I am always thrilled to discover a Kenyan brand that majors on natural hair products. The industry is still young, but having Kenyan products is better than having to import. See since the natural hair wave in the US began way before we could embrace it, their natural hair products have also evolved. Hence, you can find a variety of products which can help you address your hair concerns. So before a friend recommended Mikalla to me, I was used to buying my hair products on Amazon. Here’s how
The cost is relatively cheap as opposed to waiting for stores to import products and also cheaper then buying them here in the country. I get to choose from a variety, and the fact that I could get the products straight from the manufacturers made me even more excited. However, the wait is exhausting. And there’s the risk of receiving a broken product. Waiting for an item to be returned is even more time-consuming and it just takes away the thrill of buying and getting something you want.
That is why when I learnt about Mikalla, I felt so happy and considering that it worked on my friend’s hair I could see myself trying it. I’m a 4C naturalista with high porosity hair. Therefore, when I’m purchasing hair products I look for intense moisturisers and thick curling creams. This requires me to do a lot of research from looking at a products consistency, ingredients, reviews and the final look a product gives. So apart from jumping on the bandwagon because another colleague supported Mikalla, I had to scour the internet for reviews and recommendations.
Finally, I stumbled on a YouTube video that showed just how good the product was and in that spirit, I decided to purchase the brand. I buy hair products in bulk and I tend to use one brand at a time. So when I went for it, I got the Mikalla Cleansing & conditioning Shampoo, the Honey & Butter conditioner and the Leave-In Treatment.
- Mikalla Shampoo
I enjoyed the scent. It’s nostalgic and gives me that dejavu experience reminding me of a pineapple pin pop I liked when I was in primary school. It was my favourite and that being the case my connection to Mikalla shampoo only grew stronger. As I mentioned before, I have high porosity hair and it is hard enough since its 4C. Therefore, anything clarifying is not my priority as it will tend to strip off my hair’s moisture, induce dryness, tangles and hence breakage. I am chasing length here. So Mikalla promising to cleanse and condition at the same time it was the ideal product to use as a co-wash. Glad that I could set aside the TRESemmé I was using as it had sulphates (recommended for general wash days), I tried the Mikalla cleansing Shampoo and conditioner.
Mikalla is said to gently clean off build-up without stripping essential nutrients from your hair.
It conditions and in addition it contains vitamin B5 that improves hair strength whilst nurturing and restoring natural moisture. Doesn’t this description arouse your hair follicles? However, this wasn’t what I discovered after using the product. It is more of a clarifying shampoo than a product you can use to co-wash your hair. Neither does it moisturise your hair or leave it soft enough to run your fingers through. The immediate effect is that it lathers well, but the aftermath is that the hair becomes too dry with that squeaky clean feel. You don’t want that on 4C hair.
Looking at its ingredients it contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate a component that reverses any conditioning effects. Other ingredients include sodium chloride which is not a hair essential I would like for my scalp. It tends to cause dryness, itchiness and hair loss. so instead of leaving my hair supple and velvety, Mikalla Shampoo disappointed me because my hair was left dry and the product itself was not organic. Find out the 6 ingredients you should watch out for in beauty products.
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- Mikalla Honey & Butter Conditioner
When I see honey in a product, I know my hair will thank me and behave accordingly. High porosity 4C hair appreciates semi to thick products and the fact that Mikalla Honey and Butter conditioner has Shea butter, Vitamin E and B5 it qualifies as the power product to tame frizz. The 500ml also packs Almond oil, Hydrolysed Collagen and Castor oil all infused in one, therefore I would’ve regretted if I had left the product behind.
Yes, it conditions. As you should, if you apply the conditioner on wet hair it gives you that instant gratification by making your hair smooth. However, here’s a bummer. The effect wears off and changes to a dowdy and tacky feel on the hands rather than a smooth slip. The hair gets a smooth texture, but the effect doesn’t qualify fully to give it a 9/10 in terms of making your hair manageable. The good thing is that you wash it off it tends to sit on high porosity hair instead of blending into the tresses. In addition, it is not purely organic hence some of the synthetic ingredients could be the reason why it gave that effect. All in all, I felt disappointed by its ordinary effect, hence I give it a 5.
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- Mikalla Leave-In Treatment
The Leave-In Treatment attracted me because of its organic ingredients, which also include shea butter and castor oil. It is also creamy and has a thick consistency ticking off the right properties a detangler should have. Therefore, as you guessed it, I bought the Mikalla treatment for these reasons and because Shea butter coupled with castor oil gives my 4C that silky smooth and bouncy shine.
However, instead of giving my hair that total moisture boost like the product guarantees the treatment gave me a 4 out of 10 smoothness and 3 out of 10 slip. On soft hair perhaps it could do the trick but on high porosity 4C hair it doesn’t give that wow effect. As a treatment, I give it a 6 because I discovered a little change once I incorporated it in my routine. But still, its slip is not as strong as its consistency. So put simply unlike the invigorating, moisturizing and conditioning effect the 250 ml bottle promised, the ordinary effect I got from a palmful application is what disappointed me.
I know that not all products work the same on all hair types, but I would say that if you have 4C hair then these products will not be the best fit for you.
If you are starting out in the natural hair journey, here’s how you find the best regimen for your hair. Also, check out The Best Oils To Use On 4C Hair