Review – Africa Organics Baobab Shampoo & Conditioner | Marula Shampoo & Conditioner

Africa Organics is an Ecocert accredited 100% Natural Hair and Body care range using Africa’s powerful natural and organic plant ingredients.  The brand was founded in 2008 by organic chemist Trevor Steyn (ESSE Probiotic Skincare).

The brand is approved by Phytotrade Africa, a visionary Fair Trade initiative that promotes community projects throughout sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Beauty without Cruelty and the Vegan society.

In the interests of healthier humans inhabiting a healthier Earth, the range is free of all harmful chemicals including parabens, petrochemicals, sulphated surfactants, silicons, animal products, ethoxylated or PEG ingredients, propylene glycol or any other ingredients red-flagged by Ecocert standards.

Choosing natural products doesn’t mean having to accept ineffective products.

I  have been using these products for over a month now so here’s my review.

Africa Organics Baobab Shampoo (210ml, £12.82)

This is a good, all-round shampoo for dry hair and can be used as a 2 in 1 shampoo for normal hair. We’ve used Baobab fruit and Inulin as natural conditioners and we’ve used Marula oil to seal damaged hair and lock in moisture.

Ingredients:

Africa Organics Marula Shampoo (210ml, £12.07)

This is a good everyday shampoo for normal or oily hair. We’ve used natural, biodegradable foaming agents that won’t strip your hair and we’ve also added Rooibos as an anti-oxidant and Marula to help prevent breakages. Mint oils give it a fresh, pick-me-up fragrance.

My Experience

As a natural with kinky curly hair I have a love-hate relationship with shampoo.  I find most of them are just too harsh for my hair and can leave it a tangled mess!

When choosing a shampoo, I always make sure it’s sulphate-free.

Sulphates are the chemical detergents in shampoo used to remove dirt and product build-up but they are quite harsh and also strip away the natural oils in our hair.

For me, the most important thing when choosing a shampoo is that it leaves my hair and scalp clean, removes product build up and doesn’t leave my hair stripped.

The baobab shampoo has a thicker consistency compared to the Marula shampoo.  They both smell amazing – Marula has a fresh coconut, minty scent and Baobab has a delicious citrus, nutty scent.

So lately I’ve been using a lot of butters and oils in my hair and by the end of the week I end up with a lot of product build up.  Both shampoos create a mild lather which gets the job done, my hair was squeaky clean, I mean it literally squeaked! I didn’t mind that as my hair and scalp were thoroughly cleansed and my hair didn’t feel stripped.

Africa Organics Baobab Conditioner (200ml, £13.61)

If you have very dry or curly hair, then you’ll love this conditioner. Baobab fruit powder helps to condition your hair and we’ve added anti-oxidants from Rooibos for protection. It doesn’t spread through your hair like conventional products, but the end result is great.

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Aloe Barbadensis (Vera) Leaf Gel*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Isoamyl Laurate, Citrus Sinensis (Orange) Peel Oil*, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Cetyl Alcohol, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Oil, Inulin*, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) Leaf Extract*, PCA Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Fruit Powder*, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Vanilla Planifolia Extract, Linalool**, Limonene**, Geraniol**
*ingredient from organic farming
**component of natural essential oils

Africa Organics Marula Conditioner (200ml, £12.07)

This is a light conditioner that’s good for everyday use. Marula seed oil helps to condition your hair without making it greasy. The crisp, fresh fragrance is a mix of wild coconut and mint.

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Aloe Barbadensis (Vera) Leaf Gel*, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethanol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Inulin*, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Isoamyl Laurate, Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) Leaf Extract*, PCA Glyceryl Oleate, Citrus Sinensis (Orange) Peel Oil*, Glyceryl Stearate, Adansonia Digitata fruit extract*, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil*, Mentha Spicata (Spearmint) Leaf Oil*, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Linalool**, Limonene**, Geraniol**
*ingredient from organic farming
**component of natural essential oils

My experience

So when it comes to conditioners my preference is silicone-free with tons of slip to help finger detangle and soften my hair.

Both conditioners take a little getting used to.  My hair adjusted after 2 weeks.

The Marula conditioner is light and I didn’t find it moisturising enough for my hair.  It doesn’t have much slip so after applying I left it in for about 15 mins and then detangled with a comb.

After rinsing out my hair was nice and soft.

The Baobab conditioner on the other hand is slightly thicker.  The packaging says “If you have very dry or curly hair, then you’ll love this conditioner” so I had high hopes.

The first time I applied it to my hair I was slightly disappointed, like the Marula conditioner it doesn’t have any slip or spread through the hair easily.  However, once I rinsed it out my hair magically changed.  It left my hair incredibly soft and moisturised and my curls were defined and elongated.  Now that’s a great result!

The Baobab duo is definitely more suited to my hair and I loved the results.

Overall my hair is definitely healthier, it is able to absorb moisture and most importantly retain it.  When I use my regular styling products they absorb better and don’t just sit on top of my hair.

I look forward to trying out more from the brand.  You can check out the rest of the Africa Organics range here.

Lola ♡