III Sisters of Nature Product Review

III Sisters of Nature

(Initial Review)

One of the most fun and challenging things about being a naturalista is finding the right products for our respective hair types. We need a combination of products that will help our hair retain moisture, length, promote growth, and contain all natural ingredients. I came across the III Sisters of Nature product line while searching for my usual Eden Body Works and thought I would give it a try. I bought the co-wash, leave-in conditioner, spiral pudding, and lengthening crème. I ran out of my deep conditioner so this review is being done without a proper conditioner at the moment. The first time I used the product, I had a conditioner, and the second time, I used the oil rinse method to condition my hair.  

The Co-Wash

One of the first things I noticed about the co-wash was the smell. It smells awesome. It is on the thicker side, but there is a disclaimer that it does not lather, and it doesn’t. Not even a little bit. At first that turned me off. However, I followed the directions on the bottle and rinsed my hair for 2-3 minutes, possibly more, then added the conditioner to my scalp and hair. I massaged for a few minutes and I felt as if it were cleaning my hair. The only downside is that because it does not lather, I feel like I have to use more, but I have read reviews that say to use less because of how thick it is. Also, I do not feel like the product rinsed out completely, but this is not necessarily a negative for me since I know that without silicones, my hair will not have that squeaky clean feeling that traditional shampoos offer. However, if you mind your hair feeling a little oily after you wash it, then this product may not be for you. Below is a picture of the ingredients in the co-wash.

As you can see, the first set of ingredients are oils, but the second set is what has given me pause with this product. Maltodextrin, Pectin, and corn glucose are all sugars used for preserving the product I assume, and the rest are laboratory made preservatives from what I gather after looking up the ingredients. I have a list of ingredients that the curly girl method recommends and the ones it says to avoid. None of these ingredients showed up on either list, which I took for a good sign at first. The bottle is very convincing in that it says it contains no petrolatum, mineral oil, silicones, alcohol, formaldehyde, carbomer, parabens, or waxes. And the tocopheryl acetate is a form of vitamin E mixed with the acidic component of vinegar. The tag line on the bottle says that III Sisters of Nature is “The ‘cleaner’ hair care products.” I would like to believe that tagline, but the nature of those last ingredients still give me pause. I am hesitant to state that this is a completely natural product since I am unfamiliar with those ingredients.

The Leave-in Conditioner

Most of the reviews I read of the leave-in were positive reviews. If they did not like the other products in the line, they liked the leave-in. It also smells really great. The one thing I have against the conditioner is that I apply it after I apply my oil and it has a strange slick feeling when mixed with the oil, almost like it is not penetrating my hair. It is hard to describe, but I do not enjoy putting it in my hair. I really do not like how it feels when I follow the leave-in with the spiral pudding, which I will talk about in a moment.

                    

             

After reading the ingredients of the leave-in conditioner, I was a little upset that I paid so much for another product when it has the same ingredients as the co-wash except with less oils. It made me wonder if I could just use the co-wash as a leave-in or vice versa. 

Spiral Pudding

When I opened this container initially, I thought, we have a problem. It was very thick, and had a tacky feel to it instead of a pudding consistency. I have read reviews that say other people got the tacky version and when they re-ordered it, it was smooth, so I suppose the feel of it depends on the batch you get. However, once I applied the pudding to my hair, it had a gritty texture to it which is consistent whether or not the jar you get is smooth or has a tackier feel. Applying the spiral pudding on top of the leave-in made my hair feel very slick. I tried to do a rope twist where you kind of finger coil your hair in two sections and then do the twists, but the coils came out almost as soon as I twisted them because my hair was so slick. Granted, this could be a user error since I am sure I used more product than was necessary. I often do and I need to get better at using just what I need. It is hard to gauge.

I used the pudding in my daughter’s hair and I really liked the way it felt going in to her 4 c hair, plus it kept her hair moisturized for an entire week. I’ve noticed that it seems to help my hair retain moisture as well, probably better than any cream I have used before, so in spite of the tacky feeling, and the fact that you really need to put it under a dryer if you want it to dry, I would probably use it again. The first time I used this product was a day after I tried the lengthening crème, discussed below. When I added the spiral pudding on top of that, it left these little balls of purple grit/ lint on my hair and it did not dry all the way. Some of the reviews I read also reported this phenomenon when using the spiral pudding along with other products. They had the little balls of product left on their hair and said you had to find the right combination so that this did not happen. However, the jar says to allow the pudding to set under a dryer. Once I did that, it dried clear, no problem. But, and I am sure you know where I am going with this, I am trying to limit the amount of heat I add to my hair. I never blow dry my hair or use a dryer. I air dry it. So the fact that this product takes so long to air dry is kind of a con in my book. However, I will say once again, that I could have used too much product.

Lengthening Crème

I used this product one time and I am having a hard time convincing myself to use it again. I did not like the way it felt going in to my hair, and the next day my hair was dry. I feel like this product has alcohol or some kind of drying agent in it. It did not feel like a moisturizer when I put it on, and it probably isn’t. It says it is a lengthening crème, which I really don’t know what that means exactly; it may be more like a gel which would make sense. If I ever do a wash and go or want to touch up a twist out, I may use it again, which is probably what the product was really made for. I tried using it on my twists and I did not like it.

Overall, I really like how the product smells and that it helps my hair to retain moisture. Natural products often have a different feel and texture compared to commercial products, so I will not allow the feel of it to cloud my judgment. If you are interested in purchasing this product, I would suggest ordering it directly from the III Sisters of Nature website. If you try to get it from Amazon, you will pay considerably more, and that is not including the price of shipping and handling. The store I went to, JD's Fashion, sold the co-wash and leave-in at $9 a bottle and the two creams were $12.99 each. The co-wash and leave-in are around $6 on the website, but the two creams are still $12.99. These are not bad prices when compared to other natural hair products. I am going to continue to use the III Sisters of Nature product line (since that is all I have at the moment) and will provide an update in the future if my feelings and findings of the product changes.

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