I first received products from the 100% Virgin Coconut Oil collection in one of my Sheabassador boxes earlier this year. I got the Rehydration Treatment Masque, which I immediately fell in love with, and a selection of skincare products from this line as well. When I received another product from this line - the Daily Hydration Styling Gel - in my last box, I decided to go all out and purchase the shampoo, conditioner and leave-in spray as well.
I can safely say after using these products for several weeks that this line works as well if not BETTER for my hair than the Coconut & Hibiscus line, which for me is the OG curly hair line! I have used tons of natural hair products over the last year plus that I really started taking care of my curls - both Shea Moisture and other brands - and had yet to find products that my curls liked as much as the Coconut & Hibiscus line until now, so I am really excited to review these products for you guys!
The smell of these products is a HUGE draw for me, as scent is a major determining factor of me purchasing and actually using products, especially for my hair! There are tons of products that other curly girls swear by which I refuse to use because I just do NOT like how they smell! Although the line is called 100% Virgin Coconut Oil, it is the least "coconutty" smell of all the other coconut products I have tried. It has a very sweet smell, and definitely reminds me more of coconut milk than coconut oil or fake coconut smell - which makes sense, because coconut milk is one of the main ingredients.
RANDOM SIDE STORY: When I first went natural, I went through years of experimentation which would give any curly girl nightmares (it still give me them 😭). Shortly after cutting my hair from my waist to shoulder length, I followed my roommates grand idea of ditching hair products and following this "no poo" method she found online that involved "shampooing" with a baking soda mixture and "conditioning" with an ACV mixture. Terrible idea. Aside from the fact that my hair was ALWAYS dry, I realized after a whole ass year of doing this that the baking soda and ACV combination was straight up relaxing my hair!!! So that whole year I could have been growing my hair out and having luscious curls and instead was fucking them up. Le sigh. I bet you are wondering wtf this has to do with the review. We're almost there! Anyway, after I stopped that nonsense, I was still anti-hair products cuz I was a hippie and such. So I tried using the ACV as shampoo and then using coconut milk as conditioner. Like, straight from the can. Now my hair wasn't dry all the time - it went between being WAY too dry and WAY too greasy. Thank god I finally came to my senses and found a good organic shampoo and conditioner at the natural grocery store! And clearly we have come a long way since then - but all that is just to say I am happy I found a way to incorporate coconut milk into my haircare routine in a way that's a BIT more effective.
Ok props to you if you read that story, if not no worries we are here now. Back to the review! The other ingredients listed on these products are coconut oil and acacia senegal. I have no idea what that is, but sounds fancy! Here are the benefits of each of these ingredients:
Coconut Oil
Antioxidant Vitamin E nourishes, while natural Triglycerides help retain moisture
Coconut Milk
Conditioning properties smooth and soften hair
Acacia Senegal
Locks in moisture to support hair elasticity and suppleness
Now let's get into the actual products! They are designed to cleanse & nourish ALL hair types, and they are all free of sulfates, phthalates, parabens, propylene glycol, mineral oil and petrolatum. No nasty stuff in these products!
Daily Hydration Shampoo: This sulfate-free shampoo is the perfect solution for cleansing your hair without stripping it of its natural oils! It foams up pretty well for a sulfate-free shampoo, and left my hair feeling super soft and moisturized even before conditioning! I was even able to run my fingers through my hair and start detangling with it - although at this length, my hair is fairly easy to detangle anyway. Although it's probably does not have anything to do with how well it works, it has a really pretty pearlescent look to it that I love! // $8.99 for 10.3 oz at Target
Daily Hydration Conditioner: This conditioner is not only super moisturizing, but has AMAZING slip! It immediately softened my hair and made the rest of detangling a breeze, while also smelling incredible. After leaving it on my hair for about five minutes in the shower, my hair felt very well conditioned and hydrated, which I find that not all rinse out conditioners do! Also, it has a squeeze bottle like the shampoo which I LOVE - I feel like some shampoo and conditioner bottles make it impossible to get the last bits of product out at the end! // $8.99 for 10.3 oz at Target
Rehydration Treatment Masque: As I said before, I got this product in one of my first Sheabassador boxes and have been obsessed ever since, so I like to use it every time I use the matching shampoo and conditioner. As a side note, I use some sort of deep conditioner or treatment EVERY wash day, since I only wash once or twice a week, so the fact that I use this does not mean that the daily hydration conditioner ain't shit! Anyway, this masque is SUPER thick and creamy, but surprisingly has a lot of slip! After twenty minutes in my hair under two shower caps, this left my hair feeling like SILK! // $13.49 for 12 oz at Ulta
Leave-In Treatment: I put this on as my leave-in after rinsing out the masque and drying my hair a TINY bit with a microfiber towel, just because the product is liquid so I don't want to start on dripping wet hair. Even though the formula is thin, it is very hydrating and also has amazing slip, so I didn't feel like was just spraying some watered down product. Since my hair is thinner than it used to be, I like the idea of a spray leave-in to get moisture without weighing it down, so that I can still have tons of volume. What I also LOVE about this leave-in spray is that you can ACTUALLY spray it! Some spray bottles are literally just for show - SMH. All around, I was VERY happy with this product, especially because I was so excited to try it! // $9.99 for 8 oz at Target
Daily Hydration Styling Gel: Last but not least is this gel, which I received in my most recent box. I was immediately excited to try it, not just because of the smell, but because I have been searching high and low for a gel that I could replace the Coconut & Hibiscus Gel Souffle with when I wanted something a LITTLE less tropical smelling (I know, I'm weird). Honestly, this gel did NOT disappoint! The texture is similar to flax seed gel, which essentially means that it's not runny, it's not thick and gooey, but somewhere in between. It is super easy to distribute, with a good amount of slip (especially for a gel) and I can tell that it is moisturizing as well. It gave me exactly the amount of hold I needed, without being too crunchy or too weak. Normally, I would be nervous about just using a leave-in spray and a gel to style, but the combo was amazing - it left my hair super shiny, defined and SOFT! // $11.49 for 8 oz at Ulta
As you can see, I am OBSESSED with this line, and love the results I get with them! They kept my curls popping all summer, so I am excited to see if they hold up in the winter when my hair is the driest. I hope you guys enjoyed this review - let me know what you think down in the comments below! 💕
