I’m always willing to try new haircare, and when I heard of the Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk line, I couldn’t resist. Sure, the bottles are reminiscent of the gaudy 1980s, but it’s what’s inside that counts, right?

What stood out about the Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Shampoo, Conditioner, and Silk Serum is that they’re all sulfate-free!

I had never tried any sulfate-free haircare, but read about how much gentler and healthier it is on your tresses. Because I put my locks through the ringer each morning with blow-drying and flat-ironing, my hair really needed the pampering.

Once you get past the ugly packaging and the lack of eye-catching colors, you’ll realize that these products actually work wonders.

From the first use, it gave my hair a makeover. Let me tell you more about it.

*~* Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Collection *~*

*~* Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Shampoo *~*

*~* Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Conditioner *~*

*~* Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Silk Serum *~*

Claims: TRUSTED

√ Provides silky, smooth, shiny hair
√ Moisturizes
? Nourishes & strengthens
√ Seals the hair’s cuticle

Key Notes

• Names: Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Shampoo, Conditioner & Silk Serum
• Amount: 385 ml (shampoo & conditioner) & 118 ml (silk serum)
• What I Paid: Nothing! (These products were sent to me for honest review)
• Scents Available: Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk, Rejuvenating Cherry Blossom Ginseng, Revitalizing Pomegranate Green Tea & Nourishing Coconut Milk
• Where to Buy: Target, Walgreens, CVS/Pharmacy, Walmart & some Canadian drugstores

Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Review

Sulfates are what are called surfactants. This ingredient makes it possible for your shampoo to clean your hair. However, it’s also really harsh on your hair, and some people suggest there’s a link between premature hair thinning and hair loss with sulfates in their hair products.

Even though the sulfate-free products are supposed to be better, for some reason, I expected them to be terrible. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! They left my hair feeling very soft and smooth. When I flat-ironed my hair, it got straighter and stayed straight for longer.

The first few times, I tried the whole system – shampoo, conditioner, and then serum. Afterwards, I tried using just the shampoo and conditioner to see if it was really the serum working all the magic. To my surprise, I still got great results even without the serum!

Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Shampoo Review

The first thing that struck me about the shampoo is that it smells like vanilla and nuts. I’m not too keen on the smell of nuts, but the fragrance is so light and doesn’t stick around after you leave the shower, so it was fine.

The entire Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk line contains Tahitian vanilla bean oils and silk amino proteins. Maybe the nutty smell is actually the vanilla bean? I’m not sure. The only other product I’ve ever tried with vanilla bean is Bath & Body Works’ Vanilla Bean Noel, but that’s definitely more caramel, sugary vanilla and not more natural-smelling like this.

After washing my hair with this, it left my hair feeling squeaky…which usually is a bad sign for me because it means you’ve stripped away all the natural oils your hair needs. Normally when I get this squeaky-clean feeling after using a shampoo, it means my hair will be dry and brittle when it comes to blow-drying.

And what I found interesting was that although I had read a lot online about how sulfate-free shampoos don’t sud up, this one did. In fact, I didn’t notice any difference between this and any other shampoo in terms of how much suds it produced.

Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Conditioner Review

The scent of the Organix conditioner is different than the shampoo – it has more of a vanilla fragrance and less of the nuttiness. It’s not a sugary-sweet type of vanilla, but the same kind of natural-smelling vanilla as in the shampoo.

It didn’t feel overly heavy or creamy, so I didn’t think it would tame my hair much. Again, I was pleasantly surprised! It made my hair soft and more manageable, plus it didn’t leave behind much fragrance (which I’m glad).

Organix Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Silk Serum Review

This clear oily-like serum is really interesting. You use 1-2 pumps and rub it together between your palms to warm it up. Then you tousle it throughout your damp hair before blow-drying and styling as usual.

Although it feels oily in your hands, when you put it in your hair, it doesn’t feel gross and oily. There’s also no residue left behind. When you wash your hands after, it doesn’t feel like you slathered olive oil all over.

The Organix Silk Serum smells of a sharper vanilla than the shampoo and conditioner. I don’t like the scent, but again, it doesn’t last when you use it, so I can overlook that.

Pros Sulfate-free formula Contains silk amino proteins Makes hair feel softer & smoother Fragrance doesn’t last long (This is a pro for me because I’m not crazy about the scent) Serum doesn’t leave any residue or greasiness All 3 products contain Shea butter

Cons Smells of vanilla & nuts (but hey, if you like it, this may be a Pro for you)

Final Verdict: 8/10

If you can find these products, I suggest you give it a try even though the packaging may turn you off. The shampoo, conditioner, and serum work together beautifully and leave your hair feeling and looking great!

Have you tried sulfate-free haircare? What are your holy-grail hair products you use religiously?

This product was Mary’s winner for the 2010 Worst Dressed Award.