Review: Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Souffle

Ever since I first posted about Shea Moisture coming to Walgreens back in April (their products are also available at Target and select Walmarts), I've been excited to try some of their hair products. The fact that they're free of basically every controversial ingredient under the sun, cruelty-free, vegan and made with fair-trade ingredients makes them extremely enticing. Oh, it's rare to see a styling product at the drugstore without silicones OR alcohol, and this one doesn't contain either.

I recently received some Shea Moisture haircare products for review, and today I'd like to show you the Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Souffle:

Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Souffle

(retail: $9.99, 12 oz)

It's hard to tell in my pics, but this is a LARGE tub of product (12 oz). So you get your money's worth since you really don't need much per application (more on that in a bit).

 

Now that you've had a chance to read up a bit on this product (I love that the label is packed with so much useful info), I'd like to first talk about the texture of this "souffle":

When I see the word "souffle" in a haircare product, I immediately think of something that's opaque and has a whipped texture. So I was a bit surprised to see that this looks like a gel when you open the lid. HOWEVER, it does not feel like a traditional hair gel! It's got a consistency that I can only describe as unique, and I love the feel of it on my fingers. It's like jello, but more stiff--almost like finger jello! You kind of have to "punch" your fingers down into the tub in order to break the seal and scoop some into your palm. It's one of those things that you really need to experience yourself to understand, but I think it's kind of neat!

This is about a tablespoon of product on the back of my hand. Notice how the "scoop" seems to hold its form and not really start spreading out on my hand once it comes in contact with the warmth of my skin.

Here's another tablespoon size amount, but this time on a piece of paper. With some gel-like haircare products, there's so much water in them that you'd be able to see a puddle of water on the paper. Not this stuff! The water content is lower, so the paper never really got wet while I was taking these pictures.

Before I show you some photos of my hair after using this product, let's talk about my hair (sorry longtime readers--you can skip this part): My hair is long and fine in texture but I've got a lot of it. It's naturally wavy and I can get medium-sized ringlets with the right products. My hair is color-treated and oily at the roots but dry at the ends.

I realize that I am not the prime candidate for this product, since the label clearly states that it's for "thick, curly hair". Shea Moisture products are also great for women of color and those of mixed ethnicity, and since I am neither, I can't give you the insight that I would like to be able to give you. But I can tell you my personal experience and hopefully that can help you a tiny bit in determining whether or not you might want to give this product a shot!

So let's take a look at my FIRST attempt at using this product:

I used WAY too much product my first time around. After reading the directions (see label above), I decided I wanted to apply this to wet hair to get the "riotous curls" that the label said I would get (if you apply it to damp hair, the curls will be a bit more subdued). But I used too much product on my first attempt, and the result was that crunchy look that was popular in the early 90s but yeah...it's not a good look in 2011.

Even though my hair looks crunchy in the above pics, it actually didn't FEEL crunchy. The coconut oil in this product provides a LOT of moisture, so my hair actually felt a bit greasy after it dried.

After trying this product a few more times, I finally determined the amount I need for my hair: one teaspoon. These pics were taken after I found the magic amount needed to give me some nice, soft curls:

Aaaah! Much better! I love that my hair looks soft, feels soft, and no frizzies or flyaways. Also, because this product has a lot of moisturizing ingredients, it gave my hair some extra shine, which was an added bonus.

I know all of you curly and wavy haired girls out there probably want to know how my hair was on day two, right? Well, I have NEVER had good "day two" hair, which is one of the reasons I pretty much wash my hair daily. Day Two after using this product wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. My hair still had some definition and it wasn't frizzed out or fluffy, but it certainly didn't look like Day One. I think that if I had the patience to wet my hair on Day Two and gently scrunch it, it probably would have looked much better. But sorry, I don't have that type of patience!

One more thing: the fragrance of this product is a well-kept secret. Shea Moisture does not use synthetic fragrance in their products and if you look at the label, it just says "proprietary essential oil blend." In other words, it's a special blend and they're not sharing it with us! To my nose, it has a natural, sweet-smelling scent that smells like a blend of aloe vera, agave, and maybe a floral note or two. Whatever it is, I like it very much.

FINAL VERDICT: If you'd like to try this product for yourself, please remember that it might take a few attempts to figure out exactly how much you'll need for your particular hair type and texture. If your hair is drier and on the unruly side of the spectrum, you'll probably require more product. But if your hair is fine and prone to minor frizziness, less is definitely more. Once I found my magic amount, I was very pleased with this product. I love the definition and moisture it gives my hair, and the added shine is a nice bonus. Plus, that ingredient list is pretty darned impressive.

You can purchase Shea Moisture products at Walgreens, Target and select Walmart locations.

Have you tried any Shea Moisture products? Do you have any favorites? I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.