I am familiar with the Shea Moisture brand and currently use the African Black Soap bar and the Superfruit Multi-Vitamin Hair Masque. I received the Shea Moisture African Black Soap Dandruff Control shampoo and conditioner as samples from Shea Moisture with a $2 off coupon for future purchases.
SheaMoisture uses recipes handed down from a healer and give it a modern twist. They use only the best ingredients gathered from around the world to provide the best products out there. With their roots starting in 1912 in Sierra Leone they bring us products that have been used by generation after generation for beautiful skin.
The African Black Soap Dandruff Control Conditioner from SheaMoisture also addresses symptoms of dandruff to help soothe and relieve the dry, itchy scalp. Enough with the buildup and residue left over from styling products.
I love the fragrance of the shampoo and conditioner, it has an almost warm amber scent. These products left my scalp slightly tingly while using and after rinsing off, proving to me that the active ingredients were helping with the dry itchy scalp. It definitely reduced the itchy irritation of my dry scalp while leaving my hair silky smooth and smelling great.
It is not sudsy because these products are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, paraffin, mineral oils, synthetic fragrance, DEA. So just because it is not sudsy does not mean it does not work. These products are better for you and the environment.
Read also: African Black Soap Ingredients
Shea Moisture Clarify & Balance with The African Black Soap | Ulta Beauty
Key Ingredients and Their Benefits
Let's delve into the key ingredients found in Shea Moisture's African Black Soap Dandruff Control line and understand their benefits:
- Water (Aqua): Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Normal (well kind of - it's purified and deionized) water. Usually the main solvent in cosmetic products.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine: A very mild cleansing agent with a dense and luxurious foam and an elegant after feel. It also has excellent water solubility and thus good rinsability. Super common ingredient in all kinds of cleansing products: face and body washes, shampoos and foam baths. Number one reason for its popularity has to do with bubbles. Everyone loves bubbles. And cocamidopropyl betaine is great at stabilizing them. The other reason is that it’s mild and works very well combined with other cleansing agents and surfactants.
- Glycol Distearate: A so-called diester created from two stearic acid molecules and an ethylene glycol molecule. Its main thing is being an opacifier and pearling agent in cleansing products making them white and glossy.
- Fragrance (Parfum): Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. The generic term for nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know what’s really in it. Also, if your skin is sensitive, fragrance is again not your best friend. It’s the number one cause of contact allergy to cosmetics. It’s definitely a smart thing to avoid with sensitive skin (and fragrance of any type - natural is just as allergic as synthetic, if not worse!).
- Panthenol: An easy-to-formulate, commonly used, nice to have ingredient that’s also called pro-vitamin B5. Its main job in skincare products is to moisturise the skin. It’s a humectant meaning that it can help the skin to attract water and then hold onto it. Another great thing about panthenol is that it has anti-inflammatory and skin protecting abilities. A study shows that it can reduce the irritation caused by less-nice other ingredients (e.g. If that wasn’t enough panthenol is also useful in nail and hair care products. As for the hair the hydration effect is also true there. Pro-Vitamin B5 is a goodie that moisturises the skin, has anti-inflammatory, skin protecting and wound healing properties.
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice: We don't have description for this ingredient yet. Aloe Vera is one of today’s magic plants. It does have some very nice properties indeed, though famous dermatologist Leslie Baumann warns us in her book that most of the evidence is anecdotal and the plant might be a bit overhyped. What research does confirm about Aloe is that it’s a great moisturizer and has several anti-inflammatory (among others contains salicylates, polysaccharides, magnesium lactate and C-glucosyl chromone) as well as some antibacterial components. It also helps wound healing and skin regeneration in general. All in all definitely a goodie. The famous aloe vera.
- Sodium Benzoate: A helper ingredient that helps to make the products stay nice longer, aka preservative. It’s pH dependent and works best at acidic pH levels (3-5). A preservative that works mainly against fungi.
- Tocopheryl Acetate: It’s the most commonly used version of pure vitamin E in cosmetics. You can read all about the pure form here. A form of vitamin E that works as an antioxidant.
- Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil: The famous tea tree oil. One of the best known essential oils which comes from Australia where it has been used for almost 100 years for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions. Similar to other essential oils, tea tree oil is a very complex chemical mixture consisting of about 100 components, the major ones being terpinen-4-ol (40%), γ-Terpinene (23%) and α-Terpinene (10%). Regarding skincare and tea tree oil, its most well-known effect is probably being a well established anti-acne ingredient. Multiple studies confirm that TTO is effective against the evil acne-causing bacteria called P. acnes and the effectiveness of 5% TTO gel is comparable to the gold standard anti-acne treatment, 5% Benzoyl Peroxide lotion. Regarding TTO and sensitive skin, we say that you should be careful. Even if your skin is not sensitive you should never put undiluted TTO on your skin. Overall, we do not often give a goodie status to essential oils, but we feel that TTO's unique antibacterial and anti-acne properties with its minimal allergen content warrant an exception. The famous tea tree oil.
