Kevin Murphy Angel Wash

Is the Kevin Murphy Angel Wash shampoo worth it?

When it was first released, the Kevin Murphy Angel Wash was hailed as a saviour for fragile, colour-treated, or damaged hair.

As a naturally dark brunette who bleaches and colours my hair to a light, ashey blonde (and sometimes tones it down to be more silvery when I’m in the mood), my hair needs all the TLC it can get.

Regular touch ups mean that my hair can get pretty dry and thirsty, which is why I was so keen to put the Angel Wash shampoo to the test to see whether it was the salon in a bottle that I was expecting it to be.

What does the Angel Wash shampoo do?

The Kevin Murphy website states that the Angel Wash is designed for fine, fragile hair that’s been over-stressed or damaged. It’s described as volumising, nourishing, and having the ability to prevent colour-fading and add shine. That’s a whole lot of promises.

Here are some of the main active ingredients in Angel Wash and what its claimed they do:

• Hydrolysed oat protein adds volume and body to your hair without adding weight.
• Green tea extract, which is rich in antioxidants, assists your hair in retaining moisture and elasticity.
• Tangerine peel oil helps protect your locks from further damage caused by environmental stressors - it also adds shine.
• Lavender extract soothes your strands.

The formula is also sulphate and paraben-free, as well as vegan and cruelty-free, which might help some people sleep a little easier at night.

I used the Angel Wash for a little over a month (and am still using it!) before writing this review, washing my hair every 2 to 3 days. I followed it up with my regular Redken All Soft conditioner, so that I could feel the difference of just the shampoo itself.

Also, a note on my hair: it’s not particularly fine. While the strands themselves are on the thinner side, I have a lot of hair on my head, so this product wasn’t exactly formulated with my hair type in mind. With that being said, it's been used and loved by people with a range of hair types, which is why I thought it’d be worth giving a go.

Performance

Thankfully, the Angel Wash made my hair feel clean and fresh. I have little tolerance for products that cause any kind of buildup on my scalp, and the Angel Wash didn’t disappoint. My locks felt nourished and moisturised, and I did notice that it gave my extremely straight hair a bit more body.

From the second week of using Angel Wash, my hair felt noticeably softer and silkier than usual, particularly the day after washing it. I could easily run a brush through my hair, which, right after a fresh bleach and dye isn’t always an easy feat. Plus, the shampoo didn’t feel like it was weighing my hair down.

I also noticed that it helped tone my hair, which I rely on after my monthly bleach and colour. Because I rarely use toner, I generally prefer shampoos that can bring the brassy tones in my hair down a notch, and the Angel Wash did just that. I wasn't expecting much in the way of toning before buying it, so the shampoo’s ability to take a bit of the yellow out of my hair was the cherry on top.

Texture and consistency

The Angel Wash had a silky, gooey feel in my hands which I enjoyed, but I found that it didn’t foam or lather up as much as I usually expect a shampoo to.

After doing a few quick Googles, I could see that a few hairdressers recommended lathering the shampoo up in your hands before applying it to the hair, and this worked out better for me. I also washed my hair in two sections to ensure that I was getting the product evenly across my scalp.

Still, I found that I used quite more shampoo than I usually do per wash. If cost is a concern for you, then this might be a dealbreaker, as I can see how you’d fly through a bottle - particularly if you’ve got longer hair like mine.

Scent

For me, scent isn’t a huge issue. As long as it doesn’t smell toxic or overly chemically, then I’m generally okay - I don’t even mind the synthetic fruity smell of a lot of cheaper supermarket shampoos and conditioners.

With that being said, I still found the fragrance of the Angel Wash to be a little offputting at first. I couldn’t quite place the smell and why it was so familiar to me, until I had a friend smell it and immediately say that it smelt like musk sticks. You know, that sickly sweet Aussie confection that most kids tended to avoid in a candy jar? Yeah, that’s exactly what this shampoo smells like - to me at least.

Although the smell was a bit of a turn off initially, I quickly got used to it and even came to like it. From someone that prefers their haircare to smell like botanicals or argan oil, enjoying the smell was every bit of a surprise to me. The smell doesn’t linger in your hair too long after you wash it, so I don’t think the Angel Wash’s scent should turn someone off the product altogether.

Packaging

I’m not usually one to care much about packaging, but when a shampoo container lets you squeeze every last drop of product from the bottle, then it’s worth a mention. Thanks to an opening at the base of the bottle rather than at the top of it, you can get all the shampoo out, which is a relief considering it’s not exactly a budget buy.

What I didn’t love was the almost grey-toned Millennial pink colour of the packaging, but only my shower caddy and I have to endure that eyesore, so who really cares?

Is it worth buying?

I picked up a 250ml bottle of the Kevin Murphy Angel Wash for $43.95. It’s a mid-range shampoo that isn’t luxury by any means, but it still costs a lot more than most people tend to spend on a haircare product.

While I wasn’t blown away by the Angel Wash, I did appreciate its ability to make my dry, colour-damaged hair softer and easier to manage. For that reason, I would buy it again and recommend it to my fellow serial hair bleachers and dyers.

You can buy the Kevin Murphy Angel Wash from Adore Beauty, My Hair Care & Beauty, Oz Hair & Beauty, at other select online retailers, or at any hair salon listed on the Kevin Murphy website.