Phyto Hair Care review

I recently repurchased some Phyto haircare for the whole family and realised I've never written about this brand on my blog. It may be because spelling the full name of the brand (Phytotherathrie) is such an enormous pain, but it is a brand I like very much.

I have used Phyto products for more than 10 years - I first began using them during Blonde Period I (before Miss London) when my hair was fried from highlighting. At the time the shampoos came in glass bottles which looked lovely but were a biohazard in the shower; it's a miracle I still have ten toes. On the plus side, they stopped my hair from looking and feeling like straw.

The shampoos are now packaged in more sensible aluminium bottles, and are £11.50 to £12.50. The  everyday rinse-off conditioners (Phytobaume) are £13.50 to 14.50, so it's much less expensive as a brand than the Rahua I also use and love.

Phytoapaisant is a soothing shampoo for easily-irritated scalps. Mr and Miss London both have hard-to-wash, thick, almost waterproof hair and scalps that tend to get itchy and flaky easily, and it is hard to find a shampoo that is aimed at irritated scalps, rather than dandruff (this one is; there are other shampoos in the range for treating dandruff.) This shampoo manages to clean their hair and stop itchy-flaky head, and it smells pleasant; very neutral and not medicinal.

Phytojoba is the shampoo I use on myself; it is designed for normal to dry hair and gives great shine. I used Phytocitrus when my hair was coloured.

Ingredients of Phytojoba:

Phytobaume conditioner has sometimes annoyed me over the years. It was originally quite a runny liquid but a very good detangler, but then the formula was changed to make it more of a traditional conditioner-cream texture and they added silicones - after using over a period of a couple of months it made the ends of my hair quite brittle (and I had exited Blonde Period I and had a radical haircut, so it wasn't the hair to blame). The formula has changed again to remove silicones (it's still a cream texture) and I once again like it. There are now three different versions; one for normal to dry hair (I use this one), one for very damaged/weakened hair and one for colour-treated hair.

Ingredients of Phytobaume Hydration:

I also like the Phyto 7 and Phyto 9 leave-in hydrating creams - essentially these are smoothing creams for longer hair that discourage frizz and condition the ends of the hair. Phyto 7 works for my hair now; Phyto 9 is best for very thick or dry hair.

I will review the Secret de Nuit overnight treatment later on in its own post before this becomes War & Peace. It is the most expensive item in the Phyto range at £28, but it's a pretty good substitute for the much more expensive Ageless Overnight Hair Repair treatment by Fekkai.

Phyto shampoos and conditioners are paraben and silicone free. I purchase them from John Lewis, there are also a number of online retailers, including Beauty Expert and Feel Unique.