FitBeauty Finds: Alba Organics has fabu shampoos (and more)

Let me start by saying this: I am not a woman who usually splurges on the basics like shampoo and shaving cream. I have been adamant that I could find everything I need in the grocery store and that I could find great products on a budget. That is, until I stumbled upon Alba.

Actually, I didn't stumble on it at all. My dealers in-laws left it in a sweet little basket in the guest bathroom one visit and I, like I normally do with teensy lotions in hotel rooms, delighted in it, devoured it. It wasn't just a new product to try, it was a fabulous product that I knew I must have at home.

Oh Alba and your Hawaiian line full of sumptuous shampoos, conditioners and body washes. Oh Alba, how you've driven me on a special trip to Whole Foods to find you, how you've steered me away from $3.99 bottles of perfectly fine for your exceptionally good.

Alba's Hawaiian line of skin care, hair care, lip care, sun care and spa treatments are derived from certified organic aloe vera, plant oils and tropical fruit oils from the islands. They are 100% vegetarian and are not animal-tested. While I was hesitant -- I mean, how much better can a "natural" shampoo really be? -- I was sold as soon as I opened the cap.

The shampoos and conditioners smell amazing, juicy and without the artificial, headachey "herbal" scents of some other brands. My favorite combo is the Mango Nourishing Hair Wash and the Mango Moisturizing Hair Conditioner. Don't be fooled by the lack of lather, it is working. In fact, I was amazed at how quickly I felt a difference. After only a few applications, I no longer feel that next-day itchiness after adding mousse, pomade and spray to my apparently sensitive scalp.

Even if the smell has incited some crazy psychological consumer trick, I give in. After all, if I'm transported back to the beaches of Maui for a few minutes every morning before the chaos of my daily schedule sets in, I will keep putting this product into my cart (and adding it into my slightly-expanding beauty product budget).

While your hair is looking, feeling and smelling succulent, I also recommend that you give the Papaya Mango Cream Body Wash a whirl and then, top it all off with Coconut Cream Lip Balm that's almost (I said almost) as delicious as a late-afternoon piña colada.

Now if only Whole Foods could arrange for some adorable, tattooed waiter to deliver all my Alba goods to my chaise, I'd be in heaven. Truly.


(Psst! In the meantime, maybe these coupons will encourage you put my endorsement to the test.)