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Design Essentials

Herbal Complex 4 Hair & Scalp Treatment

Scalp treatment

  • Scalp treatment
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
  • Protein-free
  • Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Size5 oz
Price$13 Good valueseen at one store · 5 oz
Price / oz$2.60/ozat 5 oz
Where to buy3 stores · $13.00–14.00

Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.

Scent:

Reviewers describe it as herbal, peppermint.

Manufacturer page: designessentials.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Complete the consultation to see how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 6,000+ products in our library, we can match you to the right ones.

  • About 20 minutes, and your answers save as you go.
  • Every product matched against your hair across the 21 factors we check.
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  • Find products that do the same job at a lower cost.
  • Your goals, scalp, damage history, water, budget, and scent preferences all shape your plan.

$49 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates

$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.

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Lower cost than most scalp treatments

$2.60/oz at 5 oz, less than 85% of the 280 scalp treatments , which mostly run $3.84–19.05/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list

Maybe skip if

this product has a scent
Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them

Whether this much richness suits you depends on your strand thickness, porosity and how easily your hair goes flat. We work that out in the consultation.

What the formula actually does

Read from the label, not the marketing

Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.

Slip and detangling Some

Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners.

Oils and butters Present, high in the list

Oils sit high in the list: a softening, coating formula.

Weight on the hair Rich

Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients.

Water-binding (humectants) None found

No humectants, so nothing here pulls water into the hair.

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Needs detergent to remove Yes

Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.

Hard-water defence None

No chelating agent in the list.

Fragrance Present

Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.

from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.

Ingredients that matter

The ingredients that change a decision

The workhorse ingredients, plus anything lower down that changes a decision. The chips name what an ingredient does. They are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.

IngredientWhat it doesWhy it mattersChip
Petrolatum sealant Seals moisture in Heavy
Paraffinum Liquidum emollient Softens and smooths the strand Heavy
Lanolin Oil sealant Seals moisture in Heavy
Myristyl Myristate light ester Light slip without much weight Buildup
Paraffin film former Lays down the film that holds a shape Buildup
Isopropyl Myristate light ester Light slip without much weight Softens
Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed OilCanola Oil oil Coats and softens the strand Softens
Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract botanical extract A plant extract, there as much for marketing as for function Neutral
Fragrance fragrance The scent Fragrance
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. No protein: a moisture formula, not a repair one. Fragrance is on the label. Heavier butters sit in the working part of the list.
Full ingredient list (22)

In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.

  • 1 Petrolatum
    General function

    A heavy sealing agent that locks moisture in and takes detergent to remove.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    Forms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.

    May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

    It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

    • sealant
    • emollient
  • 2 Paraffinum Liquidum
    General function

    Mineral oil under its European name. It seals the surface and adds slip, and takes a detergent to remove.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

    May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

    It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

    International Journal of Trichology
    • emollient
    • sealant
    • oil
  • 3 Lanolin Oil
    General function

    The liquid fraction of lanolin, used for heavy sealing and softness.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    Forms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.

    May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

    It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

    • sealant
    • emollient
  • 4 Myristyl Myristate
    General function

    A waxy ester that thickens and leaves a soft, powdery finish.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.

    May suitMaximum-hold styling

    A wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.

    PubChem
    • light ester
    • emollient
    • wax
  • 5 Paraffin
    General function

    A mineral wax used for firm structure and sealing in pomades.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitMaximum-hold styling

    A wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    Forms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.

    May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

    It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

    • film former
    • sealant
    • wax
  • 6 Isopropyl Myristate
    General function

    A very light ester that makes products glide and disappear quickly on the hair.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.

    PubChem
    • light ester
    • emollient
  • 7 Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil · Canola Oil
    General function

    A light, inexpensive plant oil used as a base emollient.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

    May not suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.

    • oil
    • emollient
  • 8 Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract
    General function

    Nettle extract, a traditional scalp botanical.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    • botanical extract
  • 9 Arctium Lappa Root Extract · Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Root Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 10 Betula Alba (White Birch) Bark Extract
  • 11 Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 12 Sambucus Nigra (Elderflower) Flower Extract
  • 13 Equisetum Hyemale (Horsetail) Extract
  • 14 Echinacea Purpurea (Echinacea) Extract
  • 15 Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Leaf Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 16 Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 17 Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Bark Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 18 Panax Ginseng (Ginseng) Root Extract
  • 19 Carrageenan · Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract
    General function

    A seaweed gum that thickens and adds slip.

    Secondary ingredient

    Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

    May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold

    Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.

    • gum
    • thickener
  • 20 Rumex Crispus (Yellow Dock) Root Extract
  • ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
  • 21 Fragrance
    General function

    An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

    Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.

    • fragrance
    • declared fragrance
  • 22 Tocopheryl Acetate
    • antioxidant
    • vitamin

What the whole list adds up to

  • 6 emollients
  • 6 botanical extracts
  • 4 sealants
  • 2 oils
  • 2 light esters
  • 2 waxs
  • 1 film former
  • 1 gum
  • 1 thickener
  • 1 fragrance
  • 1 declared fragrance
  • 1 antioxidant
  • 1 vitamin

Ingredient list captured 2026-10-17. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 5 oz

Seen at $13 1 store · checked Oct 17
Good value under $23 Under $4.50/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 7 products we score as doing the same job

Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $23 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $104 at this size.

Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it3 listings · 3 stores

Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.

How we work this out
  1. 5 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
  2. Seen at $13 is the price we have observed for the 5 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
  3. Good value under $23 comes from the 7 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $4.50/oz; at 5 oz that is $23. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
  4. About $104 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 5 oz.

Formula

Formula score
3 of 10

Low cost per ounce, with a short formula: there is no conditioning agents up front here, and that is a system most scalp treatments carry.

How the score is counted
  • Costs less per ounce than 85% of the 280 scalp treatments we’ve priced
  • No conditioning agents up front in the formula
  • No slip for detangling either
  • Reviewers mention 3 things they like about how it performs
  • Conditioning agents up frontWhat makes wet hair comb through.3 pts
  • Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
  • Slip for detanglingReduces the force it takes to comb wet hair.2 pts
  • A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
  • A pH adjusterBrings the formula to the acidic pH hair prefers.1 pt
  • Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt

The formula score measures completeness for the job: a weighted share of the systems this product type is usually built around that we find in this list. It does not rate how well the product works or its quality, and it never compares across product types.

Does the same job

Formulas that do the same things (cleanse, condition, coat or hold) for less per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy them can still differ.

Aunt Jackie'sLowest cost per oz Biotin, Rosemary & Mint Elixir Hair & Scalp Oil $4.50/oz $1.90/oz more
  • Fragrance-free
  • Protein-free
  • Rich
· Close function
Function
  • Film formers
Also
  • Drugstore tier
  • 2 oz bottle
Compare
Aunt Jackie'sFragrance-free Saw Palmetto, Jamaican Black Castor & Grapeseed Oil Elixir Hair & Scalp Oil $4.50/oz $1.90/oz more
  • Fragrance-free
  • Protein-free
  • Rich
· Close function
Function
  • Film formers
Also
  • Drugstore tier
  • 2 oz bottle
Compare
AAVRANIClose function Hair & Scalp Recovery Oil $20.71/oz $18.11/oz more
  • Protein-free
  • Rich
  • Silicone-free
Function
  • Slip and detangling
Also
  • Citrus scent, not mint
  • Vegan
  • Salon tier
Compare

See more alternatives in the product library

These products do a similar job. We haven’t matched them to you. Find the one that fits your hair, routine and budget

Built for curly to coily hair

Final decision

Should you buy it?

Good for the right person
Best user

Hair that stiffens on protein who want a protein-free formula and a formula with real substance

Biggest tradeoff

Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or anyone stretching time between washes

Best alternative if not

Nothing in our library matches it closely at a lower price.

We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.

Claims check

What the brand says, and what the formula shows

Claims are quoted from the brand. We mark a claim supported, partly supported or conflicting only when the ingredient list speaks to it. Everything else stays "stated by the brand". That isn’t a criticism: most claims can’t be checked from a label.

1
SupportedBacked by ingredients
0
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
3
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
1
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
Softens hair

This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Hydrating

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

  • Petrolatum
  • Paraffinum Liquidum
  • Lanolin Oil
Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

Provides heat protection

Heat protection is a performance claim; an ingredient list cannot confirm it.

—

Stated by brand

Only lab testing can show this.

Soothes the scalp

Scalp comfort is not something an ingredient list settles.

  • Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract
  • Arctium Lappa Root Extract
  • Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Extract
Stated by brand

Depends on your scalp.

Leaves hair feeling silky, bouncy, and full of body

Heavy emollients sit high in the list, which usually works against lift.

  • Petrolatum
  • Paraffinum Liquidum
  • Lanolin Oil
Potential conflict

Likely to weigh hair down.

How to read this

We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula, not at the marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.

Reviewers

What people report

Themes that come up again and again in sourced reviews, written by our researchers in their own words. We don’t store or scrape star ratings.

Reviewers call it lightweight and creamy, leaving hair soft, shiny and moisturized without a greasy or heavy feel, and a little goes a long way.

stylists, parents and regular users

Reviewers enjoy the pleasant scent and mild peppermint cooling that is not overwhelming.

regular users

Several reviewers say it soothes and moisturizes a dry scalp and supports a healthy scalp and hair growth.

dry-scalp sufferers and stylists

Several long-time users complain the formula changed, with a different smell and texture, fewer herbal flakes, and a jar that no longer feels the same.

long-term repeat buyers who noticed a reformulation

More from Design Essentials

How this page was made

  • Everything above comes from our researched product record: identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated prices and review themes our researchers wrote in their own words. No part of this page is written by hand for one product.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 5 sources consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 3 editorial), last checked 2026-10-17.
  • Ingredient references are linked for 3 of 9 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are general formulation guidance. They aren’t a verdict on the finished product or on you.
  • We haven’t tested this product in a lab, and we don’t physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list. Claims about how it behaves are labelled as the brand's.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are what we saw on the dates shown and can change.
  • Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
  • Formula readings: derivation v23. Record last updated 2026-10-17.

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