Recently L’Oréal Elvive upped their lower end range of hair care with a new product range called Low Shampoo. These products are sulphate free* and no foam. I’ve become much more aware of what I use on my hair due to my PCOS “gifting” me with hair loss. I’m trying to be as kind to my hair as I possibly can so trying these low shampoos was high up on my list. Over the course of 2 months I purchased 2 out of the 3 variants.
What is L’Oréal Elvive Low Shampoo?
L’Oréal Elvive Low Shampoo is a gentle cleansing cream that has a no foam and no sulphate formula, which both conditions hair and gently removes impurities. It’s perfect for fragile and delicate hair. The low shampoo comes in a pump action bottle which is super convenient. You need about 8 pumps of product per use so it just makes it easier to use. I was skeptical at first, but just because it doesn’t foam it doesn’t mean it’s not cleansing your hair. These are the two variants I put to the test.
Elvive Extraordinary Oil Low Shampoo
This was the first one I picked up. It has the same signature scent as all of the other extraordinary oil products. I’ve used Extraordinary treatments before and I was very pleased with the results and also the reason I picked this one up first. Dry, fragile hair that can be demanding is the perfect candidate for this shampoo. Your hair may feel rough and brittle and easily gets tangled. This is so my hair, and if it is yours, read on!
As a daily hair washer (yes I know I shouldn’t but another PCOS thing is night sweats and this happens on my scalp a lot and I can’t deal with yukky feeling hair) this is the perfect product for me. I used it every other day so that I could limit my hair being stripped from it’s natural oils. On other days I used my trusty OGX shampoo as well as the new Palmer’s Coconut Oil shampoo. This shampoo left my hair feeling clean when used as indicated. When I tried to wash with less product my hair didn’t feel as clean. My hair also naturally dried beautifully with less frizz than usual. I found it easier to work the shampoo through my hair when I gave it a good brush before hopping in the shower. As this product replaces conditioner as well you end up using less water!
Elvive Extraordinary Oil Curl Nourishment Low Shampoo (Conditioner)
This second one I picked up I had to think long and hard about before actually getting it. I have semi curly hair and thought an experiment deemed necessary. The formula caters for unique spiral structure, curly and afro hair that can be naturally dry and brittle making it difficult to manage and prone to breakage. This shampoo (which is actually labeled as a cleansing conditioner) washes, nourishes and detangles your hair leaving perfectly defined curls that are manageable throughout the day.
I found that this formula weighed my hair down a lot. Even tho it defined my semi curls I didn’t like how heavy my hair felt. As I said above I got this as an experiment and it didn’t really work for my hair type. I am really keen to hear your thoughts if you have tried this having more of a spiral curl or an afro. Comparing the two I can say that this one has much more conditioning which is probably the reason my hair felt heavy.
Final Thoughts
For around R105 I find that it’s decently priced for what you get as most sulphate free products really rattles the shelves. I would re-purchase but really hope that in the near future these products will be cruelty free.
*Upon further investigation I am not 100% sure if the Elvive Extraordinary Oil Curl Nourishment Low Shampoo is sulphate free but the Elvive Extraordinary Oil Low Shampoo is.
