If y’all missed my DevaCurl review last week, I wanted to test the full potential of just those products alone, and therefore skipped deep conditioning.
A stupid, horrible fucking mistake.
I could’ve taken pictures to show how much of a frizzed, tangled puffball I looked like by day 3, but I was so frustrated and embarrassed by how bad my hair got so quickly. I just shoved it all into an amalgamation of braids/buns until wash day. It was like an unholy cross-breed of Cousin It and Kuriboh.
Yeah, I’m too lazy to buy Photoshop. Just use your imagination.
So I learned my lesson the hard way. Never skipping deep conditioner ever again.
After pondering over my little dragon hoard of hair masks, the one which most caught my attention was Shea Moisture’s Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Treatment Masque. “Hydrate and Replenish Extra Dry Hair?” Well, let’s put that to the test.
This darling packet includes coconut oil, shea butter, mafura seed oil, honey, hydrolyzed rice protein, baobab seed oil, avocado oil, fig extract, mango seed butter, and aloe extract. It’s already off to a good start with some rocking natural ingredients advertised as the perfect blend of nutrients, antioxidants and what-have-you to restore and lock in moisture. The scent is very light with the coconut oil standing out the most– it’s very similar to their 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Masque and leaves your hair smelling so sweet and fruity. As usual, the masque has a wonderfully thick consistency and applies spectacularly to get those stray tangles you missed with your regular conditioner.
As an added bonus, this was the first hair mask where I tried out my new deep conditioning cap I got for Christmas! My sister’s fiance got me a microwaveable cap from Glow by Daye, and from one use, it already works 100 times better at absorbing product than wrapping my hair in a turban and running a hair dryer over it. If you can make the investment for a deep conditioning cap, I definitely recommend it. It’ll make the perfect addition to your hair routine.
After rinsing, putting in stylers, and air-drying, here are the final results!
So, sooooo much better than what my hair’s been in the past couple weeks; super defined, minimal frizz, soft and voluminous! I also styled with Shea Moisture’s Coconut Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Curling Gel Souffle which has proven to be the best styler combo for hold and moisture without heaviness or crunch. I’ve never been happier with my curls!
This was also a hell of a week to test my hair’s versatility with the sudden cold, rainy and windy weather here in Northern California. Given that I commute everywhere and have to walk forever to get to a bus stop, I was worried my hair would immediately suffer, especially since I had to shove it in a hood most days. But to my surprise, I didn’t have to add more of the smoothie until day 4 and only on day 5 did I have to put my hair in a protective style.
Here’s my day 4 hair for reference.
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God. Damn. I never had my hair last longer than 3 days without morphing into total a rats’ nest, so I’m thoroughly impressed!
The Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil definitely takes 100% Virgin Coconut Oil’s place as one of Shea Moisture’s best hair masques I tried thus far. If you’re really struggling to keep in moisture, you exhausted every other treatment, and the weather is being absolutely unkind to your hair, you gotta give this masque a go.
It’s a perfect 10/10 from me!