Shampoo: it’s got to be one of the most underappreciated products in hair care today. We’ve got our serums, our oils, our conditioners, our keratin treatments, our sprays, and our mousses to keep our hair full and healthy, but, the truth is, that it’s what under all those products that really counts. In order for our hair to really be in top condition, it needs to be clean, which is why shampoo is so important. Still not convinced? Listen to how such a basic part of the hair care routine came to have such a huge effect on my life. It may just have an effect on yours as well.

I’ve never been what you would call high maintenance when it comes to hair. I was a no-pooer before people knew what no-pooers even were; which is why it’s really strange for me to be writing a review about shampoo, and even more strange for me to be writing a glowing review about shampoo. But, when I came across Nubi Nourishing and Moisturizing Shampoo, brothers and sisters, I just had to testify. Let me start at the beginning…

To me, high-maintenance hair meant ladies with beehive hairdos shellacked with hai spray who thought high hair and high morals went together. So for me, it was pretty much all about the big two: shampoo and conditioner. My shower routine was simple: lather, rinse, immerse in conditioner, and comb through. No muss, no fuss.

Then I got to thinking. What was shampoo really? After all, weren’t all cleaning products abrasives? They had to be a little harsh in order to get the dirt off. Soap was an abrasive, and it dried out your skin, toothpaste stripped the enamel from your teeth, shampoo had to be doing something detrimental to your hair, right?

Poo-Poo on Shampoo

Others seemed to concur. Remember the no-poo movement? That was when people became convinced that not shampooing actually makes hair healthier, shinier, and less frizzy. In fact, according to the no- pooers, many shampoos even contained harmful chemicals that made hair weak. “If you’re going to shampoo at all, use only non-detergent shampoos with natural oils,” they said. Shampoo was simply a part of the American marketing ploy to convince people that they stunk and their breath was rotten, and the only solutions were mouthwash and soap. Now I was vindicated. I was a no poo-er before no poo-ing even existed!

Ok, so some people were skeptical. Wouldn’t all this natural oil start to build up and weigh down our hair? The no poo-ers replied, “No!” You can train your hair away from oiliness by increasing the time you go between washes incrementally. Just switch from every day to every two days to every three days, and in time, you’ll find your scalp will become less oily, and you can go days without shampooing!” Train my hair? If I could train my hair, the first thing I would train it to do was to lay straight. Nevertheless, I was willing to try.

Well, if my hair was in training, it would never make the grade. Try as I did to make it adapt to my new bohemian washing approach, my hair was starting to get pretty greasy, and it wasn’t showing any signs of compliance. I had virtually abandoned my shampoo, but I still needed the conditioner to get the knots out of my hair, and quite frankly, with all that buildup, I was starting to look like a bit of a dirtbag. To make matters worse, I also started to notice my scalp becoming irritated, and I was getting a lot more dandruff. All of a sudden, shampoo started to take on a lot more importance in my life.

That’s when I tried to look for a more natural solution. I heard that some people were using baking soda and water followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse to clean their hair, however, when I used it, it made my hair brittle.

I soon learned that it was throwing off my hair’s pH balance, and I while it worked wonders on some, for me, it was just another step in the wrong direction.

Drying Out

Then there was dry shampoo. Ever wonder why we don’t hear about dry shampoo that much anymore? When I first heard about dry shampoo, I thought it was the perfect solution to my hair woes. If you listened to the dry shampoo team, they would tell you it was nothing short of the hair resurrection. One application and you were on your way to the oil- defying, root-lifting miracle that would get your second-day hair in shape in no time. Plus, its texture would get of greasiness, so you could use dry shampoo for weeks at a time! All our problems were solved! Until the dirty truth emerged, and oh, was it dirty!

It turns out that dry shampoo doesn’t really cleanse the scalp at all, and it can even throw off the balance of your natural hair oils. In fact, a lot of them had an alcohol and powder base, and could dry hair. Experts said that extended use of the product would train hair to stop producing natural oils. There it was: the hair training again! Can I hire Sofia Vergara’s personal hair trainer?

Then I heard that dry shampoo dulls your hair color, which seemed to make sense. After all, it was powder-based, and powder never seemed to make anything much more vibrant.

