**REVIEW** Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie

I've been tough on a lot of hair products in the past. Miss Jessie's and Shea Moisture are two of the brands that have disappointed me more than once. Both brands are very expensive for the average working class consumer so I think they should be held to a high standard. I've only found one Miss Jessie's product that I would rate as so-so (which is better than my usual Thumbs Down). Recently, I came across a Shea Moisture product that I actually like quite a lot.

That's the Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie from the Shea Moisture label. It self-touts that it will moisturize and "curl define" thick, curly hair. I know I should be thrilled about all the things the product claims to be free of:

• Sulfates
• Parabens
• Phthalates
• Propylene Glycol
• Mineral Oil
• Animal testing

Oh - and it's also color safe and carries the Allure seal. I should care about all that and I do, kind of. What I care most about though is whether or not the stuff works. That's the bottom line for me. After all, a lot of products make the same above claims, but if they don't work, none of it does me a bit of good.

So. Does this "smoothie" define curls and moisturize the hair? I have to admit that it did both for me. Also, the price works. I think I paid around $8 for the 6oz jar at Sally Beauty Supply. That's probably the cheapest Shea Moisture product I've ever seen.

Here are the other Pros:

• The cream smells amazing. I'm not sure that I smell much of the coconut fragrance and I'm not sure I recall what hibiscus smells like, but the cream smells very fresh and slightly floral. It's not a heavy scent, but it's nice.
• It doesn't take a lot of the product to moisturize my hair even after washing and drying (when it's at its driest), and it really does add definition to the curl pattern.
• The cream also provides a bit of "stretch". This is important right after I have washed and dried my hair because that's when I get a lot of shrinkage.
• I love that the cream is not "heavy" or oily.I can touch my hair without worrying about transferring residue to anything else I touch.
• The moisturizing and defining effects generally last a few days. There's no need for me to twist or coil my hair to get the definition I like. I can literally do the sleep-and-go thing for up to three to three and a half days before I need to remoisturize.

I think my favorite thing is that, because of the lasting effects, I can get so much use out of this one jar. I'm glad for the affordable price and think it would still be a good bargain if I had to pay a couple more dollars.

Now is when I will go ahead and admit that I am pretty hooked on this stuff. It's all I've been using since I got this jar. 

I think I mentioned recently that, since I've changed my eating habits to keto, I've seen an improvement in the health and growth of my hair. Usually, when I get hair growth, I have problems keeping it styled well. My curl pattern gets crazy with any changes in length. This curl smoothie has been wonderful. I love being able to finger style my hair - instead of having to twist or coil it every few days. And the moisture! It's so nice to get some curl without the crunch!

(The photo is one I took for another post, but you get the idea.)

This one product has made me want to take a look at some other SheaMoisture items. Not the hair stuff because I think the smoothie is all I need for my hair. What I'm talking about is the line of makeup by SheaMoisture. I'd heard about them before but, because I was on an anti-SM groove, I refused to even think about trying something else from them. Now, maybe-maybe. If I do try the makeup, you'll hear all about it!

Peace

--Free 

***UPDATE*** Natural Girl Hair Tales

As I sort of promised, here are some pics for the previous post on natural hair:

Is that a gray hair?! Nope. Split ends, dang it!!!

Still a TWA, huh?

Have to find a style since the new growth...

My hair had a buildup of other products and, since it wasn't time for my shampoo, I did a rinse-out. I applied the Kinky-Curly leave-in detangler before I let my hair dry and put it up for the night in some sloppy cornrows. This morning, I used some JBCO on my scalp and applied just the tiniest bit of the KeraCare leave-in conditioner to the rows. I took the cornrows out and used another teensy bit of KeraCare while I did my comb-out.

You can see my hair growth when looking back at a December photo.

Had leftovers of a texturizer. Kinda like it.

What you can't see is how soft my hair feels. There was a slight feeling of product until it sort of absorbed (after about 15 minutes), then there was no dampness or oily feeling at all. My hair feels a little bit 'sponge-y' but in a good way. There's no coil to my hair right now because I picked it instead of doing using my fingers to style it. I did just spritz the back with some water to see what happens. The water gave me some curl formation, but I'm going for a fluffy 'fro today.

Both products seem to work really well. I am loving the KeraCare the most. Because the Kinky-Curly is so pricey, I probably won't buy anymore until I have more length. I will definitely be getting more of the KeraCare. By the way, I like that neither product has a "smell". I sniffed the containers and the Kinky-Curly is almost odorless (there is the slightest soap-like scent) and the KeraCare smells a bit like body lotion. It's not unpleasant.

I think that the KeraCare is going to be something that works for all hair types, but especially for hair in the 4 range.

So, if you are wondering about these products, that's my take on them. (Now let me go do something to style these naps!)

Peace
--Free