Leave In's

Leave-In Conditioners

What exactly is a leave in? Are there rules for what goes in a leave in? Is there any regulation to call a product a leave in? Why use a leave in? Will a leave in leave me greasy or over conditioned? Will it make my hair limp? How much leave in?

These questions and more come up all the time when the topic is leave in hair conditioners. Let me say right away there is no one right answer to any of them really.

In simplest terms a leave in is something you leave IN your hair -- in other words you don't rinse it out. Leave in conditioners have no rule or definition as to what they contain -- it is up to the company. Generally leave in's should be moisturizing. Other than that everybody has a different story.

People use a leave in for a variety of reasons -- some need one to prevent dryness, frizz, or poof. Others use it as a "base" for another product such as a curl cream or jel. Still others use it to detangle. There is no one "right" reason OR way to use a leave in.

If you have fine or thin hair its possible a leave in may be "too much". It depends on your hair. My hair is porous and absorbs products readily--so I use very small amounts of leave in. My daughters hair is thicker and low porosity and we use a lot of leave in. Others I know have fine hair that is low porosity and use only a little leave in. Get the picture? It's all over the place. Only you can determine if a leave in will leave you greasy, oily, flat, limp, etc.

So what about amounts? Pea sized? Grape sized? Quarter? or palmfuls? Well in my house for my hair (fine, thin and porous) I use pea sized. My daughter has fine to medium/coarse thick low porosity hair--for her? Palmfuls. My son has medium normal porosity, medium to fine texture, and thick short hair-- for him about a quarter works best.

A special word: So if there is no real regulation of leave in's do you need a product "designed" as a leave in? Well, no. Not really. You can use any product as a leave in depending on what you want for your hair or what you want your hair to do--try using your rinse out conditioner, styling lotion, or your deep treatment condish as a leave in. There is nothing sacred about what a leave in is. One of my favorite protein leave in's is meant as a deep penetrating protein treatment. We regularly use Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition for my daughter as a leave in (although its technically a rinse out) and for my son we occasionally use Curl Junkie Coffee Coco Curl Creme Lite as a leave in. Experiment! I give you permission. Fly free my beauties!

So what are my favorite leave ins?

Cream type leave in's:

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Leave In (CALI)
Curl Junkie Beauticurls Leave In (BCLI)


Both of these are outstanding leave in products. They are moisturizing without being heavy. The BCLI has a stronger smell and its yummy. The CALI has been discontinued (so get it while you can!). These are excellent bases for other styling products as well and in my hair do not weigh it down. These are available from a variety of places like http://www.curljunkie.com/, http://www.aveyou.com/, or http://www.curlmart.com/

Beauty without Cruelty Leave In

This is one of my favorites actually. It has proteins high up on the list. It has a lot of slip but does not pull out my curl. It's not expensive (I get mine from iherb.cm). It is moisturizing but not super heavy.

Karens Body Beautiful Nectar and Milk:

For pure moisture and conditioning these really can't be beat. They work on all our heads at my house (although my son is NOT fond of the smells!). They come in a variety of scents so you can chose your favorite. They are super moisturizing--for my daughter they prevent frizz and give her outstanding softness. I discovered these early on and they have remained staples in our house. You can find them at http://www.karensbodybeautiful.com/

AND the big gun for moisture--not going to let your hair dry out at all is BellaCurls Leave In Elixir--this stuff is potent! It has good slip, a great sweet scent, and is incredibly moisturizing. If you have very dry hair or your hair is frizzy or poofy get this leave in STAT. It is outstanding!

When used with the other Bellacurl products we can get 5-7 day hair for my daughter. Since her hair is so dry that is just outstanding. We love Bellacurls!




For those of you that prefer a spray or are worried about weighing down your hair..or perhaps you like a spray before a cream then the following are good choices:

Darcys Botanicals Natural Coils Leave In Spray: Smells great and about 5 sprays does my entire head. Has a decent amount of slip but I wouldn't use it to detangle (not that I need to). It's very moisturizing!

Darcy Botanicals Herbal Spray -- this is heavier than the Natural Coils one. If you like hippie stink or patchouli then this here's your spray babe. It has tea tree so is particularly good for those with itchy scalp. I tend to use it more (with a few sprays) as a base for cream curl enhancers since sometimes the cream enhancers paired with a cream leave in are too much.

