Review: The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Shampoo, Condition, and Hair Butter

"Gee Ashley, why don't you make the post title even longer while you're at it..."

The title is lengthy so it's a good indication that this review will be lengthy as well. It's technically three reviews jammed into one post. Since all of the products are attached to The Body Shop's Rainforest Moisture line, it only makes sense to review them all together.I have spent three glorious weeks with the Rainforest Moisture line now and although I can't say my hair is better than ever, it's pretty darn close.

Special Information About My Hair
My hair is no longer color-damaged as the only type of hair dyes I have used since a mega hair-catastrophe in 2009 are temp's & henna's. It has taken me two years to grow out my hair and be able to snip out all the color-treated bits without going bald.
In its natural state, my hair is a boring black-brown shade that sports a fine texture. It's thin but very soft. I'd love my hair if it wasn't for my dry, flaking scalp. I occasionally get tangles and frizzing all the time thanks to heat styling but simple things like skipping a washing and using a deep conditioner can fix a majority of my issues. I also need extra help from a de-frizzing serum in the colder months.

The shampoo, conditioner, and hair butter are geared towards dry and damaged hair. They are all free of silicones, colorants, and parabens. It's a line that I've enjoyed and must review because the hair butter is holy grail status.

Beginning with the shampoo, the Body Shop's description:


Help restore moisture and improve the hair's softness without weighing it down, for a smooth and shiny finish using a moisturizing shampoo without silicones, sulphates, parabens or colorants. With pracaxi oil, manketti nut oil and Community Trade honey and sugar.

Key Ingredients
- Glycerin: an effective moisturizer which helps improve softness and maximize hydration.
- Organic honey: Moisturizes and helps condition the skin. Helps protect and preserve the forest as well as providing necessary income for beekeepers, an increasing number of which are now women.

I didn't know the shampoo contained honey before I started this review. It most definitely explains why the shampoo is quite thick and heavy in texture (but it's not sticky). Unlike the average shampoo, this one is free of sulphates and why I find this so special is because even without it, the shampoo still lathers a small amount and does a great job at cleaning my hair. As a "moisturizing" shampoo, this doesn't leave my scalp feeling extra greasy or my hair extra heavy or lighter. There are some knots that I need to comb out after I wash my hair and the shampoo alone can't defeat The Frizz but at least my hair is soft and shinier.

Next up , the conditioner:


Read the description for the shampoo but replace the word 'shampoo' with 'conditioner' and viola, the description. The Body Shop really isn't any more clever with titles or descriptions than I am which might explain why we're such great friends.

The conditioner is almost perfect. It leaves my hair soft, untangled but still a tad frizzy. Since the conditioner doesn't weigh my hair down and rinses out extremely well while still conditioning my hair, I can use it every time I wash my hair rather than every other time. Something about conditioning my hair is so relaxing. I hate having to go a day without conditioner but sometimes too much of a good thing will only reap havoc.

However, my ultimate favorite from the Rainforest Moisture line has to be the Hair Butter. It's utter perfection.

The Body Shop's Description:


Create soft, glossy, and tangle-free hair using a luxuriously rich and intensive deep conditioning treatment without silicones, sulphates, parabens or colorants. With pracaxi oil, manketti nut oil and Community Trade honey and olive oil.

Key Ingredients
- Glycerin: an effective moisturizer which helps improve softness and maximize hydration.
- Organic honey: moisturizers and helps condition the skin.
- Organic olive oil: a natural moisturizer for normal to dry skin. It also helps condition hair and gift it a silky shine. Our olive oil is organic, and it comes from our Community Trade partners in southern Italy.

I absolutely love this hair butter and it's taken the spot of my previous holy grail, the Shiseido Tsubaki Golden Repair Treatment Conditioner!
It's definitely not as intense as the Shiseido treatment but my hair is no longer damaged like it once was. It's also easier to repurchase and goes on sale more frequently too.

The hair butter feels like soft butter; thick but melts into bread hair easily. It's so nice and creamy but never heavy or greasy. It washes out fairly well but at least 5% of it stays in my hair which might explain why my hair feels moisturized and protected. I don't feel any extra weight in my hair either which is phenomenal. I can comb through my hair without knotting up or feeling static-y. It's so soft and silky, just unbelievable and then it gets better...
My hair has a coat of resistance after using the hair butter. I normally heat dry my hair so I need a heat protectant spray but with the hair butter, I don't. In other words, this butter is also a good protectant. I'll only use it twice a week so my hair doesn't grow resistant to it but it takes an army each night not to use it.

All in all, I like the Rainforest Moisture line but it did smell a bit different for the first four uses. Everything is very lightly scented and doesn't linger. I believe we as consumers are suppose to smell hints of honey but it's very light; warm but clean but again, it isn't very strong and the scent doesn't stay long. I catch whiffs of it when my hair whips into my face *ouch*.

Bottom Line:
If your hair is nothing like mine or in a state like mine, the Rainforest Moisture line probably won't work for you. If you must try it, The Body Shop has a travel kit of the entire Rainforest Moisture line for $15.00. It includes a green detangling comb that is 100% recycled plastic(?).

Overall, I'll repurchase the Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter and of course I highly recommend it to anyone with dry hair. It may just work for dry and damaged hair but at $8 and available locally, it doesn't hurt to try.
The shampoo is great for anyone with dry hair and hates sulphates in their shampoo or parabens and silicones period. There's definitely not a cheaper shampoo out there of this quality.
The conditioner is good but the hair butter is better so I'll safely skip that, as should you.
The prices vary for the shampoo and conditioner because there are 3 sizes to choose from but none are horrible considering how well they perform and follow through with their claims.

Ingredients (Shampoo)
Water (Solvent/Diluent), Sucrose (Depilatory Agent), Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate (Surfactant), Lauryl Betaine (Surfactant), Laureth-5 Carboxylic Acid (Surfactant - Cleansing Agent), Honey (Natural Additive), PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate (Surfactant), Propylene Glycol (Humectant), Sodium Chloride (Viscosity Modifier), Glycerin (Humectant), Fragrance (Fragrance), Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Sucrose Laurate (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Isopropyl Alcohol (Solvent), Polyquaternium-6 (Conditioner), Salicylic Acid (Preservative/Hair Conditioner), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Schinziophyton Rautanenii (Mongongo) Kernel Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Tocopherol (Antioxidant).

Ingredients (Condtioner)
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Distearoylethyl Hydroxyethymonium Methosulfate, Cocus Nucifera Oil, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oilm Citric Acid, Cetyl Esters, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum, Hydroxyproply Guar, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernal Oil, Salicylic Acid, Mel, Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil, Tocopherol.

Ingredients (Hair Butter)
Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Distearoylethyl Hydroxyethymonium Methosulfate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Esters, Glycerin, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernal Oil, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Salicylic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate ,Mel, Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopheral.