Product Review: Shea Moisture Zanzibar Marine Complex Age-Defy & Color Protect Conditioner

Shea Moisture Zanzibar Marine Complex Age-Defy & Color Protect Conditioner

In 2014, I ragged on Shea Moisture a bit for being about that extra long product name life.

It appears that in 2015, they show no signs of slowing down whatsoever. The full name of this product is Shea Moisture Community Commerce Zanzibar Marine Complex Age-Defy & Color Protect Conditioner. That's 12 words, in case you cared. Enough ragging on Shea Moisture. Hopefully one day they'll pay attention to lil' ol' me and we can have a conversation about these incredibly verbose product names. Anywho, let's get on with this review.

Just so you guys know, this one is hot on the heels of the product release. I went into supersonic mode trying to hunt these products down. Not because I'm a product junkie or anything...but because you know, I care about you guys and want you to walk into Target armed with a detailed and honest review. The young lady in Target had to hunt these down in the stockroom for me, because they hadn't put up the endcap yet. #Shoutout to Target in Manhattan Beach for being about that extra-mile-for-customers life.

Ingredient List: water, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, glyceryl caprylate, hippophae rhamnoides oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, carrageenan, panthenol, argan oil, glycerin, hydroxyethylcellulose, tocopheryol acetate, laminaria saccharina extract, algae extract, sodium benzoate, aloe juice, plankton extract, hydrolyzed conchiolin protein, weber tequiliana azul extract, glyceryl undecylenate, fragrance (essential oil blend)

Top Ingredient 411:

  • butyspermum parkii (shea butter): emollient fat from the nut of the East or West African shea nut tree used to moisturize and soften hair.
  • stearyl & cetyl alcohols"fatty alcohols" -- NOT to be confused with drying alcohols such as ethyl. Both act as a lubricants, thickeners, and emollients. They also give conditioner its velvety feel without making hair greasy, and are additionally used to keep product ingredients from separating.
  • 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.
  • glyceryl caprylate: natural vegetable-based product thickener and enhancer made from the esters of glycerin and coconut or palm kernel oil
  • hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) oil: nutrient dense oil of the sea buckthorn berry, rich in essential vitamins, amino acids, and omegas which stimulate the follicles, rejuvenate the scalp and hair, and fight the signs of aging hair. Most prized for omega-7 content, which plays a critical role as a building block for hair and skin, fighting dryness, aging, and oxidative damage.

More: Why You Need Sea Buckthorn Oil in Your Regimen

Availability: Because this new addition to the Community Commerce line is available exclusively at Target as a part of the Made to Matter initiative, this one can't be found anywhere else. Target stores and Target.com are pretty much your only options.

Affordability: The 13oz bottle is regularly priced at $10.99, which is standard Shea Moisture pricing. Currently, all Shea Moisture products at Target are on sale, so I got two bottles (there was no way I was sending homegirl to the stock room for just one bottle -- that's rude!) for $9.89 each.

Product Claim/Description: With Black Pearl Protein and Sea Buckthorn Oil. Hair renewal recipe. A nutrient rich daily conditioner, infused with our exclusive blend of oils and marine botanicals including Carrageenan (Red Algae), that restores moisture. Added protein fortifies and strengthens protecting hair from color-fade, environmental stressors and future damage. Hair looks youthful and vibrant. Zanzibar Marine Complex is a blend of Kelp and Carrageenan (Red Algae), rich in polysaccharides, that protects and moisturizes hair. Black Pearl Protein natural marine minerals, a symbol of timeless elegance, fortifies and supports hair structure. Sea Buckthorn Oil, rich in Omegas 3,6,7 & 9, quenches and conditions for stronger and thicker hair.

Shea Moisture Zanzibar Marine Complex Age-Defy & Color Protect Conditioner

Performance/Delivery: First things first -- let's talk fragrance. Ah-MAY-zing. It reminds me a lot of the Manuka & Mafura line with that sweet-ish, sultry fragrance. Honestly, this stuff smells pretty darn sexy. Like, I might just have to go hunt down the body collection so I can be on my Shea Moisture smell good all Summer long. I see Shea Moisture is all about making up for the fragrance faux pas with the JBCO line.

