AB Loves: Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream

The first time I tried this leave-in was in October last year. Yes, I remember important moments in history like this one, and others like where I was & what I was doing the first time I heard a Taylor Swift song. Don’t ask.

I’m a little late with this one, but you could still nominate me for a Nigerian Blog Award in the Best Beauty blog category. Nominations close Sunday. It’d only take a few minutes. Please and Thank youu 🙂

Back to the matter-

When I was transitioning, this was one product that I read quite a few naturals rave about. So I decided to stock up. At first I was like ugh, what was this hype? But now that my hair is in much better condition, I take it all back. Even though the little Product junkie in me is still excited when she sees other products and she wants to try them, this is definitely one staple product I always want to have around.

My hair: twa, Kinky-coily, 4C low porosity hair.

How I Use: on damp hair, fresh after a wash. Between washes, I spritz with a water & glycerine mix.

Ingredients:

Water , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Glycine Soja Oil Soybean , Propylene Glycol , Polyquaternium 37 , Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate , PPG 1 Trideceth 6 , Cetearyl Alcohol , Glycerin , Stearalkonium Chloride , Trimethylsilylamodimethicone , Panthenol , PPG 1 PEG 9 Lauryl Glycol Ether , Lanolin Oil , Cinnamidopropyl Trimonium Chloride , Hydrolyzed Collagen , Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylamide Copolymer , Hydrolyzed Soy Protein , Benzophenone 3 , BHA , BHT , Zea Mays (Corn) OilCorn , Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate , DMDM Hydantoin , Phenoxyethanol , Fragrance (Parfum)

Worth noting: water is the first ingredient, this leave-in has glycerine & propylene glycol (both are humectants) and it has silicones.

Claims

Stops and mends hair breakage. Leaves hair soft, shiny, and manageable. Formulated for severely damaged, dry, or coarse hair

Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream is an intensive deep penetrating leave in cream conditioning treatment that is made with pure shea butter and other natural oils to stop and mend breakage, repair split ends, and add manageability and shine with every application.

When used daily, Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream helps promote strong, long healthy hair.

Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream helps:

stop and mend hair breakage, repair split ends and reduce frizz, protect hair from heat damage, hydrate and moisturize with shea butter and natural oils

My Experience

At first, I was disappointed with the cream. I moisturised and sealed with it EVERY DAY but my hair was always crispy at the end of the school day- which was an early 2pm. Classes started at 9am so this meant the product couldn’t even keep my hair moisturised and soft for 5 hours.

So I finished the first tub and pushed the second far far away and started trying out other leave-ins. Sometimes they seemed better, but my hair was still crispy halfway through my day. Then I started taking deep conditioning seriously and after some weeks of my honey & olive oil DC, my hair generally started responding much better to products.

Cantu revisited

Okay. Breakage, Split ends and Frizz are not currently problems of mine. So, I can’t speak on the efficacy of this cream on these issues.

I can tell you this: it’s a really good moisturiser but if your hair is anything like mine was, it is not going to “soften” your hair. When I say soften in this post, I’m speaking in the long term. Plain water can soften your hair now now. By softened hair, I mean hair that is more manageable and feels better conditioned.

Yes the Cantu cream has good slip, yes my hair is soft for a long time now– it has been over 12 hours since I put the leave-in in my hair and my chunky twists are still SO moisturised and soft to the touch. All I’m going to need tomorrow is a water and glycerine spritz BUT, it was weeks of moisturising deep conditioning that put my hair in a better position to work with products. So, it’s a great moisturiser BUT from my experience, I can’t tell you that it’s going to be the great magical cream to soften your hair.

The thing that has really made me declare this conditioner a firm staple for me is the price.

I appreciate all the stores out here, I do- but for this girl on a budget, I like to consider all possible options to get my stuff. Honestly, the only hair products I enjoy buying in Nigeria are natural oils and other handmade stuff. For commercial stuff like leave-ins and other conditioners, the differences in the prices just like everything that’s imported here, can be a little too much. Yep, I know the struggles of doing business here can be tough, you’re trying to run a business and break even, but where I can, I prefer to find someone to help me bring them over from the obodos.

This conditioner costs a nice $5 for a 16 oz/473ml tub. In Nigeria, I’ve seen it in the 2000+ price range- so I leave it to you again to decide if it makes sense within your budget or not. 🙂

THE CONS

I’ve been gushing so much, I almost forgot to mention the one thing I don’t like about this product! My hair doesn’t absorb it well as it does other products. If I am anything but generous, it’s not enough. And when I apply as my hair desires, it takes a while to sink in. White patch galore. If you don’t have time for it to absorb/dry before stepping out, people are likely to tell you you’ve got soap in your hair.

Also, I don’t care much for the smell- it’s a little too sweet but I’ve since become used to it.

You can get this leave-in through Dabs’ monthly import window on her blog, Naija Hair Can Grow, or from Sizzelle Store, or at Casabella. Don’t know where to find Casabella? Just go here.

Till next time,

Love,

AB

xx