Jasmine-ISH, but does it bring curls to life? Back to Basics Jasmine Curl Refreshing Duo
Written: Oct 14 '09 (Updated Oct 14 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Shampoo cleanses, conditioner hydrates. Doesn't strip my hair color.
Cons: Where's the jasmine??? Questionable results.
The Bottom Line: Less than enthusiastic recommendation because I wasn't overwhelmed or convinced by the results, and still had to use an additional product.
mql1208's Full Review: Back to Basics Jasmine Curl Refreshing Shampoo and...
I have tweener hair --- not quite straight and not quite curly. It's long, thick, and wavy. Unfortunately, it's not sexy beachy wavy, but more Bride of Frankenstein wavy, unless I intervene. With the exception of Moroccan Oil, I've sworn off styling products, however, I am still willing to experiment with shampoos and conditioners to enhance my natural wave. I'm skeptical about curl boosting shampoos and conditioners, but I have to use something, so why not give them a try?
The shampoo and conditioner are packaged exactly the same in tall, odd shaped, slender necked, coral pink plastic bottles. The only way to distinguish the bottles is to remember the shampoo bottle flares out to the left, and the conditioner flares out to the right, or is it the other way around? The other option is to read the bottle, but without my contacts in, I can't see much. I line them up in order of use. Product is dispensed from a slot in a pop top cap or the entire cap is also functional by untwisting it.
Back to Basics Jasmine Curl Refreshing Shampoo is clear, neither too runny, nor too thick and easily flows from the slotted pop top. It's also easy to distribute through my mass of hair and lathers quite a bit. Directions tell me to shampoo once and follow through with conditioner, but I shampoo twice. First to cleanse, second to absorb the benefit. My dry hair still feels dry, after shampooing, even while it's wet. The shampoo cleans but doesn't hydrate.
With my color processed (colored to cover gray), and heat styled hair, I wouldn't dream of shampooing without following up with a conditioner and I'm a stickler for using coordinating products to enhance any benefit they're marketing. Back to Basics Jasmine Curl Refreshing Conditioner looks generic. White, creamy texture so thick I don't bother with the slotted pop top and resort to twisting off the entire cap. SO thick, I have to squeeze the bottle and wait for the stuff to "plop" out. I use alot --- about the size of a ping pong ball and it's a breeze to smooth through my hair. I leave it on for a couple minutes and then rinse. Despite the thickness of the conditioner, any decent amount of water pressure will remove it from your hair quickly. Immediately I notice a significant change in the texture of my hair with restored moisture and improved elasticity.
I'd say the shampoo and conditioner are not more than average products, doing no harm, and just meeting my expectations of clean hair with some replaced hydration. Jasmine is part of Back to Basic's "Pretty" collection, but sorry, it's not pretty enough for my taste. I'm seriously underwhelmed by its scent!
The real test for this curl refreshing duo, is end result. Paraphrased from the website, Back to Basics Jasmine Curl Refreshing Shampoo and Conditioner is formulated to condition curls while drawing them together for defined, defrizzed, locks, and also includes an astringent to tame rough, coarse, curls into shiny spirals. I'd like to report a definitive answer to the question "does it work?" Unfortunately, it's hard to say. I bought these products about 6 months ago when my hair was considerably shorter, and I always followed up with a third step of an additional curl boosting creme or gel. Other factors such as a good haircut from a stylist who knows how to work with wavy hair and even the weather can affect my hair's behavior. When it was shorter, in tandem with an additional step, I do think that this duo contributed to a better result. Now it's much longer, therefore much heavier, and more resistant to all attempts to coax out the curl. However, just yesterday, I was running really late and knew I didn't have time to use the flat iron or curling iron, so I broke out this set and crossed my fingers for a decent result. To my surprise, my hair didn't look half bad. It wasn't quite good enough to forego the last step of Moroccan Oil to add gloss and additional defnition, but my hair did respond and the result was spiralISH, loose, frizz-free waves, and very soft hair. Today, I tried the same routine, and I wasn't as pleased with the results. Still not awful though.
My experience doesn't exceed average expectations, and I can't add any points for exceptional fragrance. Pricing isn't a budget buster --- 11.5 ounces of shampoo for about $10.00 and 11 ounces of conditioner for about $11.00. Recommend? Maybe. Probably works best for hair that's more than tweener, and hair that isn't really thick. Worst case if you try it, is that you'll have a 3 star shampoo and conditioner that may or may not enhance curl. Certainly not a miracle worker! As I mentioned, I've had these products for about 6 months so that would support my lukewarm impression. I'll use up what I have, but will continue searching for better products.
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