A couple months ago, I was in the market for a deep conditioner – something I use religiously once a week as my hair is so dry.  I wanted to get Kiehl’s Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Hair Pak, as it gets good reviews and is formulated to restore hair’s moisture content.  I’ve used the Olive Fruit Oil Shampoo and Conditioner, and liked them both well enough (and loved the smell).  However, we don’t have a Kiehl’s in Halifax – Montreal is the nearest store – and I didn’t fancy having to pay shipping charges on top of the already pricier cost of $35CAD (for 8oz).  I was torn.Then, when I was just using up the dregs of my last deep conditioner, Joico’s Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm (which I’ve discussed here), I happened to be in Pete’s Frootique – a fresh food grocery market that also carries a great ‘green’ section, among other totally awesome things – and noticed a large sample pak (2oz) of the Earth Science Olive & Avocado Deep Conditioning Masque, which I figured could tide me over until I figured out what to do.  It was supposed to “repair, nourish, and strengthen hair…repairing dry, damaged, color-treated, or over processed hair” by “penetrating and coating the hair shaft in natural silk protein…leaving hair soft, tangle free (YAY!) and smooth, not sticky or weighed down.”  Sounds good to me!I used it that evening and was entirely impressed – it made my hair feel hydrated, and also silky smooth (which the Joico did not do), but didn’t weigh it down, which usually is the by-product of products designed to give serious moisture to the hair.  I usually suck it up, because the alternative is that my hair isn’t hydrated enough, but with this I get the best of both worlds   I also noticed that my hair felt thicker after using this; though I have a LOT of hair, it’s quite fine and not really that thick, so this is a major bonus in my eyes!   I liked that even though it comes in a tube form, it has a great density to it that usually is reserved for treatments in a jar (which is a hassle in the tub/shower).  The scent is like a lot of products that have avocado/olive oil in them…I know that’s not explanatory, but that’s the only way I can think to describe it.  Slightly floral, though more fresh than anything, and clean.  I really enjoy it!When I went back and did a bit more research, it turns out that Earth Science’s Masque, which is a bestseller, won the 2011 Best of Natural Beauty Awards from better Nutrition magazine.  Though I don’t believe that natural is always better, as the products can sometimes contain irritating essential oils, if I can find products that are ‘green’ and seem safe to use, I’m all for it.

Another thing I noticed about this conditioner was that the ingredients were reminiscent of Kiehl’s Hair Pak – check it out:

Kiehl’s Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Hair Pak – Aqua/Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Amodimethicone Cetyl Esters, Olea Europaea/Olive Fruit Oil, Persea Gratissima/Avocado Oil, 2-Oleamido-1, 3-Octadecanediol, Trideceth-6, Sodium PCA, Helianthus Annuus/Sunflower Seed Oil, Citrus Limonum/Lemon Peel Oil, Methylparaben, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Dimethyl Tin Dineodecyl Ester, Parfum/Fragrance.

Earth Science Olive & Avocado Deep Conditioning Masque – Water (aqua), cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, amodimethicone, trideceth-12, cetrimonium chloride, panthenol, persea gratissima (avocado) oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, olea europea (olive) oil, hydrolyzed silk protein, ethylhexylglycerin, cetyl esters, citric acid, disodium EDTA, potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol and fragrance (parfum).Though I’m not wild about it containing fragrance, it’s the last ingredient on the list (for both) and as it’s a product I only use once a week, it should be OK.  Otherwise, I appreciate that there are only 18 ingredients (in both, as well!), and it doesn’t contain any parabens (a fail on Kiehl’s part).

After realizing that the two products seemed strikingly similar, I felt confident in picking up a full size of the Earth Science masque (though note that the sample pak I bought lasted a full month), which was $12.99CAD for 6oz.  I normally don’t like to substitute products, preferring to go with the original when I can, but for the price and the similarities, I feel very good about this purchase – and I ended up saving almost $28CAD when you take into account size and shipping ($10 flat rate from Kiehl’s), and it’s easily accessible!  It’s one of the better deep conditioners I’ve used and it makes my hair feel amazing after it’s rinsed.  I usually rate a product against whether or not I’d buy it again (because usually no matter how much I like it, I still would rather switch it up) – and I think this will get at least another go-around from me in the future!

What deep conditioner are you sold on?  Do you prefer to use natural products or are you more concerned with what works?