For Just $10, This Hair Rescue Set Did as Promised
I try to wash my hair as little as possible. It takes energy and time and dry shampoo technology has gotten us to a point where you don’t HAVE to wash your hair after a workout if you don’t want to. So when I DO wash my hair (1-2 times a week, I haven’t gone completely feral… yet) I have a lot of product to get out. I would often shampoo twice, once to get the product out of my hair, and a second time to actually clean my head. Then I realized clarifying shampoos exist for a reason, and now I will use Kristin Ess Scalp Purifying Micellar Shampoo every second or third wash. Combined with this scalp scrubber? Ooooh, it’s nice. It’s like a spa treatment in my own home. I often follow my clarifying hair ritual with Trader Joe’s Shea Butter and Coconut Oil Hair Mask, so when I saw Trader Joe’s was selling a clarifying shampoo/hair mask SET, I had to give it a try.
Bonus foster dog ear, you’re welcome.
The two-step system is sold together for $10, and tragically, is as of now only a seasonal item. The first step is the Charcoal and Peppermint Clarifying and Exfoliating Shampoo. I assumed the shampoo would be gritty and hard to wash out of my hair, but it’s actually really lovely and easy to use. The peppermint makes your scalp a little tingly and the charcoal gives the shampoo a silvery tint and makes you hair feel truly clean. There are crushed walnut shells in the formula for added exfoliation, but you don’t really feel them. The shampoo rinses clean and leaves your hair and scalp feeling scrubbed and fresh, but not in a way that also makes your hair feel stripped or your scalp feel tight and overly cleansed.
Look closely at the photo above. Notice how you can see where my fingers raked through the conditioner? I did that DAYS before I took this photo. Which is to say, that hair mask is THICK. I thought the OG TJ’s Hair Mask was a good product, but this mask makes the other one look like some tat off the TJ Maxx clearance shelf. If Trader Joe’s just sold this hair mask, I would buy it again and again. I apply this mask to just the ends of my hair, then clip it up and out of my way. The packaging says to leave the mask on for 5-10 minutes (the other mask recommends 3-5), and it really makes a difference. After using this duo, my hair felt clean without being stripped, and moisturized without feeling heavy. And for $10!
I’m bereft that this set is only a seasonal offering, and while I wish Trader Joe’s would make it part of their every day stock, I may have more luck hoping it comes back next winter. If it does, I’m buying enough to last me the rest of the year.
