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Kreyòl Essence

Pre-Shampoo + Moisture Booster Treatment Mask

Mask / Deep treatment, rich

  • Mask / treatment
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
  • Protein-free
Size4 fl oz
Price$22seen at one store · 4 oz
Price / oz$5.50/ozat 4 oz
Where to buy1 store

Scent:

The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.

Manufacturer page: kreyolessence.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Complete the consultation to see exactly how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 2,400+ products in our library we can match exactly the right products to you.

  • In 10 minutes we can identify your exact hair condition and traits.
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  • Find products that do the same job at a lower cost.
  • Your goals, scalp, damage history, water, budget, and scent preferences all shape your plan.

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Upper-mid price for a treatment

$5.50/oz at 4 oz — more than 73% of the 347 masks and treatments , which mostly run $1.63–5.74/oz. The cost less.

Price and stores

Great for

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent
Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
Very dry hairno humectant appears in the list
Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only

Whether your hair needs moisture, protein, or bond repair right now depends on your damage history and how your hair behaves wet — that is what the consultation works out.

Wash day

How it fits into wash day

Read from the product’s own directions on the date shown. A step the label leaves out is shown as not stated, never filled in.

When
Before shampoo — Conditioning the lengths
Start on
not stated on the label
Where
lengths
Label wait
not stated on the label
Then
shampoo it out
Needs
a shampoo
Conditioner after
not stated on the label
How often
not stated on the label
  1. Apply to hair and massage with fingers.
  2. Follow with shampoo (the label names Scalp Care Let it Grow Shampoo).

Not yet complete on our side: starting state, the wait. We list a product here once its label states a before-shampoo use. We only put it into a routine once every step is on record.

Browse technique guides (general — not matched to this product’s directions)

Source: brand page · checked 2026-09-16

What the formula actually does

Read from the label, not the marketing

Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.

Oils and butters Rich

Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula.

Weight on the hair Rich

Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients.

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Water-binding (humectants) None found

No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair.

Slip and detangling High

Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Fragrance Prominent

Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula.

from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.

Ingredients that matter

The ingredients that change a decision

The workhorse ingredients plus anything lower down that changes a decision. These chips name what an ingredient does — they are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.

IngredientWhat it doesWhy it mattersChip
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter butter The richness a deep treatment is built on Heavy
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed OilRicinus Communis (Black Castor) Seed Oil oil Coats and softens the strand Softens
Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter butter The richness a deep treatment is built on Heavy
Behentrimonium Chloride conditioning agent Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through Detangles
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil oil Coats and softens the strand Softens
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil oil Coats and softens the strand Softens
Fragrance fragrance The scent Fragrance
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Flower Extract botanical extract A trace plant extract Neutral
Fragrance fragrance The scent Fragrance
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. No protein — a moisture formula, not a repair one. Fragrance is on the label. Heavier butters sit in the working part of the list.
Full ingredient list (19)

US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.

  • 1 Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
    General function

    A rich, solid plant butter used for heavy conditioning on coarse or dry hair. High in the list it makes a product decidedly heavy.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.

    • butter
    • emollient
    • sealant
  • 2 Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil · Ricinus Communis (Black Castor) Seed Oil
    General function

    A thick, tacky oil used for sealing ends and for slick, held-down styles.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

    May not suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.

    • oil
    • emollient
  • 3 Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
    General function

    A firm plant butter used for sealing and hold in heavier styling creams.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.

    • butter
    • emollient
    • sealant
  • 4 Behentrimonium Chloride
    General function

    A positively charged conditioning agent that binds to damaged, negatively charged spots on the hair. It is the main detangling ingredient in most rinse-out conditioners.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Electrokinetic measurement puts the C22 quat ahead of the C16 ones for deposition: the longer chain adds van der Waals stabilisation on top of the charge binding. That extra deposit is what coarse hair usually needs to comb through.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

    DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

    Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science
    • conditioning agent
    • cleanser
  • 5 Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
    General function

    A stable, light oil used for softness and shine.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

    May not suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.

    • oil
    • emollient
  • 6 Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
    General function

    One of the few oils small enough to move into the strand, which is why it is used for pre-wash treatments. It can feel heavy or stiff on protein-sensitive hair.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Because it penetrates rather than sits on top, it works on hair that loses water through a worn cuticle instead of only slowing evaporation from the surface the way a non-penetrating oil does.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    The exception to the class read: lauric acid is small and linear enough to enter the shaft rather than only coat it, and in comparison testing coconut oil was the one that reduced protein loss from washing on both undamaged and damaged hair.

    International Journal of Trichology
    • oil
    • emollient
  • Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
  • 7 Fragrance
    General function

    An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

    Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.

    • fragrance
    • declared fragrance
  • 8 Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Flower Extract
    General function

    An extract from the flower of Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis). Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    • botanical extract
  • 9 Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
    General function

    A light, refined coconut-derived oil that spreads easily and does not go rancid. It gives slip without a heavy feel.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.

