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When it comes to hair, and hair routine, there really isn’t much to be said about mine. I’m a simple gal who doesn’t like to fuss too much when it comes to styling my hair, and I’m not prone to putting a lot of products in my hair either. From hair color to gel, I like when my shampoo and conditioner can do the work, leaving my hair soft, untangled, and with a nice healthy shine.

Since relocating to the south for my husband’s work, humidity has truly been my biggest struggle. I found that it wreaks havoc not only on the frizziness of my hair, but it affects the psoriasis that goes mostly unnoticed on my scalp. Finding products that combat both issues has been an ongoing experience. And just as I find one that works, the season changes, and I’m battling new elements.

So when a representative from Maple Holistics reached out and wanted to send me a sample of their Tea Tree Oil Shampoo to review and write about, I will admit, I got a little excited. Let me start by saying I checked out the company and what they stand for. Their products are all natural, cruelty free, sulfate free, safe for color, and, tied for first place with cruelty free, made right here in the good ole U.S. of A.

I received my sample bottle the day after Thanksgiving. Perfect timing! So that Saturday, I put that shampoo to test for the first time, and had already predetermined that I would be using only that product in my hair for a solid week, which came out to five washes for me.

Here’s how my trial period went!

The Arrival

The product arrived quickly, and was packaged simply in a bubble padded mailer. The label was nice and simple, and probably the best waterproof label I have come across to date. The bottle was filled to the brim, which I greatly appreciate.

Scent

If you have never smelled tea tree oil, you are in for a treat! Tea tree oil has a very strong piney, oaky scent, and it can be a bit off putting at first sniff. This product was no different. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the complimentary tones of lavender and rosemary in the shampoo. Don’t misunderstand me. You definitely still smell the tea tree oil. After all, it is called Tea Tree Oil Shampoo. But the lavender and rosemary definitely toned down the naturally strong smell of the tea tree oil.

Use

Upon reading the label, it tells you to use a quarter sized amount of shampoo on your hair. Now, I have long hair, that goes to my waist, and a quarter sized amount, from past experience, would not normally lather up my entire head of hair. But, in fairness to the product and my review, I decided to do exactly as the bottle said, and I used a quarter sized amount of the shampoo on my hair. I placed half of that amount on the top of my head, and the remaining half at the base of my neck, in an effort to work up a full lather through my hair.

Oh…my…gosh! I was shocked when I found that the small amount of shampoo I put in my hair quickly and effortlessly produced a strong lather covering all of my hair! And it wasn’t a weak lather, either. I’m talking a rich, soft, thick layer of foamy lather was being worked through my head of hair. It was absolutely brilliant!

I felt a tingling sensation as I worked the shampoo through my hair, and as I let it sit for the recommended 2-3 minutes before rinsing. It wasn’t an awkward or bad kind of tingling. It was a refreshing tingling. Kind of like when you brush your teeth, and you just have that minty tingling throughout your mouth. It’s difficult to explain, but it was nice.

After the Shower

When I get out of the shower, my hair routine isn’t much of a routine, lol. I shake my hair through a towel, and I comb it, then let it air dry. I told you, I’m a no fuss kind of gal when it comes to my hair. Nice and simple, that’s how I like it.

*At this point, I must insert that there is a Tea Tree Oil Conditioner, which I did not receive as a sample, and did not have on hand to pair with this shampoo. Had I used the conditioner with this shampoo, the following results may have differed.

I did notice that my hair was a little more difficult to comb, but, as mentioned above, without the use of conditioner, this is to be expected. Conditioner definitely has its place in my typical hair routine, and I did miss it for the past week. Mostly for the tangling issues that I experienced.

Aside from that, once my hair dried, it was much less frizzy, and did not have as much static about it as most hair products produce when I use them. That was a pleasant surprise, and I thoroughly loved not feeling the static electricity pulling my hair every which way as I went throughout the day. I also appreciated the fact that even brushing my hair throughout the day, I did not end up with super frizzy hair as I normally do this time of year.

And, I have to be honest with you. I was totally concerned about the strong scent of the tea tree oil, and having hair that smells like that, which, honestly, can be a little off putting to some. While the smell of tea tree oil is not horrific to me, by any means, it is a very strong scented oil, so I was definitely concerned that I would be walking around for a week smelling like tea tree oil.

I am happy to say that was not the case. Once my hair was dry, I pull some of my hair forward to smell it, bracing myself for the strong scent of tea tree oil, but I was pleasantly surprised. I mostly smelled lavender and jojoba, which was very refreshing! So keep that in mind if you decide to give this product a shot.

The Promises

As listed on Maple Holistic’s website, the benefits of this product are as follows:

~ Promotes healthy hair growth.
~ Can slow hair loss, shedding, and thinning hair.
~ Helps prevent flaking and dandruff.
~ Capable of soothing an irritated scalp.
~ Potential to naturally eradicates lice.
~ Leaves hair and scalp rejuvenated and fresh.

While I cannot speak of the hair growth after a week’s use, and I am not using it to eradicate lice, I can say that my hair and scalp did feel rejuvenated and fresh. I did not shed as much hair as I normally do in a typical day of brushing. And I did notice a significant difference in my scalp where my psoriasis is concerned. With normal shampoos and conditioners bought from Walmart or Target, my psoriasis tends to be more scaly and flaky around the outer edges of my hairline, as well as behind my ears and at the base of my neck.

However, for the past week, beginning with the first use, I noticed that my patches of psoriasis throughout my scalp were actually in a state of healing. The combination of the tea tree oil with jojoba and argan oils truly worked their magic in this area. My psoriasis was not flaky at all, nor was it scaly, as psoriasis normally is. Instead, I found that the psoriasis on my head and scalp were far less noticeable, and, in some places, completely gone, which I found absolutely amazing. And the proof is in the pudding. Just look at those photos below!

As you can see, the top photo shows patches of my psoriasis at my hairline on my forehead. You see the red patches, and a little bit of scaling and flakes. In the bottom photo, after only one week and five washes, those same patches are far less red, and there is no scaling or flakes to be seen. Pretty awesome, right?

Summary

Bottom line? I highly recommend this product. HOWEVER, I would also recommend trying it with the conditioner, for the sheer fact that conditioner will help with the bit of tangles that I did encounter during brushing which I normally do not have an issue with when I do use conditioner on a regular basis.

Currently, you can purchase Maple Holistics products through their website or Amazon. And while some may scoff at the $8.95 price for an 8 oz. bottle of this awesome shampoo, take a look at this photo below.

See where my thumb is? That, my friends, is after a total of 11 washes. Six for me, and five for our daughter. I wanted to see the results on a child as well, and I was not disappointed. While she does not have psoriasis, I love using tea tree oil in her regular shampoo as a natural lice preventative now that she is in school. Since this shampoo has tea tree oil in it, I just swapped out her typical shampoo for this for the same week I tried it, and her hair was still soft and bouncy.

In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting to be “wowed” by this product. I love what the company stands for, and I love their practice in using natural products, as well as being cruelty free. But I try products everyday that make promises to change my life in one way or another, and most of the time I am not blown away. But that just simply was not the case with this product.

I was completely surprised by the results from using this product. Mostly for the results that showed in the psoriasis on my head and scalp. That was the most shocking part, truth be told. So much, in fact, that I will be ordering the Tea Tree Oil Conditioner to use with the rest of my bottle of shampoo.

Want to give this product a try? Maple Holistic has an awesome free product sample program! Just click here to request your sample today!