I’ve been using John Masters Lavender Rosemary Shampoo daily this summer, and it’s earned my loyalty through its combination of natural ingredients, beneficial results, and a fragrance that works as a quickie aromatherapy treatment in the shower. It seems to have improved the overall condition of my hair, and it’s made my morning ritual a little more pleasant in the process.
If you’re interested in natural haircare, a John Masters shampoo has a lot to offer: like the other products in the line, Lavender Rosemary Shampoo is made without sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate, artificial color, paraben preservatives, or animal testing. Instead, its base of coconut-derived soap is enriched with herbal infusions, many of them certified organic. Just a few of the natural ingredients listed on the label are wheat germ oil, jojoba seed oil, sage, willow bark and babassu fruit oil. The result is a low-lathering shampoo with a dark maple-syrup color.
Of course, the star ingredients of this shampoo are the essential oils of lavender and rosemary. Both herbs are known for their ability to purify and disinfect; the fragrance of lavender is also a time-tested remedy for reducing stress and tension, while rosemary enhances mental clarity, alleviates fatigue, and even reputedly improves the memory. (“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance,” as poor Ophelia said.) The rosemary is more prominent than the lavender, although the lavender is always present, in its understated way; the lavender is a softer, herbal-floral note, and the rosemary is sharper and greener, just like its original needle-like leaves, with a fresh woodsiness.
This shampoo has been a welcome addition to my morning routine because it does an efficient job of cleansing my hair while also gently nudging me further awake. (I am most emphatically not an early-morning person.) All too often, citrus is the default scent for a “wake-up” body or hair product, but citrus has a particular style of sensory stimulation that I don’t always enjoy. Citrus is sunny and insistently cheerful and thoroughly unsubtle. If citrus notes have the same early-morning effect as a jangling old-fashioned alarm clock, then this rosemary-lavender blend is like a clock radio tuned to a public radio station, whose conversation slyly engages the sleepy mind into gradual alertness.
John Masters Lavender Rosemary Shampoo for Normal Hair sells for $16 for 8 fl. oz. It is available through luileiny, beautyhabit, and the John Masters website.
“If citrus notes have the same early-morning effect as a jangling old-fashioned alarm clock, then this rosemary-lavender blend is like a clock radio tuned to a public radio station, whose conversation slyly engages the sleepy mind into gradual alertness.”
That's just perfect! Though I usually shower in the evening, because it helps me to sleep and I like to stay asleep as long as possible in the morning.
I do love Rosemary, both the smell and the taste of it. Bath and Body Works used to make a Rosemary Mint shampoo that was great for my oily hair. Nowadays I use Frederic Fekkai's Glossing shampoo and conditioner because it seems to be the only thing that smooths the tangling that my hair is so prone to.
I agree: Rosemary and mint is another wonderful combination! I like using Aveda's Rosemary Mint line from time to time. The fragrance of hair products is very important, in my book. 🙂
Beautiful post, Jessica. I can so relate to what you're saying about being woken gently by NPR instead by loud music. I had never really thought about it, but now I understand your comment about citrus sometimes being too cheerful early in the morning. There are days when I go for scents other than citrus early in the morning too, and that is probably the reason (although I generally love citrus in the summer, just not so early in the morning). Thanks for making me aware!
And the product makes your hair softer, too. Sounds like worth a try.
Thank you, Sabina! Sometimes I think I might have gone a bit overboard in my descriptions and analogies…! I do like citrus in certain circumstances, but at other times iit just seems overly cheery for my own mood! 🙂
I love John Masters and this shampoo, too. Also a big fan of the Rosemary & Peppermint and the Citrus Neroli detanglers. The neroli in the Citrus Neroli gives it an herbal, almost peppery edge that you might even not mind! 😉 Although they are called “detanglers,” they both give my coarse hair plenty of moisture and conditioning.
John Masters seems to be an excellent line all around! I haven't tried the Rosemary & Peppermint detangler, but I do love the Citrus Neroli one. You're right, it's more neroli than citrus! And it's much richer and more concentrated than I expected it to be. 🙂