Burt's Bees conditioners?

poemaXX · 02-27-2010, 01:31 PM

Have you tried Burt's Bees conditioners? I just switched to the CG method, so I'm starting off with Biolage Conditioning Balm, because my hair really needs moisture. However, I thought Burt's Bees might be a less expensive alternative later on. Any thoughts/suggestions?

poemaXX · 02-27-2010, 06:19 PM

LouLou · 02-27-2010, 07:19 PM

I Tried the Shea and grapefruit....

I didn't like it , no benefit to my hair and the smell is way too strong and lingered for hours - the smell ended up giving me a headache and I had to wash to get rid of it

SoCalCurl · 02-27-2010, 11:27 PM

I just started using Burt's Bees Color Keeper Green Tea & Fennel Seed Conditioner, and so far I like it. I usually use Kiss My Face (because it's also cheap and CG) but lately my hair has been reacting to it funny, so I thought I'd give Burt's Bees a whirl.

My hair is so picky that I can be over conditioned one day, and too dry the next, but the 2x I've used Burt's Bees I've gotten consistent results. I like it because it is light (doesn't weigh my hair down), but leaves my hair soft and moisturized. I mix in a bit of honey with it--so that might affect the outcome slightly.

Come to think of it, the days I've used Burt's Bees I haven't needed as much product. Hmmm...I'm going to have to look into that...

emalie.marthe · 02-28-2010, 12:22 AM

i have two experiences with the burts bees. used the burts bee's raspberry-whatever moisturizing conditioner and it was awful. there was no perceivable benefit to it: no slip, no detangling, no moisture, and it made my hair smell like a muffin. i also used the shea and grapefruit (once again i forgot the name and i cant read the poll when posting comment) deep conditioner before going cg (but still with a fairly curl-healthy regimine), and had good results. if i left it in for 5 minutes or so it really got rid of knots, made my hair feel really light and not weighed down, and smelled really nice. so mixed results in conclusion: the deep conditioner was fine although not the best i ever used, and the raspberry conditioner was without a doubt the worst conditioner i have ever used, pre- or post-cg. also, i know sally beauty carries something called generic value products conditioning balm (also referred to as gvp) that is a knock-off of biolage. i've never tried it but tons of curlies swear by it and i think it runs for $5 for a fairly large bottle.

crimsonshedemon · 02-28-2010, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poemaXX

I just switched to the CG method, so I'm starting off with Biolage Conditioning Balm, because my hair really needs moisture.

What about the generic version of Biolage Conditioning Balm? It's available at Sally's Beauty Supply. Lots of ladies give it rave reviews.

poemaXX · 02-28-2010, 12:35 AM

Hm... Maybe I should look into the GVP version of Biolage Conditioning Balm. I guess I just wanted something I could get at CVS and not have to pay shipping for, but maybe a local beauty supply has it. I'll check it out for sure!

Thanks for the tip, emalie.marthe and crimsonshedemon.

I'd still love to hear any comments on Burt's Bees conditioners though. Keep 'em coming!

Starmie · 02-28-2010, 09:26 AM

I've tried the raspberry brazil nut one and have to say I agree with emalie.marthe, no benefit whatsoever. I wouldn't say it's the worst co. I've ever used but it's definitely up there.

plunkybug · 02-28-2010, 11:03 AM

I voted none, but that's not totally true. I used the Grapefruit and Sugar Beet shampoo and conditioner, but that was when it first came out many years ago and I was not CG. I seem to remember it being ok, but then I was not attempting to style my hair or bring out the curls and waves. I was also looking for a HG combo and switched frequently. I have thought about trying it as a cowash recently, but I don't know if it will distribute well enough. Been debating between that one and Kiss My Face Whenever. I've also thought about using the DT one too. Thanks for the thread.

oddityofwings · 02-28-2010, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poemaXX

Have you tried Burt's Bees conditioners? I just switched to the CG method, so I'm starting off with Biolage Conditioning Balm, because my hair really needs moisture. However, I thought Burt's Bees might be a less expensive alternative later on. Any thoughts/suggestions?

I've used the Grapefruit one and was not at all impressed. No discernable moisture, no slip, and didn't even smell that nice.

