This Conditioner Bar for Curly Hair Is Surprisingly Good

As a Black woman who has been personally victimized by the haircare industry for the majority of my life (there was a time when I had to drive to a whole other town just to get products — so fun!) I'm pretty picky when it comes to what products I use on my hair, especially conditioners.

My hair is thick and curly, so I need something that is really going to get to work and get the job done. Sadly, not every product fits the bill — and I've tested hundreds at this point.

Some conditioners are super moisturizing but are too thick to help with detangling. Others are great detanglers, but suck when it comes to actually leaving my hair feeling soft and nourished. Then, there are a few that I absolutely don't even bother with — namely conditioner bars.

I get the whole "it's waterless and uses no plastic" thing. However, after years of emotional hair trauma, it's hard for me to be convinced that something that looks like a bar of soap can really do anything for my thick hair. But after much convincing, I tried Good Juju's Conditioner Bar for Dry/Curly Hair, and I quickly had to shut the hell up.

To shop: $20; hellogoodjuju.com

Much as with traditional conditioners, the Conditioner Bar works on wet hair. However, instead of pouring a bunch into your hands and working it through your strands, you simply rub the bar on your wet hair. I didn't realize how much of a benefit this would be at first, but it's nice to be able to make sure the formula saturates every section.

With ingredients like coconut, avocado, olive, and sacha inchi oils, along with shea and coco butters, it goes without saying that detangling was a breeze — and my hair was left feeling gorgeous and soft after I rinsed it out. Plus, the fragrance, which is a blend of sweet orange and patchouli, is fresh and uplifting — exactly what I need to garner some energy as I convince myself to finish twisting my hair at 11 p.m., and put on another episode of The Real Housewives.

So, if you're anything like me and terrified of using conditioner bars, I can't speak for every single one on the market, but this joint from Good Juju is 100% worth a shot.

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