HAIR CLEANSERS – sarah fynn

Cantu GrapeSeed Shampoo and Conditioner Review

The Cantu brand has a special place in every black girl’s hair product collection. I’ve known of Cantu even from my relaxed days and I have used many of their products.

The new Grapeseed collection features 7 products in total and I received 5. For this wash day, I decided to add the new shampoo and conditioner to my routine.

Conditioner

My hair has been in braids for 4 weeks prior so I wanted to start with detangling first. The conditioner is light and runny and has enough slip. I used a good amount on each section of my hair, using a wide tooth comb from the ends to the roots of hair. The conditioner smells great and does a good job of detangling. Since I was using this just for detangling, I didn’t leave it on my hair too long but after I washed it out, my hair felt softer

Shampoo

The shampoo lathers up well and felt gentle on the scalp. It’s formulated with shea butter and grapeseed oil. I loved it. It rinses out easily too. I always go in with 2 washes and it didn’t dry out my hair. The lather is produces was ok for finger detangling.

Verdict

This collection is for curly, coily and wavy hair and it worked really well for my 4c hair. It’s a good shampoo and conditioner if you are looking to try some new ones. I’ve had no issues with it. I love the scent and the performance did not disappoint me

Cantu GrapeSeed Shampoo is £7.99 on lookfantastic

Cantu GrapeSeed Conditioner is £7.99 on lookfantastic

Mielle Organics Detangling Cowash review

Finding a good cowash is great: one that gently cleanses the hair has enough slip and conditions the hair is the dream. I have tried a few co-washes and I love only 3!

Today’s post will be a full review on the Mielle Organics Detangling Cowash. I was gifted this at a BrownBeauty event some time ago.

What the brand says:

A natural co-wash that detangles and nourishes your hair all in one treatment.

Controls frizz and makes detangling easy
Lightweight formula
Safe for daily use

Mielle’s Detangling Co-Wash is one of the best products we have to offer for beautiful hair. Not only does this natural co-wash remove impurities without stripping your hair of its natural oils, but it also encourages longer, stronger, healthier hair. Use our organic formula to gently cleanse and condition your hair between shampoos, and over time, you can experience less breakage, shedding, and fewer knots. Whether you have thin, thick, or curly hair, you can enjoy easy detangling and better length retention.

Experience

So I normally co-wash when my hair is dry and somewhat detangled or when I have a slick bun and I quickly want to get rid of the gel but I don’t want to commit to a full shampoo and condition. Co washes for me are ‘one step’- cleanse, detangle and condition in one quick go!

With that in mind, I am disappointed with the Mielle Detangling Co-wash. For a detangling co-wash, I didn’t get enough slip from it, I had to use a lot of product in order to get some slip for detangling. I have 4c natural hair but I have found co-washes that gave enough slip to detangle. In terms of cleansing power, the co-wash doesn’t lather which I don’t mind and it does gently cleanse hair. As for conditioning the hair, I don’t find it leaves my hair as soft as I thought it would be. I have used shampoos that left my hair softer.

Verdict

I have only used one other product from the brand which was the Mint Oil which I absolutely loved. I was really looking forward to this cowash but unfortunately, I didn’t get on with it. For my 4c natural hair, I didn’t think it provided enough detangling and conditioning. This is a shame because they specifically market it as a detangling cowash for dry hair. Perhaps a loser curl pattern may gain more from this.

Organix Quenching Coconut Curls Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Let’s take break from skincare reviews and focus on hair care. Today’s post will be a full review on the Organix Quenching Coconut Curls Shampoo & conditioner. I was gifted this product a very long time ago and I have only gotten round to using it.

Organix Quenching Coconut Curls has coconut and citrus oil as well as sweet honey to help enhance natural curls and boost shine. It promises to soften hair whilst gently cleansing and conditioning it

Experience

Shampoo

The shampoo has a very thick consistency and smells great (tropical coconut obviously), it produces a lot of lather even with a fair amount and surprisingly I can finger detangle, even comb through (slowly, gently and in smaller sections) with the foam. I always do a double rinse and this shampoo leaves my hair and scalp well cleansed but not stripped. The shampoo rinses clean and easily

Conditioner

Following with the Quenching conditioner, this product has the same pleasant scent as the shampoo and a thick creamy consistency. Again the conditioner offers a good amount of slip for detangling using a good amount. Whilst I like the shape of the bottle, because of the thick consistency of the conditioner, the shape made it slightly difficult to squeeze out especial when I was trying to get the last bits of it lol. I usually leave it on for 10-15 mins, and it rinses well and leaves my hair soft.