Brendita's No Knots Moisturizing Leave In is a great leave in spray for hair. It's not heavy.

The BIG GUN for moisture in this category is the Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier. IF your hair is super dry or you wear braids, twists, or locs get thee to the nearest beauty supplier or online supplier and order up a couple of bottles. This stuff is like liquid gold for dry hair. I'm not crazy about the smell (Caribbean Coconut) but this stuff works great. Watch the daily use as it can feel like its building up and it is a heavy product. Outstanding!

There are a few other sprays we use but we tend to use them as refresher's or pick me ups--less as leave in's...although I include them since I have used all of them as a leave in at one time or another. All are super light.

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Hair Styling Water, Curl Junkie Curl Fuel enhancing spray, and Oyin Juices and Berries (best smell EVER!). All are great. My daughter's favorite spray is the Oyin which we use as a scent product almost on day 4 or 5 hair--we do find that the Oyin attracts dirt a bit so we don't use it until we get close to washing (side benefit: it hides any odor!)

The last kind of side category is protein leave in's--I've already mentioned both of these before but wanted to be sure I included them here as well: Spiral Solutions Repairing Protein Treatment and Terax Life Drops Leave In. You can view their reviews in my other blog posts.

THE POO REVIEW III

More poo reviews from SolidGold (from naturallycurly.com)

You're getting three reviews for the price of two today!

Curl Junkie Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner


About $19 for 12oz from various online resellers



Ingredients: Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG -7 Olivate, Guar Hydroxypropytrimonium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, Mentha Piperita (Pepperment) Leaf Extract, Matricaria Recuitita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Yucca Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis (Melissa) Leaf Extract, Polysorbate 60, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance.



This product is not technically a poo, but it is a cleanser, and it may be a game-changer for me. I have never gotten conditioner-washing to work for me: my hair never felt clean after and always felt weighed down. But this! This product cleans like a shampoo and conditions like a daily conditioner. My hair felt clean and full of volume after I used it for the first time. I can’t believe my thick, finicky hair could use one product for washing/conditioning! I’m willing to pay the retail price and shipping for this one, so it has to be good!



SpiralSolutions Gentle Cleansing Cream

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpiralSolutions

No image or price information yet--coming soon!

I had the privilege of trying out a sample as the mixtress was developing the product, and I loved it! The GCC cleaned my hair really well without stripping. It had a very light lather and mild scent. All things I like! This product is currently only available at the etsy link above and I am waiting to purchase it because I liked it so much. It definitely compares to Jessicurl’s Hair Cleansing Cream in functionality, and I think the price is about the same. Again, if I’m willing to pay the full retail price and shipping, it’s gotta be good. Get it if you can!



Mop C System Hydrating Shampoo

About $15 for 10oz from various online sources

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sodium Myristoyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin (*Vegetable Oil), Sodium PCA, Ethylene Glycol Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbyl Palmitate (*Vitamin C), Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (*Vitamin C), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract (3), Mangifera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract (3), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract (3), Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Polyquaternium 10,**Myristamine Oxide, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid (*Sweet Potato), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Ricinus Communis Oil Extract, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil,**Methylparaben,**Propylparaben. *Source.**Food Grade. (3) Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International.



This shampoo is a thick, opaque, creamy cleanser. The scent is a pleasant citrusy mint that seems to be typical of MOP C products. I was afraid it would be too moisturizing for me, but I had no complaints after the first few uses. After a couple more uses, I didn’t feel like it cleaned as well as I wanted. I’m not sure what to attribute that feeling to; it could be the various other products I used and not a fault of this particular poo. This product ranks somewhere in the middle for me—I would purchase it if I didn’t have anything I liked better, but there are several other products that I would choose over this.

Curl Junkie Beauticurls Daily Conditioner

Beauticurls Daily
IMHO this one has the BEST SMELL of all the new products from Curl Junkie. YES it is exactly like strawberry ice cream! It does not smell identical to Curl Rehab though--it has its own distinct fragrance.

This is meant to be the workhouse daily conditioner. For us it works best as my daughter's leave in. I cannot tell you how great it works for that..or I guess I can. SUPERB! It has alot of slip so it is a real assist with detangling out of the shower. It goes on very smoothly and spreads easily. You won't need a ton of product either--we used about 2 quarter sized for her hair. While this works great as a leave in for her as a rinse out it just wasn't strong enough. However she very strongly prefers the Hibiscus and Banana Honey Butta Leave In since she is one of those people who hate to experiment (I KNOW..how could I have a kid like this??)

