When I was in New York, I did some damage in Target and purchased Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Mask. It was a pretty good price $6.99 for six ounces. Now, I’ve heard plenty about Neutrogena and their products. I don’t think I had seen the Deep Recovery Mask in Toronto, so when I saw it, I had to pick it up. FYI, bolded ingredients can be shady.
water, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, cetearyl alcohol, ethylhexyl isononanoate, behenyl alcohol, meadowfoam (limnanthes alba) seed oil, cyclohexasiloxane, olive (olea europaea) fruit oil, sweet almond (prunus amygdalus dulcis) oil, steramidopropyl dimethylamine, behentrimonium methosulfate, amodimethicone, panthenol, glycol stearate, ceteth-2, hydroxyethylcellulose, phenoxyethanol, methlparaben, propylparaben, citric acid, phenoxyethanol, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, fragrance.
I’ll tell you now – I’m not impressed with some of the ingredients, but because I’ve heard a number of positive things. So, what the heck? I picked it up.
On another day, when we were traipsing along Broadway, I came across Ricky’s NYC and decided to pick up Miss Jessie’s Rapid Recovery Treatment. A two ounce jar for $7.99 – I know, it’s a bit ridiculous, but I’ve used this product before and I’ve liked it. It’s a strong deep conditioner.
water, cetyl alcohol, cyclopentasiloxane, stearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, behentrimonium methosulfate, lauryl alcohol, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrogenated vegetable oil*, hydroxyethylcellulose, ceteareth-20, fragrance, butylenes glycol, dimethicone, dimethiconol, cyclohexasiloxane, disodium EDTA, citric acid, DMDM hydration, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, yellow 10, orange 4.
*I have a problem with paying lots of money to put margarine in my hair. That is all.
I don’t love the ingredients, but I did love how it worked on my hair.
But notice there are very similar ingredients in both – especially in the first five ingredients: water, cetyl alcohol, cyclopentasiloxane and behentrimonium chloride. Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients (I’m excluding water) they have in common, thanks to tightlycurly.com:
Behentrimonium chloride (good): Used for detangling and as an anti-static ingredient and emulsifier.
Cetyl alcohol (good): Common ingredient used as an emollient, thickener, and keeping the product mixed together. Non-greasy. Can be made from coconut fatty alcohol*, or synthetically. Not found to be an irritant. Begoun (Cosmetics) pg 1264. Also used to increase foam, and to make a product less transparent. Used in a wide range of products, from hair conditioners to facial cleansers [Gottschalck pg 332]. Cetyl alcohol is the oldest known of the various fatty alcohols. It’s been around since 1813. It is known as being a very safe ingredient, and is very compatible with other ingredients [Hunting (Conditioning) pgs 147-148]. (*Eeek! I hope that most of the products that I come across with cetyl alcohol in them—and a dang lot of them have this ingredient—are made from synthetics and not coconut.)
Cyclopentasiloxane (aka Cyclomethicone) (Good): A type of Silicone* known as a Cyclomethicone. Used as a hair and skin conditioner and increases slip in lots of products, including lipsticks, makeup, lotions, and conditioners [Gottschalck pg 491, Winter pg 179]. This helps the comb (or Denman) glide through our curls much easier. It tends to have a drier feel than other silicones once it dries. (*I don’t know about silicones being good, but I don’t not use them. Meh, to each, his or her own – if it doesn’t work for you, put it down.)
Behentrimonium methosulfate (aka BTMS) (Okay): Thickener, conditioner, detangler. Leaves a nice “powdery feel”.
You can look up your own product ingredients using Tightly Curly’s Ingredient Dictionary. Good stuff! (I would think that she looks at many of these ingredients from a conditioner perspective because that’s what she uses, aside from shampoo. Although she disagrees with some of the knowledge floating around the web about certain ingredients, it’s good to find an alternative opinion. As I always say, figure out and use what’s right for you – don’t depend on what other people say.)
Although some of the ingredients are in a different order, they’re still in there (dimethicone, cyclohexasiloxane, hydroxyethylcellulose, behentrimonium methosulfate and fragrance). So, I’m wondering: is Miss Jessie’s any better than the Neutrogena? Is Miss Jessie’s worth more for four ounces less?
I started with Neutrogena and followed the directions: After shampooing, apply a small amount to wet hair, concentrating on ends. Let penetrate for 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse well. Style as usual. I washed my hair and used probably more than a small amount of the product to my hair. I rinsed it out relatively well and added my leave-in conditioner. I twisted my hair in medium sized twists and let it dry. The hair was soft and felt strong.
Next up, Miss Jessie’s Rapid Recovery Treatment. The directions are to smooth a tablespoon or more onto wet hair. Detangle with a wide tooth comb. Leave in 10 minutes. Rinse and style. My hair loves this stuff — it leaves it feeling strong and silky. I twisted my hair again in medium sized twists and let it dry. Like usual, my hair felt great.
So, what’s my verdict?
