Sample Review: L'Oreal Total Repair 5 (Shampoo, Conditioner & Damage Erasing Balm)

Yep, a sample review. Not because I received a sample to review, but because Ze Boyfriend had sample packets of the shampoo, conditioner and damage repairing balm lying around. My hair wasn't feeling so great after I tried a yogurt mask on it.

Moral of the story: don't use Greek yogurt on your hair in an attempt to do a moisturizing yogurt hair mask.

Now for that review.

From BeautyChaotic.com

I don't believe shampoos, conditioners and balms can be miracle repair products. They can make your hair look and feel better but I have never tried anything that makes my hair instantly better. When I bleach my hair, I often use deep conditioner. I did once use a salon protein treatment at home and liked the way my hair felt and looked. It did seem better, since I had just bleached my roots and fixed up my then-pink bangs.

L'Oreal has so many commercials for their haircare. I noticed they've done away with their EverSleek commercials in the States, which featured Jennifer Lopez. They have been focusing on the Total Repair 5 line instead.

Everything features black and yellow-gold packaging. Simple! The bottles aren't huge like say, a TreSemme bottle, and the Damage Erase balm comes in a nicely sized tub with a good sized mouth. You can easily dip your hand in to scoop out some product.

The shampoo was very creamy and pleasant! The whole line has an actually nice scent. It's a soft scent, bit overwhelming; you'll smell it when you come out of the shower. The shampoo lathered up nicely and felt so good on my hair. The conditioner I loved too, super creamy. It said to leave it in for 3 minutes or so, which is what I did. LOVE! My hair felt so wonderfully soft when it rinsed out.

The lovely lighting in my bathroom!

Now the balm. Oh this balm! My mom bought the full-sized version for her hair. This stuff is so great, for such an understated goldenrod tub. Thick, slippery, yet easy to smooth onto hair and comb through. It also said to leave on the hair for I think 3 to 5 minutes. Did that, found my hair luxuriously soft and when it dried, my hair wasn't as... Fluffy-looking as it is when it air dries.

BUTTER ~

One possible drawback to the balm: it looks like butter. It's yellow and looks like tub margarine. It looks gross, but it does smooth hair nicely. Damage-repairing is a big claim really, I don't know if its true.

Just a tiny little bit of the balm

Does it make hair look good, feel good and tame it? Sure! Does it repair damage? Well... My hair didn't look or feel particularly damaged and I'm obsessive about caring for my hair. Conditioning, heat protection, trimming up the ends. I don't frequently use hot tools on my hair, though heat protection is still always a good idea.

Would I recommend it for repairing damage? I think that depends on the damage of your hair! For instance, mine was feeling dry. This will most definitely rehydrate your hair if you use the whole line (or just the balm. I really like it)! The best means to care for damaged hair are trimming split ends, not using heat all the time, and a slew of other things I can't think of off the top of my head right now.

You can find the Total Repair 5 line at your grocery store, drugstore and wherever you buy L'Oreal haircare. Ulta carries the line, with the shampoo and conditioner going for $4.99 each, the balm and the Multi-Restorative Dry Oil for $6.99. Ulta also has travel-sizes of the shampoo and conditioner for $1.29! If you want to try them before going for the full-size, go for it at Ulta ~

SPOOKEHDOOM