REVIEW: A'kin Lemongrass Shampoo & A'kin Lavender & Anthyliss Leave-in Conditioner

THIS IS A SPONSORED REVIEW BY TNS SKINLAB

Hello dearies!

I am back! I was so into procrastination to review these two products and here I am again back with beauty reviews! I babbled on to why I went idle for quite some time on the previous post. For this post, I will review hair products with natural ingredients and against animal testing. A year back, I started to have interest with natural and organic products when I dumped myself into a no-poo journey (no shampoo method) which turned out super bad! I gave myself approximately 6 months of no-poo before giving up and started slow with natural or organic shampoo with apple cider vinegar rinse. My hair never felt better since. My first organic shampoo was Aubrey Organics Calaguala Fern Treatment Shampoo. The shampoo was fine but I think it suits best for those with super oily scalp. I have normal scalp since no-poo and to date, I can go 4 days without shampoo. Yes, the good thing about no-poo is it normalizes scalp as I used to have oily scalp.

TNS Skinlab has brought in A’kin hair care line and has kindly invited me to try out two of A’kin’s products, A'kin Lemongrass Shampoo and A'kin Lavender & Anthyliss Leave-in Conditioner. The shampoo costs RM49.00 of approximately 11 USD for 225ml while the leave-in conditioner costs RM63.00 of approximately 14 USD for 150ml. To be honest, I lost the shampoo bottle. I think I accidentally threw it away hence my credit to TNS Skinlab website for the picture.

A'kin Lemongrass Shampoo

A'kin Lavender & Anthyliss Leave-in Conditioner

A'kin Lavender & Anthyliss Leave-in Conditioner (back)

A'kin Lavender & Anthyliss Leave-in Conditioner (texture)

PRODUCTS

All A'kin products are paraben and sulfate free along with the usage of pure active botanics ingredients. Their products are cruelty free as well! Love! Here are the claims explained from TNS Skinlab webpage.

Shampoo:

"A'kin Lemongrass Shampoo for Normal to Oily Hair & Scalp is a gentle shampoo with 6 natural cleansers to deeply clean oily to combination hair and scalps. Lemongrass and Juniper help to regulate oil production without drying the hair. Made free from harsh ingredients like sulphates, and parabens, it is made only with carefully selected ingredients, used at beneficial levels for refreshed, healthy hair."

Ingredients: Aqua (water), sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, lauryl glucoside, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, sodium chloride, glycerin, sorbitol, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium gluconate, glyceryl laurate, sodium cocoyl glutamate, pelargonium graveolens flower oil (geranium), sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil, cymbopogon schoenanthus oil (lemongrass), citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, citrus nobilis (mandarin orange) peel oil, tetrasodium EDTA, juniperus communis fruit oil (juniper), eugenia caryophyllus (clove) leaf oil, limonene, citral, citronellol, geraniol.

The shampoo itself is clear with slightly runny texture. It smells heavenly with lemongrass! I love the smell, it soothes the mind while using (with a lot of rubbing-lemongrass-on-hair-imagination) LOL. The bottle is made out of a quality recycled-like plastic (which felt great if you are fond to nature), dark green in color.

Leave-in Conditioner:

"A'kin Lavender & Anthyliss Leave-In Conditioner is a unique daily moisture care for all hair types with amino acids, antioxidants, herbal extracts, vitamins and richly nourishing Australian jojoba and certified organic avocado oils. Adds moisture, strength and helps protect your hair from heat styling and environmental damage. It will look smoother, shinier, curls defined and styles held longer. Ingredients are selectively chosen and delicately extracted to retain its purity so healthy hair shines naturally.

For all hair types including normal, dry and textured hair. Perfect for dry or chemically treated hair that needs added moisture. To retain the bounce in curly hair use on dry hair between washes."

Ingredients: Aqua (water), cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, panthenol, glycerin, hydrolyzed wheat protein, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, glyceryl laurate, persea gratissima (avocado) oi, rice amino acids, potassium sorbate, citric acid, sodium gluconate, tocopheryl acetate, anthyllis vulneraria flower extract, fusanus spicatus wood oil, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, lecithin, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, hydrogenated palm glycerides citrate, eugenia caryophyllus (clove) leaf oil, linalool, farnesol.

