Conditioner with conditions
September 30, 2018 2:04 AM   Subscribe

Hi! I'm seeking suggestions for a new conditioner that will be good for my wavy-but-also-sort-of-curly hair, but it also needs to satsify some other criteria. Excrutiating detail about my hair inside!

My hair is about a 2C curl pattern. I do a modified/lazy curly girl method which was working pretty well for me until recently when I changed up my shampoo and conditioner. I'm making a change in all my cosmetics and personal care items with the intention of becoming completely cruelty-free and environmentally friendly, so when my usual Tresemme Perfectly Undone products ran out I tried a couple of local brands (Ecostore, Earthwise). It turns out my hair is not pleased with this. Though my hair is still shiny and soft, I'm lucky if I can get some 2B waves on wash day and the second day is barely wavy at all. Nothing else has changed - hair isn't significantly longer, curl gel is the same, I haven't moved so water quality is the same, and I don't think it's a seasonal thing either.

The reason I'm asking here rather than just Googling is that I live in NZ so have limited access to products, and I'm not willing to pay $30 to have something shipped from another country (I'm not even willing to spend that much on the conditioner itself) so most US or UK-centric blogs aren't helpful. Recommendations from NZ/Aussie people would be extra appreciated, though am definitely willing to entertain suggestions from others just in case I can get it here. It absolutely must be totally cruelty-free (so not sold in China, no parent companies that test on animals, no ingredients tested on animals) and not be any more than around NZ$20-25. I'd prefer to avoid sulphates and silicones but it's not a dealbreaker.

Thanks!
posted by BeeJiddy to Shopping (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I used to use Perfectly Undone and switched to Shea Moisture. A little goes a long way.

It looks like they were recently purchased by Unilever (which also owns Tresemme), but this brand in particular isn't sold in China and is still not tested on animals.

I also really like Miss Jessie's Leave-In Condish. Their website doesn't mention this, but the bottle says it's not tested on animals. Looks like it's harder to find in your area, but it's available on Ebay.
posted by marfa, texas at 2:55 AM on September 30, 2018


I'm also currently on the search for cruelty free shampoo/conditioner.

Paul Mitchell, Pureology, Muk, Davroe are all a bit too pricey. Based on my research, I think I'm going to try Eleven Australia next. Their products are also not cheap, but seem a bit more affordable than the others. And they sell travel size bottles of some things, which would be perfect for trying something out.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 5:55 AM on September 30, 2018


Response by poster: Thank you for the suggestions, I'll have a search and see if I can get any of these for a price I can afford. Cheers!
posted by BeeJiddy at 3:01 PM on September 30, 2018


I put oil on my hair from a ponytail base down before the shower and then just use body wash as a shampoo. The body wash seems to wash away just enough of the oil that my hair is moisturized by the oil but not greasy. I use a mixture i made of coconut, avacado, and almond oils, mostly because thats what i have on hand. I have also used mixes involving the following oils: argan, grapeseed, jojoba, apricot seed, tamanu, and sesame. I notice a difference in the oils for skincare, but not so much for hair care. I vary the amount of oil based on the "heaviness" of the oil so something like just coconut oil i would go the lightest on where jojoba you can be more heavy handed. I have average thickness mid back length hair and my middle heavyness amount is about 1-2 teaspoons for my hair.
posted by WeekendJen at 8:11 PM on October 1, 2018


Have you considered a co-conditioner? I am fond of this one.
posted by koucha at 2:09 PM on October 3, 2018


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