Head and Shoulders Shampoo (Citrus Breeze) - Product Review

For as long as I could remember, my scalp was always itchy and flaked with dandruff. When I hit puberty, it only aggravated the condition to a point where I could literally stage winter wonderland scenes on my shoulders.

Over the years, I dropped quite a bit of money on potions, lotions, drops, shampoos, tars - you name it. I started with Head and Shoulders and found it did nothing. Then I went over to Selsun Blue, Neutrogena T-Gel, a dermatologist (it was neither psoriasis nor seborrheic dermatitis), back to Head and Shoulders, and then Nizoral. Nothing. The Phytologie series seemed to help temporarily, but at $25 a bottle it just seemed too much for too little result.

Just as I was resigned to invest a small fortune in an all white wardrobe, a recent trip to the Shampoo aisle at a drug store in Montreal (of all places) brought my attention to the then new package design for Head and Shoulders. The design and new color schemes attracted my eye, and as I scanned a bottle, I noticed that the directions called to massage the shampoo into the scalp and leave it on for a few minutes.

Wait.

Did I always miss this? What happened to Lather, Rinse and Repeat? Did the directions change along with the new packaging or were they just different for the dandruff-laden Quebecoise? Either way. I wanted to give H&S one more try, only this time I would make sure to follow the extra step.

Because I have fine/oily hair, H&S Citrus Breeze looked the best bet. There's a light, agreeable citrus scent, and it contains a formula of green tea leaf extracts, grapefruit oil and lemongrass which cleans the scalp and expunges excess oil.

For all the fancy packaging and fractured product lines - from H&S Dry Scalp Care, Sensitive Care, Volume Control, Ocean Lift, Croque Monsieur scented, whatever - they all contain the same amount of the one active anti-dandruff ingredient: 1% pyrithione zinc. It provides dandruff protection by relieving scalp itch, irritation, and eliminating flakes . (Head and Shoulders Intensive Care is the only line that differs with 2% pyrithione zinc).

But does it work?
I forgot how much I paid in Canada, but back in the States, a 23.7 ounce bottle goes for $7.79, and for such a paltry amount, I could have saved a lot of money, years of embarrassing flakes and a scalp caked with scabs if I just left the shampoo on long enough to take effect. After continual use for the past six months at three to four times a week, my dandruff symptoms, though not completely eradicated, have been greatly ameliorated. It leaves my hair clean, and my scalp oil and dandruff free.

I have to say I'm very satisfied with this product.