Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration line Review

                                                                              

Happy Spring!!!! It's that time of year again where you may or may not need to tweak your hair regimen. If you've been following me on Instagram (@Thenaturalinblue) which i just started so go follow and like. About a month ago, I was on a mission to find either the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil line or the Manuka Honey line. Alas, I went to every CVS in my area and they were always sold out so luckily my local Target had the Manuka Honey line. This line promotes itself as being a dry hair recipe and typically in the cooler months, preventing dry hair and its  importance to naturals. 

The three advertised ingredients are specifically for preventing moisture loss and hydrating the hair. As stated by the brand: Manuka Honey has anti-inflammatory properties to sooth the scalp and helps create moisturizing barrier; Mafura Oil has high levels of beneficial oleic acid to help replenish oils stripped from the hair; and African Rock Fig contains antioxidant vitamin C which helps to keep the hair looking vibrant. Now that sounds like the perfect recipe for a cold weather product line! I have used the entire line and I must say I was impressed with some of the line. Here's my review and results of how it worked for me.

                                                   Intensive Hydration Shampoo

                                        

 

This shampoo cleanses while infusing hair with intense moisture and shine enhancing nutrients.This is the only product of the line that doesn't contain all of the advertised ingredients. Honey is not listed as an ingredient which is odd since this is the Manuka Honey line. ok ''kanye Shrugs''  this shampoo is sulfate free but lathers a lot. I used very little of the shampoo because there was so much lather which I don't mind. If the shampoo doesn't lather I get worried .This shampoo has great slip and I was able to run my fingers through it. Once I rinsed it out my curls was lovinngg it lol . I agree with the claim of it infusing the hair with intense moisture. I definitely recommend this shampoo and would re-purchase it if I ever finish it lol. A little goes a long way. 

Intensive Hydration Conditioner

This rinse out conditioner instantly softens and detangles while infusing hair with intense moisture and shine enhancing ingredients. The conditioner did not soften my hair nor did it have any slip to aid in detangling! My hair sucked it up, I was unable to detangle so I attempted to use a wide tooth comb which I had to give up on and how my hair just soaked it all in. I also tried to use this product as a leave in styler but my hair didn't dry and it there wasn't enough hold. I can't recommend this product for anyone with kinky, high porosity, thick hair. I won't be repurchasing this product. 
  
                                                      Intensive Hydration Hair Masque
                                                                              

This intensely deep conditioning hair masque infuses hair with a powerful dose of moisture and nutrients. Can we just pause for how AMAZING this hair masque is!!! Lets fast forward to will I repurchase it... YES! Do I recommend it... YES! The consistency is like any other Shea Moisture hair masque but this one has amazing slip and penetrates the hair shaft. I was able to finger detangle, my hair was soft and moisturized, and my hair had a great shine too it as seen in the pictures. My hair felt transformed like butter! If you've used the honey hair masque and you liked those results, you'll receive the same if not better results with this hair masque. The honey in this product has a strong presence and my hair loved it. It really softened my hair making it more manageable and easier to style. I can already say this will make my favorites list for 2015!!! Nothing more to say but let the results speak for themselves.  

Hopefully I will be able to check out  the new Shea Moisture lines  I will use the shampoo but I have others that are my favorite so it will have to fit in where it can lol. 

Questions, comments, or your own experiences with this line please leave them below.

HAIR TIP MONDAY

In this week’s edition, I thought I’d pick up from where we left off ....

 This natural hair stuff doesn’t have to be as difficult or as confusing as some might make it out to be. One way to keep from pulling out your hair in frustration is to keep a simple and consistent regimen, starting with a handful of products. In my experience, there are just a few basic things you really need to get you started on a decent regimen.

Cleanser

Whether you use a commercial shampoo or a natural alternative, the choice is yours. Bottom line- clean hair will lead to healthy hair.

If you do go the route of commercial shampoos, it’s great to have both a moisturizing sulfate-free shampoo as well as a good clarifying shampoo to thoroughly cleanse all the random gook (gels, creams, butters) that you may have piled on throughout the week… aka product buildup. Apple cider vinegar and baking soda are also great for clarifying.

Conditioner

This is used to improve the condition of the hair and can come in the form of a moisturizer (to put back what you might have lost in the cleansing stage) a protein treatment or a combo of both as in the case with some deep conditioners. Generally, kinky or afro-textured hair craves moisture more than it does protein. So, protein treatments, while helpful, may not need to be used as frequently as a moisturizing conditioner. I’ll have more on all of this in a future post. 

Leave-In

Leave-in conditioners pretty much continue the moisturizing process after washing and may even include a form of light protein to give the hair a good moisture-protein balance. I never skip this step!

Oil/Butter

Here’s where it all comes together. While the hair is still slightly damp, seal all that lovely moisture in with an oil or butter of your choosing, depending on what agrees with your hair (for many, porosity comes into play here and you may need something light). I like whipped shea butters as well as coconut and grapeseed oils, to name a few. Fiddle with a some to find what works.

Styler… Optional

While I often end the process at the oil or butter, many take it a step further with a styling product, usually something that provides some hold for flawlessly defined hair. These may include your soufflés, creams, gels and such. I have found, though, that I can get a well-defined twist-out or braid-out without a styling product just by setting the hair while it’s still damp and allowing it to dry completely.

So that, as they say, is that! My suggestion to “newbies” is always to start with just a few things, one… maybe two from each category. Assess what your hair needs are, read the labels and make your selections. Try ‘em for a few weeks and see how your hair responds. Even if your products change, be it due to the change in season or otherwise, your routine should stay pretty consistent.

Hope this was helpful!