As someone with natural, very curly hair who likes to change her style every now and then, I tend to switch products quite often (not that I’m complaining—hair products are so FUN…lol). And since I’m currently wearing straight hair, I need products that make it easier for me to heat style my hair so I’ve been giving a few products a whirl over the last few months to see if they make the ally or foe list in my quest for sleek tresses. Nubian Heritage, sibling line to the SheaMoisture brand, sent over some products from their Honey & Black Seed Heat Protect Keratin collection and I gave them a run…

Now it’s important to note if you have natural hair like me and heat style that even with all the heat protectants in the world, this doesn’t give us all carte blanche to go crazy with the heat tools. There’s also no way to determine how often one can heat style their hair and not experience heat damage (aka when your curly/kinky hair is so used to being heat styled that it no longer curls like it used to) as everyone’s hair is different. I have some areas that are resilient and still curl back after months of submitting to the flat iron while some areas touched a flat iron once and lost a bit of their curl.

(note: the directions on the shampoo do suggest that you follow with Nubian Heritage Thermal Protect Daily Moisture Treatment Conditioner, but since I didn’t have this, I used SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Hair Masque)

Heat Protect Leave-In Protect Cream stats:

* Heat protection, moisture retention
* Arabian honey and macadamia nut oil moisturize, repair and protect scalp
* Black seed oil rejuvenates and balances hair and scalp with its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and healing benefits
* Babassu oil strengthens hair and preserves elasticity
* Carrot oil helps protect against thermal damage
* Keratin helps repair damage and nourishes hair, leaving it smooth and silky

My verdict: I loved how the Honey & Black Seed shampoo got my hair and scalp clean without leaving it feeling stripped of every ounce of oil and the Leave-in Conditioning cream helped smooth my hair so the blow drying process was easier, but the smell on both of these isn’t very pleasing to me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s like a mix of childhood grease (think Dax or Sulfur-8) mixed with something menthol-y. It’s a toss up though—take the weird scent but have an easier blow out process. You might like the scent though—you know how we all have different sensitivities when it comes to fragrance. I’d personally skip this based solely on the scent.

You also get a decent amount of product for the price (both are priced under $9 but this can vary depending on where you live) so beyond the scent, I’d say it’s worth picking up. Just remember, heat protectors DO NOT mean it’s time to go crazy with the heat…lol. You still want to be careful with how high the temperature setting is and how often you use thermal stylers if you want to avoid heat damage.

Where to buy: select Walgreens, Walmart, Target, CVS, Vitamin Shoppe, Wegmans, Whole Foods, Fairway

Do you have any Nubian Heritage/SheaMoisture favorites? Tell me in the comments!

About Danielle

New York City freelance writer, Image Consultant, Makeup Artist, Fashion and Beauty Producer for Bag Ladies Radio, and President of Urban Glamour, LLC. I'm a Hofstra University and Fashion Institute of Technology grad with a penchant for pretty and enjoy bringing out the FIERCE in everyone through personalized thorough image and makeup consultations. Think of me as your style and beauty entourage all wrapped up into one bubbly brown package :) I have had the honor and privilege of working backstage at NYC Fashion Week shows like Karen Walker, Jayson Brunsdon, Sabyaschi, Altuzarra, and Bridal Market Week for Vera Wang. You can also find me running around photo shoots doing makeup and styling. If you have a style or beauty question, contact me. Your question could be featured on the site!

View all articles by Danielle

Send Email |Website