So let's discuss two very different products made especially for use before the shampoo. Burt's Bees Avocado Pre-Shampoo butter and OJON restoratives hair treatment mask. Both products are made by companies who don't market exclusively to the ethic market. Both products boast of natural ingredients as their claim to fame. Although some similarities exists, there are some notable differences between the two products. Lets discuss:
You guys have heard me rave about Burt's Bees in the past. Even with my past success, I still couldn't get past the desire to have my very own jar of Ojon. I mean, the mantra of the company is "The People of Beautiful hair." Who couldn't stay away from a product like that? So I finally picked up a jar at Sephora and paid the equivalent of nearly 6.5 tubes of Burt's Bees. That's right, the Ojon Treatment was around $60.00
Burt's Bees definitely beats Ojon in the price category.
As far as the ingredients are concerned, Burt's Bees is an all natural product and so is Ojon but Ojon's main attraction is Palm Nut Oil. Before you guys start googling where you can find Palm Nut Oil, I will tell you now that it's pretty much impossible to find. Word is that the Ojon folks have the exclusive rights to this ingredient. You may find Palm Oil but that isn't exactly the same as Palm Nut Oil. Their featured ingredient is said to have the ability to penetrate the hair shaft nourishing from the inside out. Hence the name "restorative mask".
So for this round, Ojon has it!
Next let's talk about scent and texture. Both products have a thickness consistency similar to a hair grease. And both are able to melt easily into the palm of the hand just by the simple act of rubbing hands together. One, however stands hands and shoulders above in the scent category. Burt's Bees has a fresh pleasant smell that makes the entire experience that much more enjoyable. Ojon, on the other hand, has a scent that reminds me of a smoky pool hall. There's nothing like intentionally making your hair smell like you spent the evening in a smoke-filled room. I could let Ojon get by with the "natural" scent only if the scent completely disappeared after washing. Sadly, this wasn't the case. Although the scent was not a strong after washing, I was still turned off by the experience.
Another score for Burt's Bees.
Okay, so let's talk about what really matters. The results! I gotta hand it to both of these products. Burt's Bees and Ojon are both high quality created by reputable brands. But for some reason, I feel like Burt's Bees is more of a "regular use" type of product while Ojon seems like more of a "once in a while" treatment option. Both produced good results for me but nothing can compare to the excitement I felt when I first used Burt's Bees. I knew from that day that I had found a product for life. Ojon, on the other hand, I would describe as "nice to have" product more so than a "need to have." I also feel like BBs is more of a moisturizing product while Ojon leaned a little more towards strengthening.
Bottom line, both products do what they claim but I feel Burt's Bees is a much better purchase if you compare their price, result and scent. For those of you curious about Ojon, like I was, I think you can ask for samples as your local Sephora store so you can try it out for yourself. Burt's Bees pre-poo can be found at Ulta's.