How familiar are you with the Australian brand Aesop? I was always aware about it, but I’d never really used many things from the brand. The one or two things I did try (I still use the Parsley Seed Cleansing Oil some days as well as the Primrose Facial Cleansing Masque) I did quite like. I particularly like the herbal scent and the essential oils that are infused in Aesop’s products which are botanical based.
With my slightly blinkered view zeroing in on the skincare, I did not realise that Aesop, in fact, started out in the hair care side of things. They started in 1987 specializing in hair care products and it remains the company’s strength.
In 2012, to celebrate 25 years in the business, they have revamped their core hair care range and streamlined it, calling it simply the Black Label hair care range. Products have been reclassified and reformulated but for me, its the wonderful scent of essential oils that pulls me right in.
If you are a fan of Aesop hair care, you will be in for a treat!
The Black Label hair care range comprises 6 shampoos and 4 complementing Conditioners.
- Classic – gentle shampoo designed for frequent use <- me! The complementing conditioner softens and adds shine to frequently washed hair
- Nurturing – nourishing shampoo for unruly hair. The complementing conditioner treats dry, stressed or chemically treated hair.
- Colour Protection – A sulphate free shampoo and conditioner to protect colour treated or damaged hair
- Calming Shampoo – a mild formula to soothe sensitive, dry and irritated scalps
- Equalising shampoo – Formulated for oily scalps to balance the scalp sebum production.
- Volumising – The shampoo and complementing conditioner are formulated to volumise thin fine hair
The tricky bit is working out which category you fall under so you can pick the best shampoo for your hair. So, Aesop has formulated a quick 5 question chart to help you there. You can go to an Aesop counter and the sales personnel should be able to help you, or you can take the quiz online 😉
From taking the quiz, and by supplying the additional information that I wash my hair every day, I was prescribed the Classic Shampoo and Classic Conditioner.
Firstly, the scent! Oh the scent! I know I should be using these daily but I appreciate them so much more on days when I’m feeling very stressed, as I am now. Stepping into the shower after a long work day, the beautiful scent of bergamot, rosemary and lavender create this cocoon of scent that instantly relaxes me. Its amazing! Never underestimate the power and effect of essential oils!
The Classic shampoo cleans my hair well without leaving it feeling stripped. It does not lather up very much but you don’t need a lot to get your hair clean and I find that when I add water and scrub at my hair more, it foams up enough so my hair is clean. What I have noticed is that it cleans out my scalp too, so I’m left with a scalp that feels beautifully clean and hair that isn’t stripped. We have been having incredibly hot weather here recently which means sweating which means a lot of dirt and sebum trapped on my hair and scalp. Well, my hair and scalp feels lovely and clean after washing 🙂
The Classic Conditioner somehow smells a lot more intense than the shampoo but the texture feels very light. I find that like most conditioners, I have to use a little more but it feels like a lotion on my hair. In fact, it seems to turn to water when I apply it to my hair after shampooing. There is no slippery silicone feel and my hair is detangled and feels light thereafter. I like the Classic Conditioner, but I might try the Nurturing one next as this feels a bit too light for me so my hair doesn’t behave too well after prolonged use. I think its just not enough for my hair.
Here is the ingredient list for those interested in what is in there.
L-R: Aesop Classic Conditioner, Aesop Classic Shampoo
The downside of course, is that all this loveliness doesn’t come cheap. Incidentally, I met someone recently and we got to talking about hair (strange topic you know, because I don’t quite bother much about my hair) and she told me that she has been using Aesop hair care for years. She was only the 2nd person I’d ever met who mentioned Aesop hair care to me, so I’m guessing its like a bit of an open secret. Those who know about it, use it and love it. Those who don’t, are blissfully ignorant.
Well, now you belong in the first category, right? 😉 I think its too early for me to say I love it just yet, but I am enjoying using it, enveloping myself in the wonderful scent at the end of the day and not having to contend with sweet, floral scents that shampoos usually come in. Its lovely. I now want to check out Aesop’s body washes. If their hair care smells this good, imagine just how great the body washes will smell! 😀
Have you tried any Aesop hair care or are you an Aesop hair care fan? Have you tried anything else from the brand you like? I’m not sure if you can get samples, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I sampled the Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm and you know I’m not a fan of hand creams right? But I was thisclose to picking up a tube because it felt so good! If anyone owns it and have a thought to share, please do 😀
Paris B
Aesop Black Label hair care comes in 6 variants of Shampoo and 4 variants of Conditioner Price: From RM85-165 depending on size Availability: Aesop counters (Isetan KLCC, Parkson Pavilion, Metrojaya Mid Valley, One Utama, Bangsar Village II, Parkson Gurney Plaza)
melchewvin says
June 8, 2012 at 3:50 pmI dont know about this to me Aesop is a brand for skincare for haircare I prefer brands like Rene Furterer or Kerastase.
