Reader Review: Queen Helene Mint Julep Shampoo

I'm thrilled to present to you the very first Nouveau Cheap Reader Review! I've seen reader reviews on many beauty blogs over the past few years, and I've always thought it was such a great idea. I'm happy to jump on this bandwagon because you all have SO much wonderful information to share!

When you take time out of your busy days to email me your thoughts about a product you've discovered, it seems like such a waste to keep that information to myself. This was the case when I received a wonderful email from my reader Elsie. Elsie wrote to me with the sole intention of wanting to "pay it forward". She has enjoyed my reviews over the past several months, and wanted to give ME a review in return of a product she's recently fallen in love with. How sweet is that?

And the best part? Elsie told me about a product that I had been eyeing for quite a while but, for whatever reason, never got around to purchasing. After reading Elsie's review, I immediately thought to myself, "My readers HAVE to hear about this!" So, voila! A Reader Review was born.

To kick things off, here's a little background information on my wonderful reader, Elsie:

Elsie is a 46-year-old Speech-Language Pathologist, who, in her own words, has "two teenage daughters, 14 and 16, who are at the peak (Himalayan level) of beauty product awareness and purchasing. Elsie hails from the "high heat and humidity make-up melting area of Dallas, Texas".

Take it away, Elsie!

Review: Queen Helene Mint Julep Shampoo

Queen Helene Mint Julep Shampoo

(retail: 4.49 at Sally Beauty, $3.99 with Club Card;16 oz.)

I am always on the search for a good, inexpensive, sulfate-free shampoo. I have tried so many. I have made high dollar purchases, bought homemade products off of Etsy, purchased Lush, scoured Amazon and Makeupalley.... and well you get the point. Long search.

The other day, I was in Sally Beauty Supply and was walking through the shampoo aisle and on the very bottom row, there was a lone bottle of Apple Pectin Shampoo. Wow! Flashback to my high school years of the 80s! I lived off this stuff [So did I, Elsie. So did I! -Gianna]. However, I have to change modes here, as the Apple Pectin Shampoo (which I did purchase for old times sake--but haven't used yet) is not what I am so excited about (although I may be later when I try it again). I was laughing about the Apple Pectin and the sales associate came over to talk to me. I shared my trip down memory lane with her and we both smelled the wonderful apple fragrance, several times, and laughed about our mutual desire to smell EVERYTHING. She then directed me to a bottle of Queen Helene Mint Julep Shampoo. Now, most folks are familiar with the face mask, which I like quite a bit, but I had never heard of the shampoo.

She said, "Smell it, it smells just like Wrigley's Spearmint Gum! It's awesome!". So of course, I could not refuse! We both smelled it quite a few times and although I didn't know how I felt about my hair smelling like gum, I had this strange fascination with it. I had a weird attraction, it was under $5, so it made the trip home with me in the car!

I was reading the bottle that night and I noticed that it is a concentrate and you are to add it to a gallon of water, or for a thinner shampoo, 2 gallons of water!!! WOAH! A gallon of shampoo for under $5.00?? Say it isn't so! So I got really excited, then I was reading the ingredients and OMG! Sulfate free. I was beyond excited!

Here are the ingredients: Water, Cocomide DEA, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Chlorophyllin, D&C Yellow #10 & D&C Green #5

NO sulfates. Now, there may be something in there that is worse than sulfates that makes it so cheap, but only being a speech pathologist and not a chemist, I do not know. Looked pretty harmless to me.

Next day, I get to use it! I didn't have a gallon container to mix it in, so I thought I would just really saturate my hair with water and use a small amount. Here, I regret to say, I had a little disappointment. It didn't lather much. However, having used lots of sulfate-free shampoos that didn't lather, I kind of let that go. If you need a huge mound of lather on your head, this is not for you. When I washed it out, surprisingly, no tangles. Liked it more. Smell of mint, yes, there a little. I then used one of my other conditioners, not one that was anything to write home about, but when I washed the conditioner out, my hair was so soft. Softer than I had ever felt it with that conditioner before and completely tangle free. I proceeded to style my hair and it felt really soft and I got a slight whiff of the spearmint. I happen to love Wrigley's Spearmint Gum, because it reminds me of a boy in high school that had the most wonderful kisses and he always had a piece of this gum in his mouth. Well, without being too descriptive, nice memories come to mind [Aww, isn't that the sweetest little story ever? -Gianna]. Anyway, if you don't like that smell, then again, this isn't a thrilling opportunity for you.

I didn't use any styling product in my hair, not a conditioner, or sealer, or shine serum, nothing, and my hair was so unbelievably shiny, full of body and easy to style I could not believe it. My first though was "I must rush in and write to you immediately, and share my find!!". I held off, still doubtful that something this cheap could be so good. So, I decided to give it another day. Tried it again today with the most wonderful results. I didn't use any products again, my hair dried quickly, had the most amazing shine, and was full of bounce. With just my hair dyer and a round brush, I looked like I went to the salon and had a set of rollers in. I am so in love (and I still like the faint smell...).

I have no idea how this will be in a month. It may dry my hair out like the Sahara. I just don't know. I was just so excited that I wanted to share the news about it and since you have sent so many wonderful suggestions my way, I thought you deserved something in return. Now, as you always say, things may be different for you; this is just how it worked for me. If you are ever in Sally's try a bottle [or you can purchase it online--it's got five 5-star ratings on the Sally site! -Gianna] and see what you think. Maybe it will be a winner for you too!

So, lovely readers, have you tried Queen Helene Mint Julep Shampoo? If not, are you considering giving it a shot after reading Elsie's review? I (and Elsie) would love to hear from you!