Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Shampoo & Foam Conditioner in Blue Ginger & Micellar Water

Today's post is different than the norm for a few reasons. First, a big disclosure: I did not pay for these products, they were sent to me in exchange for an honest review by the company- via Influenster. So, thank you Influenster for including me in the Herbal Essences Voxbox. (As an aside, Influenster is fabulous and open to all to sign up!)

I will be posting a few new reviews soon, as well as some other posts- so if this isn't your cup of tea, stay tuned.

These products arrived on the perfect day- a hair washing day, two weeks out from a scheduled hair appointment. That means that my color isn't fresh, and I'm ready to test a new product.

There were two products in this box: the Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Refresh Blue Ginger and Micellar Water shampoo. Let's look at the claims. 0 dyes (great) 0 gluten (ok, cool but not something I look for in haircare), 0 parabens (cool) and 0 silicone (awesome).

This bottle contains 13.5 fl ounces and retails around the $5.99-$6.99 range since pricing varies per retailer.

I'll readily admit to my heart sinking when I saw the ingredient list. Take a look:

Ouch. So two sulfates and salt in the top four... all ingredients I don't like using on my hair. For the sake of the review- and knowing that my hair was going to get some TLC in two weeks- I forged ahead.

I forgot just how much sulfates make shampoos suds up. As I was testing it, I was flashing back to using Herbal Essences as a teen and how I'd beg my mother to pick up different ones at the local grocery store.

My hair felt pretty dry after using this before putting on conditioner- about what I expected. I wouldn't repurchase the shampoo on its own, but the conditioner made the overall testing experience worthwhile. I've also discontinued usage of the shampoo after giving it a generous three attempts (generous since it's been years since I've gone mostly sulfate-free!)


Now, the product I was more intrigued by: the foam conditioner.

The Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Refresh Blue Ginger and Micellar Water Foam Conditioner is again in that $6-8 range per retailer.

According to the brand, this product is specifically targeted at fine hair- something I've got. My hair is fine to normal but I've got a lot of it.

Look at the ingredients- I'm in for this one.

Be careful, this one squirts out fast. Admittedly I'm on a foam product kick, playing with foaming body washes, but this is a new one for me. It almost felt like a mousse.

Not only was this fun, but it took that squeaky dry (hello sulfates) feeling out of my hair that the shampoo imparted. I almost feel like the form of this conditioner helped out my hair in new ways. I'll admit that I normally have to dry my hair immediately and nearly sabotaged this review (or, at least the first trial since I'll always try a shampoo/conditioner at least three times before writing a review) by getting sidetracked because one of my favorite shows was back on and I got sucked in with a towel on my head.

Even if my hair could be straightened following some extended towel time, this usually means my hair is limp. Guess what? It wasn't- and I attribute this to the foam conditioner. I'll totally keep using this because it lacks any bad ingredients and I love the form.


I like the scent, even though it's one admittedly I wouldn't have picked up on my own. It's pleasant and light. I was scoping out other options at my local stores, which tells you I like it. I'm also curious about the dry shampoo because I'm a dry shampoo fiend.

All in all, I'm very grateful to Influenster and Herbal Essences for gifting me this set to try out. I honestly think this is a great pair. If my hair was used to some of the ingredients in the shampoo (like it was a few years ago), I think it has the potential to be a sulfate-using QBB shower staple. The scent is unique, fresh, and not overpowering. If you're not specifically avoiding those ingredients, I do recommend trying the pair out together. I wouldn't recommend the shampoo on its own because I found it drying- but the conditioner helped a ton. I will continue to use the conditioner, and may even try another scent.

It's very cool to see one of my old favorite lines continuing to innovate. And the conditioner? Holy cow that's innovative.

While yes, I did receive these to review, I hope that you'll see that I'm being honest about them. They are nice products, although one isn't suitable for my needs.

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.