Happy Hump Day! It’s time for another edition of This or That, featuring two cleansing conditioners with vastly different price points. Both of these perform nicely, but one definitely outshines the other. The winner may not be what you expect, so keep reading to see which one I like best!
Before I get started, I want to quickly explain my hair type: it’s thick, wavy, frizzy and it has a mind of its own. If you’ve got similar hair, hopefully this review will be helpful to you!
First up, is the Biolage Cleansing Conditioner for Medium Hair. This massive 16.9 fl oz bottle retails at ULTA for $26, and claims to be a non-stripping formula that cleanses while it conditions for shiny, bouncy, frizz-free hair. It’s free of parabens, sulfates, and silicones, and is recommended for daily use, or in between traditional washings.
Since there are no sudsing agents in this, it does not produce any lather. Instead, it has a lotion like texture that is to be applied from your roots, to your ends. Biolage recommends that you use 2-3 pumps per each section of hair (though I need about double that), leave on for five minutes, then rinse and you’re done.
My experience with this cleanser has been pretty good. The formula is thin and silky, it gives my hair excellent slip and it has a great minty/floral scent. It washes out nicely, and it doesn’t leave my hair feeling weighed down or greasy. However, despite its claims, I did not find my hair to be overly shiny, bouncy, or soft. It felt nicely cleansed and hydrated, but the results weren’t anything spectacular.
Next up is the Herbal Essences Naked Cleansing Conditioner, which also comes in a large 16.9 fl oz bottle, only this one retails for $4.99 at Target. It claims to gently cleanse and conditioner hair for a moisturized look and feel, and it’s free of parabens, sulfates and colorants.
Like the Biolage cleanser, this is soap free free (so there’s no suds), and it’s meant to be applied all over from roots to ends. The formula is thick and creamy, and it glides through hair really easily for instant detangling.
Since this is different than traditional shampoo, you’ll once again need quite a bit of product for each use. The bottle states you only need 3-4 pumps, but I use about 5-6…maybe more. Despite having to use so much, it doesn’t weigh down hair and it washes out quickly. It has the same florally mint scent as the Biolage cleanser, only this one lingers and leaves hair smelling delicious for days!
This affordable cleanser leaves my hair silky smooth, and really shiny. I can’t go my usual 3 days between washings, but that’s to be expected since this isn’t a full strength shampoo. This super quick, all-in-one cleanser is perfect for those on the run. Just one product, and you’re done!
WHICH TO CHOOSE
Overall, I find these cleansing conditioners to be really convenient. They manage to cleanse, without stripping, and they leave my hair soft and manageable. The Biolage cleanser comes in a variety of formulas, and leaves my hair feeling clean for days. The Herbal Essences cleanser works better with my hair type, and the texture is easier to work with, but I do need to cleanse more frequently when I use it. So, which one do I recommend?
Herbal Essences! This cleanser leaves my hair noticeably shinier and softer, and it’s under five bucks, so for that reason I think THAT is the one you should choose!
Are you surprised by my choice? Let me know what cleansing conditioners you’ve tried!
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How interesting! I can’t do a hair “cleanser” without soap and lather! Call me old school but that’s just me. At least I know now these new things are out there!
It’s actually not as weird as it sounds, but I definitely like to use sudsing shampoos in between things like this. There is nothing like the feeling of a bubbly shampoo! 🙂
I will be trying the Herbal Essence one asap! I had no idea they even made one. I have tried and really liked Wen, it’s just expensive and I didn’t want to keep repurchasing. I’m getting a Keratin treatment next month and will need a sulfate free one, I might be a whole new women 😉
I haven’t tried Wen, but considering how much product you need to use for each use I’ll be sticking with this cheapo one from Herbal Essences! lol Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Glad they work well for you, I have only heard bad things about Herbal Essence being a hairdresser I have been told they strip the colour out of your hair, not sure how true this is!
