Last summer Ikemian Hair Care landed on my doorstep and gifted me their products. I was really happy and excited because it was the first brand contacting me. I was just starting out with a complete new social media presence from scratch and with zero followers. So it was very surprising for me that @ikemian_official adored my digital content. I didn’t manage to make a blog post, but here’s my review, if you’re interested in a German clean beauty brand that caters around curly hair.
Ikemian Hair Care products are paraben, mineral oil and silicone free:
True Wash Shampoo
The True Wash Shampoo is made for all hair types and gives you a sweet citric sensation in the shower. It gently cleanses the hair and can be used as an all purpose regular shampoo. It contains Sodium Coco-Sulfate, which is a Sulfate. Yes. But it’s a very mild sulfate that doesn’t dry hair out like traditional sulfate shampoos. If you’re heavy handed with styling butters, heavy creams and hair serums containing silicones, this shampoo will be ideal for your natural hair. You won’t need to use a clarifying shampoo as often as you should, because there will be less buildup on your hair.
For me, it felt like a clarifying shampoo to be honest. My hair was super squeaky clean without being dry or stripped. I’m not used to using sulfate shampoos and only clarified when needed in the past. My hair care is based on watery light weight styling products since my second big chop. I don’t oil my scalp and hair and also don’t use heavy styling creams on a regular basis.
This shampoo is great to use when I heat straighten my hair and use silicone or mineral based products. would recommend following up with a moisturising shampoo, if you experience the shampoo feeling a little bit too drying. But other than that, sulfates don’t play a big role in my hair care and I prefer keeping it like this.
My boyfriend also used the True Wash to shampoo his hair for a several months and didn’t experience the clarifying effect I felt. His hair is silky caucasian and false somewhere between type 2c and 3a hair.
True Volume Shampoo
The True Volume Shampoo is my real star compared to the True Wash Shampoo! It contains caffeine which gives a tingling sensation and has a floral hearty scent. It also contains sulfates but surprisingly I didn’t feel the clarifying effect I described with the True Wash Shampoo. I once even lather thrice just to see how my hair would react. It amazingly stayed soft and defined. For me, this is what I truly look out for when I want to shampoo my hair several times a week. If you run out of conditioner, this shampoo will still leave your hair soft.
My hair is clean and soft, without the squeaky clean feeling. I would place the True Volume Shampoo somewhere between a regular and moisturising shampoo. The consistency is really watery compared to other shampoos. A little goes a long way and when you’re not used to the consistency, you might press too much shampoo solution out of the bottle.
Both shampoos create a mild lather. They are concentrated and a little goes a long way.
Cloud Nine Silk Mask
The Cloud Nine Silk Mask can be used as a rinse out conditioner or deep conditioner. I used it both with the True Wash and True Volume Shampoo. It has a smooth light weight consistency and also has a floral hearty scent, because it contains rose and sandalwood. The detangling experience was fine, but not outstanding because I missed more slip. My hair surprisingly didn’t feel softer after washing my hair with the True Wash Shampoo the first time. I’m not sure if the Cloud Nine Silk Mask is what we naturals would describe as a protein treatment. I can only describe the feeling based on what I’ve been using for years. And to me it feels like a protein treatment similar to other natural hair care brands.
Hello Gorgeous Deep Curl Treatment
This deep curl treatment was my favourite mask and I would purchase it anytime to give my natural hair a lovely treat. The slip was everything I needed. It’s an intensive conditioning mask that works best, when you cover your hair for 30 – 60 minutes. But rinsing it out with the shower steam after 10 minutes works also fine. I would also use it as a rinse out conditioner after detangling my hair, since it provides wonderful slip and softness for my 4c hair strands. If you’re a fan of herbal scents, this will also be a win win for you. The curl treatment has a sweet distinct mint and rosemary scent, that is not overwhelming.
Forgiveness Moisture Conditioner
Despite the name, the Forgiveness Moisture Conditioner is a leave-in conditioner that provides moisture and protection from chemical, colour and physical treated hair. The leave-in conditioner has a light weight formula and my hair absorbed it well.
Serendipity Repair Conditioner
The Serendipity Repair Conditioner is also a leave-in cream that gives heat protection. I layered both the leave-in conditioner and cream to style my hair into a twist out. At first I was very concerned about the hold. But my hair dried beautifully and the shine was amazing. I loved that my hair didn’t have a sticky feeling when I touched it. A greasy feeling is not what I look out for when I want to do twist and braid outs. The Forgiveness Moisture Conditioner and Serendipity Repair Conditioner are definitely great alternatives to traditional heat protections and hair serums to heat treat your hair.
Shea Goodness Hair Butter
The Shea Goodness Hair Butter is a light weight whipped plant Butter with a sweet fruity vanilla scent. The formula is very rich and contains water, shea butter, coconut and avocado oil. A little goes a long way and it’s a great base to keep your hair in braided and twisted hairstyles. I loved how it gave me shine when I heatless stretched my hair with satin bands. You could also use tiny amounts of the Hair Butter for nourishment and luster on straight hair and stretched curly hair. Since I rarely use hair butters, a smaller container size would be great for my hair needs.