Did it enhance my curls? No, but most shampoos that claim to do this never do on my kinky hair anyway. Did I see some kinky curl definition? In some parts yes (a few strands clumped together) which just means my hair is well hydrated and moisturised but it wasn’t a wash and go defined curls. I wasn’t expecting curl definition anyway.

Verdict

It’s worth using definitely, it leaves my hair which tends to be dry well conditioned and moisturised. I like the slip from both the shampoo and conditioner so it means I can detangle as I go along. The shampoo does well to cleanse excess product build up and dirt and the conditioner provides enough slip to detangle and helps to soften the hair. They both smell great but don’t linger too much. Will you get curl definition no, at least not for 4c hair anyway.

These are available on Boots for £6.99 each

L’Oréal Extraordinary Curl Nourishment Shampoo review

The first of its kind from L’Oréal, the Elvive Extraordinary Curl Nourishment collection has been specially formulated for drug afro/curly hair. The collection has a shampoo, rinse out conditioner and hair mask. I was gifted the shampoo and conditioner some time ago (about 2 years smh) and I am only getting around to using them. This post will be a full review on the Curl Nourishment Shampoo which I have been using for the past 2 months.

The Curl Nourishment shampoo has been formulated with alma oil and 6 other oils and promises to provide supreme nourishment, vibrant shine and defined curls

Experience

I have been using this shampoo for the last 2 months or so for wash days. It is a thick creamy formula which smells amazing.

I usually do two rinses with the Curl Nourishment shampoo (and all other shampoos tbh) the first rinse is on dry hair and focus on my scalp, I add some water to help me massage and move the product around, then I rinse out, for the second rinse I had a bit more product and also focus on the scalp and use the suds to wash the hair and detangle. This shampoo produces a lot of suds which helps me to finger detangle the hair easily. The shampoo lathers really easily, even on the first rinse and leaves my hair and scalp very clean. My hair feels very soft afterwards, almost like I have conditioned it.

Verdict

This is a very good shampoo for my 4c hair and I am in love with it. Its smells amazing and you don’t need a lot of product to clean the hair. I have had my hair out for the last months and there has been more on a few times I would go into wash day with very dry brittle hair, this shampoo not only helps to clean my hair but it also leaves it feeling conditioned. I really like the fact that I can easily finger detangle with this product. Overall my hair feels very soft, clean. It doesn’t define my curls but then again I have 4c natural hair, do I see my coils pattern, yes but its nothing I haven’t seen before after using a good shampoo.

I would recommend this shampoo for 4c natural hair. It has SLS in it so if you are trying to avoid sulfates in your shampoo then you may want to steer clear of this. I do not find this shampoo drying at all in fact it’s quite conditioning due to the oils in it.

However, if you want a sulfate free shampoo, this won’t be for you.

L’Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Curl Nourishment Shampoo is £ 4.99 on Fragrance Direct. For some reason, I can’t find this on Boots/Superdrug online but you can get it in stores

ORS Black Olive Oil Repair 7 Shampoo Review

ORS released the Black Olive oil collection back in 2016 but I haven’t heard much about it. I was gifted the collection back then and I have only come round to using it (smh). The Black Olive Oil collection has a shampoo, conditioner and oil elixir and features their trademarked repair 7 formula. This post is a full review on the shampoo.

ORS Black Olive Oil Repair 7 Shampoo is a sulfate free shampoo and promises to cleanse and strengthen all hair textures. The 7 benefits are thermal protection, shine, frizz control, anti breakage, strengthens, reconstructs and adds body.

Experience

I have been using the shampoo since December 2018 and I have just a little left for 2 or 3 wash days. The shampoo comes in a big 370ml bottle which will last ages. Although it’s a sulfate free shampoo, this lathers up really well with a small amount. This shampoo looks like it has some shimmer in it although there is no shimmer in my hair. The shampoo and infact the whole collection smells absolutely amazing.