Sophie
xx
http://www.pocockins.co.uk
I was pleasantly surprised by this Herbal Essences product! The original shampoos I’m sure are really bad, due to all the sulfates and harsh ingredients, but this one is free of that so it’s actually really gentle 🙂
I haven’t had great experiences with herbal essence…it’s too heavy for my thin hair. It smells so great but has never done great things for me….I honestly thought the biolage would win! I really don’t have a fave shampoo because they all hate my hair lol….some Paul Mitchell products are good, some John frieda blonde shampoos. But I’ve never found a product I “love”. Right now I’m using a combo of Pura d’or shampoo and conditioner for thonning or preventing hair loss….then on other days I use Dessange for color treated blondes from target. The Pura dor I got to try via brandbacker and the Dessange thru influenster!
I’m currently on the hunt for a holy grail shampoo as well, I can’t seem to find one that’s perfect. This Herbal Essences product is definitely thick and creamy, so I think it would be too heavy if you’re not a fan of that type of texture. I purchased the Agave shampoo and conditioner, so I’m hoping that one might be the one! 🙂
I have only tried a sample packet of wen once, but my hair is thin and fine soI didn’t get great results. I think is great that Herbal Essences is the winner because cleansing conditioners can be so expensive. They seem to have a lot of great products from their Naked line, I love the dry shampoo!
Ooh, I never dried the dry shampoo I’ll have to pick that up! Considering how much product you need to use at one time (with cleansing conditioners), I definitely can’t justify spending a whole lot of higher end brands!
I have never tried any product like this before. It would be interesting to try though x
Laura
Pink Frenzy
It’s a nice change from traditional shampoo/conditioner, it’s really quick too!
I have thick wavy hair to and have been using the Pantene cleansing conditioner, which I have liked. I am going to have to keep my eyes out for the Herbal Essence one now!
I looked for the Pantene one everywhere, and couldn’t find it! This is my second time purchasing the Herbal Essences one though, I do really like it 🙂
I always get it at Walmart. I looked for the Herbal Essence one and couldn’t find it either, so I picked up another Pantene one.
I haven’t used either of these, but have used Wen (the original cleansing conditioner) a number of times. I love that cleansing conditioners are so hydrating because I too have thick, wavy, frizzy hair. A great go to in between intense washes.
These are definitely great for us gals with thick hair! I haven’t tried Wen, but I’m interested to see how it compares!
I haven’t used either, but I do love H.E. products!
They all smell delicious!
These sounds really interesting. I have a fussy scalp so I wonder how it would like these. Great post Julie!
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Thanks Amanda! I sometimes get an itchy scalp, and so far neither of these have caused issues. But, I’d go with the HE one just in case, since it’s only $4.99 there’s not a whole lot to lose 🙂
I haven’t heard of either of these, they sound like great products, especially the HE xxx Thou Shalt Not Covet
They are so quick and easy, it’s a nice change from traditional shampoo and conditioner!
Thick, frizzy hair with a mind of its own- sounds like my hair! Going to try this Herbal Essences conditioner for sure. I have been using their volumizing souffle from the Naked series for a while now and it’s a fantastic product. Have you tried it?
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I haven’t tried that, but thank you for the suggestion I’ll add it to my list! If you have hair like mine, you should like the cleansing conditioner. It’s a nice change from traditional shampoos! 🙂
The HE products smell delicious, love them!
Creepers & Cupcakes
I love their scents as well! 🙂
Heck yeah Herbal Essences! I’ll be picking that up next drugstore run…
cominguprosestheblog.com
The orange peel one was recommended to me after a salon visit and because I have fine, thin hair I thought I would give it a try. Warning though it cost almost 3 times as much as a retail store shampoo. After the first pump what you will notice first is that strong orange oil smell. It is very strong to me and if you don’t like that smell I would steer clear from this product. The recommendation is 6-8 pumps through your hair. After two weeks it did work very well. Light, clean, and less hair falling out but for the price I am not sure I would stick with it. Here is a video review