Product Review: Shea Moisture JBCO Strength, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque

Phew! What a mouthful that name is!

Anywho. Shea Moisture have introduced three new product lines but this is the one that I have been most excited to try because I am making a concerted effort to DC regularly this year. That plus I've been on the hunt for a natural-friendly protein DC for a while! So I was super stoked to be able to buy one locally.

Whats In It:

• Water (Aqua)
• Cetyl Alcohol
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
• Behentrimonium Methosulfate
• Glycerin
• Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*
• Stearyl Alcohol
• Fragrance (Essential Oil Blend)
• Behentrimonium Chloride
• Panthenol
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PGPropyl Silanetriol
• Cetrimonium Chloride
• Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil
• Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
• Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*
• Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
• Hydrolyzed Keratin
• Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil
• Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
• Tocopherol
• Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
• Vinegar, Caprylhydroxamic Acid
• Caprylyl Glycol
• Butylene Glycol
• Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3
• Niacin
• Dextran
• Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower Extract
• Caramel
• Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract 

*Certified Organic Ingredient

So. Great ingredient list. If you use Natural Haven's Top 5 rule for reading labels then it's a goo product but it doesn't have that much protein. It does have hydrolysed vegetable protein and hyrdolysed keratin lower in the list as well as panthenol which is a humectant but is also a protein.

What It Looks Like:

forgot to take a pic until the end of the tub! numpty..

It's not the prettiest looking product in the world; it is thick and tan coloured and it has a sweet caramel-like smell about it which can be a little cloying in my opinion. It has a decent amount of slip and applied on quite easily to damp hair. The instructions say to only leave it on for 5-10 minutes with heat or 20 without heat.

What It Promises:

'This deep conditioning masque restores strength and resilience to damaged, brittle or chemically processed hair. Perfect for those who regularly color, straighten, perm or heat style their hair, as well as kinky, curly or wavy natural styles. Helps promote growth by supporting hair's elasticity, reducing the appearance of breakage and shredding.'

Cost:

I bought it locally from Hairgoodies254 on Facebook for 1600/-. It retails on Amazon for $14.98, so if you factor in conversion rates and overheads, it's quite fairly priced. I got a fair amount of use out of it; I used it once a month and got 2 uses on my head plus 3 on my daughter's much smaller head so I would likely have got 3 solid uses out of it for just myself. And I'm really heavy-handed.

Verdict:

I only used it twice but I LOVE this product. 

1st Use: 

The first time I left it on exactly 20 minutes (I set a timer and errythang) and my hair felt lovely and soft on rinsing out. 

I chose not to follow up with a moisture DC just to see how my hair would respond and although it did feel a tiny bit dryer than usual for the first couple of days, it was nothing significant and it was easily resolved by moisturising and sealing. I would go as far as to say that I would happily use this product without ever moisture DCing straight after. 

2nd Use:

The second time I did used it in the evening (big mistake) and I was juggling a million things (cooking/bathing and dressing small people/feeding dogs) so it ended up being on my hair probably 45 minutes! I was pretty scared my hair would have morphed into a crisp and fallen off but it was so soft when I finally rinsed it off. Like, crazy soft. I do think my hair is quite protein tolerant though so I wouldn't recommend this strategy for everyone and I probably won't be doing it again myself. 

I did a moisture DC after for comparison and my hair just feels so soft and plump and moisturised. 

Would I Buy It Again?

1000% yes! This product is a hands down staple. Love it. My only regret is that I didn't get two jars because I emailed HairGoodies254 after an they'd sold out of it (although they had other things in it's range so perhaps I'll try the leave-in). 

If you know where it's available in Nairobi please let me know in the comments below!