My hairdresser recently gave me several trial sized bottles (.85 oz/25 ml) of Nioxin System 8 Cleanser, which is a daily hydrating shampoo, to try out. Nioxin makes a complete line of hair care products, and this System 8 is often sold in a package with two other products, the Scalp Therapy and Scalp Treatment. This review will focus on the Cleanser.
Description
Although this is described as a cleanser, it is a shampoo that also cleanses the scalp as well as the hair. It comes packaged in a light bronze bottle, claiming to be for medium/coarse hair, chemically enhanced hair and noticeably thinning hair.
It has a blend of kukui oil and silk amino acids which adds moisture to the hair and scalp, leaving the hair with smooth control and natural looking shine. It also contains nourishing vitamins and proteins.
White Tea Extract helps detoxify the hair and scalp, leaving both healthier looking. It also claims to wash away toxins and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). (High levels of DHT in the hair follicle causes the hairs growth phase to slow down).
In a nutshell, Nioxin is skin care for your scalp, and a healthy scalp means healthy looking hair. It is recommended for a variety of men and women, even those who’s hair is starting to thin with age. It’s a hair and scalp purifier. It contains an SPF of 15 to protect your hair from the suns damaging rays.
Thoughts
I wasn’t sure what dioxin was when my hairdresser gave it to me, I thought it was just another shampoo sample, as she gives these out on occasion. It wasn’t until I got home and started reading about it online that I realized it was for people with chemically treated hair that is thinning.
I have always had fine thin hair, and I’m sure my hair isn’t as full as it was when I was younger. I was willing to give this product a try, maybe it would prevent any future hair thinning that comes with age.
The shampoo is clear, and quite thick, with a medicinal scent, making me think it might contain eucylptus extract. Whatever gives it the strong scent, it wasn’t offensive and was actually quite refreshing and tingly on my scalp.
The directions say to apply to wet hair, lather for one minute and rinse. I’ve found a good massaging of the head while shampooing my hair results in cleaner hair, and gets the blood circulating in my scalp. I liked the idea of a one minute scrub … I normally don’t come close to washing my hair for a full minute.
This shampoo, or cleanser if you will, lathered up nicely, but probably didn’t give as many suds as other shampoo’s I use. It was adequate though, and adding more water helps make more suds. It rinsed clean, leaving my hair feeling squeaky clean.
When I dried and styled my hair, I was actually quite pleased with the results. My hair has been less shiny and not quite as soft as it used to be, I fear from years of heat from the hair dryer and hot curling irons. My hair felt soft and manageable after using Nioxin Syetem 8 Cleanser.
The list of ingredients is massive, and Nioxin uses the chemical name for each of these ingredients, so it can be hard to decipher. For example, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey sounds like a complex ingredient. It’s actually a special part of the bees honey, which actually stays on the hair after it’s been rinsed. It has moisturizing and healing properties.
Saccharomyces lysate extract is a powerful enzyme derived from yeast. Aleurites moluccana is another name for the Hawaiian kukui plant. Camellia oleifera is an oil derived from the seeds of the Camellia plant. On and on the list goes, with many of the ingredients being natural, plant based, although they sound like chemicals. Not to mislead you here, this does contain it’s fair share of chemically based ingredients, such as the PEGS and parabens. All in all, not nearly as bad as it looks on the surface. You almost need a little hang tag that comes with this product to decipher the ingredients!
To relieve my mind, I visited the Nioxin website, and was thrilled to see they listed the Material Safety Data Sheet on this cleanser, and it contains NO hazardous ingredients.
To Close
I liked this cleanser, it washed nicely, left my hair shiny and manageable, and I feel good about the ingredients that go into this product. I don’t notice any difference in the thickness of my hair, but it does seem to help my hair retain it’s chemical highlights a bit longer. I use this about once a week.
If you have thinning hair, I’d certainly give this cleanser a try! A 4.2 oz tube retails for around $7.00.
