Review: Garnier Whole Blends Green Apple & Green Tea Refreshing Shampoo and Conditioner

Purchased by Me

Garnier Whole Blends Green Apple & Green Tea Refreshing Shampoo and Conditioner

(retail: around $5.50 each, 12.5 oz.)

After I first posted about the new Garnier Whole Blends haircare line (more info about the entire line here), I was excited to find these in-store and make a purchase. When I finally found these at Walmart a while back (they're at just about every drugstore and big box store at this point), I immediately gravitated toward the Green Apple & Green Tea formula, although I still am not exactly sure what "Refreshing" means. Of course I know what the word means, but in the context of shampoo and conditioner, it's sort of vague. I mean, don't ALL shampoos and conditioners refresh the hair, to a certain extent? Well now that I have been using these products for a few weeks, I think I have it figured out. I'll explain in a bit.

I think it's important to note that Garnier is not claiming that the ENTIRE formula is a natural blend; the formula is just "enriched with" a natural blend (see pic above).

I still think these bottles are adorable (I mentioned that in my original post). They have a very retro 70s feel to them, and I just love that.

Both the shampoo and conditioner are made in the USA. Here's a closer look at the labels:

SHAMPOO:

CONDITIONER:

Shampoo and conditioner

As you can see, the shampoo is colorless (it's not as thin as it looks in this photo; it just started to absorbed into the paper towel before I photographed it), and the conditioner is opaque with a light green tint to it.

If you're new to the blog, let me briefly explain my hair. I have long, naturally wavy hair (it hits my bra strap in the back). My roots are oily and my ends are dry. My hair is prone to frizz, and it's fine in texture but I have a lot of hair. My hair is also color-treated. You can see some pics of my hair both frizzy and not frizzy in one of my previous reviews HERE.

So what does "Refreshing" mean? Well according to the label, this is an "invigorating formula that revitalizes hair and boosts shine". To me, this is partially true. My hair didn't feel "revitalized" or "invigorated" after using these products but it did appear a bit more shiny. To me, this shampoo and conditioner feel like clarifying products. They're light, just like clarifying products, and they don't provide much in the way of moisture or hydration. In fact, I would say the opposite is true, for me at least. My hair felt dry after using these products, and actually DURING use, I could feel some dryness. The shampoo isn't super high-foaming but I noticed that after I rinsed, my hair felt quite dry and I was eager to apply conditioner. The conditioner doesn't have much slip to it, so I find that I need A LOT of it just to feel like I'm adding even a bit of hydration to my hair. And there is absolutely no detangling with this conditioner--my hair is prone to tangling and it was a challenge to brush out my tangles after using this conditioner. In other words, I would not suggest this particular formula to anyone who is in need of moisture, hydration, or detangling.

So did these products both feel and behave like clarifying products? Yes and no. I used these products after I had a little bit of build-up from some styling products that I wanted to remove, and I would say they did an effective job at removing build-up. However, I have noticed in the weeks that I've been using these products, my roots get oily at a faster rate than when I don't use these products. I can usually skip a day of washing and get away with not having to reach for the dry shampoo, but when I use these products, my bangs in particular get pretty oily by the next morning.

As for how my hair looks after I use these products, well as I said above, my hair does seem shiner. But I find that my hair appears a bit flatter, and my curls are not as bouncy when I use these products. I do see a tiny bit of frizz reduction, but nothing dramatic. Overall, my hair just feels a bit dry and flat. 

As for the fragrance, that's where this product shines. I LOVE the scent. It's heavy on green apple with just a tiny bit of green tea in the background and the scent seriously lingers in my hair. I mean, 24 hours after my shower I can still smell it in my hair, and so can Mr. G. So if you like scented haircare, and you like a scent that lasts, you'll certainly be pleased with the fragrance of these products.

Oh! I also want to mention that I tried using these products with reverse washing, and the results were good, but not great. I was happy with how my hair looked after it dried (a bit more volumized and bouncy), but my hair wasn't moisturized enough to my liking, and I just prefer other shampoos and conditioners for reverse washing. 

FINAL VERDICT: Not a love-match for me, but perhaps these products may work for you if your needs are different from mine. I think that if you generally don't need much moisture or hydration, and perhaps if you have short hair or straight hair that doesn't need frizz control, these products may work for you (especially if you like scented haircare). But if you need moisture and hydration from your shampoo and conditioner (and a lot of slip from your conditioner for detangling), I don't think these products are quite going to cut it. And if you prefer lightly scented haircare products, you'll certainly want to look elsewhere since both the shampoo and conditioner are strongly scented. 

Have you tried anything from the new Whole Blends line yet? If so, what have you tried, and how are those products working for YOU?

The products featured in this blog post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.