I’ve been a user of Essentials hair products for many years. However, it didn’t start off well. When I first used their shampoo and conditioner, I did not like how my hair felt when dried. It felt like I just dipped my hair in chlorine water – there was a residue and my hair felt icky instead of soft and airy. A year or 2 later, I noticed that they upgraded the formula and I decided to try again because I couldn’t find any good shampoo around to stay loyal to. I am so glad I gave them a second chance, because the new and improved formula was much better and it has been my staple shampoo ever since. I also ventured out to try all the products – the hair treatment, hair mask and leave in serums. In fact, I liked the hair mask and leave in treatment a lot! Their products are very affordable, smells good and functions well. I have repurchased countless times since.

For many years they only had 2 variants – Orange (Nourishing Breakage Defense – for weak & damaged hair) and Pink (Moisturizing Frizz Free – for dull & rough hair). I actually tried ALL products in both ranges before and I really mean ALL. You see, I have very long hair so the ends are inevitably damaged. It doesn’t help that it has been through chemical treatments before and I only cut my hair once a year. I also do a lot of hot yoga so tying up my hair on daily basis stresses my already weakened hair. Because I feel my hair needs deep repair, I used the orange variant and it helped to make my ends feel less damaged.

However, I have very fine hair and too much moisture weighs down my hair. My scalp is slightly oily due to late nights and that resulted in clogging and I suspect hair loss too. Oily scalp also makes my hair looks flat and limp. Because of that, I switched to the pink range which is slightly lighter in comparison and while my hair became a little less oily at the roots, my scalp was still considered oily and my ends were not nourished enough to feel healthy.

I even experimented mixing both ranges (like pink shampoo, orange hair mask) to get the balance I want but I did not get the results I wanted. I have combination hair – oily roots/scalp yet dry hair ends.

Just as I was about to give up and live with having either oily scalp or dry ends, Essentials revamped their hair care range once again and now there are 2 new variants! They now have the Yellow (Light Finish Volumizing– for flat and limp hair ) and Blue (Deep Cleansing Care – for oily scalp & dry ends). They have also upgraded the Orange and Pink variants with a new packaging and improved formula.

The New Essential Yellow and Blue variants have the optimum combination of Smart Cuticle Care & Sebum Cleansing Technology to target both problems of roots and hair ends. As a result, consumers experience the best of both worlds with one product – airy light roots and moisturized ends. These 2 newer ranges are much lighter in comparison to the older orange and pink ranges, catered for people like me with combination hair. I was super excited to try the Deep Cleansing Shampoo because is exactly what I’ve been in search of but could not find. It sounds like the answer to my problem.

I was given these 4 products by the Sample Store to try out – The Blue Shampoo and Conditioner and the Orange
Hair Treatment and Hair Mask, after filling a questionnaire about my hair condition. The shampoo and conditioner are new products suitable for my hair concerns and the treatment and masks are old favourites.

To determine which variant suits you, you can refer to this table:

I’ve been using this shampoo for a few days now and I am happy to say that it really cleanses my scalp well leaving it much less oily and clogged than before, yet at the same time it doesn’t dry out my hair. Even if oily scalp isn’t really a problem, it is good to use a scalp clarifying shampoo once in a while to clean off residue that has been embedded on your scalp overtime. My hair always feels ultra nice whenever I switch shampoos once in a while.

My favourite product to follow up with is the hair mask and this one from the orange range is best for my very dry hair ends. It can even be used daily if your hair is in very bad shape, but if it isn’t that bad or if you are pressed for time you could use the treatment instead which is less intensive than the mask but only requires 30 seconds before rinsing off. The treatment and masks also have an improved formula and it is newly formulated with Microfine All Smooth Essence which delivers nutrients to repair damaged hair surface from root to tip – instead of concentrating at the roots only. The entire body of my super long hair feels smoother and healthier as a result.

For having the same problem as me and would like to finally try a shampoo that combats combination hair, go grab a sample. For those who wish to give the new formula a try, go grab a sample too! You can also like Essential on Facebook (www.fb.com/Essential.SG) and follow Essential on Instagram @essentialsingapore for more updates and tips on how to use their products to achieve the results you want.

The new Essential haircare range is at leading supermarkets, hypermarkets, western pharmacies and personal care stores.