If you like the Biolage, Sally's does a cheap knock-off that's identical. I will say, however, that I do NOT think the conditioning balm is at all moisturising. It's nice as a one-off, mid-summer, especially if you add something like honey to it, but otherwise I found it was pointless and actually dried my hair out over time. Best I can tell, it's mostly cetayl alcohol (a fatty alcohol - so moisturising, but not exactly a heavy-hitter in the moisture department), but that's the only actually moisturising part of it. The various extracts mostly give a bit of smell to it, but aren't particularly helpful - at least, they weren't in my case. I'm frankly amazed when people say they get over-conditioned using it, given how brittle and dry it made my hair, but then I suspect their hair doesn't need nearly so much moisture. For hard-core daily moisture, I'd actually recommend AOHR.

poemaXX · 02-28-2010, 01:10 PM

Does AOHR stand for Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose? That's quite a popular one in the forums...

I just checked their website and its available at The Vitamin Shoppe a few blocks away. Score! I'll have to go and check it out then. Thanks for the tip, oddityofwings! (Great username by the way.

)

oddityofwings · 02-28-2010, 01:38 PM

It does indeed. It's great, as is the AO GBP (Glycogen - something - Protein). I use them alternate days with great results (I'm really porous and need the extra protein). The White Camilla is also good, but it can be too oily for some people, especially if your hair isn't in the greatest of shape (I tried it early on and it left me like an oil slick - tried it about two weeks ago and it was great).

My user name is actually a line from a poem from a poetry professor I had during my undergrad that I couldn't stand. Only good thing about the man, really. :-)

happycurls24 · 02-28-2010, 02:17 PM

[quote=poemaXX;1272139]Hm... Maybe I should look into the GVP version of Biolage Conditioning Balm. I guess I just wanted something I could get at CVS and not have to pay shipping for, but maybe a local beauty supply has it.

They also have a knock off at Walgreens I hear.

memes · 02-28-2010, 07:37 PM

I've tried several and while they all smelled good felt okay in my hair they just didn't seem all that moisturizing. The only one I liked was the deep treatment.

memes

poemaXX · 03-02-2010, 12:35 AM

[A side note to Oddityofwings: My hair hasn't been as shiny as I'd expect since I started CG a couple of weeks ago, I'm guessing due to the artificial sheen of silicones. So I DT'd today mixing Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose with warmed honey and shea butter. I applied it to my hair and left in on for about 2 hours. Then cowashed and styled as per my siggie.

[My hair smells wonderful and feels very very soft. Not really shiny though... Some of my ends look kind of frizzy too. I think a PT may be in order? (I haven't been using a gel like a used to. I wonder if that has something to do with this as well...) Any thoughts?]

oddityofwings · 03-02-2010, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poemaXX

[A side note to Oddityofwings: My hair hasn't been as shiny as I'd expect since I started CG a couple of weeks ago, I'm guessing due to the artificial sheen of silicones. So I DT'd today mixing Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose with warmed honey and shea butter. I applied it to my hair and left in on for about 2 hours. Then cowashed and styled as per my siggie.

[My hair smells wonderful and feels very very soft. Not really shiny though... Some of my ends look kind of frizzy too. I think a PT may be in order? (I haven't been using a gel like a used to. I wonder if that has something to do with this as well...) Any thoughts?]

I think that when people start CG it can be hard to get the protein/moisture balance right. So I suspect that, yeah, you probably also need a protein treatment as a matter of course. Also, apparently protein helps the moisture 'stay' (so I've read recently), so doing a PT can help a DT stick around longer. Just remember to moisturise after the PT - they can be very drying. And I suspect that not using a gel will have an effect on the ends.

It's also possible the fuzzy ends could be due to the added honey - because it's so dry (depending on where you are), honey can do you more harm than good this time of year. Glycerin's the worst for that - but honey can have a similar effect (those really susceptible to this humectant effect can also have problems with aloe in low dewpoints). I'd say see how it goes for the next few days... if it's still dry, try another DT, but without the extra shea and honey (there's shea in AOHR to start with). If it gets worse, might be a protein issue then.

poemaXX · 03-04-2010, 02:06 AM

So, from what I can deduce from the posts on this thread, Burt's Bees conditioners are not recommended by naturallycurly.com members.

I took Oddityofwings's advice and tried the Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner. I DT'd my hair with it two days ago, and while I wasn't 100% convinced at the time, I cowashed and styled again today and my hair looks fantastic! It's so soft and happy-looking.

[Oddityofwings, this is might be due to washing out the honey. Good call!]

I'm so pleased that CG is starting to pay off. I enthusiastically recommend Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner. A lot of curlies on this site do to, but it's not all hype, I promise! I'll probably try the GPB conditioner next... Yay for happy hair!

(HINT: The Vitamin Shoppe is having a sale of many Aubrey Organics products until March 31st. Give them a try or stock up! http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/)