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Sun Bum Hair Mask: Curly Hair Approved?

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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UVA chapter.

Welcome fellow curly girls and guys (shout out to all the men out there struggling like my brother used to, you are seen)! I know it’s a struggle out there for all my frizzy and frazzled folks, who are finally seeing the humidity from the long summer months finally coming to an end, I am one of you. My hair has been a puffball attached to my head since August and the sigh of relief I had when the colder weather hit got me excited to tone down on my frizz-products and say hello to a new hair care routine. But first I needed to address the elephant in the room. The halo. You know it, we all know it, the breakage framing your face that likes to stick up. My hair has been pulled every which way in braids and claw-clips, high ponytails and buns all summer long and it’s time for some hardcore repair. 

That’s when it happened. Her Campus secured a partnership with Sun Bum and we finally were able to get our hands on some products. Those samples hit the meeting room table and my eyes went directly to the hair masks, while everyone was snatching up the sunscreen and moisturizer (don’t get me wrong, I grabbed those up too) I dove head first for those masks. Now, if we’re being honest, I have no hope for products that aren’t labeled ‘FOR CURLY HAIR’ somewhere on the box and even with that label I’m still wary. But on the other hand, free was very enticing. Unfortunately, the upkeep for curly hair can get expensive, and for a college student, free means more money to help me keep up my fall pumpkin spice latte obsession (this here is an example of girl math or so I’ve been told). 

That night, after looking at the stack of masks with my freshly washed hair sitting up in my microfiber towel (100% recommended by the way), I decided to try one. Now I am not going to lie, the texture, if a bit odd, wasn’t awful and I was all too aware of the faint but weirdly pleasant smell of bananas wafting from my head as it all soaked in. After massaging into my head a bit longer I read the directions, pinned it up and went about my normal business for the next thirty minutes. . After that, I rinsed it out and voila. My hair looked like the wet mess it did before, only now smelling of a banana and coconut. I did my normal product routine and went on my merry way. 

The next day I got so many compliments on my hair, but more importantly, it felt good to me. It was softer and less frizzy. I thoroughly enjoyed how it felt when I went to put it up into a ponytail for the gym . Being the STEM girl I am, I decided to do some more tests. It could be a coincidence that people were complimenting my hair and perhaps I put less gel in it that morning, so it felt softer. Therefore, I decided to test it a couple more times. So for the next two weeks I decided to regularly use it every couple days. Now I am no stranger to coconut oil in my hair (an ingredient in the hair mask), I actually use it when making my own hair oil, so I had a nice basis for comparison. But as I used the mask, my hair continued to show the same difference as the first time even as I consciously varied my hair products. 

Now I am not saying this product is a cure all for frizziness and breakage but for my hair, I saw and felt a visible difference. My hair continues to feel softer and I find less hair breakage as I brush through my hair in the shower. The Sun Bum hair mask has made the transition from summer to fall hair care so much easier and I must say, from this 3c hair type curly girl, it’s on the approved products list for me and I will be using it again and again. I hope this helps one of my fellow curly haired individuals on their journey to loving their hair as much as I love mine because that’s what it’s all about in the end. Stay beautiful my curly people!

Savannah Hafer is an author and social media member for Her Campus at the University of Virginia, she primarily enjoys writing about local events on grounds and topics of interest such as self-betterment, women's empowerment, and career opportunities for women in STEM. Outside of writing, she is a third-year Aerospace Engineering Major at the University. She spent her last summer in the judicial system interning under a County Supreme Court Justice, specializing in criminal law. Although seemingly unrelated to her major, she plans on becoming a Patent Lawyer for aeronautical and aerospace companies using her background in both engineering and flying to aid in her final goal. Outside of her career building and academics she is an Eagle Scout and prioritizes following 'do a good turn daily' as her mantra and finds purpose in empowering the wonderful and strong women around her. She loves backpacking, mountain biking, playing rugby, and writing in her spare time between classes. If she's not outside or in class you'll find her in the gym between the weights and racks probably trying to figure out how many reps she's done because she lost count.