Worried about bad chemicals in your conditioner? Were you looking for affordable conditioners? Giovanni Cosmetics products are pocket friendly and easily found in local drugstores. Here’s a guide on which Giovanni conditioner works according to texture. Bonus tip on which ones are safe for cowashing too!
Disclaimer: Since I share so much about curly hair products, naturally my article will contain affiliate links to products I use and love. If you take action (i.e. make a purchase) after clicking on these links I earn coffee money! Which I promise to drink while creating more helpful content like this.
SMOOTH AS SILK™ DEEPER MOISTURE CONDITIONER
This Giovanni conditioner has protein, good for fine-medium hair textures. Cetyl Alcohol is listed as the second ingredient. Other ingredients like Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Extract and *Salix Alba (Willow Bark) Extract are clarifying ingredients, making it ok for frequent use. More on my review here. I do not recommend this for protein-sensitive or low porosity hair. BUY HERE in India
TEA TREE TRIPLE TREAT™ INVIGORATING CONDITIONER
This Giovanni conditioner is thicker, protein-free, and contains Sodium cocoamphoacetate. This a mild surfactant (cleansing and foaming agent) and a little stronger than Cetyl Alcohol. Clarifying Ingredients like Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Oil and Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, makes this conditioner the best bet for low porosity hair but not great for those with any coconut sensitivity though. BUY HERE in India
ROOT 66™ MAX VOLUME CONDITIONER
Although protein-free this Giovanni conditioner has Polyquaternium 7 which may build up on finer, thin hair. It also has Cetrimonium Bromide which although water-soluble it can also buildup over time. The irony is that it may only weigh down your curly hair, not offer volume as claimed. With other moisturizing ingredients on top, this conditioner can be really heavy for cowashing.
Learn more about cowashing in this article.
50:50 BALANCED™ HYDRATING-CALMING CONDITIONER
Botanical ingredients like lavender, rosemary, thyme, sunflower and soyabean extracts are cleansing, stimulating, nourishing, refreshing, soothing, moisturizing, normalizing and deodorizing. After the Tea Tree conditioner, this conditioner is definitely great for cowashng for moisturising dry thick curly hair. However, Soyabean acts like protein so I do not recommend this for low porosity hair. This is not easily available in India.
DIRECT LEAVE-IN™ WEIGHTLESS MOISTURE CONDITIONER
This is my favourite Giovanni conditioner. Cetyl Alcohol is listed as the second ingredient so lots of foaming! Unlike the other Giovanni conditioners listed above, this does not contain any clarifying agents. It is protein free and has helpful botanical ingredients. Considering my low-porosity-postpartum hair does not appreciate protein and I don’t like minty scents nor heavy moisture products, I appreciated cowashing with this conditioner the most! You can also use this as a leavein before hair gel for extra moisture. BUY HERE in India
Can you really cowash with a Giovanni Conditioner?
I do not use regular conditioners to cowash. So after watching woke stylists like Evan Joseph & Cheyenne use regular conditioner for cowashing I decided to open my mind to a fact-based way of thinking like them also. (Instead of blindly following bloggers that is :P) Evan has been in the haircare industry for more than a decade and I trust his judgement. He advises using any conditioner with the ingredient Ceterly/Cetyl Alcohol for cowashing.
What is all this talk about Cetyl Alcohol?
According to this Healthline article, Cetyl alcohol is an emulsifier and increases the product’s ability to foam. It is a gentle cleanser and helps soften hair and skin too. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel says this is a safe and non-toxic ingredient. Phew! I’ve always wondered why Giovanni conditioners lathered. So when I turned over the bottle, lo behold, Cetyl alcohol is present in all Eco Chic Giovanni conditioners!
Other names
- (C16-C18) alkyl alcohol
- alcohols, C1618
- C16-18 alcohols
- cetostearyl alcohol
- cetyl/stearyl alcohol
- 1-octadecanol, mixed with 1-hexadecanol
Disclaimer
Keep cowashing to a minimum. Remember to detox from time to time to maintain a healthy balance.
We now have access to affordable and easily accessible conditioners now! Let me know if you try
OMG LIZ! I used the Giovanni direct weightless leave-in conditioner as a co-wash as you suggested in the article and IT WORKS! It’s left my hair soft and shiny. I would highly recommend it for fine hair or low density hair since it’s so light-weight. THANK YOU LIZ for your tips!