Written by Fadeke Banjo. An Honest Product Review on As I Am's Dry and Itchy Scalp Care Olive Oil and Tea Tree Line/Collection. Is it worth the hype?
Hey curl friends, Fadeke here; in today’s blog, I will be doing a product review on the As I am natural product hair-line collection ‘Dry and Itchy scalp, Olive oil and Tea tree oil ‘. I received this collection through a give-away competition on Instagram from ‘The As I Am UK branch’ (this might have been two years ago). On Instagram, I follow various pages, including black natural hair pages, natural hair influencers, popular natural hair product brands and small black-owned natural hair product brands. As I am is an American natural hair product brand.
When I started my natural hair journey, as I had previously mentioned in a previous blog post, I used YouTube as my guide on taking care of my natural hair. I often came across black natural hair YouTubers who were mainly from the USA would often recommend products from America. Unfortunately, these hair products were not available in the UK or would be really expensive compared to the less known natural hair products. With this being said, when I heard that there was a UK branch of the As I am brand, I was excited. At the time, the UK branch promoted the ‘Dry and Itchy Scalp, Olive oil and tea tree oil’ and decided to do a giveaway via the As I am UK Instagram page, I just knew I had to enter this giveaway. I thought to myself, what is the worst that could happen?
To my surprise, I was one of the winners of this amazing giveaway and got to try out this new collection for free. Now that I have given a bit of a background on how I got hold of this collection of products from the ‘As I am’ brand, let us get into the review.
Background of this collection and what it includes:
As I am as launched their ‘Dry and Itchy Scalp’ collection with olive oil and tea tree oil in 2019.
This collection of products includes five products a shampoo, a conditioner, a co-wash cleanser, a leave-in conditioner and an oil treatment mix. The collection is suited to curly and coil hair and is aims to aid in cleaning and moisturise the scalp (As I am naturally, 2019).
Price- How much does this collection cost?:
If ordering this collection from the official As I am website, each item is sold separately, ranging from $9.99 to $10.99. This is somewhat a reasonable price range considering the number of products and uses you get from this collection. However, prices may vary on other websites selling these products from this collection.
Smell/Scent of this collection (Rating 5/10):
All of the products have a tea tree and minty scent. It has been shown that tea tree oil can be good for natural hair, including helping to deal with scalp issues such as dandruff (CurlyNiki,2013). The products scents for this collection are similar to the debate over Marmite; you either like it or despise it. Similarly, if you like the smell of tea tree and peppermint and don't mind this scent lingering in your hair, then this collection is for you. However, you may find the scent a bit too strong and overpowering at times, for those that are the opposite. I personally did not mind the scent; however, I did have to be extra careful when it came to washing my hair with the shampoo and conditioner as sometimes it will get in my eye. Overall, I would give the smell/scent of the products a 5/10.
Packaging of the collection and design of the products. (Rating:10/10)
The products from this give-away on the As I am collection ‘Dry & Itchy Scalp care ‘, was delivered in a cardboard box with the products being in a basket (this basket was both recyclable and re-useable, and I used the basket for other purposes, such as to hold other items in my room) with a clear packaging with the products inside, the package also included a little leaflet which easy to read the information regarding each product from this collection and its uses, which I found was very helpful, the package also included some mints which was in a container with a black lady with her natural hair. Regarding the actual design of the products, it is pretty simple yet stylish, with all the products having a uniformed theme colour consisting of navy/dark blue, baby blue and black. Overall, I would rate the packaging and the overall design of the products a 10/10.
Consistency/Texture of the products. How did it feel on my hair? (Rating: 8/10)
A gif of a woman putting some hair product on her hair.
Now you might be wondering why I am mentioning the consistency of the products. Well, within the natural hair community, the consistency, slip, texture and feeling a product has on someone’s hair is important, as it can determine whether a product will work or not on someone’s hair, and this will differ depending on your curly hair type, whether your hair is thin or thick, the destiny of your hair and the porosity of your hair.
