J's Mom's Okra Hair Conditioner

When I first read the description: ‘fresh okra and coconut cream’, I just wanted to transport myself back to the wonders of Thailand and enjoy the many curries that I indulged in over there - all of which featured both of these two wonderful ingredients. While the pleas of my stomach had to be ignored, these key components certainly went the full mile when it came to my hair.

I should start by saying that this conditioner is primarily designed for those with Afro-like hair, or those who have naturally curly hair. While I unfortunately don’t have either to boast, my hair would definitely win any ‘most frizzy’ competition, which this conditioner also promises to tame with a host of incredible ingredients.

The first thing that really annoyed me about J's Mom Okra Hair Conditioner was the fact that the fragrance was instantly familiar to my nose and I wasn't able to pinpoint for a long time where I recognised the scent from. While they are far from being a direct match, I realised that the smell reminded me a little bit of the recent Jade Roller Naked Facial Cleanser, albeit very slightly.

In truth, this is a difficult fragrance to describe. It's definitely very green-like to my nose, but yet there are also many herbal elements going on as well which makes it quite a potent aroma overall. While I hesitate to use the word 'foody', there is something about the scent of this that does remind me of something I might find in a cafe in Thailand or something. 

You can definitely smell the stewed okras, which are what I think makes up the basis of the smell. This element gives it the green and naturally sweet vegetable type of smell. Then there is also a very mild note of the coconut cream underneath, although this acts as more of a base to intensify the other elements. Alongside this, both the lavender and the rosemary add their own herbal layers, and what you get is a very interesting but not particularly satisfying fragrance. While I wouldn't say this smell is at all disgusting, it's definitely not one that would work in near enough any other format. What is impressive about J's Mom's Okra however, is just how well it performs on the hair.

As someone who has quite fine and frizzy hair, I was expecting this hair conditioner to completely destroy my locks, or at the very least turn my head of hair into a full-fledged birds' nest. However, what I found was that this limited edition not only left my hair feeling super moisturised and thick, but also brought out an abundance of noticeable curls that I didn't even realise my hair was capable of doing. 

What I first noticed about this conditioner was just how thick it was coming out of the bottle, and also how little I actually needed to massage across my whole head. Not only this but the conditioner appeared a little lumpy in parts, and there were noticeable strings of okra present throughout the bottle. While my experience wasn't at all hindered by these little pieces of vegetable - and I wasn't left with any in my hair after I had rinsed the product out - I have heard of other consumers complaining of these chunks causing them to have, what appears to be, dandruff afterwards.

After only a single use, I was amazed to find that not only does the fragrance linger in your hair for hours upon hours, acting as a better 'hair perfume' than Happy Happy Joy Joy, but that once my hair had completely dried, I appeared to have a whole head of pronounced curls unlike anything I'd seen. It honestly looked as if I'd had my hair set with curlers in the salon, which is something I have never experienced in my life before. 

While these curls weren't so apparent once I had brushed my hair a few times, there was definitely evidence that J's Mom's Okra had indeed shaped my hair as it claimed to do on the website, and my locks continued to showcase that extra 'weight' for the most part of two days.

Packed with both olive and castor oils, this conditioner did indeed leave my hair feeling much softer and far less coarse than it had before. For this I was incredibly grateful, as my hair tends to lack moisture most of the time, and it's rare for me to find a product that will encourage my locks to retain this natural shine.

Despite its odd smell and apparent lumpy texture, J's Mom's Okra Hair Conditioner worked wonders for my locks, and because of this I can only imagine how well it would perform on those consumers who possess the afro-type hair that it's primarily designed for. I recommend that you find a bottle of this where you can, as it's definitely one that I would repurchase again if it became a regular product.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Okra Gel, Coconut Cream, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethyl Macadamiate, Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Behentrimonium chloride, Organic Castor Oil, Fair Trade Olive Oil, Lavender Oil, Rosemary Oil, Gardenia Extract, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Chlorophyllin.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.95 for 100g, £15.95 for 250g, £26.95 for 500g, £43.95 for 1kg.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.