Product Review: Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque and Styling Lotion

Hey y'all!

So as I have mentioned before, I am a HUGE fan of Shea Moisture products. They have done wonders for my hair and skin and have allowed my hair to grow and to be as healthy and strong as it is now. When I found out that Shea Moisture was releasing a new Jamaican Black Castor Oil collection, I was so excited! Once it was out, I went to CVS to get some as soon as a I could! Not surprisingly, there were very little products left to choose from by the time I got to them. It seems that everyone was just as determined to get their hands on this new collection as I was! However, I did manage to pick up a jar of the Treatment Masque and Styling Lotion so that I could review it for y'all!

The main 3 ingredients included in the masque and lotion are:

-Organic Shea Butter: deeply moisturizes while conditioning hair and scalp
-Jamaican Black Castor Oil: loaded with reparative omegas that promote healthy hair growth
-Peppermint: stimulates the scalp (improves circulation of blood in the scalp)

The reason I was so excited to try this collection was because of the castor oil and the peppermint. I have read so many great things about castor oil and its ability to thicken hair and allow for healthy hair growth and I love the smell and cool feel of peppermint!

Before I give my review, here are the steps I took in washing, deep conditioning and styling:

1.) Shampooed with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention shampoo (lather, rinse, repeat)
2.) Sectioned hair into 6 parts and applied Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque to each section while detangling with a wide tooth comb. Covered hair in plastic cap for 30-45 minutes and rinsed out with cool water
3.) Applied a small amount of grapeseed oil to each section and detangled
4.) Parted hair for twists and applied Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Styling Lotion to each section for twisting.
5.) Added a perm rod to the end of each twist to secure to ends

    

While trying out these products, I was pleasantly surprised by a few things! As I added in my previous post, I am a big fan of the Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque, so a lot of the comparisons I made were to this product. So here's what I thought of the products I tried from the new Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil collection:

Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque:

Smell: 9/10 - Very light, mature scent. Similar to the African Black Soap scent, but more subtle and warm. It kind of reminds me of a warm vanilla and brown sugar smell. I really like it!

Texture/Consistency: 10/10 - Thin and spreadable. Once I applied this product to my hair, it was immediately soaked up due to its silky nature. I actually prefer a thin, silky deep conditioner because it allows me to detangle much easier, so there is less tug and pull on my hair. As I mentioned in my last post, I always add extra virgin olive oil and honey to my Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque so that it will be thinner and spread easier. I was happy that I didn't have to do this with the Black Castor Oil Masque. This product glided through my hair so easily. Also, because it spread so well, I didn't have to use a whole lot of product in order to deep condition.  I have barely made a dent in the amount of product in the jar, which is very surprising. I have a lot of hair and the 12 oz jars usually give me about 3 deep conditions. Because of the silky consistency of the Black Castor Oil Masque, I can see this lasting for about 5 or 6 deep conditions, which makes me very happy! I did feel a subtle cooling sensation on my scalp from the peppermint. Though it wasn't as much as I was hoping for, it most certainly wasn't a deal breaker.

Hair's Reaction: I definitely think my hair loved this product. After I rinsed the masque out after 30 minutes, my hair was left feeling super soft, extremely bouncy, hydrated, and light. I think this product is amazing and I can definitely see it becoming a staple of mine!

Strengthen, Grow & Restore Styling Lotion:

Smell: 10/10 - It smells just like the Treatment Masque, except for the fact that it is a little warmer. It has more of a vanilla smell to it, which makes it a little more pleasant and sweeter to me.

Texture/Consistency: 10/10 - It definitely has the feel and texture of a hair lotion. It is silky in the way that it is very smooth, yet thick in the way that it doesn't absorb directly into your hair. I liked having to smooth it in and work it in myself. Because I had to do this, it made this product great to use for detangling. Also, it was easy to style with. It didn't cause any knots or tangles, and my hair didn't clump together at all!

Hair's Reaction: I think my hair liked this lotion a lot! I wouldn't say that my hair fell in love with this product, but I definitely think it that it was really, really good! Like i said, I love the consistency of this product. The lotion is very, very light, which I love! My hair wasn't weighed down at all, which is something I always check for first and foremost. Something I did notice was that my hair wasn't very soft after it finally dried. It wasn't unbearably dry or crispy, but it didn't have the bouncy and soft feel that prefer. As far as styling goes, I tried doing flat twists all around my head using this lotion, and sadly, it turned out to be very unsuccessful. However, I don't blame the lotion and this didn't alter my view of it either. The style didn't work out partly because I did the twists on wet hair and my hair doesn't do well when I try to style when it is wet. Also, not all of the twists were fully dry when I took them out which was also a big no-no haha! With that being said, I know this product could be beyond amazing, so I'm going to keep trying it out and finding the ways to use it that will make it work best for me. I am a big fan of hair lotions, so I am looking for new ways to try to incorporate this one into my hair routine. When I find success with a certain technique/style, I will surely let y'all know!

:)

Overall, I'm actually very satisfied with this new collection. The two products I used were very light and smelled yummy! I definitely think that this collection has promise and will not disappoint. Like I said before, Shea Moisture has continuously worked wonders on my hair, so I have faith that I will be able to find a way to make the Styling Lotion work for me. I really would like to be able to get the Leave-in Conditioner, because I think that it will work well with the Styling Lotion and maybe allow for more successful styles. However, they were sold out of it when I went to CVS. I will try to go back soon to see if they have re-stocked it. Rest assured that when I get my hands on some, I will post about it! 

As always, thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog and product review! I hope you found it helpful! If not, feel free to leave any questions you have! I am always happy to answer them!

*image from Google Images