Review: Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

Completing my series of reviews of some of the Shea Moisture products you can find at Walgreens, Target and select Walmart locations, I wanted to get my last review up while you still have time to take advantage of the BOGO1/2OFF sale at Walgreens this week (ends Saturday, 11/5). If you'd like to see my review of the Curling Souffle click here, and if you'd like to see my review of the Curl and Shine shampoo, click here.

Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

(retail: $9.99, 12 oz)

Thanks to reader jessi for pointing out on my last review that although these products do not contain animal products, they do contain one animal by-product (silk protein), which makes them non-vegan.

The second ingredient in this product is organic shea butter so, as to be expected, this product has a creamier, thicker consistency:

What's funny is that I think the name Smoothie would be better suited to the Curling Souffle, while Curling Souffle would be a more fitting name for THIS product. It's got that opaque, whipped texture that I normally associate with products that have the name souffle in their title.

But really, who cares what you call it--the important thing is what it can actually do for your hair, right? So let's take a look at what it did for MY hair:

I applied about two tablespoons of product to my wet hair immediately after my shower. I worked the Curl Smoothie through my hair, gave it a few scrunches and then let it air-dry. These photos were taken near the end of the day.

Looking at the photo above, you can see that this product doesn't provide hold (like the Curling Souffle does), but it DOES make my hair soft and frizz-free. My curls also seem softer and looser, with less curl near the top of my head.

Moving toward my ends, you can see that there's more curl and definition there compared to the top of my head.

For me, this isn't so much a curl-enhancing product as it is a curl-taming product. After using this product off and on for several weeks now, I can confirm that this does not enhance my curls--it softens them and makes them looser. I think that it really works best for when my hair is feeling particularly dry and unruly. A few tablespoons to my long, naturally-wavy hair really provides the added moisture I need, while taming my frizzies and flyaways without making my hair feel excessively greasy. 

Of course, if you apply too much, or apply this product while your hair is not very wet, it WILL feel a bit greasy and heavy due to the high shea, coconut and mango butter content. So be ready to experiment and figure out exactly how much you need in order to give your hair a boost of moisture and softness without crossing that line into greasy-ville.

Fragrance: just like the other Shea Moisture products I've reviewed, this product smells incredible to me. I can smell coconut, shea, mango, aloe vera and touch of honeysuckle in this product and the combination is mouth-watering.

FINAL VERDICT: If you have dry, coarse hair that tends to be a bit unruly, I think you might enjoy the moisture and softness that Shea Moisture Curl Smoothie can provide. For me, this product did not enhance my curls; it made them softer and looser. So if you're looking to have "curls for days", I would recommend the Curling Souffle over this product. But if you're looking for moisture and softness without hold or curl enhancement, this might be a great choice for you. Just remember that you'll have to experiment a bit to figure out exactly how much product to use for your particular hair type. Also, I recommend applying this immediately after your shower while your hair is still very wet. I find this works best to help avoid a greasy feeling once your hair is dry.

Do you own this or any other Shea Moisture products? How do they work for 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.