Giovanni 2Chic Ultra-Moist Shampoo and Conditioner

So I gave up on Bene Premium Crystal Rose Repair Shampoo a couple of months ago. It made my hair and scalp so greasy I just couldn't stand it. However, hubby likes it and has been using it still, all by himself, so while waiting for him to finish up that bottle I turned to my stash of travel sizes and samples instead, because I don't want to start a new shampoo without my partner in crime :)

First up is the two 44mL/1.5fl oz. tubes of Giovanni 2Chic Ultra-Moist Shampoo and Conditioner. These are supposedly sulfate and parabens-free, and they contain avocado and olive oils.

I've actually had these tubes for years but never got around to using them. Wherever we travel to, we'd bring single-use packets instead, or use the stuff the hotels provided. So this pair of shampoo and conditioner apartment-hopped with us only to end up in our house's guest bathroom untouched. Not anymore, I decided, so I used them.

To be brutally honest I've lost faith in many American brand hair care products. They all made my hair heavy and greasy, just like Bene Premium Crystal Rose. And I'm not just talking about drugstore stuff. I'd tried more expensive brands too like Biolage, Hempz, American Crew, Matrix, Redken, Keratase, Bumble and Bumble, Aveda, Nexxus, etc. Let's just say I felt pretty stupid for having fork out so much for stuff that weren't any better than the drugstore varieties. All this was before I started this blog. In fact, it was experiences like those that drove me to start documenting and keeping track of what I like and dislike.

So I went to Japan for the very first time for my short stint as a JET and hubby (then fiance) and I switched right over to Japanese shampoos then. Sure, Nioxin is American and we've been using it for years, but it's also a specialty shampoo that we don't use daily, and it's only recently that we waded into the Korean product market. All that is to say I had very low expectations for these Giovanni shampoo and conditioner, and perhaps that's the reason they went on to wow me ^.^

Both the Giovanni shampoo and conditioner smelled nice. Actually, the fragrant was rather mild and generic and nothing worth writing home about. However, it was day and night difference the moment I switched over from Bene Premium to this. My hair felt lighter right after rinsing, and once I blow-dried--which I have to every night now, because there's baby and I no longer have time to wait for my hair to air-dry--my hair was bouncy and soft. The next day, there was no oily scalp or greasy hair. Just nice and soft hair all day long. I was so impressed I went online and bought myself a full sized pair ^.^