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:05 pmI always made the Aesop-skincare association too! So knowing about their haircare roots was interesting 🙂
Jean says
June 8, 2012 at 5:35 pmnever know they carry haircare products too.. but if compare to Kiehl’s haircare, seems like aesop is cheaper? (as the bottle looks bigger, but am not sure cause didn’t compare the size / quantity)
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:06 pmI’m not too familiar with Kiehl’s hair care either! LOL I’d only tried the Kiehl’s sunflower range but it got too expensive to upkeep 😛
Marina(Makeup4all) says
June 8, 2012 at 9:12 pmSounds like a great shampoo and conditioner. I have heard great things about Aesop in general but haven’t tried the brand just yet.
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:06 pmIt is quite nice but I would go with a stronger conditioner for hair like mine that tends to be a bit dry. The Classic conditioner was a bit too light but it smells wonderful!
Jennifer says
June 8, 2012 at 9:28 pmWhen I view Aesop as a brand, it reminds me of Kiehl’s. Perhaps it’s because of the simplistic laboratory-like packaging and branding. But somehow Aesop feels more “high end” than Kiehl’s though I may be wrong. I still cannot bring myself to splurge on shampoo and conditioners though I think one of best assets is my long hair. Haha, instead I go for Pantene, L’oreal and etc…
I’ve tried L’Occitane before but it was too rich for my oily scalp that everything went havoc. I’ve oily scalp and dry hair. Maybe the organic one you previously reviewed is a good try 🙂
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:09 pmI tried L’Occitane shampoo/conditioner once but my hair hated it. I had hair that looked like a broom for a week because I had no other products on me 😛 My new fave hair care is the Human Nature one. My hair seems to love it more than anything else its tried to date, and I love that because its cheap! 😀
Petrina Alescna says
June 8, 2012 at 11:00 pmI’ve never used their hair care products other than the Wild Lime hair polish but love love their skincare and body care range. Im not a regular user as 1. It’s expensive 2. The glass bottles are hazardous to me! I once broke a lovely lovely jar of body balm and 3. Being relatively preservative free it doesn’t last long. The dry scrub grains, damascan rose facial oil and body and hand products smell amazing!
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:13 pmOh yes! I didn’t understand why the cleansing oil came in a glass bottle. As much as I like my skincare to come in glass bottles, it does not extend to anything in the shower! The shampoos don’t though so that’s a relief! Thanks for the recs!
Bryan says
June 9, 2012 at 7:18 amI am having oily scalp and a bit dry hair. I’ve been using John Masters Organics Lavender Rosemary Shampoo, the herbal scent is very calming. After wash, hair not feeling dry (I am lazy to use conditioner 😛 ) and scalp is clean.
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:19 pmGood to know that works for you. I haven’t tried anything from that brand before this.
Becca says
June 9, 2012 at 7:59 pmooh, I’ve always wanted to try Aesop products–especially because it’s a brand I often see featured on one of my favorite sites: Into the Gloss! I would probably go the skincare route though–I’m not one to splurge on haircare at ALL (or body care, for that matter)
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:25 pmI like the occasional splurge for the body but I’m less bothered about hair 😀 I have tried some of the Aesop skincare and its been good. I hope you do like whatever you end up trying! 😀
lavender says
June 9, 2012 at 8:23 pmToo bad they contain SLS.
