I always say that I learn something new every time I go hunting and my trip to the Campbell Outdoor Challenge in Carmi, Ill., to hunt with Marti Davis was definitely no exception. I learned several things while on this hunt – not to mention how to go four-wheeling in a slippery cornfield where “hang on” should have been a clue of what was to come.
One recommendation that Marti offered has definitely been tried and tested this week and I have to pass it on. I have struggled with finding a shampoo and conditioner for hunting that didn’t leave my hair feeling like straw or my scalp dry.
In fact, I have run the gamut with the specialized products made for hunters and all of them performed well in the woods, but after extended use they failed miserably in their performance of keeping the scalp hydrated and hair soft and manageable. There are many scent-free shampoos and conditioners that are manufactured by non-hunting oriented companies but many of those are only scent free to the human nose and most have added chemicals to make the user’s hair shiny … the same chemicals that absorb and reflect UV rays.
Skeptical or just plain inquisitive, I came home and researched the product. I researched the ingredients, PH balance in the product and for any UV additives or chemicals that could possibly be a problem in the deer woods. I didn’t find anything that alarmed me. I found the closest Sally’s Beauty Supply and purchased the shampoo and conditioner. I took it home and used it exclusively for five days to see how my hair and scalp would react. The product worked so well that I started using it in my daily hygiene regimen. My hair was soft, shiny and manageable, eliminating that straw-like feeling that I usually get with specialized scent-destroying products made exclusively for hunting. Most importantly my scalp did not get dry and itchy.
The product still had the most crucial test to withstand –being undetectable by whitetail deer. This past week was the tell-tale proof of how this product worked in the woods. I hunted the entire week for Kansas whitetail; some days spending the entire day in field for a total of 53 hours in the woods. I have a strict scent destroying regimen that I follow when hunting and I replaced my usual preferred brand of shampoo and conditioner with the Naturelle Hypo-Allergenic shampoo and conditioner.
The product proved to work very well in the field. I had deer downwind of me and even right under my stand all week long. I was not winded or detected by deer, coyote or bobcat the entire hunt despite the fact that I was within close range of these animals every day of my hunt. At the end of the day, my hair was easy to comb out after being in a ponytail and ball cap and I noticed my ponytail did not tangle at my coat collar as it usually does with other products from constant turning back and forth of my head in search or game.
Another important feature of this product is the fact that it is safe for chemically permed, straightened or color treated hair. The product is rich in natural botanicals to moisturize the scalp. I did notice that the conditioner had a very slight scent of a botanical nature but due to the fact that it performed so well in the field I did not let that deter me from continued use of the product.
The products definitely worked for me in and out of the field. I am sure you will be as happy with the products as I am and thankful to find a shampoo and conditioner that works as well, or in my case better than my usual brand of shampoo. You can read more about this product at www.zotos.com or you can purchase the product online at http://www.sallybeauty.com/Hypo-Allergenic-Shampoo/SBS-623472,default,pd.html. The Naturelle line also offers a gel. The product price that I paid at my local distributer for the shampoo and conditioner was $6.79 each and I have seen it online as low as $4.50 — a bargain compared to $14.99 for a single bottle of scent-destroying shampoo that I normally buy that didn’t perform half as well.
~Nancy Jo Adams
http://njadams1.wordpress.com/
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how well this product works. I have it on my list to pick up two new bottles next week, as our season just kicked in. I always pickup 2 bottles of conditioner because I go through that quicker. I look forward to hearing what you think about the product. Good luck to you this season.
Nancy Jo
Thank you very much, I enjoyed reading your article. I have had so much trouble finding a shampoo and conditioner for my color treated, long hair. I even asked my hair dresser about it, go no where with that question.
I am going to order this product and hope I have the same luck as you did! I also am from Pennsylvania, hunting Archery on October 1, I am getting down to the wire i finding something so I am going to take a drive out to Sally’s in hopes to find this product. I will call first to be sure they have it!
I will comment back my thought!
Sincerely
Tamara Hale
I like to remove certain members of the de Almeida family of Sao Paulo,
Brazil, when he reeled in a small wooden boat wearing just angler grande
bay shorts and a T-shirt. The two boosters, the largest about five
pounds, plus, perhaps, a crisp Italian white frrom the Veneto.