What it is: Live Clean Exotic Nectar Argan Oil Restorative shampoo and conditioner duo

Why it rocks: Remember last week’s Purple Jewel review? Well, the Argan line has fixed all of the problems of the Purple Jewel line — but keeps all the nice things about it, like the price and eco-friendliness!

What’s the same: 

• The awesome price (under $8 each, not on sale.)
• The lather. And by “the same,” we mean that it exists — without SLS!
• The “free of” list (SLS, parabens, silicones, phtalates, all those “questionable” ingredients.)

What they’ve improved: Um… everything else! The main turn-off of the Purple Jewel line, at least for me, is the scent — it’s much too synthetic and leads to headaches galore, to put it simply. However, the Argan Oil smells much less sharp than all of the other Live Clean products I’ve smelled, with a nuttier, more robust fragrance.

The other problem the Purple Jewel line has is that it really takes the volume out of your hair. So, with the Argan Oil’s claims of being “restorative,” I was really worried about it weighing down my hair! I shouldn’t have been — my hair looks great. It’s shiny, smooth, and back to its normal volume. Which isn’t much, but it’s the best I can hope for ;)

The verdict? I absolutely love, love, love this duo. It’s everything I was looking for: it’s silicone- and paraben-free, it smells lovely, it’s cheap, and it leaves my hair feeling (and looking) great. The one alteration I would make would be to take down the scent a bit, but that’s just because I like my showers on the DL in the scent department!

I’m not promising miracles, but I know that for my straight, slightly dry, chemically treated hair and very-dry scalp, this is a godsend. My scalp and hair feel hydrated, but I’m not weighed down at all!

Availability: This one’s easy to find — Well.ca, drugstores, and even some supermarkets!

P.S. The line also includes an oil treatment, above. I alllmost tried it, but returned it before opening when I noticed that, well, it really doesn’t have a lot of actual argan oil in it! And I’m glad that I did, because I’ve been hearing some pretty harsh reviews since then. (Apparently, it’s sticky and frothy. Um, ew?)

So, while I love the shampoo and conditioner, I’m not actively recommending the oil. Have any of you used it? I’d love to hear what you thought!