Hi people, what's been on?

Today, I'll review a deep conditioning treatment.

Deep conditioning treatments are designed with ingredients small enough to penetrate deep into the hair shaft and infuse them with moisture and temporarily repair damage from within.....at least that's what good ones are supposed to do.

When people think of a deep conditioning treatment, they think of a mix of one thousand and one oils and orishirishi most of which just coat the outer surface of the hair shaft without actually penetrating it.

So technically, more ingredients in a deep conditioning treatment doesn't necessarily translate to an effective product.
The oils within a deep conditioning treatment should be small enough to penetrate the hair cortex and bind to the proteins unless the purpose of the deep conditioning treatment is to coat and protect the cuticle not penetrate and repair. Another thing to note is not all vitamins and minerals purported to have hair growing benefit actually penetrate the hair or scalp....I'm looking at you biotin. It'll be better to take them internally.

 I love my cow butter (manshanu) and won't trade it for anything because
- it is one step (no mixing or anything)
- it penetrates deep into my thirsty hair
- it is natural..no additives
- it is affordable
- it gets the job done (soft happy hair with lots of boing!)

The downside though is that like a hot oil treatment, it leaves a greasy mess that gives me extra work to clean and currently my trusted supplier moved away.

With this in mind and after looking at my options, I decided to buy SheaMoisture African Black Soap Purification Masque.

Did it make me happy?

Let's see.


PRODUCT PROMISE
Our intensive treatment masque conditions hair while relieving dry, itchy scalp. Removes product buildup while strengthening hair by sealing in natural moisture. Purifying Kaolin Clay and Botanical extracts help absorb impurities.

PRODUCT PRICE
N2650 - N3900 depending on location. You can buy it here

PRODUCT SIZE
12oz /340g

INGREDIENTS

Deionized Water, Cocos Nucifera(Coconut) Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Mangifera Indica(Mango)Seed Butter*, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil , African Black Soap Extract, Sea Salt, Cetyl Esters, Kaolin Clay, Grapeseed Oil, Simmondsia chinensis seed (Jojoba) Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride (Conditioner), Salicylic Acid, Salix Alba (Willow)Bark Extract, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Seed Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Sorbitol Esters, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Rosemary Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Extract, Plantain Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower (and) Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower Extract.

(No, I didn't bother typing it all, just lifted from SheaMoisture website...I no fit!)

SCENT
A bit like banana, wet earth and vanilla mixed together. Not bad at all. Not overpowering either but it lingers subtly.
I like bananas, vanilla and I was the kid that loved rain only because of the smell of wet earth like the taste of 'nzu'...hated the 'potopoto' o...avoid the local markets because of this....I'd rather starve than see all those nonsense on the road!

CONSISTENCY
Faint gray colored and lotion like. Not thick......and it's slippery!!! Love the slip because there's no way on earth I'm combing this product through my hair without slip.


DIRECTIONS FOR USE
Section clean wet hair. Apply generously from roots to ends, massaging gently into the scalp.
Use a wide tooth comb to distribute evenly. Leave on for 5 mins. Rinse thoroughly.

For deep penetrating treatment, cover hair with plastic cap and apply moderate heat for up to 30mins. Rinse thouroughly.

When using a hair steamer, do not cover hair, moist heat will add to the masque's hydration.

MY REVIEW

I used it as directed but on damp hair (dislike drippies).
I washed my hair with African Black Soap paste....(since that's the theme abi....I even tied ankara wrapper on my waist).

The next time I used it on dry hair overnight.

The third time I used it on dry hair for 30mins under a showercap.

I actually prefer it on dry hair for 30 mins. I can do it like this because apart from coconut oil, castor oil and Kinky Curly Knot Today or Cantu LOC mix, I've used nothing else that can build up on my hair. I've been rocking my coils as is in an afro puff for a while. (Yes, shrinkage was embraced!)

I couldn't deal with my hair so I just packed this in an afro puff and dreaded washday

I applied the product to six sections of my hair and finger detangled.
 Finger detangling was very easy....thank God. I'd have just given up and continued the afro puff.
I really wasn't prepared to use a wide tooth comb if like Kinky Curly Knot Today it wasn't finger friendly, because of the micro grains of the clay.
 I don't want micro tears on my fine strands abeg!
Good slip is a big plus in my book and cuts down detangling time.

Can you see how my kinks clump and enlongate?!

Then I covered with a shower cap for 30 mins and then rinsed out with cold water.

My hair felt oh so soft , light and without tangles. It had a very light coating of oil but not the waxy coating some deep conditioners give to hair.

Well, my assessment wasn't complete until my hair dried.... afterall, water is a good softener....when it dries, then you'll know the real story!
 I didn't use any products other than coconut oil on my hair.

My hair dried soft, light and clean.

So: Cleansing....check
       Hydrating....check
       Relief from Dandruff, Eczema and Psoriasis....Um check...at least it didn't give me any of these.
   

NOTE: When I used it overnight, it dried on my scalp and I spent more time rinsing it off which dried out my hair more.
So it's best used for not more than 30mins.

I prefered dry to wet hair as suggested so as not to dilute the D.C. and allow my hair to absorb as much as it can.

If your hair is very dirty or greasy, it's advisable to shampoo first then apply to towel blotted hair.

If you have low porosity hair, I suggest you take option 'c' and get under the steamer.




VERDICT???

I'll definitely repurchase!
I won't try out any other deep conditioner. I think I'm really pleased with this one.
Okay....I'll definitely try out other D.C.s but this will join my personal list of must have products.

I wondered if I could try out the Maximum Hydration Method with this as my clay but I read that due to the presence of oil, it can interfer with the hydration process.

I'll still try it for a modified MHM and see if I get results when I take a break from school and work.

EXTRA THOUGHTS

Now, it seems I get good results with a lot of products. The reason I do is I don't just purchase or accept any product for the sake of a review.
It has to fufill my personal criteria.

One thing I avoid in products are those with heavy oils or waxes especially if they have to go on my scalp too.

My hair is fine, porous and can easily be weighed down. My scalp is oily,my pores can easily get clogged and it is prone to dandruff.

There's no point using a product I have to be careful so it doesn't touch my scalp. I've come a very long way from dandruff ridden scalp and I am very reluctant to go back.

So before I purchase or accept any product to review, I should be very comfortable with the ingredient list and what it claims it will do. If after all these precautions, a product is bad for my hair, then it is really bad...lol!

I'm open to new products though and still try out random products if the marketing is aggressive lol!
Convince me!
After all, Cantu Leave In Repair Cream has the dreaded mineral oil and it's still HG. Alterna Silk- Sleek Brilliance Cream is loaded with silicones and I'm still a happy camper. Cantu got me with the smell and Alterna delivered on its promise...lol!

If I don't like a product, it doesn't mean that you'll dislike it too. That's why I encourage feedback from anyone that has tried them. Interested in trying it out? Get it here

So have you tried this, loved it, hated it or are 'meh' about it. Do you have any other deep conditioners you'd like me to try???