For the longest time now I’ve been seeing living proof shampoo reviews popping up all over the place, and they make some pretty impressive claims. Long story short the line is meant to break the damage cycle by keeping you hair clean longer, therefore allowing you to wash it and heat style it less often, and it’s said to do all of this without stripping the hair and drying it out. Sounds too good to be true right?

For a really long time I avoided damage by using cleansing conditioners. I stopped using Wen because of a combination of things. First problem was that I was starting to feel like I was getting build up a lot. The straw that broke the camels back was the whole “peoples hair falling out” controversy though. I have no idea if it’s true or not but why risk it if I’m not 100% satisfied? Imagine my hair fell out from a cleanser I was on the fence about anyway? Sweet baby jesus I could never forgive myself. For a while I was also using the Macadamia brand one, and it was good on a day to day basis but I also felt like there was some build up happening. So in essence I really could benefit from a regular shampoo that also helps me avoid damage at this point in my life.

The review that finally convinced me to try living proof was Cara from Maskcara.com. She seems to really dig it (although she chose the No Frizz line, but you know, different hair needs and such) and her hair looks amazing like 115% of the time, so I’m inclined to believe her. She’s like a glorious brunette unicorn with her hair blowing in the wind and the sun shining upon her locks. She was my original hair crush when I found her on Pinterest way back in 2012-13 and I’m still not over it…obviously.

So I tried it, and I’m about 85% of the way through the bottle, and I feel like it’s time to weigh in.

• Believe it or not, my hair does stay clean for a really long time when I use these. With cleansing conditioner I could go for about 2 or 3 days if I used a ton of dry shampoo. With this I can get to 4 easily with minimal dry shampoo.
• The “Full” line is meant to give your hair volume and body, which if you have been reading for a while you know is my most major hair concern #morticialife. Thankfully it definitely does give a full effect to the hair, and I find that it doesn’t get flat as quickly even overnight or in high humidity.
• I’m not in love with the smell, but don’t base your decision on that. Smell is really subjective obviously, but I had to mention that I’m not into it in this case.
• The conditioner is deceptive. It doesn’t feel lush and hydrating when you squeeze it into your hand which made me skeptical, but it actually does a nice job of moisturizing the hair without weighing it down. I tried the shampoo with another conditioner to see if it made a difference and I found that it wasn’t quite as bouncy and it did get dirty a little faster. So they work best as a combo. I was kinda hoping I could get away with pairing the shampoo with a cheap conditioner but I guess my stingy ass will have to stick with using both.
• Which brings me to my last point. It’s expensive, but these bottles (which are the smaller 8 oz bottles) have lasted well over a month now, and like I said earlier I’m only about 85% finished with them. At that rate they are still pricey, but not as pricey as Wen over time so I can deal with it. I think next time I may go for the jumbo pump bottles so it really lasts a long time and I don’t have to think about it as often.

Overall I like these a lot and I’m going to continue using them. If you are the type who doesn’t mind spending some money on hair care to get really good quality then these are a solid bet. If you have flat, heavy hair like me then I really recommend the Full line, but if your hair is different than mine then definitely look for one that suits your hair type best, they have a ton of varieties.