I really love this shampoo for my 4c natural hair because I find it gently cleanses my hair and scalp without stripping it off moisture. Infact, my hair feels very soft no matter how dry my hair is going into that washday. The lather this shampoo produces is very good for finger detangling so I always finger detangle before detangling further with a wide tooth comb and conditioner.

As for the 7 benefits, I do not use heat on my hair so I can’t comment on thermal protection. My hair doesn’t look any shinier, I don’t have frizzy hair and I’m not sure if it adds body because I have natural hair that shrinks in contact with water. As for anti-breakage, I can say it does reduce breakage during the shampooing process.

Verdict

The shampoo promises to be for all hair textures and I can say it really works well on my natural 4c hair and on my wigs. I really love this shampoo because it’s great for finger detangling, softens my hair and you only really need a small amount. It has effective cleansing power without over stripping the hair.

I will bring you reviews on the conditioner as well.

I haven’t seen these in store but if you do come across them I definitely recommend!

More hair reviews:

Garnier Olive oil collection

Aunt Jackie’s Oh so Clean, Moisturising & Softening Shampoo Review

Aunt Jackie’s is a natural hair care brand that has been around for some time. They are more known in the US than here in the UK and I came across them when I attended an event a few years back. I have used their Anti-Poof Moisturising and Softening conditioner previously and I thought it was ok. I preferred more as a Cowash (can be used as so) than a moisturising conditioner and I remember it has a good amount of slip.

This post will be a full review on the Oh so Clean, moisturising & softening shampoo. The shampoo has been enriched with coconut and extra virgin olive oils and shea butter to soften the hair. It also promises detangling hair bath to help you detangle.

Experience

The shampoo has a pleasant scent and it’s thick and very slimy. Overall my experience with that was a bit of an anti-climax.

The shampoo promises to add moisture and soften the hair. I was eager to use this as with 4c natural hair my hair can get very dry quickly. The shampoo was ok but I have definitely used better. It doesn’t strip my hair/scalp of its natural oils but I was expecting so much more from the ‘hair bath’. It does a good job of cleansing. In terms of detangling, the shampoo lathers up really well even with a fair amount and helps to finger detangle. It isn’t the most detangling shampoo I have used but it helps

Verdict

I wish the hole dispenser was smaller. As the shampoo is very slimy, a lot comes out when dispensed and you really only need a small amount. The hole isn’t very big but I think a smaller hole would have been better. I think the Aunt Jackie’s shampoo is an ok shampoo for natural hair. I was expecting more from this but I was a bit let down by its performance. It cleanses well and some moisture and softens the hair but for me, I have used better which is why I think I am very critical of the shampoo.

Aunt Jackie’s Oh so Clean, moisturising & softening shampoo is £6.99 and available on Amazon

Other shampoo reviews

Palmer’s Olive Oil Shampoo

Crème of Nature Argan Oil Moisture and Shine Shampoo Review

Crème of Nature has been a brand that’s been around for a while! I love their products especially the Argan Oil Collection! It performs well and it smells great. Whilst I haven’t tried a lot of products from the brand, what I have tried I have loved! One of my fav spray leave-in conditioners is from Crème of Nature, check out the review here

Today’s post will be a full review on the Crème of Nature Argan Oil Moisture and Shine Shampoo. This is a sulfate free shampoo that promises to gently cleanse the hair, help detangle whilst adding shine, softness and strength to the hair. It’s been formulated with Argan oil from Morocco.

Experience

I have had this shampoo for a while and I have been using it on and off as I had older products to get through. For the last month and a half though, I have been using it consistently and I am now out of it. This shampoo has the same great scent as the rest of the products in the Argan Oil collection.

The shampoo has a thick consistency and a fair amount gives a lot of suds. I really like this shampoo because it really softens my hair. I have been wearing my hair out a lot lately and been quite lazy to moisturise it, actually I have chosen a slick bun as my protective style so it’s quite difficult to properly moisture without having to take it apart and start again so it’s safe to say going into my weekly wash days, my hair has been dry. The shampoo gently cleanses my hair and scalp and softens it.

