Hi Wavy Friends! I am currently dealing with some big family emergency things, but this blog is a very welcome distraction. But in the travel craziness etc, I needed to buy some hair stuff while home. I wanted to get cheap and close-by so I went to Walmart. I was hoping to pick up some NYMN, but they didn’t have any in the store I visited! So when I saw some new Maui Moisture colors I decided to give that a go. I have used the Maui Moisture Vanilla Bean line, and I love the “hair butter.” It’s my favorite drugstore deep conditioning mask! But the line I decided on was the Lightweight Hydration Hibiscus Water line. Lightweight hydration? Sold. Wavies: you likely want to go for something that has “lightweight” in the title because it helps give you better volume with your waves. Just try it! I had a hard time trusting that too because I have thick hair. But ultimately, lightweight for me equals better definition and more volume.
overview + quick disclaimer
I straightened my hair prior to this wash. I vented a bit in my previous post, hair is hair. At that time, it was my only option. But now I have actual products! But anyways, my hair might be a little drier than normal. In addition, I washed with a sulfate shampoo and conditioned with a silicone filled conditioner. That’s what I had and more important things were going on than my hair, but this seems important to note here.
packaging
First of all, the packaging on these bottles is so fun and summery and cheerful. That’s part of why I was drawn to them. I don’t love the color pink, but they are just so happy looking! I do feel it’s important to mention that while the packaging is basically neon, the products are not. The shampoo is clear, and the conditioner is white. You aren’t going to accidentally turn your hair pink 😉
scent
The Maui Moisture lightweight hydration + hibiscus water line notes hibiscus water, passion fruit, and watermelon as key ingredients (and fragrances) in this line. When you actually smell it, I would describe as “lightly tropical.” There is no coconut, no “suncreen” scent. It’s light, fruity but in a real fruit way, and is very pleasant. It is a very non-offensive scent, even in the shower. Also, it’s perfect for summer! I do not believe the scent lingered after the shower.
The shampoo was a little more gel-consistency than other shampoos I’ve used. The reason might be that aloe vera is the first ingredient, because it did remind me of aloe a bit with its texture. This low-poo either gave a lot of lather, or I used too much. I did accidentally squirt out more than I meant to the first time. The shampoo did not feel stripping or clarifying, but it also didn’t feel like it was cleansing my scalp as well as the NYMN Dark Blue or Red shampoos do. However, keep in mind that I did use a silicone conditioner prior. So I washed twice, both time focusing near my scalp. Both times there was a significant amount of lather, but it rinsed out easily.
Overall first impression of the low-poo
This shampoo is a pleasant low poo with lots of lather that does not appear to be stripping. Has a light fruit fragrance.
The conditioner is a little harder for me to give a great first impression on because my hair was straightened. There were less tangles (since it was straight), and less product in my hair because of this. But let’s carry on. The scent was also light and pleasant.
How I used
I first detangled my hair completely using as little as possible. This went fast because of the previously straightened hair. The slip was good. The consistency was fairly thin, which typically my hair does not like over time. But from this time perspective, it was easy to detangle. Then I rinsed and scrunched it into my clumps of waves. I felt like I needed to use a lot of this conditioner to get the same feeling as my NYMN Red conditioner. That said, it also made me realize that NYMN Red doesn’t give great slip at all. I was also having a hard time getting enough product out of the bottle at once (and this is the first use!) which was annoying in the shower. I wish the bottles had pumps, because I was already knocking my hand against the bottom to get product out. It felt like the conditioner didn’t want to stay in my soaking wet hair either, which I think is due to the lighter consistency. But I let that sit in my hair, and rinsed out about 95% of it, then put up into a microfiber turbie twist.
overall first impression of the conditioner
good slip, not sure if there will be quite enough moisture long term, annoying packaging. Do want to continue using!
final thoughts
I’m excited to use this line more. Due to the situation, I’m not sure how long I will be using the line, or if I ‘ll be able to bring it back home with me. There are a lot of variables right now, but I think this is a good affordable option (each bottle was $8 and I’m in Anchorage, AK at the moment which is a high-cost of living area) to try for summer. If it makes sense, I’d like to do a more thorough review once I’ve used more times
coming soon: first impression of aussie miracle curls mousse
other products mentioned
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