Bugs says
June 9, 2012 at 9:15 pmYes too bad, SLS is 2nd in the list… so, it’s not for me.
j3nny9irL says
June 10, 2012 at 12:17 amHi Bugs, Yes there is SLS but actually is from Coconut origin so it’s plant derived. Actually you can drop by their counters and get some sample to try before you proceed to purchase. They are very nice and friendly 🙂
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:25 pmI personally think SLS gets a bad rep 🙂 But there is a range for colour hair that has no SLS in it 🙂
j3nny9irL says
June 10, 2012 at 12:15 amHi Paris~! Yes I am using Aesop now coz past 2 months my skin is really really bad. Breaking and so dry even T-zone dried up and started peeling. Not bad enough, despite peeling and my sweat stings my face, pimples come up~! Crazy like mad… So Crazy I had to turn to something and everything just doesn’t work and I just had to totally change the whole range of skincare. I went to BVII and tried the products there on the spot and sit there for like 30 mins to see whether it suits me and thankfully it does. So I am using part of their skincare.
I bought their shampoo too coz I love that after washing it doesn’t dries up the hair and I drop lesser hair and i prefer a non fragrance shampoo. I was so excited that they came up with a wider hair care range. 😀 I hope you will love your shampoo 😀 I am sticking to mine 🙂
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:26 pmOuch! Your skin problems sound awful 🙁 Did you ever figure out why? Its good to know that Aesop skincare and hair care works for you and did not aggravate your skin further! I quite like the Classic Shampoo although I find the conditioner too light. Might have to switch up to something heavier for my rebellious hair 😉
ysk says
June 10, 2012 at 11:48 amTheir bottles look like medicine bottle,that’s my thought on Aesop.their BA is very generous,I bought one cleanser and got more than 10 sachet samples.
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:34 pmOh yes, they are generous with samples which is a good way to try their products.
EL says
June 11, 2012 at 1:01 amthe hand balm is comparable to jurlique, i’ve repurchased several times but not a loyal user. I love the aromachologie range from l’occitane, it’s my daily hair care routine which I admit I am loyal to because of the scent. Sounds like I have to try aesop’s hair care range.
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 3:59 pmIronically, the L’Occitane hair care dried out my hair 🙁 I was using the one for dry hair too! It does smell lovely though
Mira says
June 11, 2012 at 9:55 amI’ve heard of the brand before but never had a chance to try any of their products. I didn’t splurge much on haircare products. As long as it is fine with my hair then I’ll use it. I have been using the Loreal Professional for 3yrs already and I’m sticking to it. I’ve try to use other brands like Head&Shoulders, Sunsilk and Pantene but they leave my scalp very dry until I can even peel some of my dried scalp at the back of my head. It was horror, I tell you! Since then I never stray away to other brands.
Paris B says
June 12, 2012 at 4:14 pmWow! That is so scary what the shampoos do to your hair! :O For me, I’ve actually found great happiness in the Human Nature one. My hair loves it! 😀
Fann says
June 14, 2012 at 3:50 pmAm using the classic shampoo and nurturing conditioner. Love the scent, so relaxing! And yea, the Hand Balm…ooohhh…the scent is so good that you won’t forget to use. The only complain I have with products I tried from Aesop is their Rosehip Seed Lip Cream – the moment you open the cap, the cream won’t stop coming out from the tube even without you squeezing it! Technically, you can’t control the amount of cream you want, and it is really a waste.
And yes, I bought my hair care from the 1Utama counter, Linda, ths SA is very kind to share with me some samples to try out.
Jasmine says
June 29, 2012 at 5:52 pmHi Paris! I nearly wanted to try Loc for my dried hair. I think I should try out Aesop..but I’m not sure I should go for Calming or Nurturing shampoo. You see it’s winter in Sydney and I always have itchy and flaky scalp whenever winter comes. What do you suggest? And I won’t want to put too much conditioner as sometimes it will cause some breakouts near my forehead. I’ve used Kerastase when I was in KL..Is Aesop better?
Paris B says
July 2, 2012 at 4:19 pmI’m not sure which would be best, Jasmine. If you have an Aesop store or counter near you, I might suggest that you pop by and see what they recommend. Aesop and Kerastase are quite different in terms of philosophy as well as product. I’m not too familiar with both to be honest. I’ve only tried the Oleo Relax from Kerastase which I still use periodically.
Fran21 says
October 22, 2012 at 12:00 pmI’ve recently invested in these products – both the facial almonds exfoliant and purifier cream. It cost me a bomb! I’m happy with the end results that I invested more products. This time on Oil Free Facial Hydrating Serum and scalp treatment serum. I love the natual herbal fragrant and my scalp is free from dandruff :()