Image source @authentically.b
I am endlessly fascinated by the origin stories, if you will, of hair product founders. Usually starts in the kitchen, with someone mixing up a concoction because nothing on the market works for them. EDEN Bodyworks, created by Jasmine Lawrence, was guided down just such a path.
The issues I sometimes struggle with are strength and moisture, trying to figure out how to balance the two. The Hibiscus Honey Collection (HHC”> is one of EDEN’s newest product lines that is geared to help address hydration needs. So, how does it stack up?
Product Breakdown and Ingredients
I tried the shampoo, conditioner, and custard. Along with hibiscus and honey, the ingredients in this line include coconut oil, shea butter, and aloe. The conditioner and custard have keratin, while only the custard has avocado oil.
First Impressions
The bottles and jar have a simple, fresh look to them. When I opened the shampoo, the smell was light and pleasant. Maybe too light for me, but that is personal preference (I also dislike strong, cloying smells, so it hard to please me sometimes”>. It cleans without stripping, which I always look for in a shampoo. I clarify my hair every few months, but for my weekly shampoos, I don’t like shampoos that produce that squeaky clean that feels almost dry.
The conditioner was thicker than I expected. Its consistency was similar to what I would find in a deep conditioner. I was also surprised that the directions say not to rinse it out. Due to that, I was very mindful of the amount I used. It doesn’t have a defining smell, like the shampoo; it was more like a neutral. Because the consistency was so thick, my general impression was that I was putting paste in my hair. All in my head of course, because the results were nice. My hair felt great all day.
The custard was even thicker and the smell was more like the shampoo. When I used this, I did not use the conditioner. My hair felt softer with the custard vs. the conditioner.
Stretched Afro
I big chopped exactly a year ago this month, so my hair is just getting to the point where I can do a stretched afro. I wash, condition (usually something I rinse out”>, use a leave-in, then a gel or holding product of some kind. So with HHC, I washed my hair and then divided it into six sections. I applied a quarter-sized amount of custard on each section, two-strand twisted it, then pinned it with a hair pin. It takes about two days for my hair to fully dry, so I did this on a Saturday and took my hair down on Monday.
My hair was super soft, there was no residue and I noticed my ends felt more smooth than usual. Kinky hair loves their neighboring strands too much, hence the tangle battles. And while I do like a bit of a frizzy, wild look, my ends just act like a fool sometimes. But with this product, they felt soft and I could easily pull my hair apart and manually shape my afro without a problem.
Wash and Go
For this style, I just shampooed and applied the conditioner. I don’t focus on curl definition when I do wash and goes, but I have to say I had quite a bit more definition than usual. My hair, as always, shrunk up to practically nothing (I remain utterly fascinated with shrinkage!”>. But those tiny coils and kinks were super cute and my hair felt hydrated for sure. Usually, my hair takes just an hour or so to fully dry when its loose, but I noticed this time it took a bit longer, about 4 or 5. I wondered if the product slowed the evaporation of water from my hair? Not sure.
Final Thoughts
Though I personally wished the conditioner had more of a smell and the shampoo and custard had a only a light fragrance, I realized this would be perfect for someone who is odor sensitive. And the products performed very well, so definitely worth a try. I usually go for trying products that are ultra moisturizing or strengthening, so if I were to pick another EDEN product to try I’d be interested in the Jojoba Monoi or Almond Marshmallow collections.
Have you tried the Hibiscus Honey line or other EDEN products? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below.
