Yes, the name of this blog is Budget Food Review.  And yes, I understand shampoo is not meant to be eaten.  But I also understand that places like Aldi and Dollar Tree sell so much more than just edible products.  So while the main focus of this blog will remain food-related items, I don’t see a problem with including some non-food related things from time-to-time.  First on that train of thought is Silkience Moisturizing Shampoo, which is available at Dollar Tree stores nationwide.

The greatest thing about this shampoo is its price:  True to Dollar Tree form, one single, solitary buck will be enough to get you 20 oz. of “Salon Formula” shampoo, as the front of the product boasts.  That’s five ounces more than similar-priced offerings from Suave; two ounces more than White Rain.  But how does it stack up to these two more well-known brands of hair cleaner?

Let’s get started with the basics:  The smell is surprisingly good, though not very strong.  I can best describe it as almost a citrus scent with maybe a little hint of bubble gum.  Looking at that last statement, maybe I shouldn’t have described it at all, but needless to say, it’s rather pleasing on the nostrils, without the generally artificial smells of most dollar store beauty products.

The lid, which is plastic, and is supposed to be able to snap shut after each use, is junk–after about two uses, it stayed open and wouldn’t shut.  This probably wouldn’t be a problem in a normal household, but my wife and I are clumsy, so a couple times I found it laying in the shower after having been knocked over, with a good bit of shampoo slowly oozing out.  But hey, it’s a dollar, so you really can’t expect too much.

The main setback of Silkience is its rather off-putting appearance.  I have discovered (I wasn’t born until the mid-’80s) that this stuff was apparently introduced by Gillette in 1979…it wouldn’t surprise me if they used the same formula from back then.  The consistency is not smooth and creamy like most shampoos; Silkience comes out just like hair gel.  Rather than puddling into the hand when squeezed out, it gathers and stays where it’s squirted.  I’ve never encountered another shampoo like it…even the cheapest ones I’ve used have all had similar consistencies to the national brands.

The next step gets even worse:  It doesn’t lather very well in the hands.  At all.  No matter how much product you try it with.  From a dollop, to a large squirt, it just doesn’t foam up, instead just kind of laying on your palms.  Applying shampoo has never been fun, but Silkience almost makes the prep-work frustrating.  Maybe I’m just not open-minded enough to accept a shampoo that looks and lathers very similarly to hair gel, but it’s rather annoying.

I will say that actually rubbing it into your hair seems fine.  Again, it won’t lather up the way most shampoos do, but you can still feel it penetrate to your scalp and coat your hair.  The end results also seem the same:  Since using a full bottle, my hair seems exactly the same as it’s always been.  It doesn’t seem like it’s more moisturized (as the name dictates), but it also didn’t dry it out any.  So I have to give it that it more or less does its job.  At least, once you get it in your hair.

Overall: 5.5/10.  It’s a shampoo, and it does what shampoos are supposed to do…clean hair.  However, its texture and appearance are very off-putting, and those expecting a nice, refreshing lather are in for a surprise as it is impossible to get this stuff to foam up.  I’m giving it a rating slightly above-average simply for what you get for the price–a bottle of this stuff lasted me quite a while when I had longer hair, and for the fact that it works.  For roughly the same price, you can get a more “normal” shampoo that doesn’t feel like you’re cleaning your hair with snot.