BRAND BREAKDOWN: Monat

A LOT of my friends and family have been asking me what I think about Monat and if I recommend it. So I wanted to test out some of the products and give you guys at home the scoop on Monat. But first I want to get something out of the way. This blog will reflect my own personal opinions, feelings and experiences with Monat. A lot of people may totally disagree with me and that is okay! I respect those who have the hustle to do Direct Sales, and I encourage you to support local business men and women by purchasing from them! These are my findings, concerns and thoughts. You are welcome to post your own experiences, concerns or opinions in the comments below.

The Story: 

It's kind of hard to find the story of the brand, other than that it was started by and is still run by a family online. Their website has almost no information. Luckily I got my hands on some of the printed material for the company and it has more info on the story behind the brand. Luis Urdaneta (the CEO) grew up in Venezuela and founded Monat in 2014. Luis started doing direct sales for another company for 15 years and then broke out on his own and began ALCORA Corporation with his son. ALCORA has four companies within it, Project Beauty (a funky beauty product brand doing both hair and skin care), B&R Products (which is a beauty lab that develops products for companies), and L'eudine Global (another skin care brand) along with Monat. Monat is Luis' newest venture, but he is not new to direct sales or the beauty industry as a whole. ALCORA is still run by his family today, and he prides himself on having created a family legacy, which I do think is super honorable. 


The Brand: 

Monat stands out for it's sleek and sophisticated packaging. They tout to be Naturally Based and brand all of the products with the phrase "Modern Nature" on them. As a direct sales company their consultants are called "Market Partners". As a market partner you have the opportunity to build a customer base and get a commission on the sales you make. This means that as a customer you are helping a friend or family member or a local business person to support their family, which I can always get behind.

The Products: 

I am going to do a few mini-reviews of some different Monat Products I have tried. Once again these reviews reflect my own personal experience with each of these products, and not anyone else.

Rejuveniqe Oil Intensive (pictured on the left) was not for me. To me it made my hair super heavy, greasy and filmy. I was not a fan, however I do feel it would be a great fit for someone with thick, porous textured hair, like what is commonly found in African cultures and those with naturally coarse and kinky hair. You can read my full review here and pick it up here.

The Champ Conditioning Dry Shampoo I loved this dry shampoo. It was a little on the pricey side for me, but I like the smell, texture, longevity and everything else about it! You can ready my full review here and get it here.

Rejuvabeads Split End Mender (pictured on the right) this product just wasn't for me. It did nothing to help my split ends, my hair felt dry after using it and also waxy. I just simply was not a fan and I do not recommend this product to anyone. You can ready my full review here and try it for yourself here.

Restore Leave-In Conditioner was another one I just didn't like at all. I just didn't feel like it did anything for my hair. It made my hair super dry and after using it for two weeks I was definitely done with it. You can try it here.

S3 Supplement Supportive System is a great supplement system. I feel it works as well as any other hair skin and nail supplement that actually works. I do recommend this one. You can learn more and get some here.

Eye Wonder Eyelash Serum I liked this serum, but didn't love it. I got results, but I have seen better from the Rodan and Fields Eyelash serum. Get more info and pick it up here.



My Experience:

So I also got to try a one of Monat's shampoos and conditioners. I got the Renew Shampoo and Revitalize Conditioner. The Renew Shampoo is supposed to be hydrating and the conditioner is volumizing. I also got a curl cream product that was apparently an exclusive limited edition item that is no longer for sale. I saw that they released this new curl cream, it is packaged differently so I'm not sure how they compare or if they are the same formula. I also had all the items I did mini-reviews for above.

I started with the shampoo and conditioner which were REALLY thick and heavy. My hair felt really weighed down and yucky after using it. Then I was told that it's because you have to shampoo your hair twice with this product. I mean, we have all heard the "wash, rinse, repeat" thing, but no one does it right? Regardless I try to use products as directed before reviewing so I did, and it made a big difference. You do have to add more water to your hair in order to emulsify it because it is like syrup! Regardless my hair got clean without feeling dry. The conditioner was easy to use enough. It did not add weight to my hair, but I did have to use a lot of it.

With the curl cream I loved the smell and texture and it was perfect. Volumizing, defrizzing, and everything I needed. I was a huge fan. However typically I put a serum or leave in on my ends. I was not a fan of the ones Monat offered, so I went with my own. Usually that serum keeps my dry porous ends under wraps, but I think the cream did a good job on it's own. Regardless I still put a little serum on them for saftey.

After a couple of week my hair felt dry and frizzy. I was told it was because with Monat you can't use other products (which I think it a load of crap) but once again I wanted to do things "the right way" before reviewing. I stopped using my other products (which were all high end products with great ingredients) and was exclusively Monat. This also meant no heat styling AT ALL because they don't have a heat protectant. One month later and my hair was DRY. It was AWFUL. And after talking to a few consultants my test ended.

I also found it super fishy that the company is not 100% genuine in their marketing. In the printed material I read that Monat stands for MOdern technology (or science depending on where I read it at) meets NATure. But no where on their packaging does it say science. Everything is touted at natural, and it says modern nature everywhere. But I think "Modern Nature" and "Modern Science meets Nature" imply two very different kinds of products. You can see that comparison below (both of those are pictures I personally took).

The thing I hated most was the weird stance that you can't use anything but Monat or the products don't work. That is not true. I could see not using cheap waxy products, but if you use other high end plant based brands like Phyto, you should be just fine. But that's okay, it's a common marketing tactic. The other thing that drove me nuts was the lie that it may take a few MONTHS for your hair to feel good using this brand. MONTHS? I understand detoxing hair and it doesn't take that long. Especially since I use high end , high quality and silicone free products. I was not buying it. I also hesitated when told I couldn't use other heat protectants because they weren't Monat, even though they don't make one. When asked about that I was told that my hair would be so much healthier I didn't need one... no. I am not buying that at all. As soon as they make their own heat protectant that tune will change and everyone will absolutely need a heat protectant I am sure.


The Controversy:

I can't finish this post without denoting some of the controversy. I am not going to say much outside of my personal experience, because of fear of repercussions, but I can legally share this news clip about the class action law suits being filed against Monat below.