For the most part, my hair is very thick, and I tend to like products that are not too thick that my hair feels weighed down or mushy but also not too runny and light that it doesn’t actually moistures my coils. The consistency of these products, for the most part, was thick apart from the oil and the co-wash, which was a bit runnier in texture. This worked for my hair; however, I recently started to use it more and combine it with another hair product that I regularly use when it came to the leave-in. As you start exploring your naturally curly hair, you may find that certain products don’t work on their own but need to be combined with other hair products to work for your hair type, and that is perfectly fine. Overall, I will score the consistency of all the products from this collection an 8/10.
Leave-in Conditioner ' Dry & Itchy Scalp Care Leave-in Conditioner'
I took the photos. As I Am 'Dry & Itchy Scalp care' Leave-in Conditioner.
The leave-in conditioner is designed to aid when it comes to styling the hair, adds moisture to the hair and can aid in preventing flaking.
There wasn't much I could say about the leave-in conditioner from this collection; it was my least favourite product from this collection. As previously mentioned, I found when using this product that it was best to mix it/ combine it with another hair product I have that is separate from this collection/brand. When combining the leave-in conditioner with this other product, I found that it worked better for my hair than using the leave-in on its own. Plus, when used on its own, I felt that the leave-in conditioner just sat on my hair strand and didn't leave my hair feeling fully moisturized. For this reason, I would rate this leave-in conditioner a 5/10.
Shampoo- ‘Dry & Itchy Scalp Care shampoo’ (Rating: 9.5/10)
The shampoo is designed to cleanse and moisturize the scalp as it is targeted towards sensitive, dry, and itchy scalps.
I felt that the shampoo cleaned my hair very well without stripping it from its natural oils and did not leave my hair feeling dry. When it comes to using conventional store-bought shampoos, they can sometimes be very drying to my naturally curly kinky hair; this can also happen even with more natural shampoos. Within the natural hair community, it has been debated over the years that people with curly hair should use sulphate-free shampoos as they can be less damaging to curly hair. However, some natural hair influencers argue that you can use conventional sulphate shampoos or deep-cleansing shampoos from time to time but not regularly. Surprisingly, I tend to use store-bought shampoos; however, I also have tried sulphate-free or more natural-based shampoos to wash my hair or use an alternative treatment. I was presently surprised by this shampoo as I had previously mentioned it did not make my hair feel dry afterwards. In addition, it also did not make it difficult to detangle my hair when I am using the conditioner after using this shampoo which was another bonus of using this shampoo from this collection. The shampoo, as previously mentioned, is designed for people who have scalp issues such as dandruff; this was something I also liked about this product. If you do suffer from scalp issues like dandruff, then perhaps this shampoo could be good for you.
However, despite overall liking this shampoo, I have had times when my eyes would slightly burn or sting if I got this shampoo in my eyes whilst washing my hair. This has happened before with other shampoos; however, this particular shampoo has a strong tea tree and peppermint scent, making it even worse when it accidentally makes contact around my eye area when washing my hair. So, overall, I would rate this shampoo a 9.5/10.
Conditioner- ‘Dry & Itchy Scalp Care Conditioner’ (Rating: 8.5/10)
The conditioner is designed to soothe dry and itchy scalp whilst at the same time help with detangling and moisturizing coily and curly hair.
Overall, I enjoyed using the conditioner from this collection and like most of the conditioners I use for my natural hair, I tend to use more conditioner than shampoo. Hence if you ever came into my bathroom and picked up my shampoo and conditioner, you would see the considerable difference in the quantity of both products. In addition, the conditioner has a thick to runny texture.
The conditioner lid allowed me to control the amount of conditioner I wanted to use, and it felt nice on my hair. The conditioner also helped make detangling my hair when it’s wet easier and wasn’t difficult to wash off or make my hair feel weighed down.
I believe what could perhaps improve this conditioner if it had more slip when it came to detangling my hair compared to other conditioners I have used in the past. In addition, I wish the conditioner were perhaps bigger; however, I try only to use the amount of conditioner I need for my hair each time I wash my hair, although sometimes I can be heavy-handed with my conditioners. Therefore, I would give this conditioner an 8.5/10.
The Co-wash- Olive and Tea Tree oil Co-Wash (Rating:10/10)
I took the photos- A slideshow showing the Co-wash from this collection.
