We Put Superdrug’s Black Castor & Shea Range to The Test!

We caught up with the team at Milk Honey Bees – a creative and expressive safe space for Black girls to flourish and put H.E.R (Healing, Empowerment and Resilience) first – who had the chance to try out the new Black Castor & Shea hair care range, exclusive to Superdrug, ahead of launch! The girls got their hands on the BC&S products hot from the factory floor and have been testing them ever since.

Discover their must-haves from the range, exploring the new scents, ingredients, and formats, as well as finding out more about their own haircare regimens and what they’d like to see next in the range!

Faith Robinson-Cox

4/5 Stars

Using the BC&S products made my hair feel very light and bouncy, unlike many other products I use or have used in the past that are heavy and weigh my hair down. I would describe my hair as thick, with a type 3 curl type, but my curls change depending on the product I use or style I am doing.

I found the Coconut Oil Curl Defining Jelly so refreshing, as I have used a few similar products that make my curls feel stiff. The Coconut Oil Curl Clarifying Shampoo was lightweight and cleaned my hair without stripping the good stuff from it.

The range has a great scent that feels like a journey as you use each product, which I enjoyed as it helped with my mood a lot. I enjoyed using the products and was able to use my diffuser and other brushes to bring my hair to life. I would like to see Superdrug have more products in this range such as an edge control and mousse. I also would like to see a range of brushes and combs that support different curl types and the range.

Superdrug BC&S Superdrug Coconut Curl Defining Styling Jelly £4.99

Superdrug BC&S Superdrug Coconut Curl Clarifying Shampoo £4.99

Luam Dawit

5/5 Stars

My favourite in Superdrug’s new range was the Black Castor Oil Lightweight Leave-In Conditioner Spray. My hair felt instantly moisturised and refreshed as soon as the product was put in. It left my hair feeling super soft and very curly, even before putting in the Curl Defining Jelly. What I like about this range is that all the products all have such a beautiful and delicious scent.

What I also liked about the range is that it was so easy to use. Sometimes with hair products you can spend ages trying to rake the product through properly, to get the look that you want. The Curl Type Key is very straight forward and shows images of different hair types that the products in the range can be used on. This is fantastic as it helps you to identify what type of hair you have.

I would like to have Superdrug add a hair mousse to their range as it helps hair feel light and curly throughout the day. A non-leave in conditioner for days where I don’t want to do my hair curly would be a great addition to the Superdrug’s range as well.

Superdrug BC&S DNR Superdrug Black Castor & Shea Leave In Conditioner Spray £4.99

Jaala Shaw

5/5 Stars

I’d like to start by saying how much I adore these products. They made my hair feel so soft and smooth (my hair is extremely bleached and heat damaged so this says a lot!). I started out with the Coconut Oil Clarifying Shampoo that gently cleansed my hair without that weird squeaky feeling that most shampoos tend to leave. My scalp was so clean, it felt like it was literally breathing! I then went in with the Coconut Oil Lightweight Leave-In Conditioner which hydrated my hair and helped me to detangle it without any struggle whatsoever.

My favourite product in this line would have to be the Mafura Jamaican Black Castor Oil as it left my scalp feeling really nourished without feeling too greasy. I really like how versatile this range is and how the products can each be used to cater for different needs and uses. These products also don’t have an overpowering scent like most curl products do, which can get quite sickening after a while.

Superdrug BC&S DNR Superdrug BC&S Mafura Hair Oil 100ml £2.25

Racheal Oni

5/5 Stars

I personally love that Superdrug is making more products dedicated to individuals with 3c to 4c hair types with the new BC&S product range. One of my favorite products from the range is the African Baobab Jamaican Black Castor & West African Shea Oil as it leaves my hair with enough lubrication to help prevent any hair breakage. The new product line incorporating West African oil brings back memories of when my mother used to massage hair oil from our west African culture into my hair. Superdrug providing a Curl Type Key helped me to identify what products were beneficial for my hair type.

In the future, Superdrug could create a range for hair care such as silk bonnets and hair wraps, as well as creating more products for braids and protective hair styles.I have taken my braids out and since used the shampoo and leave in conditioner and I can say these products have done wonders for me before I re-do my braids to protect my wonderful hair.

Superdrug BC&S DNR Superdrug BC&S Baobab Hair Oil 100ml £2.25

Shay Ashworth

5/5 Stars

My favourite products from the new Superdrug collection are the Leave-in Conditioner Sprays. They smell really good and the bottle allows them to spray a decent amount at a time, rather than it being hard to use. The products did tighten up my curl pattern and I was able to use the Curl Type Key to identify my hair type. This was so beneficial as I am used to being let down by products and their curl pattern predictions. This did not disappoint.

I loved the scents of the products as I am a fan of anything coconut, and this was not overpowering. I liked that the bottles were accessible and the instructions were clearly written. The range, for me, is extremely important as I feel being able to buy hair products where I purchase my personal care products will make things easier for me and others. In Superdrug’s next range, I’d like to see a wash out conditioner to go with the shampoo and also more of the range being sold together as a bundle.

Shannon Goode

4/5 stars

I like the shampoos the best because a little goes a very long way. This is because I have a lot of hair, so I’m used to using a lot of shampoo, but with this one I didn’t need to. They all follow a sequence you can use them all in your hair routine and there are elements for every step in your wash day routine. I really enjoyed the Jamaican Black Castor & West African Shea Spray as my hair is thick and coily. The spray really helped add shine without making my hair feel heavy. The Coconut Oil Curl Defining Jelly also really elevated my coils.

I would really love to see like a brush and comb collection to support different hair types. I would also like to see a floral, scented range to balance out the topical range.

Superdrug BC&S Superdrug Black Castor & Shea Shampoo 400ml £4.99

Superdrug BC&S Superdrug Black Castor & Shea Shine Spray £0.75

More about MHB

Founded in 2017, Milk Honey Bees is rooted in the creativity, celebration, and liberation of Black Girlhood by amplifying the voice and visibility of Black Girls in all facets of life, opening doors that can often be closed to Black girls and ensuring that they are able to put both their Blackness and girlhood at the forefront, enabling them to discover not only their full potential, but also who they are. You can follow the Milk Honey Bees on Instagram on @milkhoneybees.

Ebinehita Iyere is founder of Milk Honey Bees and also an author currently bringing the voices of young Black Girls to the forefront with her anthology Girlhood Unfiltered being released November 3rd 2022.

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