I bought the EDEN Body Works Coconut Shea -All Natural Pudding Souffle from Sally Beauty Supply. I think it was around $8. …Definitely less than $9 for a whopping 16 oz of product! While there are some scientific-y sounding ingredients on the label, it claims there are no sulfates, mineral oils, dyes, parabens. There are also no ingredients that end in ‘cone’ but I have no idea what some of the items are so there so I can’t say that with much conviction.

First Impression:

The smell is light. I don’t know if it’s just my jar but it smells like it’s on the verge of being expired. I couldn’t find a date anywhere on the package. It doesn’t smell bad enough that I couldn’t use it but I have a feeling a brand new one would smell much better. The consistency is a little creamier than Shea Moisture’s Curl Enhancing Smoothie (I consider that a comparable product).

Performance:

I like this product so far. I’ve used it 3 times, all for braid outs and twist outs. It makes my hair soft and the softness lasts for about 3 days. I don’t like how my hair feels after that 3rd day…perhaps a leave in under this product would work to retain more moisture. I’ve used it on damp hair (after cowashing and not rinsing the conditioner out completely), I added the Coconut Shea, then layered my shea butter mix on top to seal and for shine.

The product is quite thick and doesn’t spread very easily. I’ve used about 1/4 of the jar in 3 uses. When I do the math, that’s a jar every 6 weeks and I can deal with that. The label says that it provides a soft hold and that’s about right. I will probably use this on a wash and go and report back the results. My braidouts had little frizz even though this product increases the drying time of my braids (and were not 100% dry when I took it down). My hair had some hang time and felt especially nice on the first day.

Pros:

Price, price, price!!! This product is good for styling and only 50 cents an ounce. You really can’t beat that. It’s also available on the ground. The ingredients are mostly natural. As an added bonus, this line is from a black woman.

Cons:

It takes quite a lot to do my hair. I don’t understand some of the ingredient names and call me crazy, but I don’t see any coconut in this at all. My hair also takes a very long time to dry- like 2 days- when using this stuff.

Verdict:

I will definitely buy this again. The price and performance cannot be beat. It’s a great deal for an everyday product. I will still look for similar products but in the meantime, I can keep this stocked. Unlike, Shea Moisture, I don’t have to wait for a sale to feel like I’m getting a good deal.

Take a look at my braid out ponytail with this EDEN Body Works product, if you haven’t already.

Update- October 10, 2013:

I did purchase this product again. I think it was on sale for about $6 at Sally’s. It smells nearly the same as the first jar and I’ve actually seen other reviews that mention an off smell. I’m actually changing my mind about this product. I probably won’t use it in my hair again. My hair is soft for a day or so, but by day 3 it is starved for moisture. I don’t restyle my hair ever. If I style it, I expect my hair to stay neat and moisturized for at least 4 days. I can’t do that with this product. I wasn’t using a leave in underneath, only this plus shea butter. I’m not big on layering a heap of products so I’m going back to Shea Moisture and shea butter for styling. For now, I’ll use up the rest of this on my niece’s 4b hair. She stays in protective styles for a month at a time and I tell her mom (my sister) to moisturize my niece’s hair often…who knows if she actually does. What I’m saying is in her case, she does moisturize often so this product will work better for her.