The efficiency and attractiveness of a product should be just as important as its story – its place of origin, its process of creation, the people who nourished said process.
In choosing our brands and products, we should all be looking for complete transparency in their company story and the ingredients used – especially when it comes to anything we may feed our bodies with, be it food or cosmetics.
Therefore, when you come across a brand focused on “natural, sustainably-produced goodness made with love for you and your body”, you know you’ve got yourself a keeper. And that is exactly the case with the SheaMoisture brand of hair products – which dates back to 1902, Sierra Leone.
The homemade hair and skin preparations we know as SheaMoisture today, were created by Sofi Tucker, who first started out selling Shea Nuts in Bonthe’s village market.
By the time she turned nineteen, she was selling her own products – along with shea butter and African black soap – all over the countryside. Her grandchildren have carried on her legacy and have made these fantastic products accessible to us and our curls.
Continuing in its natural traditions, the brands’ products are free of parabens, mineral oil, formaldehyde, petroleum and phthalates. And while it has been tested on Sofi’s family for four generations, it has never, and never will be, tested on animals.
Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
All the above and more is what makes us so excited about the SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie – a trusted product for hungry curls.
As its name already suggests, this truly is a smoothie, a deliciously nourishing concoction of healing and strengthening properties, ready to give your curls a boost worthy of several Instagram stories.
What is in it?
It’s rich in natural oils ranging from hibiscus flower extract to mango seed butter, from avocado oil to shea butter and carrot seed oil, this smoothie is a spa day for your hair.
You can literally hear it soaking up the moisture and thanking you by twirling into healthy curls with a brilliant shine. The sheer quantity of natural ingredients does mean its consistency is on the heavier side, but this does not affect the result with an equally heavy feel. On the contrary, your curls will maintain a beautiful bounce.
Hair Types it Works Well On
Due to SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie’s thicker consistency, this product works best on type 3 A, B, C and 4 A, B, C curl types; for lighter waves, it may be too heavy but it’s always worth experimenting.
People within the 3 to 4 curl range are highly impressed by this squeezy bottle of hair-love that has cut the daily styling frustrations right out of their lives. Using it in the shower as a leave-in conditioner or applying it to damp hair following your weekly hair-wash regime – this smoothie is easy to experiment with and you’ll soon work out what’s best for you.
You can’t really go wrong here; all you can do is embrace and enjoy these carefully selected ingredients, and let your hair speak to you. You’ll know what to do.
How Does it Smell?
If your sweet tooth is as attracted to body products scented like edibles as it is by all things chocolate and tropical, this hair smoothie will be a dream come true.
On the flip side, anyone sensitive to smells is going to have a hard time with it wafting around their face and nostrils while their scrunching and styling.
In this case, the exotic dream of faint coconut and hibiscus scents can quickly turn into a breathless nightmare, as this product does have a strong smell. This is, of course, subjective, but should you relate to the latter group of people, you may want to refrain from going with this smoothie and try the SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Smoothie instead – it’s much lighter on the nose.
How is it On Hair?
As is already implied in the name, this smoothie is designed to enhance your curls, giving them more volume and a soft, silky feel – courtesy of its silk proteins.
It won’t give you the crunchiness or stiff feel gels will often leave your hair with, nor will it give your hair any hold. Hence, should you be looking for a strong hold on your curls, it’s always best to use the smoothie in combination with your usual styling gel or cream.
While the dosing is important – and mostly learned by trial and error – it should be said that dense, coily or kinky curls might need slightly more product for extra moisture and retainment.
This hair smoothie has come as a massive relief to many a frizzy head that was previously impossible to tame. Incorporating Grandma Tucker’s coconut and hibiscus concoction into their regular haircare regime has even the wildest of fly-aways and cheeky frizz situations on these heads under control.
The genius blend of coconut and neem oil – both of which are commonly known in the curly hair community – plays a big part in this frizz reduction.
Who knew that, sometimes, all it takes is the fusion of the right ingredients for the best possible results? These are the type of wisdom that can only stem from a family-owned business run from the heart – a factor that is every bit as important as the products’ ability to enhance curls.
Buying
Purchased directly from the SheaMoisture website, the Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie is a fair price considering that you are buying a natural, fair-trade product that, at 6 oz/170g, will last you for a long time.
A little goes a long way with this smoothie, though we won’t blame you for being tempted into gluttony; the bounce and silkiness it leaves your hair with is addictive.
It’s hard not to want to push this stuff on all your other curly-haired girlfriends like it’s the hottest drug on the salon-scene: because it is. Not that it’s anything new, though. SheaMoisture happens to be known as the “OG” of curly hair products.
Get it here:
https://www.boots.com/shea-moisture-c-h-curl-smoothie-340g-10203978
