V05 Simplicity Tea Therapy Shampoo

I have, for years, been a one shampoo/conditioner woman. Avon Advanced Techniques Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner had always been a success for me, but, when I moved out of state in January, I lost my Avon lady, so I decided to experiment a bit with other hair products to see what worked. I have never been of the belief that it is necessary to spend a lot of money to have healthy hair, so, in addition to finding something that worked well, I was looking for a bargain. I tried one of the Garnier shampoos and it worked fine, but I wasn't blown away by any means. Then one day I was shopping in the Dollar Store for items such as paper towels, toilet paper, etc. and I came across Alberto VO5 Simplicity Tea Therapy Shampoo. It was a huge bottle from a name I recognized and it was only $1.00. I thought, if I hate it, I've only wasted a buck, so why not?

Product Specs
Alberto VO5 Simplicity Tea Therapy Shampoo comes in a 22.5 fl oz. bottle with a pretty label that has tea leaves on it. The design of the label is appealing and makes the shampoo look more impressive than one costing only $1 should look. The shampoo is green with a pearly opaque look to it, not much different than most shampoos. The bottle is pretty heavy, truthfully, and no one will feel as if they didn't get their money's worth. Of course, half the size of the bottle would have been a good deal for $1.

Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Ammonium Chloride, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycol Stearate, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20, Ascorbic Acid, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Biotin, Niacinamide, Sodium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, DMDM, Hydanton, Tetrasodium EDTA, Fragrance (parfum), Yellow 10, Red 4, Ext. Violet 2, Blue 1

Claims
The back label says "Experience the natural health and vitality of tea therapy for your hair"! Smoothing formula with healthful green tea extracts. Enhances normal to dry hair for maximum shine and manageability.

How Much is Enough
This, as with any other shampoo, really depends on how much hair you have. Up until two months ago, I had thick, long, curly hair that reached the middle of my back. Then, a good half dollar sized amount would have been necessary. But, since cutting ten inches off in the beginning of March, I now use no more than a quarter sized dollop, and maybe not even that much.

Texture
VO5 Simplicity is rather thick, but it does not make my hair feel heavy. It rinses out easily with one rinse, and it does leave my hair feeling softer than I would have expected, although I don't notice the shine that the blurb on the bottle claims. As a matter of fact, I have recently thought my hair looked a bit dull. One of the things that I do like is that I don't need to use conditioner. I am not sure if this is because of the shampoo itself, or just because my hair is so much shorter than it normally is. I started using VO5 shortly after I got my hair cut, so I won't know until it grows out if I will still be able to go conditioner free. I certainly hope so. It's quite a challenge conditioning that much hair!

Scent
The smell of this shampoo is my favorite part. It is a lovely fragrance that is hard to pinpoint. It could be green tea, although I have no idea what green tea really smells like. The scent is sweet but not overpowering. There are hints of a flowery scent, the bottle says violet, which I normally don't like, but it is such a subtle scent here that it is not at all offensive.

My Recommendation
I am really impressed with VO5 Simplicity Tea Therapy, much more so than I expected to be. I wasn't actually expecting anything, so I was very pleasantly surprised. I definitely recommend this shampoo, if for nothing else, it's $1 and it smells fantastic. The fact that it actually makes my hair feel clean and soft is icing on the cake.