Our #curlcommunity had a lot to say about the “biracial hair” myth, and we are constantly discussing the common industry standard of dividing consumers up by their ethnicity rather than their hairtype (for example, that “ethnic” aisle in groceries and drugstores”>. So we decided to explore another great divide in the shelves of the haircare aisle – Latina products!

Availability may vary based on your location, but here in Texas we have a Latina haircare section in addition to the “ethnic” shelves that hold many of our holy grails. Ever wonder what exactly a Latina haircare product is? Evelyn and Nikki decided to do some further investigating and do a haul of their findings!

Nikki picked up the Moco de Gorila, aka Gorilla Snot, which you may have seen in your grocery or beauty supply store before. It looks like Nickelodeon’s neon green slime and really does resemble the consistency of, well, snot. Because we don’t have experience with the Gorilla Snot, we polled our community, here’s what you had to say:

Apparently, sometimes what your hair NEEDS is gorilla snot!

Evelyn chose the Cabellina Conditioner Chile Con Romero, which contains pepper and rosemary natural extracts, and they weren’t kidding about the pepper extracts. Upon closer inspection (with their noses”> Evelyn and Nikki discovered this conditioner smells like fresh jalapeno peppers. From what we’ve read, there is no stinging sensation involved when using this product.

Nikki also grabbed the La Bella Lots of Curls Gel, which was one of the only products in the whole Latina section that said the word “curls” on the packaging. It was under $3 for 22 whole ounces, which excited the Product Junkies in the office. We’ve seen curlies use this gel to much success for their 2nd day hair.

The major difference Evelyn and Nikki found was that the packaging and labels were in Spanish, but aside from a couple of ingredients (like the pepper extracts”> they didn’t find other noticeable differences. They also noticed an absence of products for textured hair, such as cream gels, butters, curl creams, co-washes and moisturizing stylers, instead they saw mostly shampoos, conditioners and gels.

On Facebook, curlies offered their own experiences and insight. The offerings of the Latina section aren’t based on hairtype, but the brand’s country of origin:

Have you ever shopped for Latina hair products? If you live in a Latin American country, what are your favs? We’d love to know!

Related: 12 Mexican Hair Products You’ll Love

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Cristina Cleveland

As the Managing Editor of NaturallyCurly, Cristina is passionate about using influence to empower the next generation of women. She also serves as a GENthusiast member of the Girls Empowerment Network and is the creator of the blog Fuji Files, where she explores the effects of positive thinking and conscious shopping.

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