Abondance de Cacao is part of  L’Oreal Professional’s new “Serie Nature” range. There’s a shampoo (which is stated as being Paraben and Silicon free) and a treatment masque, and both have been formulated for fine hair. You may struggle to believe that I could have any imperfections, but I do, in fact, have quite fine and limp hair. Actually, that’s not completely accurate; I have fine hair but a lot of it, which means that if it’s freshly washed I look like I have three wigs on, and if it’s dirty it looks limp and lifeless.

The Abondance de Cacao seemed like a good choice for me, and I liked the fact that the shampoo was labelled as having ‘No Parabens, No Silicones”, even though the masque didn’t seem to boast the same. Hey-ho, let’s not split hairs – I mean, had the shampoo been SLS-free with organically certified ingredients that had been ethically sourced, I would have looked more deeply into the masque’s ingredients, but as it is, the formula isn’t exactly going to win a Natural Beauty award! But it’s all a step in the right direction. Onwards and upwards!

Both products smell amazing. Just like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. I do love a bit of scent at bathtime, even though it’s probably terrible for your skin and hair. I have realised, coming up to a landmark birthday, that a little bit of something here and there is not going to kill you – it’s going to be illness, possibly your bad habits and, if you’re unlucky, walking in front of a bus. A squeeze of chocolate-orange shampoo is not, I repeat not, going to be your demise. It’s a lot healthier than actually eating a chocolate orange, I would have thought, which – if you did every two days – would probably start to clog up the old arteries and give you a humungous arse.

The Abondance de Cacao made me hair very silky and smooth, (me hair? I meant my hair!) and seemed to give it a bit of bounce and volume at the roots. The masque added shine but didn’t weigh my hair down, and left the dry (slightly brittle, pre-haircut) ends nicely hydrated. You’re supposed to apply this treatment (as with many others) to towel-dried hair, but who towel dries their hair when they’re still in the bath? I just squeeze out excess water and shake my head around for a bit before applying a dollop of masque and combing it through with my fingers – being careful not to go too near the roots. Leave for a few minutes, or twenty if you completely forget that it’s on, and then rinse thoroughly.

There’s nothing that completely blows me away about this range, but equally there’s nothing that I could criticize. It’s a good performer and not too expensive – and I like that L’Oreal have started to make changes to it’s formulations.

Cacao Shampoo, £10.90 and Masque, £14.60 from Look Fantastic.