If you have simply had very difficult hair all your life, then you will understand why any haircare hack, product or DIY first raises the eyebrow of suspicion in your very soul. For context, I had 2b/2c hair in my teens and twenties, which over the last decade or so has relaxed into a very iffy 2a/2b, with half the volume and fertile follicles than before. The only thing I have learnt from this experience is that healthy hair is wasted on the youth, because we usually want the opposite of what we have, and the ‘00s and ‘10s were simply not textured-hair-friendly. Nor did we, especially in Pakistan, really understand how textured hair should be cared for.

The last few years have seen the Curly Girl Method (CGM) enter our lives, and we’re not even bitter: most curly girls are just happy that younger CGs will have the information, support, and products that weren’t available locally before.

That said, because products are often imported, and stores like Vicky’s in Karachi, Shams in Islamabad, and Al-Fatah in Lahore - and more - have opened their aisles to CG-friendly products, we aren’t always assured of their availability and when we are, they tend to really break the bank. So, there is always a sense of cautious excitement when Pakistan-based CG support groups recommend products produced at home, and stylists who can cater to our hair type.

The excitement is always tentative, because local products don’t always meet the criteria or expectation, and of course, what works for one person might not for another.

This great preamble is to tell you that Calm & Balm, or at least the two products I have been test-driving, actually delivers on the descriptors.

The idea of a solid shampoo bar – essentially soap – which comes in its own cute tin, is appealing for a couple of reasons. There will be no over-pouring; and as a frequent over-pourer, I am thoroughly embarrassed by how much shampoo, condish, or styler I sometimes wash down the drain. Then there is the satisfaction of one less plastic bottle in a kachra kundi somewhere.

For starters, I ordered the Charcoal Shampoo Bar and Argan Oil Hair Mask. The Charcoal bar is meant to help with dandruff and psoriasis, and among other ingredients – please go through the list on calmandbalm.com if you’re interested – features cocoa butter and jojoba oil. The oil and butter components, we believe, are to ensure the charcoal component, which is great at cleansing, does not over-dry hair, or scalp.

While I didn’t see any noticeable effects after the first few washes, about 10 washes in, my scalp is less dry and flaky, which it tends to be during stressful times.

If I were to put a number on it, I’d say there has been a 60% improvement to overall scalp health, and my hair, which also tends to fall out by the handful when stressed, is not really falling out anymore. That is to say, there is only the odd hair or two in my comb after I condition, and that is pretty heartening for someone whose hair has just been seemingly dying over the last year.

So while the Charcoal Shampoo Bar restores my scalp health, the Argan Oil Mask, which I wasn’t expecting anything from, is bringing the actual strands back to life. My hair is shiny, soft, with a little more flex, and I really believe it will bounce back for the first time in a while.

The mask is also good for cowashing; in fact, on days my scalp feels extra stressed or hurt, I have started letting the mask sit on it for a while before massaging and rinsing it out. It is also great for conditioning, and as a leave in, if you’re choosing to go natural for the day.

So overall, I’d give the Charcoal Shampoo Bar and the Argan Oil Hair Mask five stars, because personally for me, they have done nothing but work. There are negative reviews on the website, but I have reordered the mask x 2, and the Cinnamon Shampoo Bar, which promises to soothe the scalp and promote nutrient absorption. Fingers crossed!