I’m so not a scientist and I don’t know how everything works together to create a product that my hair likes. I just know what my hair likes. Both Neutrogena and Miss Jessie’s treatments are good and my hair likes both of them. But, to be practical, spending a lot more for a lot less product that will give me a similar result doesn’t sit well. What it comes down to is both are good, but price makes Neutrogena a better buy. I like Miss Jessie’s products for different reasons, including I like buying from a Black-owned companies. Unfortunately, my pocket won’t allow me to spend the amount of money that is required to support a Miss Jessie’s habit.
So, for me, I’m going to work with Neutrogena.
What do you think? Who’s used Miss Jessie’s or Neutrogena – what’s your verdict?
The Accidental Natural 
I used the entire Neutrogena Triple Moisture line when I was relaxed and really liked it. It’s very moisturizing without being too heavy. I no longer use it since I cut out silicone after I went natural.
I’m finding it harder and harder to find drugstore products that are silicone-free. I don’t necessarily have anything against silicones, but it would be nice to have more options. What do you use now?
My sister uses The Neutrogena Triple Moisture, but like Moni is on the verge of going natural. Can you recommend a substitute that I can recommend to her?
Hmmm…. I don’t know. I’m not one to shy away from silicones because my hair doesn’t hate them the way some people’s hair does. But, I’m curious to learn about other deep treatments that are silicone-free that will work just as well or better than ones with silicone. Is your sister looking for a deep treatment or products in general to use?
I’ve used Miss Jessies Rapid Recovery and it makes your natural hair feel like butter when its done. But it’s too pricey for most everyday Bella’s to be consistent with its use.
The prices in their salon in Brooklyn are not to be played with. Folks complain about the prices of hair weaves and such but for me natural hair (although worth it) has proven to be timely and costly.
I did some research when I was thinking about going natural and, of course, I found Miss Jessie’s. I was killing to go to their salon… until I saw the prices. Guy! It was ridiculous! I bought some of their products: Curly Buttercreme (which I like), Curly Pudding (which I hate) and the Rapid Recovery (which I love). Like you said, the price is prohibitive. I can’t afford to spend that kind of money on hair products.
One of the reasons I stopped being a product junkie was that it was becoming too expensive. In Canada, not only do I have to pay for the expensive product, I have to shell out for the stupid shipping prices. So, if I can’t buy it at a drugstore or mix it myself, I’m hard pressed to buy it. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
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THOUGHTS ON THE “MISS JESSIE’S” PRODUCT LINE:
1)The “MISS JESSIE’S” products USE MINERAL OIL
& PETROLATUM (both of which damage both
hair & skin) AS two of the KEY INGREDIENTS
2) Titi & Miko – THE OWNER’S of the “Miss Jessie’s”
product line (AND most of THE CLIENTS they choose
to photograph) — achieve their hair-styles because
they USE what they call a ”Silkener”’ (which is simply
a mild relaxer / texturizer & made of CHEMICALS).
3) The same results can be achieved for a fraction of
the cost by going to a store and purchasing / applying
the same dangerous (ex. relaxer / texturizer) as well
as damaging (ex. mineral oil / petrolatum) products.
4) People should save their money (and hair) by avoiding
the cheaply-made / expensively-sold products (such as
the ”Miss Jessie’s” line) that contain worthless and
harmful ingredients such as mineral oil / petrolatum
and / or are “chemically-dependent” to achieve results.
5) The Owners of the ‘Miss Jessie’s’ product line appear
to be no more inclined to reveal that their own hair
(and that of the hair of the majority of the clients
that are posted on their website ) has been “silkened”
(i.e. chemically-processed) than they are to admit that
two (2) of the main ingredients contained in their hair
products are ‘mineral oil’ (“liquidum parrafinum”) and
petrolatum — and actually try to downplay both facts.
6) Meanwhile women found all over the US and
Canada continue to unwittingly dole out a ton of
money for a product which is essentially now the
equivalent of taking a melted jar of ‘Blue Magic
Hair Dressing’ or ‘Johnson’s Baby Oil’ and mixing
it with a bottle of ‘Suave Instant Conditioner’
(OK — maybe the Blue Magic/Johnson’s / Suave comment
is a stretch –- but — one hopes that the point is still taken
… when it comes to ‘ethnic’ or ‘naturally-textured’ hair’
— Miss Jessie’s simply “misses the mark” entirely.) =D
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Agreed that Miss Jessie’s products may not have the best products, BUT I think for a lot of people, this hair journey is about finding out about their hair and what works for them. I don’t use Miss Jessie’s products regularly, but I do have a couple of their products in my stash. Nothing’s wrong with that.
All in all, I think that people, with knowledge, can make their own decision about what they want to use on their hair or skin. This blog is about giving people some knowledge through my experiences. I don’t like beating over the head about what they should or shouldn’t use because I think in the long run they’ll figure it out. I figured it out — I stay away from a lot of products that a year and a half ago I wouldn’t have had any issues slathering on my hair. It’s a learning experience and people will figure it out.
