A friend of mine recommended Ban Labs Sesa Oil so I ordered a free sample of it, not even knowing if they'd ship to the US (centered out of India) but they did and I am so glad! This stuff is wonderful!
http://www.banlab.com/products_cosmetic.php?catid=3&subcatid=18
I couldn't read any of the pamphlets they sent in the envelope, or any of the ingredients on the package (too tiny for me to read) though so I searched for them and here they are:
http://www.wiseshe.com/2013/08/sesa-hair-oil-review.html
Another friend helped me out with some of the ingredients:
False Daisy - purported to make hair grow faster
Indian Pennywort AKA Gotu Kola
Jasmine
Crab's Eye - apparently an aphrodisiac
Devil's Trumpet - One of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese Medicine
Cardamom
Indigo
Colocynth - stimulates hair growth, among other things
Muskroot - the plant responsible for creating the 'amber' scent and amber oils used for perfumes and resins
Pongamia - anti-inflammatory
Neem - probably one of the anti-fungal/anti-bacterial ingredients
Henna
Red Iron Oxide
Berberis - yellow pigment
Trifala (Triphala) - an Ayurvedic mixture
Spanish Chamomile - a stimulant with possible hormonal effects
Calamus - a perfume oil
Liquorice Root
It's completely silicone free, it is made up of 18 herbs and 5 oils processed in milk, an ancient ayurvedic process. my hair feels so incredibly soft, very, very moisturized, and it doesn't feel oily or heavy at all. It's light but seems to do the job well! It reminds me of argan oil a bit but lighter. My fine hair doesn't feel weighed down at all from it. Like, I had to clarify yesterday so with my normal routine of CO washing, my hair felt dry afterwards. It does not feel dry at all now, it feels like it's been absorbed very well into my hair.
It says that 2 of the ingredients have antibacterial and antifungal properties, which ties in with the coconut oil off topic discussion here:
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=11759.75
about how using ingredients of this nature can increase your hair growth, which for me the coconut oil definitely has already, so I think it's great that this oil has benefits like that too.
It says it comes in 3 different scents, I have the 'natural' scent, the one with the gold packaging. The 'herbal' comes in green, and the 'exotic' in purple. It's like a cross between argan oil and that Jean Nate after bath splash but a lot, lot lighter lol. Normally I'm super sensitive to scents but I've had this on all day + the scent is so nice + hasn't bothered me at all, I'm rather enjoying it π It's not really a light scent, so it may bother some of you who are sensitive to things like that. I like how it smells though.
All in all I absolutely love this. I like it better than argan oil and coconut oil, though I will still continue to use both. This one is really great for daily wear because it is so light + my hair just does not look or feel oily or greasy at all, just moisturized very well, smoother, I had some poofiness going on when I woke up and this took it right away.
Also wanted to add in case anyone missed it, you can get a free sample of it here:
http://www.banlab.com/freesample.php
Just like their fb page and fill out your address π It took 3 months for it to get from India to Michigan in the US, so it may take a while. It's pretty cheap too! On ebay the 90ml is around $6-8, the 180ml around $14-20, most of the sellers have free shipping/shipping included in that price. I found a Us based distributor too if anyone would like the site, just PM me
Thank you! I don't have a facebook account but I might badger my mum into liking it so I can get one π
You're welcome! This stuff really is great! Usually I don't care for other oils other than coconut or argan oil because those are the only 2 capable of being fully absorbed into the hair. This one really, really feels like it moisturizes/absorbs very well though. It's just so much lighter than the other two oils + doesn't weigh the hair down at all or look like there's oil on it. My hair just feels incredibly soft, I would say it is a great replacement for silicone serums, and I much prefer it as a styling aid to serums, coconut or argan oil. I mean, it's a totally free sample, you don't have to pay postage or anything, I hope more people try it because it really is wonderful. The girl who recommended it to me didn't like the scent of it though, but I totally am addicted to it! It's a very different smell. Usually I am super sensitive to scents (there's only 1 body spray- Body Fantasies Cotton Candy and 1 perfume- Stila Crème Bouquet that I can wear without feeling nauseous/get a headache from) but this one does not bother me at all, whatsoever
Does it make your colour bleed though? thanks for posting i'll look into that
I'm going to look into it too, thanks Katie!
Love hearing about new, recommended products, so next paycheque, I'm sure I'll be ordering some (can't enter UK in the free sample page) ... π
Oh, I forgot to mention, I wasn't able to enter US at all on the free sample page, I just wrote my entire address on the 'address' line where you would put your street number. I believe they emailed me and asked if the address was correct + whatnot.
I haven't noticed it making my color fade, but it's only been a couple days. When I next wash it I'll be able to judge better + compare it to how much coconut oil fades the color at my roots.