Product Review: Alberto Balsam Herbal Conditioner

Empty, and Full

You see two bottles in that picture not because it was the bomb oh.

I liked using it to co-wash my weave, so I got another bottle to do more weave washing, and give it a proper run on my hair in its full kinky-coily 4C low porosity glory.

Ingredients:

Aqua(Water) Cetyl Alcohol, Cyclomethicone, Juniperus Communis Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Stearalkonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Glyceryl Stearate, Benzophenone-4, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat, Disodium EDTA, Methylisothiazolinone, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Benzoate, Butylphenyl Methyl Propional, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Parfum (Fragrance) Cl17200 (Red 33) Cl 18050.

Worth noting: this conditioner is sulfate and paraben free. Cetyl alcohol is a good fatty alcohol. And, water is its first ingredient. Though I missed this earlier, it contains a silicone, Cyclomethicone.

My Experience

I used this conditioner as an instant rinse-out conditioner, and occasionally as a leave-in.

First, the good things:

It has good slip for detangling, and I like the light berry scent.

The bottle isn’t made of a firm kind of plastic. It can be easily squeezed and I love this.

The conditioner itself is not too thick, so this combined with the bottle’s squeezability makes it easy for you to get everything out.

I got this here in Calabar at Valuemart Supermarket for 500 naira only. And on the internet, I saw it retailing in a UK store for about £1. At the price point, I’m really impressed with the Ingredients list.

However. As nice as it was for my weave, it didn’t do much for my ‘fro. 😦

My roommate used it too, and she didn’t like it. Seriously, Hello Hydration has set the bar so high for us. Any less from any conditioner, is just. not. acceptable.

From my experience and hers, it wasn’t very moisturising. Gentelle ‘Hair Fruits’ is my go-to conditioner when I’m down and out. At 250 naira it is super cheap and I’m yet to live in a place where it can’t be easily found. I’d rate it 3/5 for moisture (average, just good), but because of the quality of the Ingredient list of the Alberto Balsam conditioner, I was actually considering moving on to it. But will I be? Definitely not. It costs twice as much as Hair Fruits and I’d rate it 2/5 or 2.5. Below average. I’ll pass.

If you see this around and you want to try it, go ahead. Especially if you’re relaxed or you have looser curls. It really was wonderful on my hair extensions. But in future, if our paths cross again, I’ll just spare myself the stress and use this as a detangler. It was okay as a leave-in, sha. 3/5 for that.

A few posts ago, when I first wrote about this conditioner, I stated that it smelled super familiar. I went digging, and from my small research, it appears that Alberto Balsam conditioners are the same as V05 conditioners. Both are former Alberto Culver brands, now under the ownership of Unilever. So, V05 is Alberto Balsam in some countries. I tried a V05 Moisture Milks conditioner (Strawberries & Cream) last year, and I remember feeling the same, so I have a strong feeling that they really could be the same thing.

The good news is, if you’re a V05 fan, when you don’t see your beloved Moisture Milks conditioner, you can grab the Alberto Balsam Moisture Splash range instead, if it’s available.

Have you tried this conditioner? What are your thoughts?

P.S. Natural in Paradise is this Saturday!! If you’re in Calabar, you really shouldn’t miss this! Details over here! 🙂

Love,

AB,

xx