It was sometime last year that I discovered I needed to use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. My hair is color treated (abused) and I found that using a natural hair care regime helps keep my color looking fresher for a longer period of time. Also worth noting is that my hair gets fairly oily after just a day or two. I try to wash it every other day (but usually I end up washing it daily because of my bff- the treadmill). Sulfate-free shampoo really helps my hair stay less oily in between washes because it doesn’t strip the natural oil as much as other shampoos. To that end I wanted to share 2 new lines of hair care products that I have been testing for several weeks that you *need* to know about.

The first is by bain de terre and they have launched a line called purité and it is free from ten common chemicals (no sulfates, parabens, formaldehyde, colorants, gluten, mineral oil, phthalates, MEA, DEA & PPG) and never tested on animals.

The first two products I tried were the color protect shampoo and conditioner. I loved the smell right away- described on the bottle as ‘white floral’, it’s light and fresh, slightly flowery and not overpowering. I am absolutely blown away by the conditioner. I have never tried such a thick conditioner ever. It’s almost hard to get out of the bottle at times. My hair feels so incredibly soft after using it and it’s tangle-free (important as my hair is 19+ inches long). It doesn’t weigh my hair down and it leaves a lovely shine. At the time that I am writing this I have about 25% left of the entire bottle. I have used it every day since it arrived and don’t want it to end. I feel like it has definitely helped keep my blonde(r) hair from getting brassy in between colorings.

I do, however, have an issue with the shampoo. It’s probably my own body chemistry (did I mention my hair gets pretty oily pretty fast)? Well, it doesn’t seem to be able to break down the oil in my hair. I used it the first time and was impressed with how clean my scalp felt. But then the second time I used it after I finished drying my hair I could still feel oil on my roots. At the time I chalked it up to not having been thorough enough in my cleaning and shrugged it off. The third time I used it I scrubbed my scalp not once, but twice  before adding conditioner. Imagine my surprise then after having been as thorough as I thought I could be and still feeling oil in my hair after blowing it dry. It was a vertical eyebrow moment. After this I stopped using it. It just isn’t the right shampoo for my hair type. If you have normal or dry hair I bet this will work fabulously for you, but if you have oily hair I would stick to the conditioner only.

These are available now in Ulta Stores across the U.S. (not online sadly). The shampoo and conditioner retail for $14 and $15 respectively.

The third product I have been testing is from Hairtrition  and is the Keratin Smoothing Leave-in Treatment. It’s got an almost gel-like consistency and isn’t very thick. I am used to using hair oils as a treatment that are much thicker than this so I wasn’t planning to be impressed by it. I was pleasantly surprised then to find out just how smoothing the treatment is. I comb this through towel-dried hair and then blow my hair dry. Afterwards I am left with very shiny and silky strands- incredibly reminiscent of how my hair oils work. Again, I have been using this religiously for several weeks. You don’t need a lot- I use about a quarter sized amount for my entire hair. This also has a nice light fragrance and reminds me of a trip to the salon.

The leave-in treatment retails for $6.99 at Sally Beauty Supply Store and online.

Shiny, smooth hair (just blown dry, not straightened or curled) after using the Keratin leave-in treatment and the color protect conditioner.

I can’t wait to test the other items from the bain de terre Purite and Hairtrition Keratin lines- and I will be reviewing those over the next few weeks.

If you would like to see other reviews of these hair care lines you can check out the posts done by my lovelies Larie of Eye Heart it and Eugenia of Ommorphia Beauty Bar.

*The items featured have been provided for review purposes only by PR. My commitment is to you, the reader and I always write my honest opinion *