The co-wash is designed to act as a cleansing treatment for sensitive, dry, and itchy scalps whilst being hydrating natural hair. The Co-wash was also designed to prevent itchiness and soothe the scalp with olive oil and Tea tree oil contained in this product.
It was my first time using a co-wash product, and when I first saw this product, I originally thought it would be a deep conditioner before I read the name on the container saying it was a co-wash. But, to my surprise, this was one of the products I have grown to love the most out of all the other products from the collection. At first, I had trouble using the product because I had to place it in a secure place in my bathroom/shower when washing my natural hair. The second issue I came across was figuring out how to use it on my hair as it did not come in a bottle form like the shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in came in, but rather it came in a round container. In addition, this product is runny in texture which meant when using the product. I would often need to scoop the desired amount at a time of the product and place this on my hair whilst simultaneously making sure I did not spill the product as I was holding it for dear life in the palm of my hand. However, once I got to pass this hurdle, this product felt great on my hair. It has a runny texture that helped in some way to make it easier to detangle my hair whilst it’s wet, as well as helping to clean my scalp as it acted as both a shampoo and cleanser and a conditioner.
This Co-wash product, however, is not like the typical ‘Head or Shoulder’ 3 in 1 or 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner that your boyfriend, dad, brother, or male friend may use, but is completely the opposite of that, and I would argue perhaps more superior to such 3 in 1 hair products.
I would admit that I am what would be considered a 'lazy natural' or a 'simple natural hair girl'; let me explain, I tend to try to have a simple straight to the point, no fuzz routine when it comes to taking care of my natural hair, if I don’t need to do anything extra to my hair or add any extra step to my routine, I see this as a win in my books. With this being said, this Co-wash has been a bit of a game-changer to my wash days (this refers to a set day when I wash my natural hair, deep condition my hair with perhaps a hair mask and style my hair for the week ahead). Although, when it comes to washing my natural hair, it can take hours hence why I try to dedicate a day towards it and try to find ways to cut down this wash day routine, sometimes I do not shampoo my hair every time I wash my hair (this is normal when it comes to curly hair within the natural hair community) but for most of the time, I do. However, for the times I don’t use shampoo, I like to use this co-wash product as it both cleanses my scalp and the rest of my hair without stripping my hair from its natural oils as well as moisturizing my hair, although sometimes I like to use a conditioner after using this co-wash or put on a deep conditioning hair mask on my hair.
The co-wash also has a strong scent, which I don’t particularly mind the scent, although others might. The co-wash also has a lot of product, and therefore, a little goes a long way. I love when natural hair products have a big to medium quantity as I see this as cost-effective, and with my thick curly hair, I need a good number of products that won’t run out quickly. Since having this Co-wash, I have not needed to re-purchase the product now, as I try to use a little product and not waste it. I have not run out of most of the products from this collection, although the shampoo and conditioner are starting to run out. Overall, I would rate this co-wash product a 10/10.
Oil mix product- ‘Dry & Itchy Scalp Care Oil Treatment’ (Rating: 9.5/10) -
The oil mix consists of various oils such as Tea Tree leaf oil, Castor oil, coconut oil and Peppermint oil.
According to the As I am website, the oil is designed to help fight dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis and increase hair moisture (As I am, n/a). The oil had many uses other than simply using it in my hair when moisturizing and styling my hair. The oil could also be used as a hot oil treatment by simply either pouring some of the oil mixes in a bowl and slightly warming it up or placing the oil mix bottle in some warm to hot water in a bowl and letting it warm up a bit and placing this all over my hair from root to tip of your hair (with particular focus on my scalp) and wearing a shower cap or heating cap for few minutes. Hot oil treatment is a prevalent treatment within the natural hair community. It has many benefits to curly hair, including providing shine to your hair as well as helping to moisturize your hair (Meachum, 2019).
