BROO SHAMPOO REVIEW...and the verdict is?

Happy Saturday!

I promised at least one post a week and I'm getting close to a week when I made my intro post, so without further hesitation...the products!

This week will feature a BROO SHAMPOO REVIEW (did you like what I did with the rhyming there?). So what the heck is Broo? Or BRÖÖ as they call themselves? BRÖÖ makes a line of shampoo, conditioner and bodycare products that are made from...Beer!  I had the opportunity to two their Smoothing IPA line (all of their products are named after a different type of beer...come on, how freakin cute is that?)

Wait...come again?

Yes, the main ingredient in each of their shampoo and conditioner products is beer. Typically the primary ingredient in a body or haircare formulation is water.

Side note: Whatever you see listed as the first ingredient when you pick up a label to read is the largest ingredient in the product. For example: pick up a bottle of lotion. You will more than likely see water (or it's fancy cousin Aqua....c'mon companies. We're not that dumb!) listed first on the label. That product is primarily composed of water. Not sure if this is true for other countries, but it is in the USA. Aren't you glad to know that you sometimes pay $5-10 for a bottle that is mostly filled with water?

So they replaced water with beer. Does it really make a difference? Not sure, entirely. According to their "About Us" page, BRÖÖ was started by a couple who was on a quest to use more natural products. The husband didn't care for all of the natural shampoos that didn't lather or produce bubbles. He told his mom about his dilemma, she suggested pouring beer on his hair since she and her friends used to do that back in the day, the wife told her mom who confirmed that story since she had done the same, and so the formulating began. Check plus for incorporating wisdom passed down in the families in the finished products. Sometimes those old family remedies are the BEST!

Side Note: Suds and foam are oftentimes the result the incorporation of particular ingredients in a formula that make those bubbles. Just because something foams doesn't necessarily mean it is doing a good job cleaning something, but companies want you to think that is the case. Sometimes (not always!) non-foaming products are actually doing a better job cleaning something than their foaming counterparts but we have been so conditioned to equate foam and bubbles with good cleaning capabilities that we often shy away from products that don't leave us with lots o' suds! I still like my suds, but I'm keeping an open mind to cleansers without foam in case I find something great that works better than what I have now!

So what did I think about the products, exactly? Well for starters...

The Good: The product had the scent of something food-like...possibly baking bread - likely a result of the beer in the formulation. It didn't have a strong food-like scent, and it also didn't have a strong perfume-like scent. This is likely a good product if you don't like things that are heavily scented. There was definitely some foam (so if you prefer your shampoos to bubble up, this one could be for you!) and it had a rich lather. Both the shampoo and conditioner rinsed nice and clean and my hair did feel soft after washing. Also...products are:

• Sulfate-free
• pH-balanced
• Silicone-free
• Vegan

The Bad: After I dried and styled my hair as usual, I noticed that it was slightly more frizzy than usual. I felt as though I used a volumizing product. At the moment I'm using Suave's Professional line of products and it leaves my hair perfectly soft and manageable while not making my wallet cry. So how does BRÖÖ compare to the usual? I'd say I got slightly less conditioning than I ultimately desire. 

The Ugly: Folks, this product is made with beer and comes with adorable little brew-inspired names. I'm sorry, I just couldn't find anything ugly about that! For a naturally-derived product...it did a pretty good job. Not the best job, but I can live with it.

Price Point: Drugstore.com has the 8oz bottles on sale for $12.99 so it's a little on the pricier end, but if you're just itching to relive your college glory days and crack open an ice cold beer without the calories or craziness, I'd say it's decent for a change in routine! Plus it has a unique scent and is sulfate free, so there's that. Would I buy it every month for that price? Probably not, but the products are sold through a variety of retailers and I'm sure they are on sale occasionally.

So what do you think? Have you tried BRÖÖ? Is my review accurate? Will you be cracking open a bottle of BRÖÖ in the shower?

Note: I am in no way affiliated with BRÖÖ and was in no way compensated for my review (they don't even know about it, actually). Just my honest opinion here, people! If you want to know more about anything I posted, let me know and I'll do my best to get you additional info!

Until my next review...

Happy showering,

The Natural Lady