It worked pretty well as a rinse out for me -- but honestly it got beat by the new CJ Smoothing Conditioner for my hair. Who knows why as the Smoothing is supposed to be for hair much coarser and thicker than mine. What can I say--bit of my teenage rebel never left my hair (although, thankfully, it has left the building for the rest of my body!). The Smoothing Conditioner is a bit heavier and my hair likes it more. If you have thin hair or hair with low porosity I would recommend you give this one a try--it seems like it soaks in very well and is a good formula for that hair type. My porous hair just slurps products in like an Icee and when I found my hand reaching always for the Smoothing Condish I moved it to my daughter's side of the shower. She later decided she much preferred the CJ HB Honey Butta so when one of my very good wavy friends said how much she liked it we did some product swapping. From all accounts it is doing wonderfully for her -- as if it was made for her!

My sense is that this conditioner might get overlooked in all the new CJ products--I hope that it gets a little attention as it is quite nice if you've the right hair for it.

Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle

Curls in a Bottle

First let's get the smell out of the way. Yes some of you will think it smells like orange furniture polish. Others will say it smells lemony/citrusy. Whatever way you hang it is most definitely a smell--it lingers only slightly though if you're worried. I'll admit it took a bit of getting used to -- I haven't smelled a product that was quite that potent before (except CJ Aloe Fix Gel). Once I put it in my hair it was just fine--but there were a few moment's where I flashed back to cleaning vacant apartments in college for extra money!

So how does this work? Well the first time I used it I got amazing 3A curls all over. AMAZING. Nothing else could touch it. After a few uses though my hair felt dry and I have not found it to be as consistent as some of the other CJ products for curl enhancement. I'll give you a couple of ideas if this happens to you: One is to mix it with a gel before you put it on (like BRHG)--this helped me a lot. I've also mixed it WITH BCLI and had that work well. I could not use this product without leave in--for some reason my hair did not find it moisturizing--although others have said they do. The other way that this works PHENOMENALLY is as an after the fact frizz fighter and general all around good "goo" product--that means after you put all your stuff in (including gel) and start to diffuse scrunch some of this bad boy in--SWEET--works like a charm.

I will say this is likely a product which, if it does not immediately work, you should experiment with -- it's got a broader range of uses than it might appear at first so vary where you put this in your product lineup. Don't be afraid to try it before a leave in either - that worked good for me too. Get a little creative and I think you'll find this one a very versatile styler!

Curl Junkie Beauticurls Leave In

CJ BCLI

I am a big fan of CJ's Curl Assurance Leave In. It has been a wonderful leave in conditioner for me--but it's going to go away (for some specific reasons that Marsha has posted on her blog). So what's a curly girl to do?

Firstly the scent of this is divine. I'm not sure what exactly it smells like but me likey! It does linger (that's good..I like smelly products LOL!). This is lighter IMHO than the CJCALI. It is less thick than the Curl Assurance one as well.

Overall I like it - but it's not quite as good as the Curl Assurance one for me--I initially bought it and swapped it out but I recently repurchased and have been happier with it--I use it in combo with the CJ Smoothing Conditioner and it s flawless with that conditioner--as if they were meant to work together. It does work very well for my son and he likes the smell too (don't tell the other 10 year old boys in his class!). I think if regular leave in's are too heavy you will like this one a lot.

Curl Junkie Coffee Coco Curl Creme Lite

CCCC LITE!

I've been waiting for this product for EVER it seems. In reality it's not that long it just seems like it is!

This is for all of us who thought CCCC was too much -- too rich, too heavy, too whatever. I did have success with CCCC provided I used it in a very certain way. For my daughter it is her HG (Holy Grail) product. The pictures in her Pikistrip above on the right are with CCCC. I think you'll agree they look awesome. And YES it is as soft as it looks. No gel needed as CCCC has some hold.

So CCCC Lite (hereafter Lite) had a lot to live up to! I am happy to say that it is as good as I thought. Many of us use a bit more of this than we initially thought we would--so try varying amounts. It is much like a leave in (creamy) so you may/may not use a leave in with it. These days I always use a leave in and this works great for me with a leave in. I have not yet tried without. I'll update this post when I do.

