Not Worth the Time it Takes to Get it Out of the Bottle
Written: Oct 31 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Smells Wonderful
Cons: Terrible Package Design, Leaves Hair tangled and Dull
The Bottom Line: Definitely not for children with long hair.
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| brooklynsmum's Full Review: Huggies Clean Team Shampoo and Conditioner |
I wanted to love this shampoo, really I did. As I have confessed before, I buy most of my kids’ bath products based solely on scent. This worked well for me when they were babies, but it seems that the days of getting away with this kind of shopping behaviour are over. You see, I was suckered in by the name blue melon splash and, thinking that the scent would compare to the wonderful aroma of the Huggies Bubblin’ Berry Shampoo that we used once before, I threw a bottle into the cart long before we needed more kid shampoo. The scent did not disappoint; however, the shampoo certainly did and now sits unused on the side of the tub.
THE CLEAN TEAM LINE
Huggies unified its line of toddler products by introducing the Clean Team. Each product in this line sports an animal shaped like a letter. In this case, it is Sammy the Snake shaped like (no surprise here) an “S” for Shampoo. Huggies refers to these as alphamals. All packaging for this line is dominantly red and blue making the Clean Team much more identifiable than the Huggies products have been in years past.
Each of the Clean Team alphamals has its own profile found at www.Huggies.com. They also have downloadable printable alphamals collector cards. In addition, parents can also sign up to receive a Clean Team membership for their children. Membership includes a certificate, membership card, and activity book. While this might entice some children, mine remained indifferent to the clean team members, preferring Johnson’s Buddies. I confess, I did not try the online games featuring the alphamals since I hate the shampoo enough to not want them to want it!
THE SCENT
The only thing I was not disappointed in with this shampoo was the scent. With a name like blue melon splash, I knew I’d love it. It has a definite fruity scent that lingers in the bathroom and on my hands for a few hours after bath time. I only wish that it lingered in my daughters’ hair as well. Moms of boys will be happy to find that the scent mostly rinses out of hair leaving only a faint clean smell.
THE BOTTLE
Sometimes it does not pay to mess with a good thing. The old Huggies Shampoo came in an easy to control bottle. The design of this new bottle is truly terrible. The line is intended to appeal to toddlers, making clean up time more fun. I don’t think my daughters have even noticed the graphics on the bottle. What they have noticed is that there is no way that either of them can get the shampoo out of the bottle. While the old shampoo bottle had ridges making it easy to grasp, this one is rounded fitting into the palm of an adult hand, but certainly not a child’s. The second problem is that the bottle is made of a hard plastic instead of a soft plastic. This means that it is almost impossible for an adult, let alone a child to squeeze the shampoo out of the bottle. The shampoo is too thick to trickle out on its own, and it takes two hands for me to squeeze out the contents. Since that leaves me with no free hands, other than child hands, to catch the contents, I have given up and switched back to the Johnson’s Buddies Foaming Shampoo with the pump.
Bottles come in either 9 or 15 ounce sizes. I bought the 9 oz (266 mL) size and that was more than enough. On a positive note, one bottle goes a really long way when you have to work so hard to get a small amount out!
THE SHAMPOO
Huggies promises this shampoo to be tear free, as it does with all of its Clean Team products. I have not tested, nor do I intend to test this claim. The shampoo is thick enough that I have no problem lathering it up and keeping it from dripping into my girls’ eyes avoiding the test altogether. I have also found that it rinses out easily. They have never complained of stinging eyes, but even if it did run into their eyes, I wouldn’t know whether or not it is tear free since pure water in their eyes is also cause for screams. Needless to say, I am very careful at bath time.
Huggies also claims that this is a 2-in-1 shampoo, eliminating the need for a separate conditioner. I beg to differ. While this may be an okay transition shampoo for short haired toddlers, it is certainly not okay for long haired little girls who shriek when a hairbrush comes within sight. It does not condition enough for use on a child with long hair.
THE INGREDIENTS (taken from the bottle)
Water/Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, PEG150 Disterate, Fragrance/Parfum, Propylene Glycol, Isotearamidopropyl Morpholine Lactate, DMDM Hydantoin, Polyquaternium-7, Methylparaben, Citric Acid, Quaternium-15, Propylparaben, Tetrasoduim EDTA, Blue 1, Green 3
OUR EXPERIENCE
After falling in love with the scent, I gave this shampoo many chances before my non sniffing husband convinced me to let it go. First I tried it alone, testing its 2-in-1 claims. My daughters were left with snarled unmanageable hair. Since I’m not a fan of most 2-in-1 shampoos, I was undeterred and followed up with our usual Johnson’s Buddies Conditioner hoping a little conditioner was all they needed. Wrong again. My oldest daughter has very fine curly hair. I have never seen it look so frizzy or dull than the times I have used this shampoo on her. My youngest has long thick, straight hair which usually has a brilliant shine. If her hair comes out dull, as it did with this shampoo, I know that there is a definite problem. Both girls ended up screaming after I attempted to comb out their hair and I knew that it was time to give up the dream of making this shampoo work.
Perhaps we’ve past the magic age when toddler shampoos still work. Maybe it is time to face up to the fact that my babies are no longer babies. I suppose that there are kids out there who could benefit from Huggies Clean Team Shampoo with Conditioner, that is if they can get it out of the bottle. However, our experience with this product has lead me to the earth shattering conclusion that scent is not always everything and I must say I’m more than a little disappointed with the discovery.
OTHER BATH TIME REVIEWS
Huggies Bubblin’ Berry Shampoo
Johnson’s Buddies Easy Rinse Shampoo
Johnson’s Buddies Conditioner
Huggies Natural Care Baby Wash - Lavender and Chamomile
Recommended:
No
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brooklynsmum
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Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 58 members
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It's birthday time at our house. Reviews to follow!
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