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I’ve been focused on moisture for most of my natural hair journey. Moisture seemed to be the key to healthy hair. However, once I started blogging and recording YouTube videos, I noticed my hair was weak.  I had been disregarding strengthen hair products because they are often portrayed as the enemy of moisture.  Also, since I use very little heat and no chemicals on my hair, I didn’t think my hair needed it. I was wrong!

In this post, we will compare two popular strengthen treatments to figure out which one of them is right for you. 

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Do I Need a Strengthening Condition for my Natural Hair?

If you want to grow long hair, strengthening conditioners will help you reach that goal. Naturally coily/curly hair is fragile. Every curl or coil is a weak point and prone to breakage. Hair Scientists group hair into three primary types: Afro texture, Caucasian, and Asian.  Afro Texture is the weakest in terms of tensile strength.  Pretty much means Afro textured hair is more prone to breakage during detangling and styling. Afro textured hair also requires more detangling, because hairs have a tendency to curl around each other creating tangles and knots. Treating your hair, an occasional boost is a great idea.

If your hair is color-treated, or you use heat styling as part of your routine, strengthening conditioners are an excellent addition to wash day. Heat and color weaken your hair’s cuticle. Strengthening conditioners are a great way to repair the damage and prevent further damage. 

 

How Do Strengthening Conditioners Work?

Strengthening Conditioners contain combinations of proteins and building blocks of proteins. Below  is a list of some of the strengthening ingredients included in these powerhouse conditioners:

• Collagen
• Keratin
• Silk Amino Acids
• Hydrolyzed Proteins

When these ingredients are present, your hair will be treated to a healthy dose of protein.  There is a lot of chemistry involved that is a little over my head, but these ingredients stay on the hair even after your conditioner is washed off. They are able to bind to fill in microscopic damage restoring and repair damaged hair. The conditioners are often targeted toward those with chemically treated hair, however I’ve been finding them helpful as part of my natural hair care routine. 

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The Cost of Strengthening Conditioners

One of the most objective straightforward ways to compare products is based on price. I went to Sally’s Beauty Supply website to get the retail price of these products.  Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor comes in 8oz and 16oz sizes.  The larger size is the better value. Shea Moisture comes in once size 12oz. For conditioners, I use about 2oz per treatment.  In order to evaluate the cost, I will consider the cost per treatment.

Aphogee is the clear winner based on price alone it can be purchased for as little as 68 cents per fl oz or 1.38.  Shea Moisture costs $2 dollar per oz.  Aphogee is approximately 30 % less expensive than Shea Moisture making it the clear winner based on price alone.

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Maximum Strength: Simple Application

Applying conditioner is not rocket science,…or is it. I’ve tried a lot of different products over the years,  the  of packaging, consistency, and  amount of time to leave on the hair vary greatly between products. I’ve even seen conditioners that say to apply them before shampoos…crazy!  It is important to read the label and follow the instructions to get the maximum benefit and avoid over processing a strengthening treatment.

 

Aphogee

The Aphogee conditioner, as the name applies recommends leaving the conditioner on for 2 minutes with a maximum of 5 minutes for extreme damage.  It has a creamy texture and a neutral smell. It comes in a standard conditioner bottle with a push cap.  It is easy to distribute my hair.

Shea Moisture

The Shea Moisture conditioner requires a little more attention. You can apply it for 15 minutes using heat, or leave it on for up to 30 minutes without heat. It comes in a jar with a screw off lid…not always easy to manage with wet hands. The Shea Moisture conditioner is much thicker than the Aphogee, which makes it a little thicker to distribute throughout my hair.  The shea moisture treatment has a mild earthy smell and a hint of peppermint oil, that leaves a nice invigorating feeling on the scalp. 

I have a love-hate relationship with deep treatments.  I love the results! Whenever I take the time to sit under a dryer or wear a conditioner for 30 minutes, I am always glad I did. However, it adds extra time to my wash day and I don’t always have time to hop in and out of the shower twice to allow a deep treatment to process. So the winner for Ease of application goes to the Aphogee conditioner. It can be applied and rinsed off in the shower for a quick and easy wash day.

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Quality of Ingredients

At the beginning of this post, I listed a few of the ingredients that add strength (proteins,  silk aminos etc).  Both the Shea Moisture and the Aphogee treatments provide some combination of strengthening ingredients. For this section, we will take a look at some of the other ingredients that play a supportive role in these strengthening conditioner.

Shea Moisture

This is where the Shea moisture conditioner starts to shine! Shea Moisture conditioner is expensive due to it’s top notch ty ingredients.  Its star ingredient is Jamaican Black Castor Oil, is a favorite in the natural hair community. Jamaican black castor oil differs from regular castor oil because it undergoes a special roasting process.  Research has indicated that this special roasting process  promotes a healthy scalp and thicker hair.

Organic Fair Trade Shea Butter is a staple in Shea Moisture products…it literally puts the “Shea” in Shea Moisture.  Shea Butter is full of essential fatty acids that help to strengthen your hair.

Aphogee

Aphogee  prides itself on providing “ph” optimized products. As such their products are less natural.  The 2 minute reconstuctor does contain their proprietary strengthening blend, but also contains mineral oil.  The ingredients are effective, but not high quality by standards of the natural hair community.

For most people with natural hair, naturally derived ingredients are essential.  Shea Moisture gets the win in this category for the use of Jamaican Black Castor Oil and fair trade Shea Butter.

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Effectiveness

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What really matters is how well a conditioner strikes the right balance between strength and moisture .  A good strengthening conditioner is able to restore elasticity without leaving the hair too stiff. Both of these conditioners do an excellent job of striking the right balance.  The Shea Moisture leaves my hair feeling a little softer…but this is a battle of strength. The win goes to the Aphoghee two-minute reconstructor.

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The Winner

Aphogee won the following categories:

• Cost
• Ease of Application
• Effectiveness

The Aphogee 2 minute restorative treatment is cheap, easy, and gets the job done. I reach for it when I need a quick protein boost. I purchase it when I’ve blown my beauty budget for the month but am running low on restorative/repair treatments. 

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The Runner Up

Shea Moisture, while not lacking in strength, it doesn’t quite pack the as much umph as the Aphogee treatment.  The quality ingredients and softening effects make it a great choice for those who want to ease their way into strengthening treatments. I choose this conditioner when I have a little extra time for using a deep treatment and my hair just needs a little protein boost. 

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