Drugstore Delight: Herbal Essences Detox Black Charcoal Shampoo & Replenish White Charcoal Conditioner

This blog is no stranger to charcoal-infused beauty products, whether they're all-natural, Asian, or drugstore. (See here, here, here, here, and here for evidence.) Now we have charcoal-infused drugstore haircare with the new Herbal Essences Detox Black Charcoal Shampoo and Replenish White Charcoal Conditioner. The charcoal purports to "detox" hair and remove buildup. In other words, think of these as gently clarifying shampoo and conditioner formulas.

Let's get one thing clear: Herbal Essences is NOT a natural haircare line. Despite P&G Beauty's efforts to position Herbal Essences as a more natural brand, their drugstore DNA is still reflected in how the formulas contain sulfates, artificial fragrance, and artificial preservatives methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone. But Herbal Essences does seem to be moving in the right direction in terms of responding to consumers' ingredient concerns. The charcoal shampoo and conditioner are "90% natural origin," which P&G Beauty defines as "purified water and natural-source ingredient materials with limited processing." Each product includes Herbal Essences's Bio Renew complex of antioxidants, aloe, and sea kelp. What they're formulated without: Silicones, parabens, gluten, dyes, mineral oil.

The detoxifying shampoo contains black charcoal dust suspended in a clear solution. Because of the sulfates in the formula, it does produce a rich satisfying lather.

The replenishing conditioner with white charcoal looks like a standard white creamy conditioner. It's not as creamy and moisturizing as I usually want a conditioner to be, but it's super lightweight and rinses away cleanly. (I suppose that's to maintain the detox benefits of the shampoo?) Because the conditioner isn't as heavy, the ends of my hair tend to get "fluffy" and bulky when they dry. I'll work in a dime-sized dab of a rich leave-in conditioner or styling balm to counteract that.

100% natural shampoos and conditioners tend to be rich in emollient ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter. That's excellent for moisturizing the scalp and strands but it can lead to build-up. I'm definitely enjoying Herbal Essences Detox Black Charcoal Shampoo & Replenish White Charcoal Conditioner as a clarifying shampoo and conditioner that I can use between washes with 100% natural formulas. This is an affordable drugstore option that works like a charm, resulting in soft hair that feels significantly cleaner at the scalp.

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