I figured after I gave the rundown on how to use clarifying shampoo, which is most definitely not for daily use, it would be a good idea to review a daily shampoo and conditioner set that I had in my possession and routine from April to last weekend: the Ojon Damage Reverse Shampoo and Conditioner.
First of all, let me explain how I happened upon these products: prior to working at Ulta, I had been (and am once again now that I’ve quit my job there) a Platinum Rewards Member with them. This means that once in a blue moon they’ll send you exclusive coupons relevant to your interests and beauty profile. In this case, the offer was a FREE 16.9oz DR set, with any Ojon purchase of $25 or more (they don’t make anything full-sized less than $25 anyway, so no problems there). You all know by now my hair was in desperation at this point, so of course I couldn’t resist and rushed over to Ulta to use my coupon.
To get the deal, I bought a spray leave-in conditioner from their separate Dry Recovery line, which will have its own review because it was phenomenal. It was $25 on its own, so everything worked out perfectly. Now, the shampoo and conditioner were 16.9oz each, which is double the amount of product (and would be around $50 for each had I needed to pay for them) so I was in freebie heaven.
I immediately rushed home to try my new products – they were great for the first few uses! Ojon claims to be an all natural line, which equates to the shampoo being sulphate-free and the conditioner being primarily oil based, and that was a huge plus for me. The shampoo itself is relatively thin, so it was easily spread throughout my hair (and as you know I have a LOT of hair), and rinsed out easily as well. The conditioner was very dense, and felt more like a deep conditioner than a daily conditioner, which at the time was good for me because my hair needed all the extra moisture it could get. My hair came out smooth and clean. I was pretty much content at this point.
Fast forward about 3 months later – still following the exact same routine I had when I first used these products, I was now no longer having smooth and clean hair; my reward this time was heavy, flat, weighed down hair. It felt dirty, and it probably looked dirty too. The shampoo seemed to have lost its potency, while the conditioner seemed to become five million times more dense and overbearing for my hair. The thing that really bothers me the most about this looking back is that I didn’t even use this line every day (or even every week), and I clarified weekly. So what gives?!
After doing a bit of snooping on MakeupAlley, I found out I wasn’t alone – quite a few people complained of heaviness, greasiness, and just all around uncleanliness and unworthiness for the hefty price tag (remember, an 8oz bottle of this stuff retails for $25). After looking at the ingredients list, I found out the shampoo was loaded with alternative surfactants and the conditioner loaded with silicones. Gross. The biggest complaint though, was about the smell, and I can’t say I disagree. This line smells very much the way you’d expect an all natural line to smell – herbal and earthy. While I don’t mind that kind of scent, I most certainly DO mind that scent on top of UNCLEAN hair. Both shampoo and conditioner became last resorts in my routine because of this, and I finally ran out last weekend after waiting for what seems like forever.
Ultimately I was underwhelmed and honestly a little ticked off by the way this ended up reacting on my hair. You may have better luck if you have really, really, REALLY thick hair, but fine haired gals should truly stay away from this product. As a side note, the shampoo worked quite well at cleaning my Clarisonic brush head after a day’s usage. Powerful enough to clean a brush but not hair? I think I’ll pass on the Damage Reverse line from now on. I’d recommend saving your $50 for a more worthy hair care line, ladies and gents.
