SheaMoisture: Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner Review (Asian Hair Perspective)

Howdy Shine and Sparkle Report Readers,

Sorry for the late post Sparklers! I obviously love SheaMoisture's brand even though I don't have "ethnic" hair (but I have an ethnicity so that term deeply bothers me...getting off my soapbox now) but dear lord they have the longest product titles!  I mean seriously, I reviewed SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque and most recently I gave my opinion on the Superfruit Complex 10-In 1 Renewal System Hair Masque.  If those aren't long enough, then how about the "Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner"?!  Long enough for you!  That's right, I think it is the longest product title in Shine and Sparkle report history. *applause for irrelevant benchmarks*.

Ok, I admit I was a bit scared to try this. There are a lot of potentially heavy oils that might weigh down my hair.  But it was buy 1 SheaMoisture product get one 1/2 off at Ulta, so I went for it with blind faith on one of my favorite brands.  And retailing at $10.99USD for 16oz this is a steal.  16oz is so much leave-in conditioner for me.  Maybe if you have even drier, thicker, more damaged hair than I do you will go through more of it.  But this amount is enough for over a year for me.

SheaMoisture Claims: 
A reparative leave-in conditioner that softens and detangles hair. Nourishes, moisturizes and supports elasticity so hair resists breakage when detangling. Conditioners provide a protective layer that improves the appearance of split ends. Peppermint oil stimulates the scalp for an invigorating experience.

Pretty much free of the big bad stuff.  It has no: No sulfates. No parabens. No phthalates. No paraffin. No gluten. No propylene glycol. No mineral oil. No synthetic fragrance. No PABA. No synthetic color. No DEA. No animal testing.

This Conditioner Features:

• Organic Shea Butter - Deeply moisturizes while conditioning hair and scalp.
• Jamaican Black Castor Oil - Loaded with repartive (Note: SheaMoisture made up this word, not me) omegas that promote healthy hair growth.
• Peppermint -Stimulates the scalp for an invigorating experience

How SheaMoisture Says To Use It:
Apply to clean, towel-dried hair. Work a generous amount of product into hair from root to ends. Com through for even distribution. Do not rinse. Apply more to longer hair at the end of problem areas. Can also be used as a rinse-out conditioner.

How Ms. Sparkles Uses It:
In the third person.  Gawd I'm funny right? Anyway, I haven't used it as a rinse-out conditioner because I'm totally stuck on the Superfruit Complex etc... deep masque.  But if you follow me on twitter, I promise to give you a yay or nay on it's use as a rinse out conditioner.  As far as my usage, I find that "generous amount" should really mean "not very much".  I tap 4 fingers on the surface of pot.  I rub what sticks to my fingers between my two hands and apply it to damp hair.  I concentrate on my ends and then whatever is left I apply to my roots.  I do this before combing out my hair with a wide-toothed comb to take advantage of the detangling effects.  I find that this does not leave my hair greasy, but really nice and moisturized.  If I repeat this process to add a bit more product, it gives me some nice texture and helps to define the layers in my hair cut.  Since I don't wash my hair every day, I find that the ends can feel a bit dry on day 2 and 3.  A 2 finger tap into the pot gives me plenty of product to rehydrate my dry ends between washes (also without being greasy).  Because this is so healthy for your hair, I don't notice any build up--just more good hair days.

• Deep Frying Hair Warning:  Do not use heat after using products with a lot of pure oils and no silicone!  In my silicone 101 post, I talk more in detail about how silicones help protect your hair from heat.  Without using silicones, you just have a lot of oil in your hair.  You apply a straightener/curing wand/hot blowdryer and you are essentially cooking/frying your hair in oil...eek!  You are being super nice to your hair with great oils, lay off the hotools.  If you must, make sure to apply a silicone based heat protectant before using heat.   

As usual,

Shine & Sparkle!

*I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions.