Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner Review

I was a big fan of the Dove Hair Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner (that came in a tub). It was cheap, easily available and more importantly, it hydrated and defined my curls beautifully. And then all of a sudden it completely disappeared from shops. Oh goody.

“A good cheap conditioner available in India”

Update : 23 Jan, 2018 – I no longer use silicones because I figured they weigh my hair down.

Recently on visiting a NewU outlet, I saw the mask’s relative, the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner. Fingers crossed, I decided to give it a try.

Description by Dove:

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner is a dual stripe hair conditioner which has the power of double nourishment. The golden ribbon inside, contains Vita – Oils to nourish your hair from deep within, leaving no greasiness on the outside while its white ribbon contains the conditioner that locks in the nourishment to keep the dryness at bay.

Price: INR 160 for 180 ml

Ingredients:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol – Fatty alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride – Soluble Positively charged surfactant, Dipropylene Glycol – Slip Agent, Dimethicone – Non Soluble silicone, Glycerin – Humectant, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Magnesium Nitrate – Conditioning Agent, Perfume, Disodium EDTA – Chelating agent, Trideceth-5 – Emulsifier, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein – Moisturising and strengthening protein, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Carbomer – Polymer used to thicken, Ammonium Hydroxide – PH adjuster, Hydrolyzed Keratin – Strengthening protein, Methylparaben , Sodium Benzoate, Methylisothiazolinone, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone – Preservatives, Magnesium Chloride – Thickening agent, Cl 77492, Cl 77891 – colours

Ingredient Analysis:

I have no issues with the first 5 ingredients. Glycerin is tricky – If the weather is very humid, glycerin absorbs a lot of moisture from the air and causes the hair to swell and frizz up. On the other hand if the weather is extremely dry, glycerin absorbs moisture from your hair. Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein is a moisturizing protein which means it lessens the risk of over strengthening the hair and making it rough. (Proteins must be hydrolyzed or broken down so that the amino acids will be small enough to fit and bond to the hair shaft.) The 3 oils come way after number 10. So not a very high concentration there. Ammonium Hydroxide…well well. Hair dyes have ammonium hydroxide to break open the hair shaft so that the dye can penetrate. And now even dyes come in ammonia free formula because they damage the hair. What is this ingredient doing in a conditioner? It is present almost to the end of the list meaning the concentration is low. I reckon it is added so that the oils can nourish hair from deep within. Nevertheless not a good ingredient to be present in a conditioner.

CG Friendly: No
Texture: The conditioner is a thick, creamy, dense product with amazing slip and detangling ability.
Smell: The smell is very very strong. It is not offensive but yes, is very strong. It is not a tropical fruity smell and is more of a spicy warm smell.

Packaging: I just had to share the look of the product inside. It’s so gorgeous! The opening is a star nozzle that gives out the product like this :). On top of the funky shape, it is dual coloured – apparently the yellow part is where the oils are and the white part is the conditioner.

Performance:

+ The Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner has amazing slip. The conditioner almost instantly coats all the hair strands and makes detangling a breeze. I took about 2 minutes to detangle, that’s it.

+ Provides intense shine, hydration, definition and bounce to curls.

+ Controls fly-a-ways to a good extent.

– Doesn’t control frizz to the extent I prefer. Especially a few hours after stepping out of home, there’s more frizz than a curly girl can expect in spite of using good products 😀

Here’s how I apply conditioners – How to wash & condition curly hair and here is a post with my full curly hair care routine – My curly hair routine .

In short:

For its cheap cost, slip and curl definition, Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner is definitely one of the top curl products available easily in India.