Hair Smooth as Silk with Sunsilk

Hi everybody,

I grew up with Sunsilk and this brand was the first to introduce me to conditioner. Yeah, back when I was 8 or 9, we just washed our hair with shampoo and that was it. I remember my grandma had a bottle of Sunsilk that she locked in her dresser for years. It was her back-up shampoo that she would use for special occasions. That was how much she treasured it.

Years passed and I was delighted when Sunsilk came to the U.S market. Albeit being the #1 hair care brand in the Asian market, it failed to make a note in the U.S and folded at the end of 2010. I tried it then and the formula was sub-par. So, when I came back to Asia, I made sure to give Sunsilk a try and I was blown away.

The stuff is that good! For years, I wanted to find something that keeps my straight hair healthy without weighing it down. Not so many shampoos in the U.S market can do that since they all contain a lot of humectants and moisturizers, which my hair does not need.

(L-R) Sunsilk Co-Creations shampoo designed by Jamal Hammadi and conditioner designed by Thomas Taw
My apologies to the less stellar photo: it's been raining a lot lately and I had to take the picture indoor . With the green wall, the colors are off. This frustrates me to no end!

Shampoo ingredients
It contains the extract of Gleditsia australis, a plant in Vietnam with pods that can be used as shampoo. For generations, Vietnamese people char the pods and boil with water until it turns black. It is believed to keep the hair black and healthy.

Conditioner ingredients

The "swatch": conditioner on top, shampoo at the bottom

I thought I've seen it all until I saw the black shampoo. Yup, this stuff is black with mica shimmers and it took me a while to get used of the color. While both have floral scents, the conditioner is thicker than the shampoo, which I find to be on the runny side. The shampoo is mild and keeps my hair clean until the second day. I do notice a nice lift on the hair after I wake up. The shampoo itself is moisturizing enough for me and I only use the conditioner once in a while (maybe twice a week tops.)

With that said, the conditioner is actually can be left on for two minutes before washing. It is highly moisturizing, thanks to the dimethicone in the ingredient list. In fact, both of them have dimethicone highly ranked in the lists to give the hair a glossy and smooth feeling.

Since I've used this Sunsilk combo, my hair has been incredibly shiny. It also gets easier for me to comb and style my hair. I expected these products to make my hair look and feel greasy by the second day but that rarely happens, which is a big relief to me.

Price-wise, Sunsilk shampoos are mid-range products in the price list. Since Unilever has a factory in Vietnam, the prices of products made in Vietnam are significantly cheaper. I've tried a few shampoos and conditioners to find Sunsilk as the brand that gives my hair the glossiest and sleekest look.

Although Sunsilk is no longer available in mass-market stores in the U.S, you can still (hopefully) find it in Asian stores. Believe me, the formula is different in Asia and Unilever focuses on different hair types depending on the market. If you have straight hair and want to add shine, Sunsilk may be the answer to you.

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