Even though I was born with natural curls, I always preferred to style my hair straight. But a lifetime of styling and a decade of highlighting left my hair damaged, dry, dull, and in desperate need of TLC. That’s why I recently decided to back away from the heat tools, grow out my highlights, and start the ‘curly girl method,’ which discourages women with curly hair from using products that contain drying silicones and moisture-blocking sulfates.
At first, I had a very hard time finding hair products that met the ‘curly girl method’ guidelines and shaped and volumized my waves. But then I tried Not Your Mother’s.
About Not Your Mother’s Natural Tahitian Gardenia Flower & Mango Butter Hair-Care
When The Vitamin Shoppe offered me the opportunity to test out Not Your Mother’s Natural Tahitian Gardenia Flower and Mango Butter Curl Defining Hair-Care (which includes shampoo, conditioner, and detangler), I immediately scanned the ingredients for proof that the products were indeed “natural.”
The shampoo and conditioner claimed to be 98 percent free of sulfates, silicones, phthalates, parabens, gluten, and synthetic dyes, and the detangling product was 100 percent free. I was impressed!
To be honest, Not Your Mother’s seemed a little too good to be true; easy to find, affordable (just 10 bucks a bottle), and free from all the junk.
Revamping My Hair-Care Routine
I started using the Not Your Mother’s shampoo, conditioner, and detangler consistently throughout the month of February. Living in the Northeast, the cold, dry winter weather had my tresses in desperate need of some love (and hydration)!
The first thing I noticed as I pumped out my first shower’s-worth of shampoo and conditioner was the scent—WOW! Was I just transported to a tropical paradise? If you like your hair products to smell like an umbrella-adorned drink (and who doesn’t?), you’ll definitely like these.
Next I took notice of the amount of ‘slip’ the conditioner had compared to other silicone-free conditioners I had tried. This one glided effortlessly through my knots. Plus, I could practically feel my curls drinking up the much-needed hydration.
Once I was out of the shower, I towel-dried my hair and gave it a couple spritzes of the detangling spray. Again, I was so impressed. The results were almost instantaneous and it provided the perfect amount of slip for seamless finger-combing. The process, from start to finish, could not have been easier!
For my first couple of uses, I didn’t apply any other styling products after the detangler spray, but after letting my hair air-dry, I noticed a little less definition than I’m used to. While the detangler is great for a moisture boost, it isn’t necessarily mean to hold your style. Eventually I added my go-to styling cream back into my routine after the detangler spray and the results were great.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Not Your Mother’s truly exceeded my expectations of what an easily accessible hair-care line could accomplish.
I admit, I can be a bit of a hair-products elitist, but the amount of slip, smoothing, and moisture these products brought to my hair left nothing to be desired. Plus, I am also happy to see more companies investing in products made with clean ingredients.
I would definitely recommend these Not Your Mother’s products to anyone with wavy to kinky-curly hair. Not only were they lightweight, cleansing, and hydrating, but that delicious tropical smell certainly didn’t hurt either! I’m definitely going to continue to use them.
This Wellness Tester received free products in exchange for an honest review.