I put it in after the leave in and then layer gel over the top. Depending on your situation you may or may not need gel--this has some hold. I put this in on wet hair--not dripping wet--but still soaking. That means I squeezed the water out with my hands AFTER my leave in. I had tried it before on dripping wet and it didn't work as well. I like it better when I do the water squeeze first. This is similar to other cream type curl enhancers (Mop C Curl Cream, AG Re:Coil, etc) but it is not sticky (Mop C is) and it does not have mag sulfate (Re:Coil does). I pixie diffuse and that worked very well with this.

The smell is good and underpowering--nothing here that will clash with another scent. It also does not linger in the hair. This comes in a bottle (not a jar) but it comes out just fine--it is thick but when you rub in your palms it quickly spreads.

This is an outstanding option for those that thought CCCC was too heavy or weighed down their fine hair too much. It is absolutely the level of quality that you expect from Curl Junkie.

Bravo Marsha!

Edited to add: this product and Duchess of Curls work amazing together--if you've got both (or the Essential Wholesale Aloe Jelly) give it a shot! I got wonderful hair with volume and body!

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Conditioner

Smoothing Condish

This condish is a powerhouse for those that want something protein free. Although I normally like my products with protein when I combine this with a protein filled leave in or curl creme it works fabulously for me. It has a good amount of slip, not as much for us as the Beauticurls Daily Condish, and smells great. I think it has the same or similar scent as the CJ Smoothing Gellie. You do not need a whole lot and I've found you should leave it on for at least 5 minutes to get the best effect. Although my hair loves shea butter in products (not straight!) I find conditioners with this as a more prominent ingredient take a little bit longer to sink in and work well. I have pretty porous hair and not many things do this.

When I first used this I left it in my usual 3-4 minutes and it just wasn't as effective. Although I don't think 15 minutes is necessary if you first use it and don't notice it works as well as you think leave it in a bit longer. Worth a try.

For my daughter this does help with frizz. It works better as rinse out (did not do it for her as a leave in) but AS a rinse out it's really excellent. We tend to use it or the CJ Hibiscus and Banana Deep fix as rinse out followed by the CJ Hibiscus and Banana Honey Butta Leave in and get very good hair for about 4-5 days.

Overall a very good value as the size is a bit larger (12 oz) and you don't need a ton. I think those who watch their protein intake on the hair would really like this--it is hard to find conditioners that are protein free!

Curl Junkie Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner

Curl Junkie Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner

Where have you been all my life?

From the moment you open the cap this cleanser will seduce you with all its properties! It smells excellent and fresh--minty and appealing. It is super thick and has a very smooth consistency--so you add some to your hand and then add a bit of water to distribute. You control how much you use--no worries about this cleanser slipping through your fingers!

Immediately upon first touch to your scalp you can feel just a slight cleanser working and its very soothing. It doesn't clean with tons of suds--rather it REALLY gentle cleanses and leaves your hair as if you'd both conditioned it AND shampoo'd it. I can use it without needing another rinse out! An all in one!

Because it is concentrated I don't have to use as much--and that gives me value for my money. The fact that it doubles as a conditioner also makes my pocketbook happy.

No stripping, no too clean squeaky feeling, nothing but wonderfully conditioned hair and scalp. A bonus for me is it helps with the little bumps I get when I use clips (allergy to nickel) and it really seemed to calm my scalp down as its normally a bit itchier than average.

I LOVE this product. I think any curly girl/guy who wants to cowash only or would like to alternate a low poo with a conditioner wash owes it to him/herself to check this one out. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

The Poo Review by Solidgold

ATTENTION!! The Wavy Tales is excited to announce a series of posts on low-poo (non sulfate shampoo') by Solidgold from naturallycurly.com

All you wavies or curlies that use a low-poo read on to find reviews on some of the available low poo options.

So without further ado TW Tales presents THE POO REVIEW by Solidgold!

