Africa's Best Originals Cholesterol Tea-Tree Oil 15 oz
Cholesterol has an unfortunate name for something that belongs in a conditioner. In hair care it is a lipid, and lipids are what smooth a roughed-up cuticle and slow the rate at which water leaves the hair. Africa's Best have been putting it in this tub for a long time.
Tea tree oil is the other half of it. That gives the formula its clean, faintly cooling character on the scalp and a smell most people either love or stop noticing within a minute. Together they are aimed at hair that is dry, damaged or overprocessed, the kind that has lost its stretch and gone brittle at the ends.
15 oz is a large tub and it will last, because you only need it once a week or so. Work it through damp hair after shampooing, leave it on while you do something else, then rinse until the water runs clear.
It is one of the least fashionable products on this shelf and one of the more reliable.
Water, Propylene Glycol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Parfum, Lanolin Oil, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Stearalkonium Chloride, Dehydroacetic Acid, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cholesterol, Benzophenone-3, Citric Acid, TBHQ, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Limonene, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Red 33 (CI 17200)
- 24-hour delivery
- Every brand we carry ships within 24 hours, not just the hero lines. Order before 2pm and it leaves the same working day.
- Free over £40
- UK delivery is free on orders over £40. Below that it is a flat rate, shown at checkout before you pay.
- Tracking
- You get a tracking link by email the moment it is picked up.
- 30 days
- Send anything unopened back within 30 days for a full refund. No explanation needed.
- Opened it and it is wrong for your hair?
- Tell us what happened. Curl products are hard to judge from a photo, and we would rather swap it than have you stuck with it.
- We price match
- Find it cheaper somewhere else and we will match the price.
Application tips
Shampoo first, then squeeze the water out until the hair is wet but not dripping. Take a generous scoop, split the head into four, and coat the mid lengths and ends of each part before you go near the roots.
Cover with a cap for ten minutes, longer if you have the time. Rinse in cool water. Once every week or two is the right rhythm for a tub this rich.
Results
Roughness goes first. Strands that felt like dry string come out smoother and heavier, with the cuticle lying flat enough to give back some shine.
A comb passes without catching, so fewer ends snap on the way through. Tea tree leaves a cool, clean note on the scalp for a while after rinsing, and brittle hair regains some of its stretch.
Composition
- Cholesterol
- A lipid that fills the cuticle so the strand feels smooth and holds water
- Tea Tree Oil
- Leaves a clean, cooling finish on a tight, dry scalp
Full ingredients list
Water, Propylene Glycol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Parfum, Lanolin Oil, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Stearalkonium Chloride, Dehydroacetic Acid, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cholesterol, Benzophenone-3, Citric Acid, TBHQ, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Limonene, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Red 33 (CI 17200)
