Product Review: Ouidad Mediterranean Bay Leaf Exfoliating Hair and Scalp Treatment

As I love to say- he does the work, and I get the perks! My husband scored a 2 oz size of Mediterranean Bay Leaf Exfoliating Hair & Scalp Treatment. It's a product from the Salon Series by Ouidad. The bottle says that it "helps promote healthy hair growth". Further research indicated the product would exfoliate the scalp, alleviating product build-up and ease issues with dandruff. I don't have any dandruff issues, but I may sometimes have issues with product build-up. At first glance, I thought- "eh" and that maybe I'd use it, or maybe not. Tonight, maybe turned into a reality as I decided to wash my hair for the week in preparation for a protective style challenge I entered and the bottle was glowing at me from its space. Funny how products always communicate and beckon to me from faraway spaces in my house! Even though I decided to use it anyway, I realized it might also be good to know exactly what I was putting on my scalp. After all, I am normally a self-proclaimed product snob but tonight the inner snob did her best to see/hear no evil about this product. Anyway, the ingredients aren't listed on the bottle, but a quick visit to the website turned up the following:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, PEG-16 Macadamia Glycerides, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Polysorbate 60, Hexylene Glycol, Bambus Arundinacea (Bamboo) Stem Powder, Pimenta Acris (Bay) Leaf Oil, Hexapeptide-11, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Seed Extract, Visnaga Vera Fruit/Stem Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Betaine, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Menthol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Superoxide Dismutase, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Phenoxyethanol.

The directions stated that I should apply to my scalp after dampening my hair. So, after a quick wash and adding a deep conditioner, I squeezed some of the product into my hand. It's a greenish-blue color and the granules were visible. Based on the ingredients, I thought it might have a citrus-like scent. Instead, it smelled a bit medicinal (probably from the fennel) and I might even say- minty.

I massaged it into my scalp for about 2-3 minutes per the instructions. After a few moments, my scalp became a little tingly, and just felt good all over. I wished someone would take over the massage and allow me to enjoy the feeling without doing the work. I need to take this to my hair dresser STAT!!!!

Anyway, my first thought is this product is probably great for those with dandruff and/or dry scalp issues. But it feels quite good even for scalps with no issues at all. Even now, my scalp feels GREAT! Not sure if I'd actually buy it though. At $36 for 6oz, that's pretty pricey for the kid! However, if I was desperately seeking scalp relief I might at least go into a beauty store and ask for a sample.

Peace.