After my first go-round with Shea Moisture's Superfruit Complex line, I approached the Jamaican Black Castor Oil line with more caution. As it turns out, I should have gone balls to the wall with this line, and skimped on the Superfruit Complex. What can I say? I'm a sucker for cute packaging, and the Superfruit Complex skincare products were a total hit. Oh well. You live, you learn, and you continue onward in your product junkie-ism.
Without further delay, here's the next (and probably final) review you all have been waiting for: the Leave-In Conditioner! I won't be wasting my time with the shampoo, serum, and hair lotion because Shea Moisture's shampoos like, NEVER work for me, the Superfruit Complex serum was a total miss (and now I don't trust them lol), and I've got more than enough moisturizers than I can use through the end of 2015. Seriously. And that edge stuff? I poked it during my last trip to CVS, and couldn't quite figure what to make of it, so I'll be leaving it along. But the Leave-In? Let's go:
Ingredient List:
water, castor oil, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, shea butter, coconut oil, panthenol, dicaprylyl ether, hydroxyethylcellulose, glycerin, jojoba seed oil, adansonia digitata seed oil, hydrolyzed keratin, maurita flexuosa fruit oil, tocopherol, aloe leaf juice, yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein PG-propyl silanetriol, peppermint extract, fragrance (essential oil blend), hydrolyzed rice protein, butylene glycol, niacin, dextran, acetyl tetrapeptide-3, clover flower extract, vinegar, caprylhydroxamic acid, caprylyl glycol, macadamia seed oil
*note: I had to type this list out, as the ingredient list Shea Moisture has posted on their website is inaccurate, per the product label. So if you share this review, I'd greatly appreciate proper attribution.*
Ingredient Breakdown:
- water
- castor oil: thick, highly viscous oil with antibacterial, antifungal, and humectant properties. It is also a great moisture sealant, and promotes hair thickening and growth.
- stearyl & cetyl alcohol: "fatty alcohols" -- NOT to be confused with drying alcohols such as ethyl. Both act as a lubricants, thickeners, and emollients. They also give conditioner its velvety feel without making hair greasy, and are additionally used to keep product ingredients from separating.
- behentrimonium chloride: quaternary ammonium compound and close cousin of cetrimonium chloride. Also penetrates the hair, conditions, and acts as an anti-static and anti-microbial agent.
- shea butter: emollient fat from the nut of the East or West African shea nut tree used to moisturize and soften hair.
- coconut oil: oil high in saturated fats (which is why when cold, it is solid). One of the few known oils to penetrate the hair shaft and truly moisturize hair. Coconut oil helps to moisturize, seal, and prevent breakage.
Availability: The Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil collection of products is exclusively
available on the ground at CVS stores nationwide. I also recently learned that it can be purchase directly from www.sheamoisture.com -- thanks for the info Darlyn D.!
Affordability: Yes to the 16oz! Although Shea Moisture products have already been considered a pretty good value, as most of their products come in 12oz, they stepped it up something serious on the generosity factor! 16oz of
leave-in for $10.99? Not bad AT ALL! Plus, I used my 30% off CVS coupon (not sure how I got it, but I'm glad I did), which brought my total under $8. Winning!
Product Claim/Description: For natural, chemically processed, color treated, or heat styled hair. Nourish, repair & grow. This repairative leave-in conditioner softens and detangles hair while controlling frizz. Perfect for those who regularly color, straighten, perm, or heat style their hair, as well as kinky, curly, or wavy natural styles. Formulated with Jamaican Black Castor Oil and certified organic Shea Butter to nourish, moisturize, and support elasticity so hair resists breakage when detangling. Conditioners provide a protective layer that improves the appearance of split ends. Peppermint stimulates the scalp for an invigorating experience.
Performance/Delivery: Shea Moisture, I must say that I am once again impressed! I didn't expect for ya'll to pull through twice in the same line! Shea Moisture typically doesn't produce leave-ins for their lines (with the exception of Raw Shea rather recently), often citing their rinse-out pump bottle conditioners can be used as leave-ins. I for one am happy to see a product specifically slated as a leave-in (read more on why I think leave-ins are necessary).