In terms of detangling, I think this shampoo provided enough slip for finger detangling which I absolutely love. It always makes subsequent detangling with conditioner and a comb easier and quicker even when my hair is tangled quite a bit. I think I took a while to use it because it thought it wasn’t suitable for natural hair so I was only using it on my wigs for a while. It also performed really well on them

Verdict

An excellent choice of shampoo for all hair textures including natural hair. I really like how it softens my hair and helps me detangle it. The scent is a bonus. One thing I will comment though is the texture of the shampoo changed in the last few months I was using it HOWEVER I have also used it on and off for 2 years (don’t judge me) or maybe longer and once a product is opened there is a best before time period to use it by. It still worked absolutely fine anyway but just something to note if you have had this shampoo for a while and it looks like it has changed textured.

I will recommend this.

Crème of Nature Argan Oil Moisture and Shine Shampoo is £4.99 at Superdrug

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Review

Garnier is probably one of my favourite drugstore brands, their skincare collection is budget-friendly and effective. I have never tried any of their haircare products, I tend to stick to products made for natural hair but I received a beautiful package from them last year (or was it the year before? its been a while basically) so I decided to give it ago. I have had the Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Collection for a while and I have been busy using it so I can how share my full thoughts on it and how it performs on natural afro hair

What is it?

The Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil has been formulated for dry brittle hair and blended with virgin olive oil and safflower seed oil. Made with no parabens and promises to nourish and smooth hair without weighing it down. It leaves hair easier to detangle and soft to touch.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Collection has a shampoo, Rinse out conditioner and a hair balm/treatment

Experience

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Shampoo

The shampoo has a lovely scent comes in a generous 360ml bottle. I wasn’t expecting much from this shampoo but I have been pleasantly surprised by it and I really like it. It suds up well, a little goes a long way and it helps me finger detangle my hair! I can tell it adds moisture to my hair as my curls look so defined with it! for a shampoo that suds up a lot, it doesn’t leave my hair and scalp dry at all. My hair is really left softer and well cleansed. This shampoo also works great on curly hair extensions and straight hair textures as well.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Conditioner & Hair Balm

I didn’t use the conditioners a lot on my hair because I didn’t expect much once again so when I did finally try it on my hair, I only had enough for two applications! It does provide enough slip to detangle with and really helps leave my hair soft and conditioned! I used this mostly on my wigs and it conditioned them really well and gave a lovely lustre to them. The balm does work like a hair mask/treatment so it penetrates deeper and left longer on the hair than the rinse out conditioner. (post explaining the difference between deep conditioners and conditioners here)

Overall thoughts

I really love this collection and the Olive Oil makes this superb for dry natural hair. My 4c hair is dry and very brittle so this collection was the perfect antidote for it. I wish I used the conditioners on my hair earlier so I could have benefited from them too but ah well my wigs got most of it. I love all 3 products but I think the shampoo a bit more as it leaves my hair super soft, cleansed and the fact that I can finger detangle with it is a huge bonus!

Do I approve it for natural afro hair? Yes and Yes! The products are very affordable and they work. They also work great for curly hair extensions so if you are looking for something to help maintain your extensions without drying them out (because most of the time shampoos and curly hair doesn’t go well) then this collection will work great.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil products start from £3.99 at Boots

Palmer’s Olive Oil Formula Smoothing Shampoo Review

The new and improved Palmer’s Olive Oil Formula now comes with Jamaican Black Castor oil. Palmer’s sent me the whole Olive Oil Formula collection (Thank you Palmers!) and I am working my way through them reviewing each product. I have had the products for a while now and it’s time for a review on the Smoothing Shampoo! It has been designed for unruly, frizz-prone hair with no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil and gluten. With 100% pure olive and Jamaican black castor oil.

Kudos to Palmers for this shampoo! From the very first wash, this shampoo blew me away. Here’s the background to that. I hadn’t washed my hair for 3 weeks! (gurl) and I had product build up, especially around my hairline- edge control, gels etc. I had my wigs on but I wasn’t finding enough time to properly moisturise my hair underneath. So my hair was super dry, with product build-up and tangled! Plus on that particular wash day, I was short on time. So with all that I went against my better judgement: which was to use a trusted shampoo I knew could get the job done instead of trying a new one. I’m not quite sure why I went ahead with the Palmers shampoo but I am glad I did!

