June 30, 2006

Dr. Woods Shea Vision Peppermint Castile Soap

My husband and I were shopping for shampoos the other day and we were looking for something natural. My first hint that something was not quite right was that I was shopping for hair care products with my husband. Both intrigued by the Dr. Bronner's brand, we investigated the range of castile soaps. While Dr. Bronner's is 100% natural, cleans every inch of your body and then your pet's as well, it is also quite expensive. Not wanting to give up on our pursuit of an environmentally friendly solution, we purchased a less expensive version in Dr. Woods Shea Vision Pure Peppermint Castile Soap.

Much like the more expensive brand, this soap claims to be a shampoo, body wash, facial cleanser, shaving lotion and even a mild laundry detergent. It is all natural, eco-friendly and contains organic shea butter for moisturizing purposes.

It smells fresh, kind of like a combination of mint ice cream and furniture polish. The washing was an extremely cleansing experience. Dr. Woods Peppermint Soap lathers up nicely and when rinsed out of my hair, left it so "squeaky" that it practically hurt to run my hands over it.

That is where the fun stops. This has to be the WORST feeling hair care product on the market. Now I'm not one to get into the actual styling of my locks (much to the dismay of many), however I do agree to a reasonable threshold of beauty to remain a part of general society. Dr Woods Shea Vision Peppermint Castile Soap left my hair feeling as if I had a damp, limp washcloth on my head. My hair was fat, dull and clung to my head like a helmet. I looked so bad that I went out to the store and immediately purchased a salon shampoo. And I'm more than a little embarrassed to admit that even though this new salon product has crushed pearls in it, my hair looks fantastic.

I'll still buy Dr. Woods products because I value their eco-friendly approach and would work nicely in a camping situation where no one will see my head, but for every day use I'll leave it for my dog and my husband -- the ones with helmet hair.

About Dr. Woods:

Dr. Woods castile soaps originate from Castile, Spain and are vegetable based, containing no animal fat, and are biodegradable. The soaps incorporate shea butter, olive oil and vitamin E for moisturizing purposes. There was no information on the company on their website.

Ingredients: water, saponified coconut, hemp & olive oils with retained glycerin, organic shea butter (butyrospermum parkii), vitamin E oil (tocopheryl acetate), peppermint oil, sea salt, citric acid, rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) extract.

Available at Amazon.com