I was first introduced to Phyto by my college roommate and I gotta say I was kind of annoyed by it. Looking back I was young and naive and stubbornly believed all shampoos had to have that gel-like texture. If only I knew then what I know now! Since then I've come a long way and I've come to accept and find comfort in the watery consistency of their shampoos.
Phyto was founded by famed Parisian celebrity hairstylist Patrick Alès in the 50's. All their products are plant based and botanically extracted. The brand's name "phyto" literally means "derived from plants" in Greek! The products are all-natural and are not tested on animals. Phyto is an eco-friendly brand and is environmentally conscious in their product packaging. Their shampoos used to come in glass bottles which they've recently switched to aluminum - the eco-friendly containers are tri-functional: The material is recyclable, non-reactive to the contents, and preserve the ingredients without artifical additives.
If you like aromothera-shampoos - stop reading this post. This line of shampoos is not going to deliver on clouds of scents that float you to a fairy dream world. Nope. These shampoos and conditioners were developed to address specific hair problems and they do their job well.
PhytoPanama $24
This is one of the old glass containers I mentioned. I really like the vintage look of it - it's so apothecary (if that's even the right word to use). This shampoo is specifically for oily hair that requires frequent washes. I used to have oily hair and this was the initial product that I tried. Occasionally, I feel my hair is overly oily and I keep this on hand to give it a good clean.
It's got a tar smell to it, but no worries it's not a lingering smell. Once you rinse and condition the tar smell is gone. It's very effective to hold the grease at bay, and it's gentle enough that it can be used on a daily basis. If you have oily hair definitely give this a try. I know, I've been there - you cannnot go for more than 24 hours without washing you hair or else you risk that unflattering stringy look.
PhytoSylic $24
Here's an example of the new aluminum containers. The aluminum feels like kind used for the Sigg bottles which is supposed to be one of the best quality aluminums out there. I'm thankful for the switch to aluminum because it's so much lighter than the glass bottle. That sucker was heavy! One more time for emphasis - Heavy!
This shampoo addresses dandruff (yea I'm a hair mess) and helps to exfoliate the scalp. When I use this I try to focus the product on my scalp. The trick to pouring out these runny shampoos is to pour a little bit into your palm, dunk that on your head, pour out a little bit more and dunk again. This one's got that tar smell too and I think almost any product that addresses dandruff/ excess oil uses the ingredient that has that smell. Again the smell will not linger and will dissipate after rinsing and conditioning. I like this shampoo because it doesn't sting your scalp or have deliver a cooling affect, but you will feel the results. My scalp feels clean and simply normal when I wash with this. A good product to try if you've got dandruff.
I wanted to show the plastic guard that is built into the new aluminum bottles. I really like that they incorporated this into their design. Since the shampoo is so runny, the smaller opening helps to slow down and control the flow of shampoo as it's poured out. Nice touch Phyto!
PhytoVolume $24I don't have a pic of this one (there's one group shot of it with my initial
Bath&Body Haul) but it looks exactly like the Phytosylic bottle above just with different words printed on it. This shampoo's job is to volumize and it's got a slight citrus scent to it that is quite refereshing. I've got thick asian hair so this did not give me that oompfh I was looking for. It's actually supposed to address fine thin hair but I thought I'd give it a shot anyways. Not a bad shampoo at all but just not for me.
PhytoBaume $22 Just like the shampoos, the conditioners also address specific hair issues. This one's just a plain ol' all-around use conditioner. I've not found a conditioner to address oily hair/scalp so I just use this one. It's consistency is gel-like, it's not as creamy as typical conditioners and it's got a light minty smell.
After applying, I just comb it through with my fingers. I also try to concentrate on applying this to the ends of my hair. I find that if I leave this on for a few minutes and rinse out with cold water, my hair gets super soft (you can use this same trick with any conditioner). You can probably use any shampoo you want but I'm supersticious about shampoo/conditioner pairings and try to use the same ones from the same lines.
