My low-porosity, coarse, curly hair can be pretty high-maintenance. It doesn’t like a lot of common haircare ingredients like coconut oil and silicones, so you can imagine it isn’t easy finding products that actually work. Don’t get me wrong—I love trying things (I wouldn’t be a beauty editor if I didn’t) and am always willing to give products a chance before making a judgment, but I do find myself disappointed a lot by what’s out there and frustrated that many things just don’t do the job for my specific hair type.
When I do find those rare products that work for me, however, I never want to let them go. Recently, I decided to give Rahua’s line of Amazonian oil–rich formulas a go and was beyond impressed. I’ve tried just about every textured haircare line under the sun with some underwhelming results. Rahua’s wonderful line, which isn’t even directly designed for textured hair types, came along and yielded serious results. I couldn’t gatekeep this knowledge because I write for the people. If you have a similar hair type and struggle to find products that actually work, look no further. I’m sharing all my thoughts on Rahua’s range below.
(Image credit: @shawnasimonee)
The brand’s mission, first and foremost, is to protect and preserve the Amazon rainforest. Its hero ingredient is rahua (ungurahua) oil sourced straight from the Amazon. Rahua oil is rich in omega-9s, which repair damaged strands, add strength, and helps you maintain a healthy scalp. Rahua’s co-founder Anna Ayers explained why this oil is so magical for our hair. “The beautiful rahua oil is extremely special. It comes from a seed that thrives in symbiosis with the Amazon’s natural environment,” she says. “It is handcrafted by Amazonian women using ancient ancestral techniques aligned with biodynamic rituals. This careful process results in a potent oil with an exceptionally fine molecular weight, allowing it to deeply penetrate, mend, and strengthen hair while balancing the scalp and skin. Rahua oil fills in hair’s porosity, plumping strands for improved elasticity and strength. For coarse or textured hair, it softens and enhances manageability. Just a couple of drops of this potent oil deliver visible results.”
Rahua’s Classic Shampoo is super hydrating and never leaves my dry, coarse 3c–4a curls feeling stripped. It also has the incredible scent of palo santo added to the formula, which is a personal favorite. I was super impressed by this because it isn’t even specifically designed for curls, but it works great for drier curl types because it adds a lot of moisture and slip to the hair.
My only gripe is that it sometimes doesn’t cleanse my thick hair enough. I use heavier products every day because my hair is so dry, and sometimes, it takes me a few washes for it to really get all the buildup.
Rahua
Classic Conditioner
This is one of the most impressive items in the line to me. The conditioner adds so much strength, hydration, and shine to my hair almost instantly. It’s also extremely good at taming any frizz and flyaways, which I have a lot of. Rahua oil is so sacred in the Amazon because it revives dry hair so quickly and leaves it feeling soft and strong. It does feel like there’s a tiny bit of a coating on your hair after use, but it doesn’t make your hair feel greasy or like it’s too much. I couldn’t get over how well it hydrated my super-dry, low-porosity curls. It doesn’t contain coconut oil, which is a huge plus. Coconut oil and low-porosity hair don’t always mix, so that alone is a small miracle.
Rahua
Enchanted Island Vegan Curl Butter
This curl butter is my ultimate obsession. First, it smells amazing. Second, it’s one of the most hydrating curl treatments that I’ve ever used. It gives your curls so much slip, which is perfect when you’re trying to detangle. I use it on wet hair straight out of the shower, and it gives my curls so much shape and definition. Heavy hydration hitters in this formula include African shea butter, rahua oil, and pomegranate-fruit oil.
This combined with the conditioner makes your hair look so healthy. My natural hair color has a rich sheen whenever I use them, so I know I’m doing something great for my curls.
Rahua
Leave-In Treatment Light
Leave-in treatments can be tricky for me because they sometimes leave my hair feeling drier. Sigh. It’s a slippery slope when you have picky curls. This leave-in, however, is great to use as a heat protectant if you like to blow-dry your curls or will be straightening. In addition to rahua oil, this formula contains yerba mate leaf, which helps restore shine and bounce to the hair; organic quinoa, which helps with moisture retention; and sunflower oil, which strengthens and softens hair.
This is technically made for finer hair types, and I probably wouldn’t use it alone since my hair is thicker, but it works great as a combo with the brand’s oil (I’ll talk about that in a minute) or the curl butter if you have extra-dry hair like I do.
Rahua
Control Cream Curl Styler
The best thing about Rahua products is that they’re all silicone-free. This Control Cream is super lightweight and moisturizing, and it’s great to use on days when I don’t need to go anywhere. When I want more definition and hydration, I prefer the Enchanted Island Curl Butter, but this is a great everyday staple for WFH days. It helps keep my hair shiny and frizz-free.
Rahua
Legendary Amazon Oil
This formula is really nice for sealing in the rest of your routine. It does contain a bit of coconut oil, so keep that in mind if you have low-porosity strands. I still really like it and only use a few drops to seal in my curl butter or curl-control cream.
Rahua
Hydration Detangler Spray + UV Barrier
My hair tends to get frizzy and dry in the morning. This detangler and UV protectant is perfect for daytime styling. It’s creamy and rich without being too heavy and leaves my hair feeling so soft. I usually start my routine in the morning with this and then use the curl butter or control cream.
I definitely like this deep-conditioning mask but found that the Classic Conditioner actually worked better for me. This mask didn’t seem to add any more hydration to my hair than the conditioner, but it does make my hair soft and super shiny. I’d love to try the brand’s Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner next since they’re designed specifically for dry hair.
More of My Favorite Curlcare Products
Amika
Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Hair Mask
amika
Curl Corps Curl Defining Cream
amika
Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Leave-In Conditioner With Hyaluronic Acid