    • light ester
    • emollient
  • 10 Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil · Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
    General function

    Baobab oil, a medium-weight oil used in textured-hair conditioners.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

    • oil
    • emollient
  • 11 Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
    General function

    A plant butter that is slightly lighter than shea, used in curl creams.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.

    • butter
    • emollient
  • 12 Fragrance
    General function

    An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

    Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.

    • fragrance
    • declared fragrance
  • 13 Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil · Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
    General function

    A light, widely used oil that softens without much weight.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

    International Journal of Trichology
    • oil
    • emollient
  • 14 Althaea Officinalis Root Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 15 Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 16 Arctium Lappa Root Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 17 Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 18 Yucca Filamentosa Root Extract
  • 19 Angelica Archangelica Root Extract
    • botanical extract

What the whole list adds up to

  • 9 emollients
  • 6 botanical extracts
  • 5 oils
  • 3 butters
  • 2 sealants
  • 2 fragrances
  • 2 declared fragrances
  • 1 conditioning agent
  • 1 cleanser
  • 1 light ester

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-08. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 4 oz

Seen at $22 1 store · checked Sep 8
Good value under $4 Under $1.09/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $4 line; products that do this job typically go for about $8 at this size.

Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store

Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.

How we work this out
  1. 4 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
  2. Seen at $22 is the price we have observed for the 4 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
  3. Good value under $4 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.09/oz; at 4 oz that is $4. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
  4. About $8 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 4 oz.

Formula

Formula score
5 of 10

Nothing separates this from the middle of the range for masks and treatments, on formula or on cost per ounce.

How the score is counted
  • 6 products that do the same job cost less per ounce
  • Costs more per ounce than 73% of the 347 masks and treatments we’ve priced
  • No protein or amino acids in the formula
  • Masstige tier, sold at Brand website
  • Rich emollientsThe depth a treatment step is built around.3 pts
  • Conditioning agents up frontWhat makes wet hair comb through.2 pts
  • Protein or amino acidsThe strengthening side of a treatment.2 pts
  • A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
  • A stated dwell timeThe brand says how long to leave it on.1 pt
  • Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt

The formula score is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.

Does the same job, for less

Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.

California NaturalsLowest cost per oz Deep Repair Hair Mask $0.71/oz $4.79/oz less
  • Protein-free
  • Curly method
  • Rich
· Close function
Function
  • Water-binding (humectants)
Also
  • Floral scent
  • Value tier
  • 10.5 oz bottle
Wash day
this one is not a before-shampoo product
Compare
JessicurlFragrance-free Deep Conditioning Treatment $2.47/oz $3.03/oz less
  • Fragrance-free
  • Protein-free
  • Curly method
· Close function
Function
  • Water-binding (humectants)
Also
  • Cruelty-free
  • Salon tier
  • 8 oz bottle
Wash day
this one is not a before-shampoo product
Compare
SheaMoistureClose function Bond Repair Masque $1.45/oz $4.05/oz less
  • Protein-free
  • Curly method
  • Rich
Function
  • Water-binding (humectants)
  • Hard-water defence
Also
  • 11 oz bottle
  • Sold in drugstores and mass retail
Wash day
this one is not a before-shampoo product
Compare

See more alternatives in the product library

These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget

Built for curly to coily hair

Final decision

Should you buy it?

Good for the right person
Best user

Hair that stiffens on protein — for a protein-free formula and real detangling slip

Biggest tradeoff

Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein

We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.

Claims check

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

Claims are quoted from the brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when the ingredient list actually speaks to it; everything else stays "stated by the brand", which is not a criticism — most claims simply cannot be read off a label.

3
SupportedBacked by ingredients
1
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
1
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
0
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
Nourish extremely dry hair and scalp

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

  • Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
  • Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
  • Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

Moisturizes, calms scalp, hair, and skin

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

  • Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
  • Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
  • Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

Helps tame frizz

Oils and polymers can smooth a little; the stronger smoothing agents are not listed.

  • Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
  • Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
  • Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
Partly supported

Some smoothing, in dry air.

Helps hair appear healthier, thicker, and fuller-looking

Density and growth are cosmetic claims an ingredient list cannot settle.

  • Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Flower Extract
  • Althaea Officinalis Root Extract
  • Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract
Stated by brand

Not something a label can show.

Adds extra natural shine

The formula carries a recognised shine system — silicone, oil, or light ester.

  • Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
  • Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
  • Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
Supported

Reflects light for visible shine.

How to read this

We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula — not marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.

More from Kreyòl Essence

How this page was made

  • Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per product.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 4 sources consulted for this product (3 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 1 editorial), last checked 2026-09-08.
  • Ingredient references are linked for 3 of 12 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
  • We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
  • Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
  • Formula readings: derivation v22. Record last updated 2026-09-09.