Shea Moisture Zanzibar Marine Complex Age-Defy & Color Protect Conditioner
The consistency of the Zanzibar Marine Complex Conditioner is relatively thin, which is somewhat of a shock. I expected a little bit more thickness than what I got, but it's all good. It spreads easily and soaked right into my hair, both times that I tried it. I tried it first to detangle a section of my 4 day old dried out and trifilin' wash and go....and it was a pretty "meh" experience. I definitely didn't get as much slip as I anticipated. I proceeded to detangle as much as I could (I'd rate the sheer detangling power at about a 3 out of 5), and then shampooed the section to start off with a clean slate. I applied a generous amount of the Zanzibar Marine Complex Conditioner, and worked it through my hair. It was at this point that I discovered the conditioner isn't meant to detangle with (for me at least), it works best on hair that is already detangled, but has enough slip to easily work through and not tangle your hair back up. I filed that away in the memory bank.

I left it in my hair for about 5 minutes (the directions say 3 minutes, but 2 extra minutes never hurt anyone), and upon rinse-out, I cycled through a few different emotions. First, I was hopeful. As I rinsed the conditioner out, my hope faded because my hair didn't feel buttery smooth. After completely rinsing, my faith was virtually restored, because my hair felt pretty darn good. Not buttery velvet-like, but it definitely felt moisturized -- you know that hearty, moisturized feeling when your hair soaks up every bit of goodness that your conditioner had to offer? Yeah. It felt like that. When I looked in the mirror, I was low-key blown away. My hair had an intense vibrancy and shine --like, of epic proportions. I can honestly say I was unprepared for that shine -- especially from a silicone-free conditioner.

Drawbacks: The lack of slip initially was a bit of a bummer for me. It's not a total deal-breaker, just a ding on the record. Also, the fragrance (although I absolutely LOVE it) might be a bit overwhelming for some. But if you've ever smelled pure sea buckthorn oil, then you know why. That. Stuff. STINKS.

Bonuses: Aside from being totally enamored with the fragrance, I really am blown away by how vibrant it leaves the hair. You guys may think I'm making a big deal about shine, but when you have color treated hair, shine is like, the hardest thing to come by. Permanent dye dulls the hair, unless you go like, super dark brown or black. I've been trying to get my luster back, and I have a few products in my arsenal that help, but this could be a total game changer.

Bottom Line: As a color protecting conditioner, I definitely recommend this to anyone of any type or texture of hair that has color. I can't speak to the long-term color preservation (holler at me in two months) of the product, because it hasn't been out that long. But I can attest to the shine and vibrancy that it delivers to otherwise dull color-treated hair.

Overall Product Rating: A solid 4 Stars. It's a solid product overall, and it definitely delivers on that age defy/rejuvenating tip. I'm definitely looking forward to trying it in conjunction with the Zanzibar Marine Complex Leave-In Conditioner.

Best Practices: I definitely recommend using this conditioner during your wash day after you've already detangled. I don't recommend detangling with it -- especially for tangle-prone color treated hair.

Will you be trying the new Zanzibar Marine Complex line?

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9 Comments

  1. I actually bought the shampoo and conditioner, and I was able to detangle some with the shampoo as its a creamy texture. I have color treated hair and the duo brought my hair to life!!! Im going back to try other things from the line.

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  2. ooh thanks for the heads up on where to get it. I didn't see them in Culver City's Target.

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  3. Interesting they include Carrageenan in the ingredients. It's one of those controversial ingredients when it comes to food anyway.

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  4. I finally saw it in one of my local Targets! I almost bought it, but I had already put 2 jars of the Manuka Honey masque in my cart that weren't on sale and so I couldn't justify it! I'll go back for it another day. I was curious about the carrageenan as well.....

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  5. I haven't tried the hair products for this series, but I bought the shower gel and lotion because of the scent. I love it and am looking for a dupe in spray frangrance form. Wish Shea moisture made one, other than the body oil.

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  6. Time has confirmed us these products are worth it

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  7. Great write up on the products. Will definitely give it a try,

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