Since starting the Curly Girl (CG) method in May 2009, I’ve been searching for a low poo that does great things for my hair at a low price. Before going CG, I would only wash my hair about once a week because it was so dry. Of course, this was due to years of sulfate-silicone cycle of washing and styling. To take better care of my hair, I tried conditioner-only washing, but my hair didn’t “feel” clean and tended to get weighed down, and being a “wavy”, I felt like I needed a low poo to get that clean feeling. In June, I bought small sizes of Jessicurl’s Hair Cleansing Cream (HCC) and Gentle Lather Shampoo (GLS) to test out the CG gentler cleansers (available at jessicurl.com and naturallycurly.com’s Curl Mart). This review is not about them, but these cleansers are the standards to which I compare all other CG cleansers. The search has been ongoing ever since to find the low poo that meets my criteria of 1) reasonable cost, 2) easy availability, and 3) providing the best results for my hair (thick, medium/fine texture, normal porosity).

I recently discovered that the panthenol, a moisturizing ingredient (also known as B5) found in many beauty products, may contribute to over conditioning and limpness in my hair. Jessicurl’s GLS contains panthenol, but GLS remains one of my favorite cleansers. I will review some low poos with panthenol in it, but I am searching for a low poo comparable to GLS without panthenol.

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Shampoo

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, PE G-150 Pentaerythrityl tetrastearate, PE G-6 Capric/Caprylic Glycerides, Laureth 4,Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey, Panthenol, Matricaria Recuitita (Chamomile) Flower Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Sambucus Nigra (Elder) Flower Water, Quaternium-79 Hydrolyzed Silk Protein, Sodium Chloride (Dead Sea Salt), Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Oil, Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Oil, Citrus Aurantium (Petitgrain) Oil, Brown Rice (Oryza Sativa) Powder, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA,Tocopheryl Acetate.

$18 for 8oz

This low poo was very runny. It looks like water as it came out of the container, which made it difficult to hold in my hand as I applied it to my hair. On the positive side, I thought is smelled like a classic strong shampoo, which was pleasing to me as it evoked positive hair memories. It lathered lightly, but it made my hair squeak as I washed and rinsed, which made me think it stripped my hair of essential moisture. Even after conditioning, rinsing, applying styling products, and plopping, my hair still squeaked. I gave this low poo three tries, and I don’t think it is worth the cost for the mediocre impression it left. It is also only available online, so when you factor in shipping, it really doesn’ meet any of my criteria mentioned above.

EO Hydrating Chamomile & Honey Shampoo
Ingredients: Water (Purified), Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Vegetable Glycerin, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Myristoyl Sarcosinate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Panthenol, Hibiscus Extract, Gotu Kola Extract, Lime Fruit Extract (Dry Hair Complex), Avocado Fruit Extract (Dry Hair Complex), Fig Fruit Extract (Dry Hair Complex), Fenugreek Seed Extract (Dry Hair Complex), Hydrolyzed Quinoa Protein, Aloe Vera (EO Organic Herb Blend), Chamomile Extract (EO Organic Herb Blend), Calendula Extract (EO Organic Herb Blend), White Tea Leaf Extract (EO Organic Herb Blend), Stearyl Dihydroxypropyldimonium Oligosaccharides, Lavender Essential Oil (EO Essential Oil Blend), Orange Essential Oil (EO Essential Oil Blend), Chamomile Essential Oil (EO Essential Oil Blend), Honey, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate

About $8 for 8oz

This low poo was difficult to squeeze out of the bottle. It seemed thicker than regular low poo, reminding me a little of aloe vera gel: jiggly. It had a light lather and pleasant shampoo scent, but I could hear a little squeaking after rinsing. I gave this product two tries. I felt my hair was a little limp after styling, which I attribute to the panthenol in it. The price is reasonable, and this product is available on the ground, so I would recommend it based on price, but I didn’t love it enough to buy more.

Curl Junkie Curl Fix

Another Curl Junkie product!

The new Curl Fix Intense Hair Treatment is full of good things for your hair. Its got protein's galore. It smells VERY floral--but I love it! I'm not usually a fan of floral scents but this one won me over.

I've used it as a deep protein treatment with heat. IMHO this is really the way it is best utilized. It left my hair soft and conditioned fairly well. I could definitely tell this had proteins as my hair was quite curlier after. I would consider this is a PT and a partial moisturizing DT combined as my hair did not feel at all hard like it does with some protein treatments and even though I used a rinse out in the shower my hair did not need too much. While under the dryer the smell of this permeated the whole house and it smelled so good! Like a wonderful spring day at the flower fields!

