Product Review: Dark and Lovely Au Naturale Anti-Breakage Line

A few weeks ago, NaturallyCurly.com sent me Dark and Lovely’s NEW Au Naturale Anti-Breakage line for review. I went to the launch event for Dark and Lovely’s Au Naturale Anti-Shrinkage line over a year ago (where I met Curly Nikki and Marsha Ambrosius!), but I’d never gotten around to trying them since I don’t buy many drugstore brands. Needless to say, I’m always excited to try out new products, and this line was no different! Dark N Lovely products are widely available, and the ones from this line cost about $10 each, making them quite affordable.

Collection Description

Hair that Thrives can grow up to 4 inches a year.* Anti-Breakage recipes with Guarana Root and Honey help nurture and repair for root to tip curl defense.

*Reduces breakage making hair stronger so it can grow longer when using the Anti-Breakage recipe of shampoo, conditioner, mender or hair butter. Potential hair growth yearly is 4 inches.

Tension Release Hair Wash

Dark and Lovely: Tight, dry scalp or product buildup? Our Tension Release Hair Wash was crafted to soothe dryness of scalp while freeing the hair of the gook, the bad, and the ugly. Hair and scalp have a soft, clean, hydrated feel at first use. For Dry, Damaged Hair – Soothes Dry Scalp and Hair while rebuilding hair elasticity – No Sulfates, No Parabens, No Silicones – 13.5 fl. oz

KK: The Tension Release Hair Wash lathered up extremely well in between the parts of my braids despite – a characteristic that is often lost in sulfate free shampoos. My scalp was quite clean yet surprisingly soft after using a palm full. Smelled lightly citrusy, not flowery.

Strength Restoring Conditioner

Dark and Lovely: Snap! Pop! Should not be the sound of you detangling your hair. Our Strength Restoring Conditioner is a master remedy created to strengthen fragile, breaking hair and replenish it with moisture. Hair stand up to the snap, pop test and resists the urge to break. For Dry, Damaged Hair – Helps prevent split ends before they start – Leaves ends resilient, healthier and stronger – No Mineral Oil, No Parabens, No Petrolatum – 13.5 fl oz

KK: This is the thickest conditioner I’ve ever used in life that wasn’t marketed as a deep conditioner – and that’s saying a lot because Aussie Moist used to be my staple. A quarter sized amount thoroughly coated the hair in each of my six sections; typically other conditioners coat but still leave my hair somewhat watery. After letting it sit for an hour, my hair DID NOT BREAK when wet detangling. Like… the smallest bit of hair came out. I had my face like this the whole time in disbelief.

Root to Tip Mender

Dark and Lovely: The ends are always the first to go… want them to stay? Skip your next snip appointment with our Root to Tip Mender, a rare delicacy concocted to help prevent split ends before they can start. Crafted to leave frazzled, frayed hair feeling smooth as if resuscitated and brought back to life. For Dry, Damaged Hair – Helps prevent split ends before they start – Leaves ends resilient healthier and stronger – No Mineral Oil, No Parabens, No Petrolatum – 4 fl oz

KK: So I assumed this was the leave in, but I’m still not quite sure. The packaging is interesting because it squirts out a lotion (like Aveeno or Ambi moisturizer pump bottles), but very thinly. I had no idea how much I was supposed to use per section so I used 5 pumps per section, about a dime sized amount. The lotion consistency quickly thinned out once i rubbed my hands together, making it go really lightly onto my strands. I resisted the temptation to add more product because I couldn’t really feel anything. However, this left my hair soft, and my ends feeling happy.

Super Softening Hair Butter

Dark and Lovely: Cough, ahem, cough…that’s the sound of your dry, thirsty hair calling. Our Super Softening Hair Butter answers the call with a delectable, hydrating treat just for your breaking, transitioning hair. Hair feels nourished and supple without the buildup or greasy transfer. For Dry, Damaged Hair – Moisturizes and reconstructs damaged hair for supple,shiny finish – No Drying Alcohol, No Mineral Oil, No Parabens, No Petrolatum – 8 fl oz

KK: There were no surprises here, but for a product that says it can be used daily, it’s important to know that this hair butter doesn’t leave any buildup! However, it doesn’t have much hold, so if you’re going for a defined look, add a holding gel or custard such as EcoStyler.

Final Thoughts

Here’s a video with a more detailed recap of my first time experience using the Dark N Lovely Au Naturale Anti-Breakage line.

If I had to pick my favorite product from the line, it would have to be the Strength Restoring Conditioner. My least favorite would be the Root to Tip Mender, only because the packaging was cumbersome.

After I recorded the video, I washed my hair again, and this time, used all four products in the same day (and gave myself a trim). In the video, I mentioned that the Super Softening Hair Butter might create a bouncy bantu knot out, so I tested my theory. The result? Let’s just say that I got a compliment on my hair before I made it to the street corner!

Have you heard good things about the Dark N Lovely Au Naturale Anti-Breakage Line? Have you tried it yourself?

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