Hugo Naturals: Baby Hugo Shampoo & Body Wash

In my quest for the ideal shampoo for Leoling, I started out looking for a key ingredient: Chamomile. That's what lead me to this product. Hugo Naturals brags on using food grade ingredients, and offered the first natural product I found that wasn't citrus scented. The Baby Hugo line was fairly well reviewed in what resources I could find, though they were scattered. I will pretend no nobility; the decider in this case was that it claimed a vanilla scent, and I am particularly fond of vanilla. However, the EWG's Skin Deep database did rate this one pretty well as regards safety. Since Leoling likes to try to drink his bathwater and often steals his washcloths to chew on, I really do prefer safer products.

We did opt for the somewhat pricy (11.99 retail) full size bottle, as trial sizes aren't available. I found it discounted, but still, it was a bit wince-worthy and picked up as a theoretical treat for his birthday.

Without any further ado...

Baby Hugo Naturals Chamomile & Vanilla Shampoo and Body Wash

Leoling's lion puppet models the bottle in his place.
After-wash photos will be added at a later date.

First Impressions:
The pump bottle seemed like a clever design. I'd seen a few other products like this, but this particular one is the first I've tried. The fluid was a bit thicker than other baby shampoos I've sampled to date, with a silky feel, and it smelled sweetly of chamomile and vanilla, giving it an overall cake-batter scent.

Trying it Out:
Baby Hugo Shampoo & Body Wash didn't just foam, it lathered smoothly and richly with very little needed for the effect. The sweet cake-batter type scent remained at a moderate, pleasant level throughout. Leoling rather liked it! It felt pleasantly smooth and was actually quite nice to work with. Rinsing did take a little longer than with the Burt's Bees product, but it rinsed clean and left Leoling's hair feeling silky soft.

Leo's hair was its most manageable so far after use of this product. I could add body to it through different brushing techniques if I cared to, or it would lay nicely flat. His hair was shiny and seemed at its most natural color. This one was the third I turned to, and the first that left Leo's scalp looking moisturized and healthier. It left his skin similarly softer, though I still continue to use a lotion or oil on him post-bath. The scent fades to only a faint, pleasant hint of itself after rinsing. This has proven gentle enough to use on a daily basis--one year olds have a talent for getting messy!

Overall: 
To date, Baby Hugo Shampoo & Body Wash is my favorite product for Leo. I even tried it on my own hair and skin, and found the texture quite pleasant. I only have two problems with this product, which we both otherwise love: the price, and accessibility. I feel it's worth twelve dollars a bottle, don't get me wrong! We are still on our first bottle after two months of nearly daily use, with only about a week altogether of using any other products. (New body products are a hobby for me, and Leo likes the novelty.) But that can feel like quite a commitment. Hugo & Debra Naturals, the company that makes this one, does often offer discount codes on their site, however.

The other tricky point is that I have yet to find this particular product in stores. I have had good experiences ordering straight from Hugo & Debra Naturals website, and have found it discounted before on a few other sites. I personally don't mind ordering online as long as I can work out the costs, but that might be a bit of a turn-off for some.

Really, my main wish is that the company offered a trial size, so I could buy this for friends to try out without feeling like I'm forcing a huge bottle of something they haven't judged for themselves on them. Still, I liked this one so much that we also tried their Foaming Milk Bath, and will soon be trying their baby oil