Rachel’s Review: Yes to Carrots Hair and Scalp Mud Mask
Beloved readers, every once in a while, I come across a hair product gem.
A product that truly reminds me what it is to find a miraculous hair product and tan in the estrogen-powered-glow that emanates from my little, golden face. This…is one of those gems. I have sung the praises of Yes to Carrots before. I shall again.
As I did before (see my reviews of the shampoo and my and the conditioner from this line), I will begin with its one and only defect; Its scent.
Let me preface these next scant sentences with the following: I adore strong fragrances. I even adore perfumed mascara, lipstick and finger nail polish. Few scents repulse me…save for citrus scents. However as a lover of many a fragrance…the scent of this…never fails to give me pause. I will endure a not-so-pleasing scent for ONLY this product, to date. What does it smell like, you ask, beloved readers?
Baby Powder, freshly Cut Grass and play dough, with a hint of orange.
All of it together…does ring as “Carrot”, but not in a way I enjoy. If this smelled like Carrot Cake…that would be far better. I don’t care for carrot cake, personally…but it smells delightful. ^_^
Having typed all of that…the scent is pretty faint in this product and lingers for maybe an hour, if that. So it’s not absolutely terrible -not by any means- but I felt I should make a mention of it. You know, beloved readers, that I am one for thoroughness.
NOW, back to the task at hand -gushing about how much I love this product! I scarcely know where to begin, so we shall work our way from the inside out. Starting with the packaging.
I do have, one other negative point to make about this product. However, it is only with the packaging. The tub you see pictured in this review, comes in an ADORABLE orange box. The font layout, color, font type and shape is perfectly in balance. It pops open to reveal the round tubs top with its shiny silver strip (too fabulous, I might add, Yes To Carrots), which caused me to “Baa” with joy. The problem? It’s extraneous packaging. As much as I love it…it costs the world a few extra trees. Perhaps I am nitpicking.
The tub itself is adorable. I love the color, lay out, font types and stylish graphics. They are in perfect balance. Not cluttered, not sparse, very unique and tastefully done. I’m not a “tub fan”, as they can be hard to keep hygienic, but this is one of the best designs I’ve seen. Hats off to you Yes to Carrots.
“Enough of this!”, you may be thinking, by now, beloved readers. “Tell us about the product’s performance, already, you little, golden stickler-for-detail you!” My pleasure. ^_^
This $12 conditioner easily outperforms Aveda, Redken and Rusk (Rusk reviews next month!), hooves down.
This outperformed Redken’s Intense Renewal Super Moisturizing Mask so fantastically, that it is no longer my go-to, favorite deep condition. How much did I love that mask? Read the review and be amazed at how great the Yes to Carrots Hair and Scalp Mud Mask must be to knock Redken’s mask from my “Number 1″ spot.
It spreads like an absolute dream. A soft peach in color, a lil’ dab will do you as it caresses every strand. This mask is as thick as custard! It spreads over the scalp like a silky lotion. My scalp felt instantly relaxed, any twisted coils melted away, sans manipulation. I put this on with a shower cap and left it on for 20 minutes, rinsing thoroughly afterward.
My hair felt silky, plumped, smooth and had I’m-moisturized-but-not-weighed-down “heft”. It also had that “I’m so healthy and happy!” sheen. Detangling with this was a breeze: I added a bit of water and massaged my hair until this mask became a delicious froth. Amazing!
This is one of five drugstore conditioners I would trust my hair to WITHOUT THE NEED FOR ADD-INS. In fact the ONLY things I would add to this, would be coconut oil or avocado oil (if that) and perhaps some neutral protein filler, if my hair needed it. To sum up its performance in one not-really-a-word word: FAN.TAB.U.LOUS.
How does it do all of this? Through the pure poetry that is its ingredient list.
Behold its beauty, beloved readers:
Water (Aqua), Silt (Maris Limus), Dead Sea Water (Maris Aqua), Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Oil, Glycerin, Lactic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacin, Dimethicone, Algae Extracts (Rhodella, Dunaliella, Spirulina), Ipomoera Batatas (Sweet Potato) Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Juice, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Organic Extracts, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Juice, Panthenol, Chamomila Recutita (Chamomile) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Juice, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance (Parfum), Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Oil, Apple Vinegar (Acetum), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Seed Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Peel Extract.
Yes, it does have my hate/love ingredient friend: Dimethicone. Dimethicone coats the hair and can provide slip and shine, but it also can prevent water from getting in.
But count those oils, beloved readers, SEVEN OILS AND GLYCERIN. The lactic acid (can help with curl relaxation and definition) MANY extracts, Panthenol, vegetable juices, niacin and APPLE VINEGAR are just icing on this oh-so-decadent cake.
This will leave your strands so VERY happy indeed. Especially, if your hair does not care for butter and oils (applied as a hot oil treatment) like mine. I want to add, however, you will need a good amount for detangling and normal conditioning. It can become expensive for those not in the TWA (teeny weeny afro) set.
I am sincerely impressed!
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Rachel, our guest reviewer, waxes poetic on products every Friday.
Can’t wait till next week? Check out her blog http://littlegoldenlamb. wordpress.com/
Great review. I love Yes to Carrots, they work like magic for me, but their conditioners tend to contain imidazolidinyl urea (this one does). Imidazolidinyl urea is used as a antimicrobial, but it is also slowly releases formaldehyde. I tried emailing them to ask about it, but got no answer (not surprised). Ironically enough I plan on calling them tomorrow. It’s not like companies don’t use formaldehyde in other products, many nail polishes for example, but some people might be less interested in the product because of it, just an FYI.
@Nicole – The likely answer you will get is as far as preservatives go, the proven most effective types are formaldehyde releasers such as imidazolidnyl urea and diazolidinyl urea (which you will find in many products including the Aveda line). The other proven preservatives are parabens.
I tried this product after reading your article. I love it…I did the big chop in July 2009 and after using this product for a week about every other day it became softer and more coily. I also purchased the other mud consitioner and my hair loves it. The shampoo is gentle as well. However Nexxus’s Therapy Luxury Moisturizing shampoo works very well at retainig the hair moisture and giving it a good clean without using a lot of product. Thanks for the reviews..it does help. Also this might not work for everybody but ever since I started washing and deep conditioning my hair more often the growth has been phenomenal.