L'Oreal Serie Expert Pure Resource Shampoo

So it's not a pleasant thing to share but I have to tell you, I have had problems with my scalp since my teenage years. I've inherited an oily scalp (thanks Dad) which is also itchy and produces flakes when scratched. I hadn't realised this until about four years ago because up until then I'd washed my hair religiously every day. I used to wash and dry it every morning before work, even when it was waist length and layered and it took me over an hour to dry it. About six years ago this got too much and I went to my hairdresser and begged her to chop it off. She did as I asked and cut me a beautiful Victoria Beckham-esque inverted bob - bang on trend back then. I spent the next few years growing it back.

About four years ago I embarked on a course of acne medication that dried up all sebum production in my entire body and made my hair, well, a dream to be honest. I remember leaving it eight days between washes and I only washed it on day eight because, well, it just felt weird not to have washed my hair for so long! It still smelled of shampoo, I couldn't believe it. Before the medication I hadn't even been able to wash it on an evening as my scalp would produce so much oil overnight it would need washing again in the morning. Ah those were the days. That medication had some nasty side effects but I loved what it did for my hair!

When I finished the course of medication my scalp gradually got oilier again. The absolute best case scenario was washing it every second night - a big improvement I suppose but on the second day I relied on dry shampoo and a mandatory updo as it was looking greasy and had that charming trademark aroma (nice)

A side effect of washing every other day is that the sebum on my scalp which I'd previously been washing away was now sitting there for longer and causing my scalp to itch. Uncontrollably. Like that woman on the Head and Shoulders ad who pops under the table during dinner to scratch her head. The combination of itching and the oiliness was making me miserable but by now my hair was waist length again and I wasn't prepared to go back to daily washing and drying. I resigned myself to feeling grubby and I organised my diary around clean hair days.

So began my quest for the perfect shampoo. One that would control my oiliness and solve the itching and flakes. I tried all manner of recommendations, most of these involved specialist shampoos from expensive brands. Kerastase, Philip Kingsley, Redken, Kevin Murphy, Joico, Aveda ... none of these could help me. I tried T Gel and Eucerin and even some pharmacist-recommended coal tar stuff which smelled like creosote and made my hands sting for days. I was at my wits end. The difficulty is that itching and flakes are associated with dryness so most shampoos that address these concerns are intensely moisturising - exactly what I didn't need!

I worked out an elaborate routine involving four to five different shampoos on rotation, it wasn't perfect but it was the best I'd managed. Until I found this shampoo.

I'd been working my way through Feel Unique's shampoo selection, each time my hopes were raised when the description sounded perfect but the product ultimately failed to deliver. When I ordered this one I tried not to get my hopes up ... yes it promised everything I wanted but I fully expected it to be another expensive mistake.

First impressions were good. Something that is see through can't irritate my scalp surely? The words 'pure' and 'professionnel' on the bottle also gave me confidence (I'm shallow) It lathered well, even on the first wash, something sadly lacking in other shampoos I'd tried. I don't know about you but I don't feel a shampoo is doing its job if there aren't many bubbles. It smelled fresh, not overly scented and no synthetic or chemical smell. All good so far. It rinsed out well and left no residue.

Whilst wet my hair was easy to comb out (I conditioned as usual) and it dried nicely, no knotting. I sat and waited to see if my head would start to itch. No. Great!

The next day my hair was soft and showed no sign of oil. On day two I waited for the itching and the smell but .... nothing! There were some small signs that it could do with a wash but I was even able to leave the dry shampoo out of my routine. I washed that night and decided to try three days before my next wash.

On day three there were definite signs of oil - I needed dry shampoo. But this was a huge improvement, I'd got an extra day! No itching! I won't lie, I was over the moon. I'm now able to have my hair down on day two and sometimes I go three days between washes (if I'm working from home on day three!)

I cannot praise this shampoo highly enough - it absolutely delivers on all its promises. The difference it has made to my scalp is incredible. Honestly, it used to be so itchy it would drive me to distraction. No more!

If you suffer from any of the above problems I strongly recommend you try this shampoo, I don't believe you will be disappointed. And at £8.10 (for 250ml) from Feel Unique it's half the price of some of it's inferior counterparts. I have already repurchased (you can see I'm more than halfway through!) and will continue to do so.