Product Review: Twisted Sista

Last month I attended the Twisted Sista press launch at the delectable boutique Haymarket Hotel in the centre of London.

The Haymarket Hotel

This post is a little late…but I wanted to make sure that each product was thoroughly tested.  I was wearing a weave at the time of the launch, so I had to find a tester with natural , type 4, afro hair to try out the products.  I wanted to test the product on some one with hair like my own!  This slightly delayed the proceedings, but I want to assure you that either myself or a trusted tester puts every product I review on my blog through its paces!!

 

I heard via Twitter that the brand was to relaunch in Tesco (the largest British supermarket chain) in late April and I was keen to find out more!

A selection of the Twisted Sista range

Those of you who are astute and who know their beauty, will know that the brand was actually available to purchase a few years ago, I remember that it was available in Superdrug…and it then  – like many brands targeting the woman (or man) of colour – just  disappeared!!!

The reason?   Well, the brand was actually conceived right here in London, but was snapped up by a US company called Urban Therapy ( I think, it is not easy to find who actually owns the brand!!)  It was reformulated – certain items now contain Argan Oil, repackaged and re-introduced to the market,  to target naturally curly, multi-textured hair,- and in my opinion, it is aiming to position itself as the mass market alternative the premium curly hair ranges such as Mixed Chicks.

What they say:

“Twisted Sista was formulated in conjunction with the hair professionals at the London-based Urban Therapy* salon to deliver quick, easy to use, high performance products to help achieve the best styles for curls and straight hair.”

*now I tried to find out more about the salon, I Googled and investigated…but I couldn’t seen to come up with a conclusive location…ummm???

In the US, the brand is listed in all of the major multiples such as Wal Mart, Walgreens and thus was of keen interest to the Tesco hair care buying team.  The brand is manufactured by Potter and Moore in the UK and you can also purchase the products directly from their retailing website.

The products that I will review are the:

  • Twisted Sista De-Frizz Shampoo
  • Twisted Sista Leave – In Conditioner
  •  Twisted Sista Straightening Blow Dry Cream

  • Twisted Sista Straightening Thermal Protector

My tester trailed the shampoo and conditioner on her hair as well as on the hair of her two young daughters (who also have, type 4 afro hair)- as the Twisted Sista representative at the launch emphatically stated that the range was suitable for children.  I tested the Blow Dry Cream and the Thermal Perfector.

Our collective verdict is as follows:

The Good Stuff!

Shampoo and Conditioner:  The fragrance is sweet and was particularly liked by the children.  The leave in conditioner was moisturising and softening and my tester stated that her daughters’ hair was easy to comb post application.  She would definitely purchase the  leave in conditioner  again!

Thermal Protector:  These styling products have the same sweet fragrance, which I didn’t mind (but I didn’t love …),  the Thermal Protector did an adequate job in taming frizz and protecting my extensions from the heat of my straighteners.

The Not So Good Stuff….

Shampoo:  The shampoo claims to rebuild damaged hair, but it after several uses, my tester did not see a massive improvement in the condition of her hair.  Also, she stated that the shampoo did work well with her children’s hair to begin with, but after a few washes, it seemed like the ingredients in the shampoo were too strong.

Blow Dry Lotion/Thermal Protector:  The performance of these products was standard – I was not blown away, but they did do the job….however, I really did not like the fact that I could smell the alcohol present within the product, I found it somewhat overbearing and I wouldn’t want to use these products on my actual hair because of it.

I read a few other reviews about the product by various bloggers in both the US and the UK  and my over all conclusion is that this range works well for Type 3, curly, Hispanic/Mixed Heritage hair, but does not produce the best results for Type 4,  afro hair…which may explain the choice of imagery featured on the products and in the marketing – which does not feature a darker skinned woman with natural, kinky-coily hair.

 

So, for me and my tester, this wouldn’t be a number one choice for our hair type, but if you have a more loosely curled hair pattern, it may work well for you!

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a UK website, so find out more about the Twisited Sista range here.

Available at Tesco.  RRP £4.99

10 comments for “Product Review: Twisted Sista

  1. June 24, 2012 at 9:02 pm

    Hey curlfriend! I, too, have “type 4” natural hair. And I find that a lot of popular products don’t work well for my hair type/curl pattern. Is there a line you’ve reviewed that you love?

    • beautypulseLONDON
      June 25, 2012 at 11:00 am

      Hi Tiffany,

      This is the only brand I have reviewed so far. I did have my hair in extensions for some time, and I have now taken them out and I am wearing twists…so I still have to experiment with all of the great products out there for natural hair! In the meantime, do check out some fellow UK naturals who have reviewed many products and are renowned within the UK blogging community: Crystal Afro of United Kinkdom http://unitedkinkdom.blogspot.co.uk/ , Fiona of Love Your Tresses http://www.loveyourtresses.com/ and Belle of Natural Belle http://hairspiration.blogspot.co.uk/

      Enjoy!

  2. November 12, 2012 at 11:36 am

    I’ve seen the brand around for some time before I was a ‘natural’ and did wonder how well it worked. Thanks for heads up

  3. May 25, 2013 at 3:46 pm

    Where can I buy Twisted sista in Canada. I love it.

  4. Olivia
    January 25, 2015 at 7:42 pm

    Whhhhhhaaat don’t pay that I brought my whole collection for 99p each at the 99p store in clacton

    • January 28, 2015 at 9:53 am

      Haaa! This post was published a while ago – it looks like the brand is no longer available in the major stores! You have certainly grabbed a bargain!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.