But it was the last reason that was the clincher for me. Dry shampoo was bad for your hair’s “natural shedding process.” Supposedly not washing your hair enough could lead to dandruff, worsen psoriasis, and even effect hair growth, and if there was anything that mattered to me, it was my hair growth. So dry shampoo was out.

Stuck

Then I was stuck. Here I was thinking I was the expert on hair care, and it turned out I knew nothing. It was down to a choice between the lesser of two evils. On one side I had chemica- containing shampoos that were in danger of disrupting my reproductive system, causing cancer, and disrupting my nervous system, and on the other hand, I had dry or no shampoo that would wreak havoc on my hair and scalp. There had to be a simple solution.

That’s when I thought about Nubi. I first fell in love with the Nubi Skincare. My skin was really sensitive to chemicals and I could always trust Nubi to use the most natural ingredients when it came to skincare. Plus, all their products smelled like some tropical heaven. Maybe Nubi’s hair products would be the same. I began to investigate.

After looking around a bit, I settled on the Nubi Hair Nourishing and Moisturizing Shampoo. Like Nubi’s skincare, this shampoo was enriched with proteins from plants and olive oil, which I thought would help keep my scalp moisturized while keeping my hair shiny, and it had none or those scary chemicals. Would this be my new shampoo?

“Down to earth” is a really perfect way to describe Nubi products. Not only do their ingredients come from the earth, they also have a really down-to-earth approach to their customers. Their products are always elegantly packaged, and they’re not like other companies that send you a skimpy amount in a fancy bottle. The shampoo tube came in a sleek-looking black 6 oz. tube with a solid grip which means you don’t have to do the toothpaste rollup or cut the bottle in half trick to get every drop out, so you really get your money’s worth.

The first thing I did when I got the shampoo was hold it up to my nose. I had been anticipated the tropical island smell, and I was not disappointed. If only I could duplicate that smell, it would be my signature scent, but until then, I’ll just have to apply as many Nubi products as possible.

Now let’s get to the important part: the texture. I really didn’t want anything with a really thick texture that would weigh down my hair, but neither did I want something that was so thin that I barely saw suds when I rinsed my hair out; I wanted to be sure this stuff was working. The Nubi Shampoo had the perfect balance of a gel and a cream when it came to texture. It was thick enough to clean, yet not so thick that it would put extra weight on my hair.

To me, shampooing is half about results, and half about experience. The best shampooing experiences are those moderately steamy ones where the water temperature is the temperature you would want to spend your entire life in, the air is richly scented, and the shampoo lathers. Can I just say, my first encounter with the Nubi Moisturizing Hydrating shampoo was one of the most gratifying showering experiences ever. I felt like I was in a tropical rainforest in the midst of a gentle rainfall. Suffice it to say, turning off the water was difficult.

However, I managed. I followed it up with some Nubi conditioner which I had purchased along with the shampoo, which was equally as awesome, but I’ll save that for my next review.

A Nubi Retrospective

Let’s skip ahead a bit and see whether or not Nubi held up to my expectations. The first thing I noticed was how wonderful my hair looked. It was bouncier than ever and super shiny, and I think I must’ve gotten a lot of the residue off, judging from how silky it felt. Even my friends took notice.

For once, I started to feel slightly more high maintenance, and it felt good! I was proud of myself for caring enough about myself to invest the time to find out what was best for my hair and to follow through by doing something about it. Maybe bigger hair does have something to do with bigger values after all.

Also, there were no scalp issues. My dandruff was to a minimum, my scalp didn’t feel irritated at all, which was a relief to me in more ways than one. I didn’t have to worry about the white flakes on my shirt, or the prickly feeling on my scalp.

The Upshot

For a relatively underrated part of the hair care routine, shampoo surely gets a lot of attention. It has been through the no poo, and the dry poo, and even the low poo, but in the end the Nubi Poo came through as the best choice for me.

The Nubi Moisturizing and Nourishing Shampoo gave the new life to my hair that dry shampoo promised without the dulling and build up, and, have I mentioned? It smells like heaven.

If you’re going through poo drama, try the Nubi Nourishing and Moisturizing Shampoo. It will give you your best hair ever, and you’ll feel better about yourself for making the healthy choice.