Thank you AP for your comments I appreciate you putting the real deal out there without the camouflage. I’ve been searching for (and I believe this is the way that most people who want healthy hair should go) the ingredients list on many of these products now available to us. Thanks to many sites and even the library those chemical words can be broken down so that they’re understood right in your home. It’s already been noted that mineral oil and petrolatum are not good for maintaining healthy hair. So it shouldn’t matter how attractively people sell their products or even how it makes our hair feel for a moment continuous use normally reveals the otherwise. Let’s stick to products developed from the things that build up and not break down.
I ust came across your site and I for one am a product junkie. I came across Tresemme Naturals line and they have Silicone free conditioner. Maybe you should check it out sometime?
Hi, I am going natural and finding it hard to find something natural that gives and keeps moisture in my hair. As a result, I end up buying a deep conditioner like motions to get what my hair needs. I realized that I am one of those hand picked people that experienced intense dry hair after a chop and don’t know what to do to help keep the moisture in my hair. Do you have any suggestions. I also live in Canada. Half the things I see they have in the states, the don’t seel in Canada which is really frustrating.
Hi Kaya! Sorry to hear about the dryness. The first thing you should do is read your product labels very carefully. Moisture, meaning water is necessary. So when you’re buying products for moisture make sure that the first ingredient is water. Be very careful of the shampoos you are using. Stay away from anything with sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) – that will dry your hair before you even start. Deep conditioning is a priority! I don’t know what type of hair you have, but take your conditioner and add some olive oil. Sit under heat for 20 minutes (or 40 minutes without heat). Get a good leave-in conditioner – I like Giovanni Direct, which is available in locally and thru well.ca, but I’ve heard really good things about Kinky-Curly’s Knot Today (which isn’t readily available locally). Try a daily spritz – right now, I’m using rosewater and aloe vera juice mix to add moisture to my hair on days that I’m not washing it.
Finally, if you’re looking for products that aren’t available in the drug store or only in the States, visit honeyfig.com or go to their store (if you’re in Toronto). They have a pretty good selection of brands like Blended Beauty, Afroveda, Carol’s Daughter, Karen’s Body Beautiful, Qhemet Biologics, etc. Hope that this helps. Definitely check back in and let me know how your hair is doing. It’s a process and sometimes, it takes a little longer to figure your hair out, but keep trying. Good luck!
Why only review the ingredients they have in common? How is this an accurate review? Ingredient lists are usually in order by what’s in it the most…these products have the same base but those extra different ingredients probably matter in giving a review…otherwise there was no need for you to do a ‘ versus’ review.
It’s an accurate review because it is my opinion… and my blog. Not to be rude, because I do appreciate the opinions of others, but there is a need to post whatever I deem important on my blog. The purpose of the product review was to test, on my hair, what two products with similar ingredients and very different price points did. Is it necessary to pay four times as much for a product? I didn’t think so. But that was the purpose. Now, was it necessary for your comment? I didn’t necessarily think so, but you have a right to your opinion. Thanks for commenting.
Loved your response to the negativity:)
Ok, I’m know I’m late…. But, I went out and bought Miss Jessie’s Rapid Recovery Conditioner and Curling Butter… (before I saw the blog and reviews of course)… I’m finally going natural and when I read what was on the jars of those products, I was like Wow (the best darn conditioner ever lol)… I was suckered into it… Now, I’m learning so much about my hair… To be honest, Miss Jessie’s made my hair feel great because it was over processed at the tips, but it was so heavy and oily feeling… It moisturized the crap out of my hair though… I have recently ordered Kinky Curly products because I have heard so many thing about them… All organic and natural ingredients… I think the worst thin in their ingredient list is Cetyl alcohol and I only saw that on one product…
I guess for now, I am just going to use co wash wit rapid recovery one more time… Or just wa wash (water wash) my hair… Hair only needs moisture and cleanliness…
So should I just throw Miss Jessie’s out? Is it that bad???
thanks for the blog hunnie,
Princess
Don’t throw it out!! That’s a lot of money to toss away! Miss Jessie’s products won’t damage your hair, I just find, for the price and ingredients that it’s just not worth it the money. The fun thing about learning about your hair is trying out products and figuring out what works and what doesn’t work for you. There are a bunch of natural ladies who swear by Miss Jessie’s and Kinky-Curly (I agree that their Curling Custard is AMAZING!!!) and some who hate them. Personally, I like the Rapid Recovery Conditioner and the Curly Buttercreme — my pocket does not. And, I’ve found other products that work just as well that are available locally.
My advice to you would be to enjoy being a product junkie, but don’t go overboard by buying every product mentioned on every blog. At first it’s fun, but it gets really expensive. Use your Miss Jessie’s until it’s done. If your hair likes it and you don’t mind spending the money, buy it again. If not, chalk that up to experience and try something different. Find what works for your hair, that when you’re going to really start having fun with it! Good luck and thanks for commenting 🙂