The shampoo is very runny but it suds up really well. I found the scent pleasant although I don’t think it smells like olive or Jamaican black castor oil. It also had enough slip for finger detangling and it was easy to pull out shed hair and detangle whilst shampooing. I was super impressed on how soft it left my hair after the first rinse. On the second rinse, my hair was clumping which is an indication for me that it is getting moisture! My hair felt smooth, I could see some coils/curls and my scalp was clean. My dry and tangled hair before shampooing were back to its moisturised detangled self! By the end of shampooing that day, I had a lot of shedding which I was expecting, but my hair felt so soft and clean without feeling stripped of its natural oils.

The shampoo didn’t fail the next time I used it. Same slip for detangling and it delivered the same moisture and softness to my hair. Less shedding this time as I properly moisturised my hair but I must say, the combo of this shampoo with the Replenishing Conditioner ( review up shortly) left my hair so soft through the week. Because I had a bit more time to shampoo the next time around, I noticed the Palmer’s Smoothing Shampoo actually produces a lot of suds on the first rinse. With little product build up, you can actually get away with one rinse! I can’t comment on whether it controlled or reduced friss as I dont have frizzy hair but my hair felt smooth and soft and clean and i was happy with that lol.

Verdict- this is a very good shampoo with pure oils that suit natural hair. I would say be careful with it as it’s very runny so it’s easy to waste it by pouring too much of it! But they compensate by giving you a big bottle: 400ml of product which will last you a long time. The shampoo delivers on its promises and so far it’s one of my favourite products in the Palmers Olive Oil Formula collection!

This is something I would definitely buy and I will confidently recommend it for 4c natural hair! For a quick review on the Palmer’s Olive Oil Conditioning Spray oil and how I use it, refer to my Box Braids Haircare routine post

Get it from most Afro hair shops or online on Superdrug its currently £3.99 and part of a 3 for 2 deal on all Black Haircare products!

I have a review on the Replenishing Conditioner coming soon. I am also using the Leave in conditioner and gathering my thoughts on that which I will also bring to you guys soon!

My DNA Hydrating Cowash Review

It seems like such a long time ago I did a hair edit or a hair product review! Although I have been focusing on my skin a lot, I haven’t neglected my hair! Today’s post will be hair product review and judging by the title, we will be talking about the Hydrating Cowash from My DNA.

My DNA Hydrating Cowash is a cleansing conditioner formulated for all natural hair textures and jam packed with natural ingredients like Monoi de Tahiti, aloe vera juice, tamanu seed oil and jojoba seed oil among many others. It softens, strengthens and removes excess product build up, dirt and oils.

It can also be used as a conditioner for a conditioning treatment

Experience

I have a lot of good things to say about this cowash. The texture is creamy and thick and the scent is amazing! It gives a good amount of slip and makes detangling a breeze, bear in mind I have 4c kinky coily hair which shrinks on contact with water!

The cleansing action of the cowash is pretty good too. I feel my hair and scalp is left clean and any oils in my hair (Pre poo oils & excess oil build up) are gently removed as well as any gel/edge control build up.

For the conditioning treatment, I usually leave this on and cover with a plastic bag for 5-10 mins. It’s great for a light conditioning treatment and it leaves my hair really soft. I don’t feel the need to follow up with a deep conditioner after using this cowash.

Verdict

This co wash is great for a quick and easy wash day routine! It’s great for detangling, gentle cleansing and light conditioning. As with any cowash, I won’t recommend it for heavy product build up as it’s not designed for that. This one is great for light to medium build-up without stripping your hair of moisture. It also works great for curly hair extensions! If you’re in search for a cowash with great slip, this one has plenty to help you detangle with ease!

I would definitely recommend this!

My DNA Hydrating Cowash is £6.95 at British Curlies

I have more hair posts coming your way soon! But for now, check out these great old ones

Cantu Natural Hair Collection

ApHogee Vs ApHogee

Winter Natural Hair Routine

Your needs shall be met