Apivita Propoline Shine & Revitalizing Shampoo and Conditioner with Citrus & Honey

I have to confess, I'd never heard of Apivita when they contacted me about reviewing their products back in January, but London Makeup Girl had a timely review next day of their Wine Elixir Day Cream. At the time I was really feeling the pressure of too many face products and only one face and would perhaps have turned them down, but for Grace's post and a crying need to try something new in the 'natural' shampoo line, after a year of using the same one. Nothing had changed, just felt it was time to explore something new.

When Apivita sent me a list of the products on their's way to me, I fully expected a parcel of sample sizes....after all this was a company with no UK outlet. If I fell for something it would have to come form the Greek website and I'm notoriously bad for getting round to ordering beauty products online. What arrived was a veritable feast of goodies, some of which I have yet to try. Other's like the Propoline Shine & Revitalizing Shampoo and Conditioner with Citrus & Honey went straight in the shower with me.

I fell totally in love with this combo from the outset. I don't remember anything making my hair feel as soft as it does when I've used this Propoline duo. I seem to recall, that first time, thinking the consistency felt a little thin and wondering how on earth it would cope with my hair.

I needn't have worried though, I wanted to jump up and down and post straight away about how wonderful it felt. That's not how my blog generally works though....I want to give thorough well thought out and lived in responses to products. It did however go straight to my 'Products I Love' page on Pinterest.

My caution proved well founded in just one small area...I just assumed that a shampoo from a company with 'Natural' credential like Apivita's would be SLS free. I wonder whether that's an expectation of the UK 'Natural' market..... I'd been using the Shampoo and Conditioner for well over a month by the time I realised, and my hair was still feeling marvellous, nor was it an irritable scalp that told me....that was feeing just fine...but a comment on another blog which alerted me to my error. Gutted I was, to say the least. I thought I'd found the most perfect shampoo ever. There would indeed have been ordering from Greece, had it been SLS free. If you aren't looking for SLS free then this really is a fabulous pair of products.

Despite moving on in my SLS free quest, I've dipped back in, now and again, to get that lovely softer than soft hair feel. The shampoo has a lovely delicate citrusy scent:

Err...sorry...not very readable round the edges, that one: 

Recycled PET bottle - Aqua** (Water**), Aqua (Water), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-4 Rapeseedamide, Panthenol, Mel* (Honey*) Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phytantriol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf* Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil*, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil*, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil*, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Saponaria Officinalis Leaf Extract, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Sodium Chloride, Arginine, Copper Aspartate, Zinc Aspartate, Manganese Aspartate, Coco-Glucoside, Glycol Distearate, Niacinamide, Glycereth-2 Cocoate, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf*, Biotin, Lactic Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Glycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Phytate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyquaternium-10, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal  **Rosmarinus Officinalis* Leaf Aqueous Infusion = Rosemary water *Certified organic cultivation

Here's what they say:  88% natural ingredients - Revitalizes hair leaving it shiny with lemon, orange and grapefruit essential oils, Energizes and tones hair with ginseng, trace elements and vitamins, Protects from split ends with panthenol and phytantriol, Maintains hair’s natural hydration and elasticity with honey, Bio Cotton Protection System (cotton+oligosaccharide+arginine), an exclusive innovation of APIVITA laboratories, works to strengthen hair texture and improves elasticity, forming a protective shield against environmental damage, Ideal for weak, dull and toneless hair. Offers anti-aging protection for all hair types to tone and strengthen.

Exclusive innovation: APIVITA replaces water in the PROPOLINE range with rosemary infusion to offer antioxidant, toning, antiseptic and anti-irritant action.

Excludes synthetic ingredients that may pose harmful effects to your health and the environment.
Free of: Parabens, Silicones, Mineral oil, Propylene glycol, Ethanolamines, Colorants, Phthalates, Polycyclic musks and Nitromusks.

Whilst the scent of  honey, bursts through when it comes to the conditioner:

92% natural ingredients - Moisturizes hair, making it easier to comb, Offers vitality and shine. Protects against the damaging effects of the environment and styling products, Ideal for damaged, weak, dull and toneless hair; moisturizes, tones and offers natural antioxidant protection for all hair types

Of course, since then, we've discovered that, Apivita had a canny plan....the longing I felt for a UK distributor was all ready dressed and made-up, waiting in the wings. Even if Your Beauty hasn't arrived at Your M&S yet, Apivita's many Shampoo's and Conditioner's can now be bought online from M&S or ordered in to collect free from your local. A service I tested recently with Non Iron school Shirts - pay online collect from a special booth in the main shopping area - didn't even have to queue at Customer Services upstairs as I was expecting.

There are SLS free shampoo's in the collection, including Kids shampoo's.....you'll have to go direct to the Apivita website to check out a full ingredients list for each product though as it's not something the Your Beauty site currently seems to have.

Products shown here are a full size Apivita Propoline Citrus & Honey Shampoo 250ml £13 from Marks or €10.60 direct. Conditioner shown is only 50ml size, a full size 150ml also costs £13 from Marks or €11.20 direct.

PR Samples from Apivita, I was also a guest at the M&S launch of Your Beuaty at Westfield Stratford City.

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