A Review by Hairboutique.com
(This is a reprint of the actual article found at Click Here)
Sunset Hair Elements - 
Extreme Cream Shampoo
by 
Karen M. Shelton
9/28/00

Introduction

I have known Mike Trobee since before HairBoutique.com came into existence.  Even though our various hair related sites could be considered competitive, I have never felt anything but respect and admiration for Mike and his knowledge of hair and the Net.

Mike has been in the hair care business for many years even before he opened his first web site, All About Hair.  He has paid his dues and understands hair in every way.  

When Mike told me several months ago that he was developing a line of hair care products I was very excited since Mike always does everything top of the line.

I recently got my hands on Mike's new Sunset Hair Elements line and I have to say that I am impressed.  I have been testing several of the different Sunset products and like everything I have tried.  I will be publishing a series of reviews as I finish testing several of the products in Mike's new Hair Elements line.

My Hair Craves Moisture

My hair is several inches below my waist which means that I am carrying around some hair that has been on my head for many years.  Besides being long, my hair is thick, coarse and naturally wavy.  Three or four times a year I have my hair highlighted *(with color but not bleach).

As a result of the age of my hair, coarseness, waviness and highlighting I have chronically dry hair that loves anything moisturizing. It literally craves products that add moisture to its dry little parched cuticles.

When I opened Mike's box of new Sunset Hair Elements products I immediately made a beeline for the Extreme Cream Shampoo.  I unscrewed the top and squeezed a dollop onto the palm of my hand.  WOW.  The aroma was fabulous.  It reminded me of this fresh coconut cream cake that my mom used to bake for our family when I was a child.

I also noticed that the formula was very creamy and rich.  It almost felt like cream against my skin.  The color was a creamy white and I could almost see beads of moisture in the frosty formula.  I figured that the aroma combined with the texture of the shampoo was a good indicator of a great shampoo experience.

Extreme Cream Philosophy

Extreme Cream is described on the bottle as "an emollient, protein and vitamin rich moisturizing shampoo for sensitive hair and scalp.  A creamy and luxurious cleansing foam for effective and gently emulsifying".  

Daily use is recommended for the Extreme Cream. This was good news for me because I prefer to wash my hair every day.

The product also contains a transitional anionic/cationic formula as well as full spectrum UV protection.  This means that not only will the product improve your hair over time, it will protect it from the harmful UV rays of the sun. 

The product is specifically architected to reduce hair and scalp dryness.  It is also designed to help restore bounce and texture to the hair.  It contains natural botanical extracts like rosemary, nettle and comfrey root, to name a few.  It also includes nutrients and humectants.  In addition to all the other goodies it contains specifically prepared human hair keratin protein for total structural botanical integrity.

Packaging

The Extreme Cream shampoo comes in an elegant 9 ounce recyclable clear plastic container with a black spill proof popup spout.  The packaging is very crisp and clean and the trademark setting sun is on the front of the container.  Just looking at the formula through the container will give you an immediate awareness of the rich creamy moisturizing properties of the product.  

A helpful back and white pamphlet was included along with the shampoo which provided good information on the other Sunset hair products. It also has coupons for specials on the products, which are good deals.

Great Results

The first time I used the Extreme Cream I have to say that I was really loving the aroma of the coconut.  It was fabulous.  I think that I could also detect the Rosemary aroma.  WOW.  I was so impressed with how creamy and aromatic the shampoo was that I was already partly sold on the product.

Although I read the bottle directions I have to admit that I did not follow them completely.  After applying a small blob to my palms of my hands I massaged the shampoo into my scalp.  Although the instructions said to vigorously work through my hair to the ends, I was not able to do that.  My hair is ancient.  Because it is so long it has been around a long time and needs lots of gentle care.  I did massage the shampoo into my scalp but then I let the suds gently rinse over the length of my hair.  I patted the shampoo into my  hair as I always do with any shampoo that I use.

I personally believe that this product is so great for moisturizing hair that you can benefit whether you do the Karen method of letting suds flow down over your hair or if you do the directions and vigorously work through your hair to your ends.  Do what is best for your own needs.

I normally alternate between Edwin Paul Luxury Shampoo, Aveda Shampure, Phytologie and a variety of brands I am testing.  It doesn't matter what shampoo I am using, I always let the suds very gently wash over my hair.  I guess I am overly protective of my hair but I also want to keep it as healthy as possible.

After I shampooed I rinsed carefully and applied one of my rinse out conditioners.  Since Hair Elements did not have a rinse out conditioner available for the test I decided to match the Extreme Cream with one of my old standby rinse out conditioners.

The first time I tried the Extreme Cream I used Edwin Paul deep conditioner.  The second time I used Aveda's Curessence.  The third time I used Phytologie's Masque. It was great.  The Extreme worked well with every one of my rinse out conditioners. This is always the sign to me of a good product if it works well with other products easily.

After each shampoo and rinse out conditioning I made sure to finish with my normal cool/cold rinse.  I then towel blotted my hair and picked my hair straight.  I let my hair air dry which is my standard procedure. 

The results were fantastic.  My hair felt like silk after every single shampoo with the Extreme Cream.  I was also impressed that my hair retained a lot of the great coconut aroma even after it dried.  This shampoo definitely did what it said it did.  It added moisture and made my hair feel soft and luxurious.

Ingredients

I have to tell you that the first time I read the list of ingredients in the Extreme Cream I was impressed.  Not only does this product have great stuff like Rosemary, it has some great ingredients that are wonderful for moisturizing dry and sensitive hair.

The ingredients in the Extreme Cream  include:

Purified Water, Sodium Lauryl Sarcosinate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (and) Sodium Cetyl Sulfate (and) Laureth-3, Cetyl Alcohol, Quatrolyzed Human Hair Keratin Protein (and) Polyquaternium-10, Acetamide MEA, Stearyl Alcohol, Cocamide DEA, Cocamide MEA, Xanthan Gum, Octyl Palmitate, Sodium PCA, Comfrey Root (and) Nettle (and) Rosemary Extracts, Tochopheryl Acetate, Octyle Methoxycinnamate, Benzophenone-4, Boric Acid, Aliortoin, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Corn Oil (and) Retinyl Palmitate, (and) Ergcalciferol, Biotin, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Fragrance, EXC.

Summary

I have to tell you that the Extreme Cream did a great job of moisturizing my hair.  It felt clean, but not overly clean, soft and luxurious.   Yes, it had bounce and lots of shine.

Do I recommend this product?  Absolutely.  It is great.  I am going to continue to use the Extreme Cream indefinitely since it really is a wonderful moisturizing shampoo.  I will be keeping the Extreme Cream on my very crowded shower "hair care" shelf.  Which means that one of my other "regular moisturizing shampoos" will be exiled to under the sink.  Extreme Cream has definitely earned a place with my dry hair. As always, Mike has done a great job of designing a wonderful product for hair care. Kudos to Mike Trobee.

If you would like to try this or any of Mike's other Sunset Hair Element products you can check the products out at his web site.  Or you can call toll free at 888-849-8686,  

None of the Sunset Hair Elements are ever tested on animals and all the containers are recyclable.