Shea Moisture Jamaican Castor Oil Conditioner for natural hair

We review the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen/ Grow & Restore Leave-in Conditioner. We will go over benefits & disadvantages and why you might choose Shea Moisture's leave-in conditioner over the competition.

Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you decide to purchase something.

If you enjoy this, you should have a read of our article on the best afro hair products you can buy online. Our 14 tips on how to grow afro hair will hopefully teach you something new too!

What does Shea Moisture says about it is supposed to do?

"This reparative leave-in conditioner softens and detangles hair while controlling frizz."

Shea Moisture's recommendation for use

"Apply to clean, towel dried hair. Work a generous amount of product into hair from roots to ends. Gently comb through for even distribution. Do not rinse."

What are the main ingredients and what do they do?

Jamaican black castor oil - "Loaded with reparative omegas that promote healthy hair growth." Read more about castor oil on wikipedia and Jamaican Black Castor Oil specifically on wiki articles & black hair spot.

Organic Shea butter - "Deeply moisturises while conditioning hair and scalp". Read more about shear butter on wikipedia and 21 benefits and uses on wellnessmama.

Peppermint - "Stimulates the scalp for an invigorating experience"

Apple cider vinegar - Balances hair and scalp, prevents bacteria growth, contains nutrients beneficial for hair such as vitamins B & C and exfoliates the scalp. Read more on healthline.

Free from - Sulfates, Parabens, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum.

Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen/ Grow & Restore Leave-in Conditioner Review

I have linked to some videos below to give an idea of how the Shea Moisture's Leave-in Conditioner reacts to various hair types and some different opinions.

Nicole's Review

This video below is from Nicole Marieht on her youtube channel Lilnck. She goes through her curly hair routine where she uses the Shea Moisture Leave-in Conditioner. She is British and a mix of Ghanian and Spanish and has a loose curl hair type. You can check out her instagram @nickz_m.

Nicole has just come out of the shower. Her hair is has been deep conditioned, washed and is still damp. She starts by applying small amounts to sectioned areas of hair. Nicole describes the texture as fluffy/ whipped whilst being quite watery in consistency . It gives definition to her waves pretty much straight away. Once all the product is applied, Nicole seals her ends and massages Jamaican black castor oil in without applying too much.

After her hair dries for 30 minutes, the product has soaked in and given more definition. Nicole then uses a diffuser to complete the drying process, she recommends letting your hair dry by itself for as long as possible before using a diffuser.

Nicole highly recommends the product, it leaves her hair fluffy and defined. It will last a long time as long as you use the right amount and do not over saturate your hair. Shea Moisture's Leave-in Conditioneris a product Nicole saves for special occasions because it leaves her hair looking so beautiful.

Brena Green's Review

In this video Brena Green goes over her first impression of the leave-in conditioner. Brena's has loose curls and hair was getting dry so she decided to buy Shea Moisture's leave in conditioner. After going over the ingredients and what Shea Moisture says the product is supposed to do, Brena gets into what she thinks of the Product. It is really, really, really watery. Like Nicole in the previous video, Brena washes and conditions her hair before applying the product. Then she gives 3 separate impressions.

part 1 - first impression on wet hair. Brena applies the product to her hair in sections. She mentions the smell is so good and that it has really go slip. If you want a list of natural hair terms, you should check out our natural hair glossary here. Brena also says it makes her hair feel silky smooth.

part 2 -first impression on dry hair. Brena could smell the product during the night as she slept and liked it. She was not expecting it to look good but to feel good. It exceeded expectations and both felt good and looked good.

part 3 - first impression on styled hair (with gel). Brena praises the product by giving it 10 out of 10 and 5 stars and both thumbs up.

Brena finishes her review with a smile and says she believes the product will be good for any hair type.

DennygirlJO's Review

DennygirlJO or Druhana gives her review on the leave-in conditioner. She has type 4c hair and had been waiting to review for a long time. Check out her blog thevloggingtruth.

Dennygirl starts by talking about how she got the product in Jamaica. At 2:45 she gets into the Shea Moisture Leave-in Conditioner review. She saw someone else use the product and get good results. Although their hair type was different, she was still curious and wanted to try it.

Dennygirls goes on to say how amazing the product is and how it left her hair super soft in texture. As Brena Green mentioned in her video linked above, there is a lot of slippage (which is a good thing in this case). If you wash your hair and don't use a wash out conditioner which allows  you to comb your hair out, the Shea moisture leave-in conditioner will allow you to do that and detangle your hair. Dennygirl mentions it has a vanilla type smell despite vanilla not being an ingredient.

Dennygirl loves Black Jamaican Castor oil anyway because it leaves the hair super soft and thickens it. She loves shea butter because it keeps hair hair moisturised. Combined they make an amazing product and she really likes it because when she uses it to curl her hair naturally it gives a really nice curl pattern. The downside is the price which is expensive compared to other products but worth every penny.

Dennygirl rates the product 10/10 because it did everything she expected it to. She loves the scent, the way it makes her hair feel and that it keeps her hair from drying out.

SherNatural's Review

In this last video, SherNatural gives her opinion on Shea Moisture's leave-in conditioner while using it hands on to style her hair. She uses the strengthen and restore leave-in conditioner. This one is really useful if you have type 4c hair or similar and want to see how the product will work for you.

The product is lightweight and doesn't smell of much to SherNatural. It brings out her curls as she is applying the product. She mentions you do have to put quite a lot on and SherNatural us applying Jamaican black castor oil to seal in the moisture as she goes. SherNatural thinks the product could benefit from being a little thicker so she gets confidence that the product is covering her hair fully. She styles her hair and large plaits and leaves for a few days.

There are lots of good ingredients for natural hair. Again, the product costs more than some others and SherNatural describes the product as being quite neutral in smell. The texture/ consistency is quite watery and thin. Again, SherNatural prefers a thicker consistency and therefore used a lot. It seems she liked the product but has others that she prefers.

Conclusion

Your hair type and idea of what a leave-in conditioner should be will heavily influence your first impression of this product. It is generally described as quite thin but pleasant in consistency. It is considered to have a nice smell by most but quite faint by some. It can be used alone after washing although many people use it with other products such as Jamaican Black Castor Oil, for best results. See it on Amazon

The most important question is, does it do what it is supposed to? Shea moisture claims it is a reparative leave-in conditioner that conditions, softens and detangles hair while controlling frizz. In our opinion and based on what we have learned from other reviews, it is generally considered to do just that. See it on Amazon

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