Here is a link to a video example on how to do a Hot oil treatment for your curly hair at home:
Video credit: YouTube user: Rayann410 (2017) 'Best DIY Hot Oil Treatment for Natural Hair. YouTube. (Uploaded on the 4th July 2017). (Accessed: 15th July 2021)
(In this video, the YouTuber 'Rayann410' gives a step by step instructions on how to make her own DIY hot oil treatment and how to use it).
Unfortunately, when I had the oil mix in my possession, my brother had borrowed the oil mix, and he accidentally split the bottle of the oil mix, which meant I could no longer use the oil. However, from what I could remember, I did like the oil for three reasons. The first reason was the packaging of the oil; it came in a bottle applicator with a pointed mouth, similar to a hair dye applicator bottle. This came in handy when I was moisturizing my natural hair as I could control how much oil I wanted to use in my hair and make it easier to apply the oil directly to my scalp.
I like the oil mix because it had a mixture of different essential oils, all beneficial to natural hair. When going to the black hair store or sometimes I may go to the Highstreet shops such as Superdrug’s (which have in recent years provided a section for black natural hair products including popular natural hair products from the USA and the UK), to buy my natural hair products for my hair, I tend to try and buy an already made oil mix that contains a range of oils and essential oils including grapeseed oil, olive oil etc. instead of buying individual essential oil products, like a jar of organic coconut oil. However, you can also make your own oil mix at home for your natural hair by simply getting a suitable applicator bottle and a couple of your favourite natural essential oils, such as grapeseed oil or castor oil. I have done this in the past, but I recommend purchasing this oil mix from the As I Am ‘Dry & Itchy scalp Care ’ collection.
Finally, the third reason I like this oil mix from this collection was how lightweight it was on my hair and how it left my hair smelling nice and shiny and moisturized. The oil mix product is also small and travel-sized friendly and has a closed lid/tapered mouth that can be twisted to close it or open it, therefore allowing you to use it wherever you go. Overall, I would give this oil product a 9.5/10.
So, is it worth the hype? And would I recommend you buy this collection?
Overall, I really enjoyed using this collection from As I am on my natural hair, from the shampoo, conditioner, oil, leave-in and co-wash product. I would rate this collection altogether a 9.5/10. I felt that I could have a free trial with this collection as I had won it from a giveaway and give my honest opinion on the product before considering whether I want to buy this collection or not and if it is really worth the hype. Since receiving this collection from the give-away, I entered around two years ago. I have continued to use this collection on my natural hair, and I can see myself perhaps when the lockdown is finally ceased. Black hair shops are fully open. I will buy this collection from As I Am or check if it’s available in Superdrug’s in their black natural hair/ethnic section in their stores or online.
So, yes, I believe that this collection is worth the hype, especially if you are starting your natural hair journey and searching for some good quality natural hair products to use on your hair. This collection is a good start, as it includes pretty much the basic essential products you need. Moreover, the collection is designed for people dealing with dandruff issues. The tea tree oil and peppermint oil used in this collection are good for such hair issues, hence why I would recommend checking out this collection and perhaps purchasing it.
Here is a link to a few of the available products from the collection, including the Co-wash, conditioner, leave-in; the oil and shampoo can also be found on the As I am website.
As I Am - Dry and Itchy Scalp care collection (n/a). Available at: https://asiamnaturally.com/collections/dry-and-itchy (Accessed: 28th June 2021)
If you have tried this collection from As I Am what was your opinion on it? Did you like it or dislike it?
Feel free to comment down below your thoughts on this product review blog posts and your thoughts on this collection from As I Am brand.
Alternatively, you can tweet your views on Twitter using the hashtags #AsIAmproductreview and #mynaturalcrownandiblog. Make sure to tag me @mynaturalcrownandiblog so I can see your tweet.
Also, check out this video review by AseaMae on the As I am collection ‘Dry and Itchy scalp’ collection:
AseaMae (2018)’ NEW As I Am Dry & Itchy Scalp Line Review after 1 month of use on my Chronically Itchy Scalp’. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp4saT8zx54 (Accessed: 28th June 2021).
Video credit : YouTuber AseaMae. (Uploaded: 12/12/18)
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Have a great day, Love from your curl friend and mentor, Fadeke.
* P.s Always remember to wear your natural hair with pride; it's your crown!
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