Product Review: Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil

Hey guys!

While I was away, I wanted to purchase some new hair products as the ones I had at home were running low. Initially I had my mind set on either Eden Body Works or TGIN but unfortunately the Walgreens I visited didn’t have either. Upon scanning their “ethnic hair” section, I came across a Shea Moisture product line made up of Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil. From my time with natural hair and the various readings and experiments I’ve done I knew honey was a plus when it came to my type 4 hair. I decided to give the shampoo, conditioner and leave-in milk a try. Let’s see how they held up against my coarse hair!

DESCRIPTION

SHAMPOO

This sulfate-free shampoo cleanses while infusing hair with intense moisture and shine-enhancing nutrients. Certified Organic Shea Butter, Honey, Mafura and Baobab are blended into a rich formulation of restorative oils to soften and revitalize hair. Antioxidant-rich African Rock Fig helps boost hydration while protecting distressed hair from environmental influences.

Full product description, shea moisture website

CONDITIONER

This rinse-out conditioner instantly softens and detangles while infusing hair with intense moisture and shine-enhancing nutrients. Certified organic Shea Butter, Honey, Mafura and Baobab are blended into a rich formulation of restorative oils to nourish and condition dry, brittle hair. Helps restore manageability. Antioxidant-rich African Rock Fig helps boost hydration while protecting hair from environmental influences. Leaves hair soft, shiny and easy to style.

full product description, shea moisture website

LEAVE-IN MILK

Deeply moisturize hair, effortlessly detangle and improve manageability for easy natural styling with this creamy milk. Certified organic Shea Butter, Honey, Mafura and Baobab Oils blend in a nutrient-rich formulation that conditions ultra-dehydrated strands to help hair regain softness, body and shine. Instantly reveals beautiful, healthy looking hair.

FULL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION, SHEA MOISTURE WEBSITE

The labelling made it very clear that these products were an INTENSIVE HYDRATING formula. It also showed a list of ingredients it didn’t have in, such as no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, or petrolatum – all the things they tell you that shouldn’t be in your hair products. 

PRODUCT LINE

Although I only purchased the shampoo, conditioner and leave-in milk, there are other products in the line such as:

• Max Hold Gel
• Bentonite Clay Shampoo Bar
• Hair Masque
• Twist Defining Custard
• On-The-Go Conditioning Hair Fragrance

As you can see Shea Moisture has a variety of product lines; I found this image on Pinterest which I believe originally came from Ulta Beauty where they stated that the Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil collection is suited for 4A – 4C hair. Let us see how it works for my type 4 hair.

PRODUCT REVIEW

Sooo, the first time I tried this product I was very disappointed with it and immediately had regrets about not trying harder to find the products I really wanted. My disappointments were with the shampoo and leave-in milk. I believe I’ve gotten so used to products with coconut that I prefer that scent. I say this to say that the scent of this line is very overpowering; it’s  really sweet and strong, not particularly my favourite.

SHAMPOO

After shampooing my hair, it felt really dry and worse than it felt before washing. I highly believe that the fragrance aspect of the product lead to the excessive dryness I felt in my hair (or some other ingredient). Since I bought this product on a whim, I visited Youtube to see what other individuals were saying. I watched one video and they also disliked the product. However, while doing this review I visited the Shea Moisture website and read through the reviews seeing many similar remarks as mine. It didn’t even matter the texture of the hair the product seemed to do the exact opposite of the label. WHERE IS THE HYDRATION?

This = a CLARIFYING Shampoo. It STRIPS hair of all oils, & leaves hair Snap-Crackle-Pop breakage-dry. Says it’s hydrating, but it’s definitely a clarifying shampoo.

Taken from Shea moisture website product reviews, Lisa Robertson

CONDITIONER

However, the conditioner seemed to reverse the dryness a little as it readded some moisture. It has a light silky feel to it, almost like lotion which made it easy to pump. It was definitely better than the shampoo in my opinion.

LEAVE-IN MILK

In regards to the leave-in milk, I felt like the product was mainly sitting on my hair strands and  didn’t penetrate it effectively. The product is also VERY THICK and took a lot of work to get out of the bottle. Eventually, I had to take off the cap and use my finger to get it out. 

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RATINGS

Overall: 2/ 5
Quality: 2/ 5
Fragrance:  0/ 5
Effectiveness: 3/ 5*only for the conditioner*
Price: $ – $$

There are other Shea Moisture products which usually work for me but I was really disappointed by this one. The “intensive hydration” really got me because I know my struggle with moisture retention. I shall stick to my Raw Shea Butter line.

Have you ever tried this product before? How did it work for you?
Share your experiences below.

FYI: This post is not sponsored. All products were purchased and views are solely mine. 

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