Summary:
The Marula Miracle Therapy Moisture Leave-In made my hair feel softer, and made it look less frizzy and more defined. However, I did find that I need to be careful not to put it too close to my roots, or at least go very lightly there. I also like the company ethos and their support of fair trade and sustainable practices.
Half-head test:
I pre-oiled my tips up to the midsection with Nutiva cold-pressed coconut oil, and washed with Alba Botanica Marula Miracle shampoo and conditioner. Then I parted my hair down the middle and left the right side alone to serve as a control.
My left side is the test; I added about a quarter sized amount and concentrated the most on tips, going very lightly on the top.
Lastly, I combed and gently scrunched both sides with a clean comb each time (to avoid cross contamination), and then left my hair to air dry.
(P.S. to learn why I always do half-head tests, read this post)
Results:
As you can see, the leave-in side has less volume and frizz. The test side was also softer, and you can see that I had better curl definition there. But the better clumping didn’t last long. A little bit of playing with my hair, and it was almost as non-defined as the control side. Also, my boyfriend said the test side looked a little greasy; perhaps it’s because I put too much on.
Bad things I noticed
I’ve put this leave in close to my roots before and it made my scalp itchy. However, that seems typical of products with cationic surfactants.
Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice(1), Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed(1), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Juice, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Alcohol(1), Behentrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba (Guar) Gum(1), Heptyl Glucoside, Isopropyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Triethyl Citrate, Vanillin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool (1)Certified Organic Ingredient
Marketing Claims:
Here is what the company’s marketing says about its Marula Miracle leave-in:
For an extra hit of hydration or to give knots and snarls the slip, this lightweight leave-in is made with virgin, wild harvested, fair trade marula oil to help smooth locks, eliminate frizz and define curls. Hair is soft, shiny and manageable while the light finish maintains a healthy bounce.
A bit about Marula oil
There is no scientific evidence to show where marula oil stands in terms of beneficial effect on hair, so don’t get fooled by the marketing claiming any special effects. Besides, if you look at the ingredients, it’s actually the last oil listed, which means the amount of marula oil is lowest compared to the other oils and has the least effect one way or the other.
However, one beneficial (albeit non-hair-related) aspect of marula oil is its sustainable nature. Marula oil is native to Africa, and there are multiple studies to suggest that marula tree farming helps stabilize and develop rural communities [1,2,3]. Some shoppers may not care about this when choosing a hair product, but I personally believe in supporting companies that stand behind fair-trade practices, and otherwise try to make the world a little better.
And that concludes my review.
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References:
- Zimba, N., Wren, S., & Stucki, A. (2005). Three major tree nut oils of southern central Africa: their uses and future as commercial base oils. International Journal of Aromatherapy, 15(4), 177-182.
- Mokgolodi, N. C., Ding, Y. F., Setshogo, M. P., Ma, C., & Liu, Y. J. (2011). The importance of an indigenous tree to southern African communities with specific relevance to its domestication and commercialization: a case of the marula tree. Forestry Studies in China, 13(1), 36-44.
- Schreckenberg, K., Awono, A., Degrande, A., Mbosso, C., Ndoye, O., & Tchoundjeu, Z. (2006). Domesticating indigenous fruit trees as a contribution to poverty reduction. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 16(1), 35-51.