Latte Shampoo

This is the single most transformative hair product I've ever used, hence I'm writing my first review here. I had no idea a shampoo could do such wonderful things! My hair is normally impossible to deal with — a mass of fine, limp, porous straw with lots of broken strands/split ends/frizz. I also swim in a chlorinated pool at least once or twice a week, so yeah. Hair blargh. The only relief I've found was occasional trips to Portland, OR, where I always stay at my dad's house when I visit. His bathroom is disgusting but the water is wonderful for my hair. I live in San Francisco and the water here is tasty but not so great for my hair. I'm guessing at this point that my water is a bit on the hard side — or at least harder than up in PDX. Not verified, just a guess based on the evidence. Anyway, I'd never heard of this shampoo (Terax Latte) before until a couple of days ago when I stopped by my local fancy hair care shop (a little place on 24th Street in SF's Noe Valley that keeps changing ownership so I don't recall what the current name is). The salesperson gave me a free sample but wasn't very pushy or anything, so wasn't expecting much. I tried it, and then the very next day, immediately purchased the largest size available. Overnight, my hair went from being horrifically dry and straw-like and all kinds of other bad hair things to being as close to how I remember it from my youth (I'm now 38) as I can remember. Your mileage may vary, but if you live in an area with hard water issues, this could be a game changer for you. It was for me! Not cheap but absolutely worth it. Also made my conditioner and everything else work better. Some people don't seem to like the smell based on a number of reviews but I think it smells great. Definitely on the sweet side (as a point of reference, I also love the scent of the Living Proof Flex Spray, which has a similarly sweet/sugary smell). I don't find it overpowering at all. UPDATE (May 12, 2015): I've now been using this shampoo for at least 10 days straight. I don't think it's really intended for everyday use but I love it so much that I've completely disregarded conventional wisdom as far as clarifying/chelating shampoo goes. I've never thought a shampoo could be so transformative so I always put all of my efforts into finding good conditioners and leave-in/styling products. I've also tried other clarifying shampoos (Neutrogena and Suave formulations) and they don't even come close to what this one does. One of the reasons why I'm updating my review is because I forgot to mention the fact that my hair actually feels like crap immediately after washing with Terax Latte. The magic stuff doesn't really begin until I condition it and it is during that phase that the difference between this and every other shampoo is made patently clear. I don't understand the science or logic behind it (I can only guess that it does a bang up job of rectifying the water that comes out of my tap and/or maybe it has something to do with the fact that my hair is especially porous (as observed by my hair guy as well — he pointed out that it takes an unusually long amount of time for it to dry) and maybe needs to be super cleansed/de-gunked in order to properly absorb what comes after), but somehow this shampoo makes everything else work 10x better. I really don't get it. I've used a bajillion other shampoos that *on paper* seem like a much better fit for my hair type/condition and yet, this is the only one that makes it possible for me to achieve SILKY, soft, hydrated and manageable hair (it is so much easier to blow dry now, as my hair brush now glides through instead of getting stuck and breaking things left and right). If it keeps working this well, I may finally manage to grow my hair past my shoulders! I cannot think of another beauty product that I've been this pleased with, like, ever. That all said, despite how effusive I am, I wouldn't run out and buy this without trying first (for one, pricy! and I think its effectiveness is dependent on the type of water that comes out of your tap/your hair type/whatever)....but I would ask for a sample if you can get one. Especially if you've noticed that your hair is sometimes much better when you travel to another location. Also, if your experience is like mine, you will know after first use whether or not it's effective for you (it only took a single wash before I was sold). [UPDATE 6.14.2015: Have been using this every day for over a month now. Still as happy with it as ever. Makes my hair feel like straw immediately after using but all of my conditioners now work much better than they ever have. I *really* shouldn't use this as my primary shampoo but I do and am continuing to get excellent results.]

As far as clarifying shampoos goes, this is as good as any other I've used. Maybe its a little less drying then some others i've used. But I guess I generally feel that clarifying shampoos are kind of all the same... Ive yet to use one that doesnt do what its supposed to which is to clarify... to take off build-up and silicone, or hard water deposits. Then again, I dont need clarifiers that often though because I dont use silicones (rarely if ever, I should say) and where I live the water is fine. For what it does, and because so many others do the same thing, I feel the price is of this product is exorbitant. Now onto that unusual fragrance: I do not love this frag, in fact I find it somewhat off putting. Very unusual frag. It smells almost savory... It smells like coffee sort of. However... I like to use this sometimes because the scent is not at all overpowering and it gives a good base for my coconut scented cone-free conditioners (suave, or intecto pure coconut oil cond). It doesnt clash with these types of frags, or vanilla, or honey scented conditioners. There is NO fruit, nothing tart, and nothing overly in your face about this "latte" fragrance... no flowers here either. So, in certain circumstances this shampoo is a good option if youre as anal as I am about matching or blending fragrances! Would I buy again... Nope. I don't love it, and I think its too expensive for what it does.

