There are some beauty products where the range of quality is vast and, on the whole, you get what you pay for (foundations and fragrance, for example) And then there are those where the spectrum of greatness is narrower and the correlation between price and performance less clearly mapped. Until recently, I put shampoo in the latter category.
I felt this way because even the best shampoo and conditioner only stays on your hair for a minute or two, tops. So how much can it truly do before your money goes gurgling away down the plughole? Plus the truth is that past the root, your hair is not a living thing as, say, skin is. It doesn't regenerate and once damage is done, it can't truly be 'undone' despite what some products claim.
And so while my - extremely jammy - beauty editor role involves trying everything from the best drugstore shampoos to laughably expensive ones I'd rarely hand-on-heart push a friend toward buying pricy hair wash over a perfectly decent budget or mid-price option. Then I tried the close-to-perfection £31 shampoo that changed my mind.
The luxe shampoo that converted me...
It would be a fib to say I've never been seduced by a spendy shampoo. Of course I have. Truthfully, I flip-flop between expensive brands and budget options like OGX Thick & Full (one of our best shampoos for fine hair), enjoying some more than others but without experiencing much impact on my fine, long, straight-ish, dry-ish hair.
So I approached Kevin Murphy Blow Dry Wash with hopes of clean, nice-smelling hair, a fancy bottle in my bathroom and few expectations beyond that. You know what happened next. I was pleasantly surprised (or to be more accurate, completely schooled) by this shampoo.
RRP: £31
Designed for fine and limp hair, this aims to nourish, protect from heat styling and environmental damage as well as volumise. It's infused with natural extracts, many of which are sourced from the brand's native Australia. It's also sulphate-free, so won't strip fragile hair of much-needed moisture.
How Kevin Murphy Blow Dry Wash won me over
Kevin Murphy Blow Dry Wash, how do I adore thee? Let me count the ways.
First of all, the formula: It's packed with good things like rice proteins, which work in much the same way as rice water for hair by adding 'bulk,' softening tugs and dryness. There's also hydrating aloe leaf juice and moisturising pea protein. This is a brilliant cocktail as it focuses on impacting how hair feels in the moment and protecting against future damage, rather than overpromising a revamp of already-ravaged strands.
Then there's how it feels. The pearly, golden liquid is unusually thick, so has a holding quality that means it won't slip off onto your tiles and gives you the time to really work it into your scalp, roots and ends. If you've ever googled professional hair wash techniques you'll know it involves a lot more massaging than most of us manage. With this texture, it is genuinely possible and my roots have never felt fresher.
It smells great. Not like cheap fruit or soap. It's got a cool-girl (or guy) unisex fragrance that's tricky to place but I'd describe it as citrussy, clean and cashmere-comforting. My hair smells expensive and it feels it too. Like any good girl who's been at the bleach for two decades plus, I condition, so will thank Blow Dry Rinse for my soft and silky strands. But that visible root lift is all Blow Dry Wash, as is the extra day I can eke out between washes. My fine hair gives oil nowhere to hide so this is a bit of a revelation.
Finally, the packaging. Which is not only sleek-looking, it's rectangular and narrow enough to sit on the side of your bath without tumbling in. So smart. The bottle is unusually firm and quite tricky to squeeze (a little thumb 'dimple' by the cap helps) that sounds annoying but is actually genius. Most of us accidentally squirt out far more shampoo than we need. Wastage is minimal and I have been using my bottle for a good two months now, washing every three days.
I don't think I've ever stayed loyal to one shampoo for that long before - but I guess when you know, you know.
