Product Review: Natural Nigerian Moisture & Shine Detangling Leave-in Conditioner

Nigeria is 53 today! Happy Independence Day, my country people! The newspapers and the twittersphere are definitely going to go into the annual tirades about how little there is to celebrate for us at 53- but this year, I’m not sure why, but I am very optimistic about positive change.

I’m a firm believer in focusing on the things in life that you can actually control. To be happy, I think we have to start creating our own solutions- together as a country, as against relying on other states, and also, as individuals, in relation to our government.

Speaking of creating our own solutions, today, I’m here to review Natural Nigerian’s Moisture & Shine Detangling Leave-in Conditioner. This review is a little late, but we were already close to Nigeria’s day when I wrote it so, I just had to save it for today- it was only right. I think it’s really awesome that NN makes her own conditioner and is sharing it with the world!

I did not buy this product, it was given to me by Natural Nigerian but I can assure you that this is an honest, unbiased review.

When I first tried this product in July, my hair felt a little weird about it. It did not feel as moisturising to my hair as it does now, and my hair did not absorb it like it does now. I turned to the internet for possible explanations, and a few blogs suggested that low porosity hair may be aloe-vera sensitive, so I stopped, and resumed again in September because I badly wanted it to work! I’m happy I did, because it’s all good now. Aloe Vera is not the enemy. I’ve used up about three quarters of this bottle, so I think I’m qualified to do a review now. 🙂

Natural Nigerian Moisture & Shine Leave-In Conditioner

INGREDIENTS

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract (Aloe Vera Juice), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Unsaponifables, Coco-Glucoside, Panthenol, Keratin, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydrolized Quinoa, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Coconut Alcohol, Hyrolyzed Lupine Seed Extract, Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Polyquaternium-10, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Carprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid.

Worth noting: This conditioner is Aloe Vera Juice based. AVJ is a moisturiser, a substitute for water. It has humectants (glycerin, panthenol) proteins (keratin, quinoa), emollients (shea, olive oil, coconut oil) and it is also free of silicones, sulfates and parabens!

CLAIMS

For Kinky, Curly and Straight Hair.

Nourishes, Fortifies, Moisturises.

Natural Nigerian Moisture & Shine Detangling Leave-in Conditioner is a lightweight, pH balanced conditioner which can be used to detangle as well as improve the general manageability of your hair. It contains  plant-derived active ingredients. Natural Nigerian Moisture & Shine Detangling Leave-in Conditioner contains high performance moisturisers which nourish your hair, protects it from heat and even helps it retain a vibrant color.

HOW I USED

My hair: twa, kinky 4C low porosity, fine textured, high density hair.

I used the conditioner on clean hair every three days, damp after co-washing. I finger detangled and then sealed afterwards with olive oil before putting my hair in chunky twists. Between washes, I spritzed my hair with a water & glycerine mix every morning.

Once, I was lazy and used the lotion without sealing. This was okay for the most part, but my poor fragile ends definitely cried out for some sealing! To fix this, I re-moisturised my ends with the lotion and sealed with olive oil.

NOW, HOW I FELT:

PACKAGING

I like the simple transparent bottle.

SMELL

This conditioner has a very light citrus-y scent. I didn’t dig it at first because I could also smell the other “plants”, I don’t know if this makes sense, but I’ve since become used to the smell.

ABSORBENCY

My hair absorbed this pretty well. I didn’t have to deal with white clumps or patches.

CONSISTENCY

Lighter than I’m used to but this is not a bad thing. And now that I think about it, when I get round to finishing this, it should be easy to get the very last of it out unlike with thicker conditioners. Hence, no need to go gangsta and pull out a knife to cut the bottle in two. Yes, thou shalt not waste!

SLIP?

Good slip for detangling!

MOISTURE & SHINE?

Yes and Yes!

Shine is something I’ve taken for granted in the past, but lately, my hair looks brightest on Wash/co-wash days. In between washes, it was a little dull looking to me. I tried tea rinsing, but I just wasn’t comfortable with the idea of leaving tea in my hair. Right now, AVJ, Bentonite clay, Honey, Conditioner and oils are regular visitors to my hair. How much is too much? I was hoping the leave-in would help shine my hair up a bit. What do you think?

Sleepy face. Ready for bed, almost midnight. 12 hours post water spritz and Over 48 hours since I used the leave-in. Is my hair shiny or nah?

PRICE

This conditioner costs 2,500 Naira for an 8 oz bottle.

I admit, it’s a little steep, for girls on a budget (like me) especially for use as a daily moisturiser for someone with super dry hair. They may run through a bottle really quickly.

However, when you read the list of all the fancy ingredients that are in this conditioner and try to consider other factors in the cost of production, and also remember the things you learnt in Economics class about small businesses and how they compare to large businesses that enjoy economies of scale, the price makes some sense.

Worth a re-purchase?

Yes, definitely.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this works as a heat protectant someday, but I can tell you this now- it delivers on moisture, shine, detangling and manageability!

Where to buy?

You can get the Natural Nigerian Moisture & Shine Leave-In Conditioner at Ahia Natural Nigerian. NN delivers anywhere in the country, but If you’re in Abuja, you can get yours directly from Natmane. Buy Nigerian! 🙂

Have you tried NN’s conditioner? Do you like it? Will you be trying it out?

Till next time,

Love,

AB

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