A Happy Discovery from Cologne, Germany

I've had a love-hate relationship with my hair for as long as I can remember. I always wanted thick, long, luscious hair but instead, I got the fine, flyaway stuff. At school I was nicknamed "Haircut 100" because one boy insisted my hair never looked the same two days in a row... and the irony was, I desperately wanted it to look the same every day!

As a teenager, I kept it short because I trained four times a week with my local swimming club and the chlorine left my hair as dry as one of those dehydrated potato snacks that I normally eat on a flight with a G&T. Daily washing became a necessity just to get rid of that unmistakable swimming pool smell. Then came the blonde highlights and more colour until my barnet resembled straw.

Fast forward to my forties and life in Ireland. I was going through my black hair phase when my roots suddenly became incredibly greasy and my permanent colour barely lasted a fortnight. Other strange symptoms started appearing too, but nobody suggested I might be peri-menopausal. In fact, I don't think I'd even heard the word back then.

Anyway... this isn't a hormonal article…

A few months back, I was looking for a shampoo and conditioner that sat somewhere between my two favourites, Lolavie and Rituals, without quite the same price tag. That's when I stumbled across a German brand called Jean & Len.

Founded in 2013 by Leonard Diepenbrock, the brand's philosophy is Ohne Gedöns, which roughly translates as 'without fuss, unnecessary stuff or nonsense.' Leonard wanted to bridge the gap between eco-conscious products and everyday haircare that smells lovely, performs well and looks fab sitting on your bathroom shelf.

Since my hysterectomy last year, the condition of my hair has slowly started to improve. I've decided to give it a rest from colouring and see what my natural grey eventually looks like. The colour is slowly growing out – back in March it was a very vibrant red, which has gradually faded into a blonde shade I rather like but I'm resisting (it’s so hard!) the temptation to go blonde again. More than anything, I simply want my shine back. It feels like I've been searching for it for years.

They do other fragrances but naturally, I was drawn to Jean & Len's Rosemary Ginger shampoo. Ginger caught my eye immediately because I eat the stuff every day and rosemary has a reputation for supporting healthy-looking hair and the products looked nice, so into the Amazon basket they went.

The very first thing I did when they arrived was rip open the parcel and have a good sniff! Oh my goodness... they smell gorgeous. Talk about a dollop of wellbeing!

Jean & Len Ohne Gedöns

Rosemary Ginger Shampoo and Conditioner, and the eco-friendly shampoo refill.

Then my skincare therapist brain kicked in.

I headed over to read the ingredients and noticed something surprising. I couldn't see rosemary or ginger listed in the INCI. A quick look on Jean & Len's website explained it – they're referring to the fragrance rather than botanical extracts.

Instead, the scent comes from a blend of citrus lemon peel oil, patchouli, cedarwood and bitter orange peel oil, alongside fragrance.

Other ingredients worth mentioning include glycerin to help retain moisture, hydrolysed rice protein to temporarily strengthen and add body, provitamin B5 (panthenol), and black oat seed extract to help condition and soften the hair.

Although my mane is still a work in progress, whatever the formulation is doing, it's certainly working. My hair feels soft, it’s a bit shinier and generally much happier than it has been for a long time!

I've since bought the 600ml shampoo refill pouch, which I love because it's easy to pour into the original pump bottle, creates less plastic waste and saves buying another pump each time. Naturally, the matching conditioner came home too.

One final mention has to go to their Rosemary Ginger Hand Soap because, if anything, it surprised me even more than the shampoo. Beneath is a photo of the Rosemary Ginger Hand & Body Cleanser because I can’t remember where I put their empty Hand Soap bottle to take a photo (I do know it’s not in the bin though!).

Jean & Len Ohne Gedöns

Rosemary Ginger Hand & Body Cleanser

Ever since 2020, my fingers have had a habit of becoming dry, sore and flaky from frequent hand washing. This is genuinely the first hand wash I've used in years that hasn't left my hands feeling tight or my fingers looking like they'd been attacked with sandpaper.

The bottles say Rosemary Ginger, yet the rosemary and ginger refer to the fragrance rather than botanical extracts... and, despite the company name, there isn't actually a Jean either!!!

Whatever Len has created, my olfactory and hair is thoroughly enjoying it... and so are my hands.

Available from Amazon from £8