Review: 3 Cleansing Conditioners

I talked about my experiences with these cleansing conditioners in my most recent wash day post and promised a full review on each.  I decided to place all three in the same review rather than posting each brand separately, which makes it a bit lengthy but at least you have all the info in the same place.  At the end I’ve included a vlog which also gives different aspects of this review.  Hope you find this helpful!

Cost:  $9.99 at Sally Beauty Supply (with club card)

Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, CID 157846, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Rosa Roxburghii Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Menthol, Polysorbate 60, Citric Acid, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)

I love this product.  I think the description is pretty much dead on, the astringent within the product is apparent because as I allow it to sit on my hair my scalp feels an invigorating tingle.  It feels as if it penetrates my hair, making it soft so the conditioning property performs as promised also.  I use the product twice with each wash, first to cleanse my hair and second to condition.  With the second application I do not rinse immediately and just like when I co-wash, tend to my other shower duties and allow the steam from the shower to aid in conditioning.  My hair feels soft and gently cleansed with each use – which is exactly what you want and expect from a cleansing conditioner.  The one con I can report is that with repeated use, I do feel buildup on my hair and scalp so regular clarifying is necessary.  I’ve only used the olive oil formulation so I cannot report on any of the others.

Cost:  $9.99 available at Rite-Aid Pharmacy (and other retailers)

This miracle cleansing conditioner melts into your hair. Coconut oil gently removes surface impurities while restoring natural oils. Hydrating Keratin loaded with amino acids & protein repair damage and restore strength. Shea butter conditions damaged areas replacing protective lipids, resulting in beautiful, soft, silky hair alive with shine & luster.

Purified Water, Sorbitol (Sugar*), Acrylamide/Sodium Acrylate Copolymer, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut*) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower*) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary*) Leaf Extract, Amodimethicone, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Psidium Guajava (Guava*) Fruit Extract, Hypnea Musciformis (Red Seaweed*) Extract, Gellidiela Acerosa (Red Alga*) Extract, Sargassum Filipendula (Brown Seaweed*) Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter*) Oil, Hydroxypropyl Guar, PEG-5M, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium Chloride (Palm Oil*), C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance. (* Derived Source)

Rosemary Mint & Sweet Pomegranate

Drying, stripping, caused my hair to feel hard and even made it prone to tangles.  I felt absolutely no conditioning properties.  It DID seem to clean my hair but I will not be repurchasing.  The ingredients listed for both formulations are the exact same and the phrase *derived source leads me to believe the product contains synthetic imitations of the natural ingredients listed, not the real thing which I feel is misleading and may be the reason this product doesn’t perform as expected.  I really wanted to like it, but my hair HATED it.  Absolutely hated it.

Cost:  $7.99 at Sally Beauty Supply (with club card)

Available formulations: One type

Same as the Ren Cleansing Conditioner – it is awful!  It was so bad that I thought I was being punked and this product did contain sulfates after all because my hair again felt hard, stringy and stripped.  But there were no suds so I think it is being honest.  I would not recommend this item at all and honestly had I realized it was by Soft n’ Free instead of being blinded by the words ‘cleansing conditioner’ and ‘co-wash’ I wouldn’t have even tried it.  For me, this brand is notorious for making products look wholesome, natural and great for the hair by playing on key phrases like “no sulfates, no mineral oil” but the performance of all of their products has always been disappointing.  A look at the ingredient list and this again is true; “Simple ingredients”?  That claim is completely untrue! I was so displeased that I left a review on Sally’s website – so if you see EbonyCPrincess, yes that is me! lol.

 

All in all, I do think cleaning conditioners work.  I also want to try WEN (the original “brand name” if you will) eventually just to compare to the Hair One.  If you workout and sweat, the astringent in Hair One does clean your hair and scalp a bit better than co-washing alone with straight conditioner, in my opinion.  There are even more brands than what I’ve tried on the market but as I said in the Wash Day post, I will NOT be trying any of those.  Hair One until I feel up to the splurge of trying WEN.  That’s it.  Here is my video with me talking very animatedly about my experiences with these products, including my gripe about their packaging!!!