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter: Unless you live under a rock you must have heard about shea butter. But it's not only a simple emollient, it regenerates and soothes the skin, protects it from external factors (such as UV rays or wind) and is also rich in antioxidants (among others vitamin A, E, F, quercetin and epigallocatechin gallate). Shea butter that's considered to be a magic moisturizer and emollient.
- Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil: When it comes to cosmetic oils and hype, argan oil is for sure leading the way. Dubbed as the "liquid gold of Morocco", we have to admit we have some trouble determining why this oil enjoys such a special miracle status. So, argan oil comes from the kernel of the argan fruit that comes from the argan tree that grows only in Morocco. The tree is slow growing and getting the oil is a hard job. The traditional process is that the ripe argan fruits fall from the tree, then goats eat them up and poop out the seeds. The seeds are collected and smashed with a stone to get the kernels inside. This part is the hard one as the seeds have extremely hard shells. Once the kernels are obtained, the oil is pressed out from them (the kernels contain about 50% oil). As for skincare, argan oil is loaded with lots of skin goodies (but so are many other plant oils): it contains 80% nourishing and moisturizing unsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic (38-50%), linoleic (28-38%) and palmitic (10-18%). Thanks to all the above goodness in argan oil, it can greatly nourish and moisturize the skin and hair. It's also claimed to be able to neutralize collagen-damaging free radicals, help reduce scars, and revitalize and improve skin elasticity. Argan oil - the "liquid gold of Morocco" that contains 80% unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic mainly), and antioxidant vitamin E and phenols.
- Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil: Jojoba is a drought resistant evergreen shrub native to South-western North America. It's known and grown for jojoba oil, the golden yellow liquid coming from the seeds (about 50% of the weight of the seeds will be oil). So what the heck is a wax ester and why is that important anyway? Well, to understand what a wax ester is, you first have to know that oils are chemically triglycerides: one glycerin + three fatty acids attached to it. The fatty acids attached to the glycerin vary and thus we have many kinds of oils, but they are all triglycerides. Mother Nature also created wax esters but for a totally different purpose. Chemically, a wax ester is a fatty acid + a fatty alcohol, one long molecule. Wax esters are on the outer surface of several plant leaves to give them environmental protection. So being a wax ester results in a couple of unique properties: First, jojoba oil is extremely stable. Like crazy stable. Even if you heat it to 370 C (698 F) for 96 hours, it does not budge. (Many plant oils tend to go off pretty quickly). Second, jojoba oil is the most similar to human sebum (both being wax esters), and the two are completely miscible. Jojoba oil - a wax ester (chemically not a real oil), that's very similar to human sebum.
- Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil: The golden yellow oil coming from the Macadamia nut, a native Australian nut. Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with emollient and nourishing fatty acids. It's a high oleic acid oil (50-67% oleic acid and only 0-5% linoleic acid) that makes it very emollient and ideal for dry skin types (and less ideal for acne-prone skin). Its unique property is that it contains high amounts of a rare fatty acid called palmitoleic acid (12-25%) that give Macadamia oil a "cushiony" feel. Macadamia nut oil - A highly emollient oil rich in oleic acid (50-67%) and a rare fatty acid called palmitoleic acid (12-25%).
- Caprylyl Glycol: We don't have description for this ingredient yet. It’s a handy multi-tasking ingredient that gives the skin a nice, soft feel. The blend of these two (caprylyl glycol + phenoxyethanol) is called Optiphen, which not only helps to keep your cosmetics free from nasty things for a long time but also gives a good feel to the finished product.
- Phenoxyethanol: An Ecocert-approved, natural preservative that counts as gentle and non-irritating to the skin. An Ecocert-approved, natural preservative that counts as gentle and non-irritating to the skin.
How to Use the Dandruff Control Masque
SheaMoisture’s African Black Soap Dandruff Control Masque conditions hair while relieving dry, itchy scalp. Plantain Enzyme helps to calm itching and irritation. Tea Tree Oil removes buildup for enhanced shine and volume.
- Section clean, wet hair.
- Apply generously from root to ends, massaging gently into scalp.
- Use a wide tooth comb to distribute evenly.
- Leave in 5 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- For deep penetrating treatment, cover hair with a plastic cap and apply moderate heat for up to 30 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly.
Read also: Shea Butter for Skin and Hair
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