I just tried it today as a leave-in and I have to say a big negatory on that. I have no idea why but it did not do a great job as a leave-in. I've been using the CJ Curl Rehab as a leave-in and its been performing phenomenally. The Curl Fix just didn't compare.

So while it will do for either purpose (or a rinse out one can imagine) I am going to reserve it for my DT/PT needs. At $24 for 8oz it really is in my more Deep Treatment category. Its a wonderful product and very worth the dollars!

Curl Junkie Hibiscus and Banana Deep Fix

CJ HBDF is my latest love from Curl Junkie. In particular my daughter's hair absolutely adores this conditioner. It is very thick and rich. The smell is like banana bubble gum and it lingers in the very lightest way in your hair. The consistency IS like mashed banana's which is interesting. Before you reach your finger in you really do think it's just a container of banana's that have been smushed like you do for banana bread.

When you reach in to scoop out a bit though it is immediately obvious that this is not mashed banana's. Contrary to what your eyes are telling you your fingers and hair will tell you this is a conditioner with some Umph. It goes on your hair extremely smoothly and has excellent slip for those who need it. Slip allows you to detangle easily and minimize breakage and time to hair completion.

For my daughter's very dry very thirsty curls we use it in a number of ways: As part of the Spritz and Condish Method popularized by Del2C over on www.naturallycurly.com and also as a deep treatment, rinse out, leave in and occasional second day hair refresher when scrunched in with some water. Now that's some multi purpose product!

On my hair which is neither as dry nor as thick as my daughter's I can use it as a Deep Treatment or as a rinse out but not more than a couple times per month. HBDF conditioning powers are so great that my hair would lean towards over conditioning if I used this on a daily basis.

For those of you with very dry hair I think I would put a priority on this product over others in the CJ line. As long as you are o.k. with sweet scents (and to me this one is very yummy!) then your hair will thank you for giving it a taste of HBDF.

Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Gel

Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Gel (AFG)

This is a strange gel. As someone on naturallycurly.com posted it reminds one of a sort of neon jelly you get at Chuckie Cheese with 20 tickets. Its smell reminds me a bit of Lemon Pledge. At first you think you got the wrong stuff and you mixed up your Bed, Bath, and Beyond bag with your box of products from Curl Junkie. Never fear wavies!!! This is AFG!

Many is a wavy or curly who got this gel and wondered just what they were supposed to do with it. Use it on wet hair? dry hair? Before a leave-in? In place of one? after like a regular gel? on top or or below CCCC? and the favorite "does it play well with other products"

I'm here to share with you my views only but this is one product that is sort of like Goop--seems to have a different use for everyone! I tried AFG one morning after a nice poo and condish. I did not use a leave-in. It felt plasticy, gunky, gross in my hair. Rinsed out and started over this time using a leave-in (Curl Junkie Curl Assurance) and it was better. I did put a hard hold gel over it. The results: Not for this wavies wet hair. No siree Bob. Nope.

So then I tried it on dry hair. Vive la Différence! I put some in my hands and added some water and then smoothed and scrunched it in my hair. It worked wonderfully and my friend who decided to drop by at the last minute with a 5 minute warning phone call didn't know I'd just spent the last 3 hours laying in bed playing a favorite video game! Woohoo! So for my hair dry all the way to get the best use out of this.

However I feel it warranted to point out that several wavies over on the 2's board on naturallycurly.com love this in wet hair as a curl enhancer and styler. You get a nice big tub for your dollars so you've got a good amount of product to play with to find out the best way it will work for you.


And the smell does not linger. It's not that it is unpleasant it just reminds me a little too strongly of early Saturday morning's when my mom would get me up and thrust a dust rag in my hand and tell me to get to work. Love ya mom!

Curl Junkie Smoothing Gellie

Curl Junkie Smoothing Gellie (CJSG)

CJSG is my *favorite* of all the CJ products so far. I absolutely ADORE the scent. In fact I've been known to just open it and smell it occasionally just cuz. MMMMMM...it's fruity with a hint of citrus and clean scents. It smells like a tropical fruit table to me. Even more this smell does stay with you a bit and every time you get a whiff of it you are transported to that same tropical beach. I better finish this review as I'm getting hungry!

