Vo5 Pros
Nice fruity smell
Cheap
Cleans my scalp in one application

Vo5 Cons
Extremely drying

Vo5 Shampoo was my go-to shampoo for a while during my transition to natural hair. As a broke college student it was affordable (sometimes as low as 50 cents on sale) and readily available in the CVS near the campus. At that time, I had no idea what "clarifying" meant and used it every week when I'd wash my hair.
As a clarifier, it works very well; almost too well. For the first time in my life I experienced what it was like to have dry scalp (my scalp is usually oily). I stopped using the shampoo regularly when I educated myself more on shampoo types. I saved it for the times when I really need a deep cleansing. It's effective and I love it, but now I know that I need to be careful.


Giovanni Pros
Great scalp cleanser
Feel-good tingle
Nice clean smell (minty)

Giovanni Cons
Affordable, but more expensive than Vo5
Can be drying to most hair types

I wouldn't consider Giovanni a clarifying shampoo, but some people consider it as such, especially if they have dry scalp. It cleans the scalp really well, but not sufficiently enough for me to consider it a clarifying shampoo for my scalp. However, as a regular shampoo, it does wonders. It's not too drying on my scalp and it feels good. It's definitely more expensive than Vo5, but affordable.

Bottom Line:

If I were judging on the ability to completely clarify the scalp, Vo5 wins. For a good regular cleansing, Giovanni wins.