Hair Products Review - L'Oreal EverSleek Intense Smoothing System

Oh, L'Oreal. How I want to like you, but just can't. First, it was the poor performance of your Feria brand and now, I must write yet another lack-luster review regarding one of your products.

The Highlights:

• Fairly priced at $5-6 dollars for an 8.5 ounce tube
• Okay scent
• Liked the leave-in conditioner
• Overall impression: Will not purchase again.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my older sister was telling me how sulfate-free shampoo is the way to go. Her sales pitch was pretty convincing. It's so gentle on the hair and is supposed aid in keeping color in, and on and on and on. I was already getting low on my Matrix Biolage, so I figured, why not?

If you don't know much about sulfate-free shampoos, I can sum it up for you in one sentence.  A sulfate-free shampoo does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS, which is an ingredient that helps remove oily residue. In other words, it is the detergent equivalent in beauty products.

My hair - I've written about it before. I have this mixed bag of hair types. In some places, it is flat. In some places, it is frizzy. In some places, it is curly. It is a hot mess. With that said, I do have a moderately oily scalp. I've never really had an issue with overly dry hair. The only product I simply refuse to use is Suave shampoos. They always make my hair feel like straw.

I have been using the L'Oreal EverSleek Intense Smoothing System (shampoo, conditioner, and leave in conditioner) since the beginning of December. This is not a "I've only used it twice and will give it glowing reviews!" Nope, not going to find that here. I've used it for a month and a half now.

My process: I do shampoo every day. I know that people/stylists lecture that you should only wash your hair every other day, once a week, etc. Use a dry shampoo. I'm sorry. That is just nasty when you live in Texas. I think if I were in a colder climate where my scalp wasn't constantly sweating, I wouldn't mind. Here in Texas, that is a no-go. Dry shampoos just creep me out. In the winter, there are times I do an every other day thing, but not often. For my trial purposes, I washed every day, conditioned every day, and applied the leave-in creme every other day.

For the first week, I was a fan. It had a scent I didn't particularly care for, but my hair did seem just as healthy as it did on Biolage. My thoughts were, "HOT DOG! I'm saving a lot of money!" By the end of week two, I started noticing that straw feel and the twinge of buyer's remorse. By the end of week three, I was definitely noticing the straw feel and had a definite case of buyer's remorse. By the end of week four, five, and six, I continue debating whether or not to just throw it in the trash.

First Complaint: When I was researching sulfate-free shampoos, I learned that a chief complaint was they don't really lather. This is a very true statement. I have pretty thick hair, and it was kind of a chore to get any kind of lather going. So, if you are going to try this product, keep that in mind. On its best day, I get a hint of a lather. It is kind of an odd feeling trying to "wash" your hair without lather. This alone kind of turns me off. I feel like I am damaging my hair because the lack of lather leaves me just rubbing the hair together. That can't be good, right?

Second Complaint: I now have a case of itchy scalp. If you do your research and read other reviews, you will find a large group of users out there complained of dandruff and other scalp ailments after a long period of use. I am one of those people. As I sit here and type this, my scalp really doesn't feel clean and I have that dry itch going on. As mentioned, I do have a normal scalp during the winter months. Now, it feels superbly dry.

Third Complaint: After shampooing, my hair feels no better than using Suave. Honestly, maybe a little worse. I hate to dog Suave. They don't produce a bad product. Just not a product good for my particular head of hair. Immediately after shampooing, it feels dry, stripped, and straw-like. I would say to the point of not being able to run a comb through it without a snag.

The only saving grace, for me, with this system is the conditioner and leave-in conditioner. I wouldn't say that they are "miracle" products, nor would I recommend them as stand alone products. I think they are designed to correct the havoc the shampoo creates. My hair would feel somewhat normal after applying the conditioners, but it is my opinion that you shouldn't have to apply conditioner if the shampoo is doing what it claims. I don't feel that is the case with this shampoo.

Bottom line: This is not a good system if you have similar hair characteristics to mine. The more research I did (mostly reading reviews from many sites), I realize that sulfate-free is NOT for everyone. I think if you have healthy enough hair using normal products, sulfate-free is not going to benefit you. I think this is more geared toward people that want to keep color in their hair longer, people that care more about the environment than their own appearance, and people that have intensely dry/damaged hair. I had perfectly healthy hair when I started down the L'Oreal path. I can't say this product damaged it, but I can say I think this product dried it out more than my sulfate infused Biolage.

I will NOT be purchasing the L'Oreal sulfate-free line of products anymore, which is a shame. I LOVED the fact that I could purchase the whole line for less than one bottle of my Biolage. I will be returning to Biolage as soon as I run out of L'Oreal. Overall, it was too strange for me. I did not like the transition from straw like hair to silky smooth. That doesn't sit well with me.