Although it is a gelly it's texture and consistency most resemble a cream. However this is watery once you put it on your hand and it quickly emulsifies (as opposed to CJCCCC which remains a true cream to be rubbed in). So in that respect it is more of a jelly regardless of one's intitial impression of its creamy-ness. You can also tell this if you put your finger in it--with the SG your finger comes away pretty clean vs with the CCCC it comes out with some product on it.

I use this by itself as a combo of leave-in and styler. It most definitely enhances my curls and defines them. It also provides a bit of elongation which I like. Even though normally I am always tryng to get more curls I love the products that even out my curls and get my hair to look uniform.

Other great things about SG: It is very forgiving for me--I've never had a producty mess because I used a bit too much, you do not need to use a lot of product, and it distributes through your hair very evenly. Although it has a hold I found it to be too light to hold my waves all day so I always put a hard hold gel over it.

I have used the Smoothing Gellie with a leave in if I feel my rinse out conditioner just didn't quite cut it. In that case I use about a pea sized amount of leave in and focus on my canopy which is the driest part of my hair.

Updated Dec 09 - Pics above are of me with the CJ Hibiscus and Banana Leave In and Smoothing Gellee in my hair. Nothing else. I get excellent curls and lately I haven't needed a gel over the Smoothing Gellee as the dews are much lower and my hair doesn't need quite the same level of hold. Outstanding!

If you are deciding on what to order from CJ or are doing a mini-product haul I recommend (in the following order)

Smoothing Gellie
Curl Assurance Leave-In
Coffee-Coco Curl Creme

Have a wavy day!

Curl Junkie Sprays

Curl Junkie Sprays

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Hair Styling Water

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Curl Junkie Curl Fuel Curl Enhancing Spray

Curl Fuel

This is an interesting spray. While the instructions say it provides shine and definition for your curls as well as fly-away taming I actually find the best use to be as a sort of Scrunch-Out-The-Crunch (SOTC) product or immediately thereafter.

It has a floral type smell but it is not really strong. I usually spray it into my hands and then add a few drops of water and then rub my palms together and then scrunch it in. It helps "set" my curls by corraling the stray ones that have their own idea of where they want to go. In addition I do find it provides assistance with clumping as well. A little goes a long way and you don't need too much. My curls don't feel gunky or sticky after use with the Curl Fuel. I do need to say my hands do feel sticky afterwords though. I just wash them.

Spray's tend to be tricky--most refresher sprays are kind of sticky and can leave a residue. Curl Fuel did take a few minutes to sink into my hair but once it does I'm good to go.

If you like sprays for a sort of refresher on second day hair you can give this a try. I don't do second day hair (because I like to experiment too much!) but this would be a good choice for those of you that do. This is not a product for me that adds a ton of moisture so if what you want is a pure moisturizer instead of some curl boosting and enhancing refreshment you might want to try just adding in some of the Curl Assurance Leave-In mixed with some water in your hands.

Curl Assurance Hair Styling Water

When I first got this spray I had no idea what to do with it. I wasn't sure what a styling water was. At first I tried it as a curl refresher. No go. Then I tried it as a hair spray type product and no love with that either.

It wasn't until I fully read the instructions that I realized this was a styler. (Guano: ALWAYS read the directions for products LOL). Once I figured that out I was good to go. I use this before the CCCC to help with curl enhancement and to provide additional hold. It has some holding power. I still use a hard hold gel over it (with or without the CCCC). The smell is citrusy and fresh. It is not sticky to me at all when I use it on wet hair. If I use this and the CCCC I do not need a leave-in. The picture posted with the Coffee-Coco Curl Creme is me with this water and CCCC in my hair. I got a nice amount of curl boosting and the use of the styling water seems to help my hair be more full and thick looking. I also felt it did an EXCELLENT job at helping to clump my hair that is prone to stringlet's.

In Sum: While not everyone likes to use spray's if you do so or if you are curious these are two that are well worth checking out.

Curl Junkie Coffee-Coco Curl Creme

Curl Junkie Coffee-Coco Curl Creme

CCCC has a lotta love all over the spectrum with natural hair from 2's, 3's, and 4's. The pic above is my hair with CCCC as I describe below.

The smell: In a word - YUMMY!

The texture: Creamy, transluscent, not oily or greasy

Properties: Emulsifies in your hands but not to an oil--it remains a true cream.

