Brand Review: Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula

Is Palmer’s the best-scented brand in the drugstore? There isn’t a product I have used from Palmer’s that I didn’t enjoy the scent (ok so maybe 1 or 2). Palmer’s have a ton of products across Haircare, Body care and Skincare but most of the products I have used from them are from their Haircare and Bodycare collections!

As with all my brand reviews, I will also mention how to use them in a routine!

Haircare

Hair Cleansers – I absolutely love the Palmer’s Olive Oil Smoothing shampoo. The shampoo has a lot of slip and gently cleanses my hair leaving it soft. Read my full review here. They have two co-washes, one from the Coconut Oil range and the other from the Olive Oil range. I love both of them but I love the Olive Oil Formula cowash better.  I have also used the Manuka Flower Honey Strengthening Shampoo which I liked too.

Routine step- once or twice a week depending on product build up. Shampoo after pre-pooing

Rinse out Conditioners– the Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner is the perfect partner to the Olive Oil Smoothing shampoo! I also have a full review here. I also used their Manuka Flower Honey Nourishing Conditioner which I liked. I also have the Repairing Coconut Oil conditioner (new addition) but I haven’t used that yet.

Routine step- after shampooing. Leave for 5-10 mins with heat then rinse out

Leave In Conditioners/Moisturisers/Oils– From the Manuka Flower Honey range, I have used the spray Leave-In conditioner which I adore! It hydrates and it’s so quick and easy to use under protective styling. I have also used the Leave-in Conditioning Cream from this range and it’s ok. I wish it added more moisture to the hair. I have the Coconut Oil Hair Milk which is nice. It moisturises the hair and smells great but too much will leave white flakes in the hair. The Olive Oil spray Leave in conditioner is probably my fav leave in from Palmers! I used the Palmer’s Olive Oil Conditioning spray in my box braids hair care routine. Check out that post here. I also have the Olive Oil Dry Oil but I haven’t used that yet.

Routine step- leave-in conditioners on damp hair after wash day. Do not rinse out. Use before other styling products. Hair milk as a leave in or hair moisturiser. Oil- use as part or LOC or LCO method for moisturising hair. Use as a hair oil as needed.

I have the Olive Oil Edge control but I have not used it yet

Bodycare

Let’s start with something everybody has probably used before or at least every Ghanaian person lol. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lotion or the Palmers Cocoa Butter solid jar. I absolutely adore the Palmers Cocoa Butter Body Oil! It smells amazing, leaves the skin moisturised, soft and silky and isn’t too oily! It sinks into the skin quickly! It was my saviour in the summer! I also love the Palmers Cocoa Butter body scrub! The same great scent and leaves skin soft and smooth. It’s not very gritty but it gets the job done. I also had used the Palmers Coconut oil body oil. I used this in my body butter mixes. I didn’t use the Anti-Aging Smoothing lotion consistently enough to notice any results. It is a non-greasy lotion that adds some hydration but not a lot.

Routine step- after showering or as needed

Skincare

Whilst they have a good range of products in their skincare range, I have only used two products from them. Firstly their famous original ultra-moisturising lip balm! This was bae back in high school and I bought it back to back! It heals chapped lips and leaves the lips so soft. I recently fell in love with their Multi Perfecting Facial oil. Its light , moisturises and doesn’t clog pores. It also doubles up as a great body oil

Routine step- Lip balm as needed. Facial Oil- after serums and before creams

That’s all folks! Everything I have used from Palmers! I love their hair care products as much as I love their body care products! They have a good skincare collection which I would like to try more of in the future.

Are you a Palmer’s fan? Let me know your favourite product!

Other brand reviews

Bodyshop

NipFab

Palmers is sold almost everywhere! Boots, Superdrug, Sainsburys etc

Palmer’s Olive Oil Formula Replenishing Conditioner Review

 

The Palmer’s Olive Oil with Jamaican Black Castor Oil haircare collection has been designed for unruly frizz-prone hair. It’s has a moisture-rich formula for strong shiny hair. Last week, I reviewed the Smoothing Shampoo from the collection and how much I enjoyed using it. Today’s post will focus on the Replenishing Conditioner.

The Palmer’s Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner has been formulated without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil and gluten. Every product in the collection including this one has been made with 100% pure olive and Jamaican black castor oil. The addition of jbco is the main difference between the new olive oil formula and the old collection. Remember the old collection has the solid green packaging. I have a review on the old Olive Oil Cowash. A review on the new one will be up soon too.

The Replenishing Conditioner promises to increase moisture levels, smooth out frizzy hair and leave hair soft and shiny. The conditioner has a thick (medium thick) consistency and dispenses easily from the tube it comes in. When it was time to detangle, the conditioner provided just enough slip to comb through my hair with a wide tooth comb with (some) ease. This conditioner really impressed me with 1st use and I will tell you why. Going into that wash day, my hair was super dry, I hadn’t washed it for 3 weeks and moisture was basically none existent. I was also slightly nervous, I didn’t know what to expect as I was very short on time that day. I should have used something I knew softened and conditioned my hair but I went ahead with the conditioner…

While the Smoothing Shampoo did a lot to help me finger detangle and add some moisture and softness, I knew I needed something more to restore softness and penetrate deeper into to my hair. After combing the conditioner through my hair, I let it sit for 5 – 10 mins (literally) without heat. My hair felt SOFT. And SOFT. I’m really not sure what it did to my hair lol. It felt really soft and conditioned. I was SUPER IMPRESSED. 5-10 mins with no heat and I get this cloud of softness?!

Whatever it did to my hair, it lasted throughout the week! Sometimes I find that my hair loses that ‘just been conditioned’ feeling after a couple of days. But not with this conditioner (I would also say my moisturising routine helped but it’s mostly down to the conditioner I believe) my hair was still soft and conditioned. I remember feeling super happy with my hair that week and I couldn’t stop playing with it. The conditioner didn’t disappoint on the next use too.

There are only two things I don’t like about the Palmers Replenishing conditioner. 1. The scent. It has a slightly different scent to the Shampoo and Leave in conditioner. I like those scents but this one smells slightly off lol. It doesn’t linger though so I can forgive that. 2. The size. The shampoo is a massive 400ml but the conditioner is only 250ml. I would have preferred it the other way round. The size also means it has lasted two full washdays with a little left for a 3rd wash.

 

Verdict

I love this conditioner and it’s something I would buy. I feel it’s perfect for 4c natural hair: it really penetrates the hair and leaves a lasting softness to it which we are always after. The addition of pure jbco will help maintain healthy hair and scalp too. I was very impressed with it from the very first wash and the second time around it didn’t disappoint too. I also like the amount of slip the conditioner gives- it’s perfect for detangling.  I just wish the product came in a bigger size. I suppose if you didn’t detangle with it, you would use a smaller amount which means it would last you a bit longer but still a bigger size would be better.

I love this conditioner and I am looking to purchase it soon!

Palmer’s Olive Oil Formula Replenishing Conditioner is £4.19 at Superdrug. Its part of the 3 for 2 offer on black & Asian Haircare products.

I will be reviewing the Spray Leave-In Conditioner next, watch out for that post!

PR sent

The whole collection

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!