later, I can still smell the fragrance lingering in my hair. So far I don’t feel as though my hair is weighed down at all.

These cost around $4.50 each at Walgreens. They are priced reasonably and give me reliable results. I will be keeping a bottle of each on hand as long as they remain available.

Did you ever use these? Did you like them? I’d love to know!