Weird Product Wednesday: John Masters Organics Citrus and Neroli Detangler

It is possible to like a weird product. Take KCCC, for instance. Same is true for John Masters Organics Citrus and Neroli Detangler.

The difference, however, is that I will buy KCCC over and over again because the weirdness is goofy and lovable. Silly, even. But the factors that make me like Citrus and Neroli Detangler are distinctly separate from the reasons I won't repurchase it.

The Good
What a lovely aroma! I am unfamiliar with neroli but if it's the vaguely flowery/creamy scent that melds so deliciously with the subtle citrus, call me a fan. It's not overwhelming in the slightest way and is feminine without being cloying. A+ on scent.

Terrific ingredients. Specifically:
Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera leaf juice) gel,* aqua (water), behentrimonium methosulfate, cetearyl alcohol, panthenol (vitamin B5), hydrolyzed soy protein, wheat amino acids, sorbitol, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil,* cocos nucifera (coconut) oil,* helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil,* lecithin, tocopherol, glycerin, citric acid, citrus mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf oil,* rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil,* rosa damascena (rose) flower oil,* pelargonium graveolens?(geranium) flower oil,* mentha spicata (spearmint) leaf oil,* nardostachys jatamansi (spikenard) leaf oil,*sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, arnica montana (arnica) flower extract,* camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract,* chamomilla recutica (chamomile) flower extract,* calendula officinalis (calendula) flower extract,* equisetum hiemale (horsetail) leaf/stem extract,* foeniculum vulgare (fennel) seed extract,* lonicera caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower extract, linum usitatissimum (flaxseed) seed oil,* borago officinalis (borage) seed oil,* sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), sulfur *

(I have bolded all the ingredients that my hair likes. Your hair might have different affinities.)

So, I was all set to be enamored with this product. And yes, I did like it. So did my hair.

The Bad
The stuff retails for $16. You get 8 ounces, which works out to be $2 an ounce. Not exorbitant, but not what you could call a bargain. The real problem, though, was that I got about 10 applications from this bottle. Maybe 12. If I conditioned my hair every day, I'd be running to the store for more conditioner in less than 2 weeks. (That is, if I didn't have 15 other bottles of various conditioners in my bathroom right now.)

My hair slurped this potion right up. I found I needed a lot of it to get any slip (or "squish factor" as my pal Del calls it), and although it feels very luxurious in my palms and my hair, I was appalled by how much I needed to work it through my hair in the shower. I would have thought the behentrimonium methosulfate would have provided the slip I like, but it didn't seem to.

It's weird to me that this is marketed as a detangler. Tangling, for me, is one of the few hair problems I've been spared, but I'm thinking that for those who do need something to combat that situation, Citrus and Neroli Detangler doesn't seem like it would be up to the task. I take that back -- it would do the job as long as the user didn't mind going through a couple of bottles a month. (Maybe this product should be packaged like AfroDetangler....)

The Ugly
The crying shame of such a lovely product being too expensive to consider for regular use. A damn ugly shame.

What do you think? If you've used this, did you have to use a ton of it, too? Or is my hair proving once again that it is a demanding beast?