| 100% dry wash and go using the JBCO Leave-In and Goddess Curls |
I first used the leave-in on my hair in-shower, as a part of my typical wash and go routine. To really get a feel for how it would work, I skipped sealing with an oil. I just opted for my Infusium-23 rinse, the JBCO Leave-In, and Curls Goddess Curls. At first contact with my hair, I was immediately impressed. One of the first things I noticed was how frizz practically disappeared with this stuff -- even in my notoriously-difficult-to-tame crown and
front/center areas. Well, that already makes it a winner in my book. I found it to be incredibly moisturizing, without being dense, heavy, or greasy on my hair. In fact, the second I applied it, it was almost like my hair soaked it all in. It works great to help detangle, or keep hair detangled while styling. I'm ALWAYS here for the slip! It played really nicely with Goddess Curls, lending itself to a well moisturized, touchable, defined, and light-weight
wash and go.
| Day 2 post-workout hair re-moisturized with the JBCO Leave-In |
I also used the leave-in as a moisturizer before pineappling my hair at bedtime and I love it! It provided more lightweight moisture and did not weigh my hair down AT ALL. It also helped to impart some pretty good shine and helped to reactivate the Goddess Curl enough to bounce back with a lil' more definition (because my workout today did a serious number on the front of my hair). Using it as a moisturizer, my hair felt soft and hydrated. And silky, oh so silky. I I'm all about products that have multiple uses!
Some leave-ins can be on the heavier side, and I totally expected a product from Shea Moisture based in castor oil to be somewhat dense. I was totally wrong! The product feels and looks very creamy, but once you rub it between your fingers, you realize that it isn't nearly as thick as it appears, and that the slip is definitely going to be there. Consistency and performance-wise, it reminds me a lot of Camille Rose Naturals Fresh Curl. Honestly, it's probably a dead ringer//replacement for Fresh Curl, and most certainly a more affordable//bigger bang for your buck alternative. I really am loving this product, and it has weaseled its way into my Must Haves inner circle. But Shea Moisture, we've GOT to talk about this playdough smell....
Drawbacks: I don't know WHAT fragrance Shea Moisture was aiming for, but I'm not here for it one bit. I'm really considering dropping some peppermint EO in the mix, just to mask that smell. I'm not a fan of whatever essential oil blend this is, but honestly for a kick-butt 16oz jar of high quality goodness, I'll deal.At least it isn't super overpowering and doesn't linger.
Also, this leave-in contains the same Keravis protein that is found in the Jamaican Black Castor Oil Treatment Masque. I'll spare you the task of clicking back to the other review to find out why Keravis protein may or may not be for your hair:
One thing that *might* be a drawback for some of you Curly Girl Method loyalists out there is that this product does appear to contain a silicone-derived ingredient. That ingredient is hydrolyzed vegetable protein PG-propyl silanetriol, also known as Keravis protein. Keravis protein is a vegetable-derived protein and silicone blend that was designed specifically to strengthen, fortify, and revitalize dry and damaged hair. Although its composition makes it not Curly Girl-friendly, Keravis protein is able to penetrate the cortex of the hair, helping to build strength from within while coating and conditioning the hair to protect the surface. The end result is hair with significantly improved tensile strength, which helps reduce the damage our hair sustains from dye jobs, environmental factors, and mechanical stress from styling. Is it a straight-up cone? No. Should you use it? That's for you to decide. My beloved Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask contains Keravis, as does my long-time staple ApHogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer Spray. My hair loves it, but it is something for you to consider on your own :)
Bonuses: I really like how multi-use this product is. I know Shea Moisture has a hair lotion as a part of this JBCO collection, but I honestly don't need it. The leave-in suits me just fine, and can be reapplied daily if necessary (although I don't find it to be so). I also really recommend this for transitioners, as it is lightweight enough to not leave any relaxed or heat damaged ends feeling and looking stringy.
Bottom Line: In the market for a new leave-in that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Here you go! The Jamaican Black Castor Oil line is shaping up to be really promising, and I am having a MUCH better experience with this collection. I just wish the fragrance from the Superfruit Collection could be swapped...lol.
Overall Product Rating: I'm going to go ahead and give this 5 stars. No, I'm not wild about the fragrance, but it certainly over-performed, exceeded my expectations, and earned its spot.
Best Practices: A little really does go a long way, and as a leave-in, the product works best when applied to soaking wet hair. A quarter-sized amount worked well enough in each of my 6 sections of hair. As a moisturizer, the same or a little less works just fine!
Curious about the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Treatment Masque? Read my review here.
Have you tried the new JBCO line? What do you think of it? Which collection do you like more -- Superfruit or Jamaican Black Castor Oil?