I recently took a big L and wasted $28 on Olaplex No. 3. Before consulting my hairstylist, I bought the Olaplex bonding treatment hoping it would revive my nearly destroyed hair. After wasting half the 3oz bottle and barely saturating my hair, my hairstylist told me that Olaplex was not suitable for thick, textured hair.

This advice was given to me after coloring my hair blue and I was in desperate need of an alternative. I went through a double bleach process, double toning process, and full color. My hair was gummy, rubbery, and had so much breakage at the top. After reading a ton of reviews from Black women, I finally decided on Queen Helene Cholesterol Cream. The 15.2oz tub of thick conditioning treatment arrived in the mail and I couldn’t wait to put it to good use. Now, let me be upfront here – it doesn’t smell awesome. As someone who loves their products to impart a nice scent post-shower, I had to put my preferences aside and do what was best for my hair. I washed my hair, towel-dried it, and slathered it all over my hair, just short of the top of my head feeling slightly heavy. I left the treatment in for 10-15 minutes, rinsed it out with lukewarm water, and finished it all off with cold water to lock in my color and the moisture from the cholesterol cream.

OK, when I tell you that my hair was baby soft…

It usually takes a while for my hair to react accordingly to at-home conditioning treatments, at least 5-7 uses. I never thought I would be able to reap the benefits of a conditioning treatment after the first use. A few days after using the cholesterol cream, I noticed my hair dried much faster (damaged hair takes longer to dry), stayed extremely soft, and less hair was breaking off while I was brushing through it. My hair still has a ways to go in terms of restoring its health, but things are looking pretty good.

Walmart has a single jar for $2.44 or a 2-pack for $4.89.

Photo via Walmart