As shown in the picture, the leave-in conditioner is white in color and thick in texture. The tube is dark green in color as well made out of the same type of plastic as the shampoo.

HOW I USE IT

Shampoo:

Since I shampoo my hair once or twice a week, it took me more than 3 months to finish it up. Though, I did the double rinsing method. If you experienced organic shampoo before, you do aware that most organic shampoos does not bubble up well due to the absence of SLS etc. So what I did was, I will massage a small amount of shampoo into wet hair around the scalp area. After rinsing off, I will reapply the shampoo (slightly more shampoo this time) throughout my wet hair. It does bubble up better during the second application. From my opinion, it is easier to use this method if you do prefer deep cleansing (as I seldom wash my hair).

Leave-in Conditioner:

As mentioned in TNS Skinlab webpage, the leave-in conditioner can be used on wet or dry hair to defrizz, add definition to curls, protect against heat styling or to refresh your style between washes. I don't style my hair with any heat styling gadgets hence I didn't use it during dry hair. I only use it after towel dried my hair if my hair felt drier than usual after shampoo. That is the reason why it took me forever to finish off the product.

EFFECTS

Shampoo:

I love the shampoo so much! The shampoo really promotes deep cleansing and I never had any itchiness afterwards. I do face major itchiness on my scalp if I use any deep cleansing shampoo but not with this shampoo. I love how soft my hair turned out to be after shampoo and the smell is really soothing I kept on sniffing my hair! If you are facing oily scalp, I do suggest starting off by shampooing your hair less frequent. It might felt uncomfortable during the first few months but it’ll get better soon. As soon as your scalp turns less oily even if you shampoo once a week, you can start using natural shampoo such as A’kin’s shampoos. You will definitely enjoy fresher scalp and hair for longer period!

Leave-in Conditioner:

To be honest, I seldom use this product just because I love my hair after the shampoo. The product is rather thick hence it will slightly weigh down my hair if I accidentally used too much. The recommended amount is a pea size and it is best to be applied on damped hair for smoother application. I didn’t put it on my scalp as suggested because I found that my hair gets oily sooner than usual. I think this leave-in conditioner will suits best for those with dry hair or damaged hair especially chemically treated hair. I am so sure it will do wonders!

MY RATINGS

Shampoo:

Effectiveness: ★★★★★

Packaging: ★★★★☆

Price: ★★★★☆

Long term effect: ★★★★☆

Leave-in Conditioner:

Effectiveness: ★★★☆☆

Packaging: ★★★★☆

Price: ★★★☆☆

Long term effect: ★★★☆☆

Overall, I do recommend the shampoo as it is a great product especially for those who just started to learn using more organic or natural products instead of products made out of artificial chemicals. I cannot comment further on the leave-in conditioner as I think it didn't do well on my hair as I do have normal hair to start off with. I know it will do wonder for those dealing with damaged, dry and curly hair.

If you're from Malaysia and wish to try these amazing hair care products with such affordable prices, do check TNS Skinlab out! You can purchase from them via online purchase or if you wish to get in-depth info and assistance, you can drop by at their retail outlets nearby!

Retail outlets:

Mid Valley Megamall: 

F080 (Tel: 03-2284 3881)

Fahrenheit 88: 

Lot 1-12, Level 1 (Tel: 03-2148 6682)

Hartamas Shopping Centre: 

G23C (Tel: 03-6201 6810)

The Curve Mutiara Damansara: 

K-F7-D, Level 1 (Tel: 03-7726 6098)

Paradigm Mall Kelana Jaya: 

CF 29, Concourse Floor (Tel: 03-7886-8792)

Publika Shopping Gallery: 

Kiosk K1, Level G2 (Tel: 03-6207-8982)

Queensbay Mall, Penang: 

1F-65 (Tel: 04-646 1819)

AEON Kinta City, Ipoh: 

G03 (Tel: 05-546 4778)

AEON Tebrau City, Johor Bahru: 

G46 (Tel: 07-351 1721)

Website: http://www.mytnsskinlab.com/

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have tried it before! xox