Battle of the Shampoos - Ouidad Climate Control and Yes To Cucumbers (Round 1)

There are two shampoos I've been experimenting with at the moment. On the "high end" we have Ouidad Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo and on the "low end" (drugstore, whatever you want to call a less expensive product) Yes to Cucumbers Color Care Shampoo. 

 

VS

Before I say anything more, I want YAIS readers to be aware of what I look for in an everyday shampoo. (Clarifying ones don't count, because they shouldn't be used often) I've played around with a few over the years, but I'm a little picky when it comes to cleansing my hair; I don't want my hair to be more tangled then I started with; I don't want my hair to feel like straw (dry and crunchy) or for my scalp to get dry and flake; safe for color-treated hair; it should smell pleasant; my hair needs to actually be clean - I use gels and other products that can cause build-up, but at the same time it needs to be gentle enough for everyday use since I tend to shy away from harsh sulfates.  I don't think these criteria for an everyday cleanser are all that challenging, and with so many products on the market finding a shampoo I love to bits should be easy in theory, but it's not. I really only have two shampoos I go back to, and that's Jessicurl's Hair Cleansing Cream (which I haven't ordered in so long!) and SheaMoisture Rentention Shampoo. So if I know my staples, why am I buying other shampoos?

Simply because I'm curious. Finding a great cleanser has been a product weakness for me, because I will splurge on a shampoo a lot faster then I would any other hair product - which isn't saying much because I'm cheap as hell. So I picked up Yes To Cucumbers at a Duane Reade when I was waiting to have a prescription filled, and then my Ouidad Shampoo came a week-and-half or two weeks ago. Since using them both I have to say initially they didn't leave an amazing impression on me. I was in the shower like #shrugs, washing my hair like I was supposed to - but how my hair behaved after was what left me nodding in satisfaction. My curls were very defined and felt very clean, and yes, less frizzy even when drying my hair with a towel. My only complaint about Yes To Cucumbers is that my hair is slightly more drying then Ouidad.The drawback of Ouidad is the price - I'm not sure I would use this shampoo everyday because of that. Nonetheless, it seems to be perfect for this kind of rainy, random weather NYC is experiencing and will probably be great for summer.

So that's my initial feelings for these two shampoos. I'll go another round of comparing and contrasting in a couple of weeks!