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| I got some MAJOR love from nuNAAT. Pictured: Treatment Curly Line with Keratin and Cupuacu Butter |
When the folks at nuNAAT hit me up about reviewing their Treatment Curly line, I was really excited. I had seen some of their products in Sally's, and apparently the Treatment Curly Deep Conditioner went over well in the June CurlBox. When the products arrived, I was super stoked because they provided me a complete line and full size bottles -- from the shampoo rooter to the leave-in tooter. Eager to explore the line geared toward natural textures featuring some fancy-sounding butter (Cupuaçu) I had never heard of, I flipped each bottle/jar over to the one thing that mattered: ingredients.
That's when I got a little nervous. On every product label, I saw one red flag: mineral oil. I thought hair companies had received that memo re: mineral oil. I guess not. But nonetheless, I decided to give the line a try and keep an open mind. Here's what the nuNAAT website offers up about Cupuaçu and the benefits of the Treatment Curly Line:
"Extracted from the seeds of the Cupuaçu tree, Cupuaçu Butter has a high fatty acid content. This aids with water absorption to provide superior moisturizing abilities. Combined with the strengthening properties of Keratin Protein this deep moisturizing formula can be used to define natural curls or, if used in combination with a flat iron, provide a straight smooth look."
Benefits:
All of that sounds amazing, and I am always on the lookout for products that work best with multi-textured hair. Check out how the products fared on my transitioning tresses:
Treatment Curly Moisturizing Shampoo
First 5 Ingredients: water, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamide MEA, sodium chloride, sodium C10-16 Pareth-2 Sulfate
Ingredient Analysis
Sodium Laureth Sulfate: Surfectant (cleansing agent) derived from ethoxylated lauryl alcohol.
Cocamide MEA: Foam boosting and viscosity increasing compound synthesized from coconut oils and ethanolamine.
Sodium Chloride: Salt
Sodium C10-16 Pareth-2 Sulfate: Surfectant and foam boosting agent created from the sodium salt of a sulfated polyethylene glycol ether of a mixture of synthetic C 10-16 fatty alcohols.
Performance: To be frank, I wasn't impressed with the shampoo. My scalp was cleansed adequately enough, but the shampoo left my hair feeling stripped and dry -- especially at the ends. So much that I hoped to high heaven the conditioner would be enough to put the moisture balance back in my hair. It was also a bit odd that the shampoo was runny. I expect most shampoos to have a thicker and creamier feel, but that wasn't the case with this one.
Treatment Curly Conditioner
First 5 Ingredients: water, cetearyl alcohol, paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil), cyclopentasiloxane, cetrimonium chloride, alcohol
Ingredient Analysis
Cetearyl Alcohol: Fatty alcohol and emulsifying agent responsible for the creamy feel of conditioner and softening hair.
Paraffinum Liquidum: Mineral oil. An occlusive agent that creates a barrier between the hair and the air, acting as a sealant.
Cyclopentasiloxane: Emollient and hair conditioning silicone-based compound.
Cetrimonium Chloride: Quaternary ammonium compound that is able to penetrate the hair, and condition. It also acts as an anti-static agent and anti-microbial.
Alcohol: Drying anti-foaming and anti-microbial agent.
Performance: The conditioner left me with mixed feelings. It performed well as an in-shower detangler...like really well. But unfortunately, as an actual conditioner it was only so-so. I noticed that compared to most conditioners, it was somewhat watery, which I'm sure contributed to the stellar detangling performance. I turned a blind eye to the mineral oil, hoping that the fatty alcohols, silicone, and cetrimonium chloride would carry the mixture. Unfortunately, they didn't. Perhaps the shampoo left my hair too dry for the conditioner to restore.
Treatment Curly Intensive Hair Mask
First 5 Ingredients: water, cetearyl alcohol, paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil), isopropyl myristate, behentrimonium chloride
Ingredient Analysis: The first three ingredients here are the same for the conditioner and leave-in. Let's explore the other two:
Isopropyl Myristate: Emollient and conditioning agent composed of isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid, a common, naturally occurring fatty acid.
Behentrimonium Chloride: Quaternary ammonium compound and close cousin of cetrimonium chloride. Also penetrates the hair, conditions, and acts as an anti-static and anti-microbial agent.
Performance: Honestly speaking, this product was the leader of the pack. I used the deep conditioner as a pre-poo treatment with my Q-Redew and again as a deep conditioner by itself. As a pre-poo treatment, it made my hair incredibly soft and manageable. As a deep conditioner, it did the same. Although I wasn't wild about the smell (and how it somewhat remained in my hair), I see why the CurlBoxers liked this one so much. There is no doubting the softness and lush-feeling the deep conditioner left behind. Do I wish that it didn't have mineral oil and a compound including a drying alcohol? Sure. But does it work? Absolutely.
Treatment Curly Leave-In
First 5 Ingredients: water, cetearyl alcohol, paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil), cyclopentasiloxane, centrimonium chloride, alcohol
Ingredient Analysis: Honestly, the conditioner and leave-in have the same word-for-word top ingredients. The only difference is in formulation.
Performance: As I just said, the main ingredients are essentially the same. What I found interesting was the stark difference in consistency and feel of the products. Where the conditioner was a bit runny and lacked a lot of velvety feel, the leave-in was a lot creamier, thicker, and velvety feeling. While my hair felt soft and moisturized immediately following application, later in the day my hair felt dry. I found myself needing to spritz my hair with water at several points throughout the day, which is uncharacteristic for me. Normally, my hair is one and done when it comes to leave-in products.
Bottom Line
All in all, I would encourage nuNAAT to go back to the drawing board on this one. For one, naturals and transitioners are wising up, and are vigilant and vocal about ingredients they like and don't like. There are plenty of oils that can be used in lieu of mineral -- from soybean to coconut. It doesn't have to be exotic or rare, just something more palatable for the ingredient-conscious naturalistas out there. Two, the Cupuaçu Butter and Keratin are consistently on the bottom of the list for each product -- another facet of product marketing that naturalistas are hip to. I think the Cupuaçu Butter can be a nice touch, if it makes it into the top 5-6 ingredients. I'd really like to be able to feel the butter at work on my hair.
Lastly, I don't particularly care for the fragrance; it is light and powdery-floral, reminiscent of deodorant or feminine hygiene products. I do, however, appreciate that they left the artificial fragrances out of this one. Overall, I wanted to like the nuNAAT Treatment Curly line. Unfortunately for this transitioner, the line fell flat.
nuNAAT offers TONS of other products online and in stores. Although the Treatment Curly line didn't work for me, each head of hair is different. If you're interested in giving nuNAAT products a try:
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