Shea Radiance- A Review.

Hey guys!

In my backlog of unfinished posts, is an incredibly overdue review on some neat products I received weeks ago.  I was tapped by Shea Radiance to try out a few of their hair care products, to which I eagerly agreed to do.

It's worth mentioning that the owner of shea rādiance  is a fellow Nigerian-  Funlayo Alabi, and I must admit that a bit of my zeal in agreeing to the review, was due to this fact- we must support each other.

The Review

It'd been a while since I'd done of these, and I'd almost forgotten that I'd even agreed to featuring a review on the blog.  But, once the box arrived, I tore into the packaging, and pulled out shea rādiance's  
Nourishing Hair Repair Cream, the Moisture Rich Hair Butter, and the Whipped Shea Butter in sweet vanilla.  

Immediately, I uncovered each of the pots and sniffed the contents.  An amazingly scented hair product, goes a long way for me.  They keep me coming back. Immediately, I noted the nutty, and indeed, sweet scents of the moisture butter and the whipped shea butter.  The nourishing hair repair cream had a more herbal-like woodsy scent; almost masculine.

The Ingredients

Sweet Vanilla Whipped Shea Butter
Butryospermum Parkii (Unrefined Shea butter), Oryza Sativa (Rice bran) Oil, Caprylic Triglyceride (Fractionated Coconut) Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol & Cetearyl Glucoside (Sugar-based emulsifier), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed butter, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Corn Starch Modified, Vitamin E, Panthenol
$10 for 2 oz. jar

Moisture Rich Hair Butter

Butryospermum Parkii (Unrefined Shea Butter), Mangifera Indica (mango) Seed Butter, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) Oil, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp Seed) Oil, Gratissima (Avocado Seed) oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Calendula, Chamomile, Nettle & Horsetail Extracts, Vitamin E, Pure Essential Oils.

$16 for 4 oz. jar

Nourishing Hair Repair Cream
 DI Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Butryospermum Parkii (Unrefined Shea Butter), Cetearyl Alcohol and Coco-Glucoside, Persea Gratissima (Avocado Seed) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Quaternium-79, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) Oil, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp Seed) Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Phenethyl Alcohol & Ethylhexylglycerin (Natural-based, Paraben Free Preservative), Essential Oils, Panthenol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Polyquaternium-10, Lactic acid, Chamomile, Nettle & Horsetail Extracts.
$16 for 8.5 oz. jar

My hair had just been freshly detangled, deep conditioned, and shampooed a day before- perfectly primed for a product review.  I wanted to keep my styling simple and basic this time, so I decided to use the three products to moisturize, seal, and style my hair for a braid out.  Since I do braid outs often, I knew I'd be better able to judge the effectiveness of of these products on one of my go-to styles.  I was also especially happy to note that most of the ingredients in the creams and butters were natural ones.

The primary ingredient in the hair butter is shea, and its consistency reflected that.  At room temperature, the butter was stiff, but emulsified nicely into an oil.  The whipped shea butter felt both airy and fluffy, which I loved.  Whenever I make a shea butter mix, it's always whipped into a similar consistency, which I find applies much smoother to the hair and skin.  

 

The nourishing hair repair cream had a slippery and almost slimy texture.  I applied it first to my hair, and then layered the whipped butter on top.  Finally, I sealed with the moisture butter, and plaited my hair.

Frizzy ends were moisturized with Shea Radiance's Hair Repair Cream, and smoothed out with  Luster's S-curl 360 Style Wave Control Pomade

The Product Claim

"Nourishing Hair Repair Cream imparts a luxurious feel and shine... Softens, strengthens and smooths the hair shaft..."

"Moisture Rich Hair Butter combines high concentrations of unrefined shea butter with healing & essential oils... decreases signs of damage... great shine and feel for twists and locs."

"Sweet Vanilla Whipped Shea Butter whipped with cocoa butter and emollient oils into a rich velvety mousse...  spreadable than traditional shea butter... whipped shea butter goes on smooth and imparts a slight sheen to the skin. Great for extremely dry and cracked skin."

The Verdict 
The next day, I unraveled the braids for work, and fluffed out my hair, which felt wonderfully soft and extremely light weight.  I actually prefer my braidouts to be a little more weighted.  Heavier.  But, I was generally satisfied with the results.  My hair doesn't "shine" in this state, but there was a dull sheen.

I fell in love with Day 2 hair, as my work day wore on.  I'd reapplied all three products, and re-braided my hair, the night before.    

I wore my hair this way for a week, and then I pulled it back into another easy style- a flat twisted, low pony-tail...


and a side swept low bun, afterwards.

I sincerely appreciate being able to use products that are replete with natural ingredients, so I was won over, once I recognized that property in the whipped shea butter and the moisture rich hair butter.  At $10 and $16, respectively, I wish both came in larger quantities.  

Ah!  Una know me, na; if I see price don high, I no dey like am. 

But since, the products include more great ingredients, apart from shea butter, the prices/quantities could work for some of you.

I'm currently using the nourishing repair cream, and while it is a good moisturizer, I can't report that I've noticed any reparative effects on my hair strands yet- sneaky split ends, I'm looking at you.

Once I've finished using my sample, I hope to report back an undeniable affirmation of its effectiveness.

There are a few more styles to come, featuring shea rādiance.  

Stay tuned!