The Hair Diaries

I don’t know about other women, but I love trying out new curly-friendly shampoos and conditioner every time I run out. Today I’m reviewing the Not Your Mothers Naturals Tahitian Gardenia Flower & Mango Butter Curl Defining shampoo and conditioner. There is also a detangling spray, hair masque and combing crème in this collection, but I will not be reviewing these today. You can find the entire Not Your Mothers Naturals range at selected Dischem pharmacies.

The ingredients

The Not Your Mothers range of products are free from sulphates, silicones, gluten, parebens and dye. When I saw the ingredients “Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate” and “Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine” it set of a red flag, but rest assured, its actually plant derived making it safe for your hair. Another plus, is that the products from the Not Your Mother’s range are NOT tested on animals. I love a good cruelty free company, don’t you?

The packaging

The bright pink bottle reminds me of something out of a teenage movie, it definitely caught my eye in the shampoo aisle. The pump bottle makes it easy to control the amount of shampoo/conditioner needed for your hair. The pump on the shampoo and conditioner bottle are black and white respectively. I’m not sure if that was done intentionally, but it really helps me differentiate between the two products. There have been times where I accidentally poured out conditioner when I wanted to use shampoo instead, so this small little design change helps me avoid that mistake. the generous 473ml bottle really does last a long time, making the price of the product very worth it.

The texture

The shampoo is a semi-sheer cream that has a thin, almost runny texture. It suds up quite well, I was surprised as most sulphate free shampoos don’t offer me the suds, which I admit, I really like. The conditioner is also quite thin in texture. I appreciate a thicker conditioner, but that’s my personal preference.

The smell

This stuff smells so friggen good! It’s like a tropical explosion of scents on your hair, as if your hair took a trip to the Bahamas. Even after rinsing, the smell still sits in my hair. Only down side is that it’s not that long lasting, by the end of day 2 the smell has disappeared but this isn’t a deal breaker for me.

The wash

This stuff left my hair feeling super clean, which is something I appreciate in curly-hair shampoos. Sometimes these curly shampoos leave my hair feeling greasy with the intention of not stripping the hair from its natural oils so that it doesn’t dry out the hair, but not this one! It reminds me of that feeling I used to get when I used sulfate shampoos, except it doesn’t strip my hair of oils. I use this shampoo when I want to give my hair a thorough clean, but I don’t recommend it for daily use, twice a week at most. If you use it daily, I have a feeling it may dry out your hair which is what we don’t want, right ladies?

The conditioner, despite being thin in texture does moisturize my hair. Because it’s so thin, I even apply a small dime sized amount to my hair one I’m out of the shower as a leave-in crème, and it doesn’t weigh my curls down and doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy either. Is it moisturizing? I’d say it’s pretty average in that department. Doesn’t make my hair feel very moisturized, but it’s not dry either if you know what I mean.

Did I see a difference in my curl pattern from using the Not Your Mothers Naturals range?…No. But the fact that I know the product is curly-girl safe puts my mind at ease.

The verdict

I rate it this product a 8.5/10, I would definitely buy these products again.

Have you tried any products from the Not Your Mother’s range?? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!