Blue Magic UK.

What Blue Magic is

Blue Magic sells hair conditioners and dressings in tubs, and it has been doing it the same way for decades. There is no serum, no cocktail of actives and no complicated system. You scoop a fingertip out of a jar, warm it between your palms and put it on your hair. For a lot of households it is the product that lived in the bathroom cupboard permanently, and the price has stayed sensible while everything around it got fancier.

The range splits cleanly into three groups: the 14 oz leave-in styling conditioners, the 12 oz scalp and hair dressings, and a couple of wash day products. Knowing which group you are in matters more than which flavour you pick.

The leave-in styling conditioners

These come in 14 oz tubs and are the more modern half of the line. Argan Oil Herbal Complex, Argan Oil Mango & Lime and Argan Oil Vitamin E all lean towards moisture and shine. Tea Tree Oil Leave-In Styling Conditioner is the lighter, fresher option for a scalp that feels congested. Olive Oil Leave-In Styling Conditioner is the general purpose one, and Carrot Oil Leave In Styling Conditioner is a long-standing favourite on relaxed hair.

Use them on damp hair after washing, or on lightly misted hair between washes. They give slip for detangling and a soft hold that suits roller sets, wraps and twist outs. They are creamier than a modern water based leave-in, so start with less than you think you need.

The dressings and grease tubs

The 12 oz jars are the traditional side. Blue Magic Hair Food, Bergamot Hair & Scalp Conditioner, Originals Castor Oil Hair & Scalp Conditioner, Shea Butter Hair Conditioner and Coconut Oil Hair Conditioner all belong here, along with the plain Petroleum Jelly for hairlines, edges and dry patches. Conditioner Hair Dress is the classic all-rounder of the group.

These are sealants. They do not add water to the hair, they slow water leaving it, so they go on over a damp head or over a moisturising lotion rather than onto bone dry strands. Applied that way they keep braids from drying out, protect ends through winter and give a dry scalp a barrier. Applied straight onto dry hair they just sit there and collect lint.

Wash day, build-up and honesty about clarifying

Blue Magic Cholesterol Conditioning Rinse is the deep conditioner of the range, aimed at hair that has been relaxed, coloured or worn under heat, and it is one of the better value tubs of its kind. Curl Activator is the wet look styler for curl sponges, finger coils and older activator routines.

The honest caveat with any petrolatum based tub is that it will not rinse out with a mild sulphate-free shampoo. Keep a clarifying shampoo in the cupboard and use it every three or four weeks, more often in London and the south-east where hard water minerals already coat the strand. Skip that and hair starts feeling permanently heavy no matter what else you do.