Thoughts: This works extremely well for my daughter's thicker hair that ranges in texture from fine to coarser. It works well for me but it took a lot of experimentation to get it to succeed. I think my fine and thin hair had me running in circles with this for a while trying to figure out the best combo/amount to use. I am happy to say I did find that combo--for me this includes using the CJ Curl Assurance Hair Styling water on my hair first and then about a nickel sized blob of CCCC smoothed through (not raked) and then scrunched. After this I add some hard hold gel to assure the hold.

Extra: A word regarding Curl Junkie. This is a manufactured line. That means the quality is consistent as are the products. Many more natural or smaller lines are made by individuals in sort of a mom-pop operation and, as such, you can get variation in texture, consistency, smell, etc. This does not mean they are bad--just that the potential is there. In addition it appears more common for the smaller operations to alter their products more frequently--which can be problematic as just when you think you've found something that you like (HG!) the formula can be altered. The reason I chose to start my blog with CJ products are because they are available at multiple locations online and products are consistent. I also think that this is a line of products--therefore it is possible to buy several different items that meet your needs (vs. somewhere that only has conditioners or only shampoo's and so on)

Overall: The vast majority of people who try this find it works exceptionally well for them. The owner of Curl Junkie is extremely helpful if you have questions regarding its use and you can check out her blog as well for other suggestions on her products. If you are wanting to try CJ this is another of her products I recommend are part of your first purchase.

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Leave-in Conditioner

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Leave-In Conditioner

Where to start on this great product? Firstly it is a personal favorite. It seems to work equally well on many textures, porosity's, and densities of hair. I like that it does not weigh my fine and thin hair down and that it seems to enhance the nature of curl creme/cream's and gels/jelly's I use after it. I do find a little goes a long way as it is thick and rich with a very creamy texture. It has a very pleasant smell that is not overpowering nor does it stay with you all day. I would describe it as clean citrus type scent.

I have tried it as a rinse-out as well but honestly I still prefer it as a leave-in for my hair. I use about a pea sized amount on my chin+ length hair. I use the same in my son's very thick and medium texture hair. For my daughter it takes a lot more product but her hair is much more dense and much longer.

Overall this is our favorite leave-in conditioner. If you want to try a few CJ products I recommend this one be placed at the top of the list for purchase!

Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment

Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment (CJCR)

CJCR is a very versatile product. It can be used as a daily conditioner, leave-in (LI), and a deep treatment (DT) depending on your hair's texture, porosity, and density. If you have fine and thin wavy hair then the best use is as a deep treatment for which it performs sublimely. It has enough slip to work through your hair, you do not need a ton of product, and your hair will suck it right up and thank you. Those with more medium-coarse textures can use it as a daily conditioner and a leave-in. We've done both a DT and used this as a daily regular rinse out condis as well as a leave-in for my daughter's very dense fine to coarse hair. Our preference on her hair is more of the daily conditioner and leave-in. As a leave-in we have never had a product get her hair as soft and silky as this one. It does not leave her hair greasy, limp, producty, etc no matter how much we use. This conditoner comes in two scents: Strawberry and Gardenia-Coconut. My daughter is fine with either but I prefer Strawberry as I'm not keen on florals. The scent of the Gardenia one does not linger however if you are worried about it. We found the strawberry scent to linger longer in our hair. Highly recommended for all hair types.

The above is a pic with my daughter's hair after using the CJCR

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Shampoo

Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Gentle Cleansing Shampoo

This is a very nice and very gentle shampoo. It contains no SLS. It has a very floral smell-which you will either love, hate, or grow to appreciate. It does an outstanding job at cleaning your hair. Wavies (as opposed to curlies) often need a good low poo to keep their hair from being limp, greasy, or flat. Not all wavies low-poo or poo but for those that do this is an excellent choice. It is very runny--which makes it easier to distribute but, if you are not careful, that will include distributing it through your hands to the bottom of the tub/shower as well. My advice: use it in small amounts-no more than a dime. If you need more add just another dime worth. It works best to do this in sections on your hair--if you don't section your hair off then just use it on the back, front, and each side each time using a minimal amount. This gets all your hair without the problem of it running through your hands. My daughter loves this shampoo and the smell as well--it cleans her hair that is prone to build up very well. Her hair we have to section to wash and because this is runnier we can get it down to her scalp through her thick and dense strands. Those of you with thicker or more dense hair will appreciate this shampoo's liquidity!