I would buy this in general. I swapped for it and am still using up my original bottle, which is good sized and I do plan on buying it when I'm about out. I love this as a weekly stripping of product build up. PROS: scent, bottle size, good lather, product lasts a long time as it is not for everyday use (I use it 1x/week), hair feels squeaky-clean. CONS: I cannot find this to purchase in my area so I will have to order it on-line, very watery formula (but it does lather well).

I used to be a Terax fanatic for years. Then two things happened: Terax reformulated their shampoos and I tried Kerastase. Goodbye Terax and good riddence. Kerastase shampoos may be expensive but you only need the tiniest amount for billows of rich, creamy lather. With the new Terax, you have to pour tons of it on which I didn't mind since I got rid of it faster.

Given that I tend to strongly dislike very sweet scents, I find the scent of this shampoo a bit cloying, and really wish that Terax would replace it with a cleaner, simpler scent. That said, I continue to purchase Latte because it is not only SLS-free and easy on my hair color, it also does a wonderful job of gently removing any product build-up from my hair. I use this once or twice a week without fail, followed by a deep conditioning treatment with the Terax Crema conditioner, a long-time favorite of mine. While Cream is certainly the star of this hair care line, Latte is very effective as well. To date, I have not found a clarifying shampoo that does a better job of gently clarifying my hair without stripping it of moisture.

I bought this (expensive) Shampoo after reding the reviews here on MUA. I got it and yesterday I tried it. I am dispapointed! The 2 good things about the product are 1) the smell (smells like a vanilla frappuccino or a vanilla caffé-latte) 2) it is SLS free. Other than that.. It cleans, but stripped all the oils from my hair. after just one shampoo, my hair was absolutely and totally tangled (could not even pass my fingers through!!) and I urged a deep conditioning treatment, and that's what I did the very minute after. Generally I use shampoos that are much more hydrating and leave my hair in a better state (i.e.: I can comb them even before putting conditioner on). This is NOT the shampoo if you are looking for an hydrating shampoo for your hair. To me it's a no buy (and I have an entire bottle to use up!)

This shampoo is one of the most gentle clarifying shampoos that I have tried. It gets the gunk out without drying out my hair. The only thng I don't like about it is the fragrance. But I guess that goes away pretty quick so I can put up with it.

This is a great clarifying shampoo, I love it- but it is just too expensive!! The bottle is rather small for the price!! It does clean well though, and because it is such a great clarifier, I only use it about once a week... I will buy this again (hopefully not too soon though!)

I admit, the lure of a gentle, sulfate free shampoo that chelates to remove hard water mineral buildup suckered me into buying this. Over time, I have realized it does not really chelate anything. Gentle, yes indeed it is. But it leaves my hair lacking something when I use it. Over time I have come to realize that it doesn't do SQUAT to remove the mineral buildup from the distinctly hard and crappy water here. I am not even sure I will use the rest of the bottle up...I used up half of it just because I could not bring myself to just toss out a $20 bottle of shampoo. It is not an awful shampoo, just not what I need and very overpriced. Update: after finishing the bottle, I realized it did remove a little mineral buildup and left my hair shiny. I had to use it every other day for a couple of weeks before I noticed this though....which is not how often I would expect to have to use a clarifying shampoo for results! Although it is not my favorite terax shampoo, I am upgrading to 3. I wish I could give it 3.5. For clarifying and removing hard water I far prefer joico k-pak chelating, which is cheaper, removes minerals more effectively, and smells better.

I got this shampoo because it is a clarifying shampoo that is sulfate free and Terax brand has a good reputation. I have long, thick, naturally curly, coarse hair and need something to clean my hair without sulfates stripping it, but clean off the product build-up and deep clean the scalp. This shampoo was very gentle - too gentle and my hair still felt oily at the scalp. This is $20 per 12 fl oz bottle, and the formula feels thin for a shampoo, but a little goes a long way. Still, my hair just doesn't feel clean so I won't buy this again.