Resurrection from the Product Graveyard

So, if you are like me, you have lots of products. Every once in a while I *remember* I have a product and resurrect it from the pile. In honor of this phenomenon I've decided to create a regular column highlighting products that have been saved from the brink.

Today that product was Curls Asian Tea Conditioner

I'm not sure when I stopped using this--likely last fall sometime--but I gotta kick myself for doing so. Although the smell is kind of unappealing (especially in comparison to the rest of the Curls line which smells delectable!) everything else about this conditioner is top notch.

It's billed as a deep treatment but I use it both as a deep treatment AND a rinse out conditioner. I haven't tried it as a leave in (yet). It does have protein even if its further down the list. The ingredients, other than that, aren't too special save the tea one. For whatever reason I have always been in love with tea. I drink all kinds of it hot, use it on my eyes when they are tired, like to drink Green Tea smoothies and have used it in other concoctions over the years. It's a very multi purpose product! About the only thing I don't like about it is that it does stain the teeth...but with all the whitening stuff nowadays that's pretty much fixable.

On to the conditioner--so its very thick and rich. Mine is an older version that has a flip top cover but the new one (pictured) looks like it's a pump bottle. Either way is fine. I usually leave it on in the shower for about 5 minutes--it makes my hair very soft and leaves no residue or film at all. It is not super slippery so I'm not sure about it to detangle (I don't have enough hair to detangle). It does not cause my hair to be over conditioned nor is it a light conditioner. After using it my hair is very soft but not so much as to lose the curl (which can happen with some conditioners and styling products). I'm not sure again exactly what is in here that lends to all that but whatever it is this remains an outstanding condish that you really ought to try.

Highly recommended. It has just been placed in my shower amongst my other regular rotation products!

BellaCurl Hydrating Cleansing Creme

THE Cleansing Creme!

Bellcurl cleansing creme goes on very smooth with excellent slip. It distributes very easily and you can get it to your roots without any trouble. In terms of texture it's fairly thick--the smell is a bit different than the conditioner and leave in and nice-not too strong. When scrubbing my scalp I could feel it in there (very very slight tingly feeling). There isn't any lather so in that it is similar to Jessicurl Cleansing Creme and the now discontinued Komaza Almond Cleansing Milk.

It seemed to do a very nice job of cleansing but I'll put it through a few more tests and udpate the blog once I do--I couldn't resist getting this review up since I am so in love with her products! I want to try it in the morning after I use some of my favorite oil's for scalp massage at night--it usually takes a low poo to get them out of my hair.

So far I am very impressed with this cleanser and definitely consider it a staple. I am actually more fond of cleansing conditioners than low poo's or shampoo's. With the Bellacurl one I do not think I would have needed any conditioner. Since I have some curl enhancers that are rich themselves it works perfectly to have a cleansing creme and then use my rich curl enhancer as leave in and curl enhancer followed by a gel. I will normally get very good hair days like this. In terms of how much I used about a tsp. That's all it took.

Bellacurl Leave in Elixir

Liquid Gold

The Bellacurl Leave In Elixir is amazing. It has wonderful slip and goes on perfectly providing a superb moisture boost for times you want to use a leave in. It is very concentrated so you don't need a ton--even on T's hair we used only about 2 tsp (practically unhead of!). The comb went through her hair with complete ease. T's hair stayed pretty moisturized for several days.

On my hair I thought at first it might be too much but it turns out it isn't at all! With this as the base (using a curl enhancer) I got beautiful ringlet's in the back and sides. The foundation for me to get ringlet type curls always comes from my hair being well moisturized and for my protein to be at the right level. While the leave in elixir doesn't have protein I find when I use a really good protein treatment on the weekend's I don't need to use products with protein for each step--I can use protein in a step or two or even skip a day and my hair still does well. So I used all Bellacurl products and then used a curl enhancer and gel with protein and I had fabulous hair!

I used only about a pea sized amount of this very rich leave in and it was exactly perfect. Bravo! A definite purchase!

BellaCurl Moisture Rich Conditioner

BellaCurl Products

BellaCurl is the brainchild of another naturallycurly.com curly girl. Bela saw a need to have quality products available that did not have protein or glycerin for those curlies who had sensitivities to these ingredients. If any of you live somewhere glycerin is a problem you'll know--glycerin in high humidity can draw water from the air and deposit it in your hair--leading to frizz and poof galore. In low dews or humidity glycerin can actually have properties that let it leach moisture from your hair into the air--not something you want to do in a dry climate where you hair needs all the moisture it can get.

On to the product! The moisture rich conditioner (MRC) has loads of good for your hair ingredients and is 100% vegan. It's extremely thick and rich and a bit hard to get out of the bottle. The smell is sweet but not cloying (I'm not sure I can identify the exact scent but it's sort of fruity and musky all at once). For T's hair it soaked this in like a sponge in a glass of water--since her hair is low porosity this is actually quite an accomplishment. While we did not find it to have a great amount of slip it did soak in and her hair, when dry, was very moisturized and shiny with no frizz. Excellent!

On my hair it's really wonderful. I thought it would be too heavy but it's not. I think it's moisturizing enough that I couldn't use it daily but that's o.k. because it has an ingredient in it that can cause a slight reaction for me so I wouldn't use it daily anyway. It left my hair, just like T's, very shiny, very moisturized with very defined curls. Outstanding.

This is an excellent conditioner and really packs a moisture wallop--any of you curlies whose hair is sensitive to protein will want to try BellaCurl products. If you're like me and your hair loves protein don't think this condish isn't for you--it's a wonderful conditioner that is great for your hair and that will create shine and leave your hair feeling so soft but never coated. I highly recommend a purchase!

Spiral Solutions Firm Hold Gel

SSFHG

Another unbelievable product. I got mine on Friday and tried it yesterday with the SS Curl Enhancing Jelly. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G results. These two products turned my 2C/3A hair a solid 3A with a 3 b bottom. Even after my cut!

At first I wasn't sure about the smell since I've not really smelled a product with a similar smell. Kind of herbally but sweet and just a hint of floral. I was a bit confounded. However once you get it on your hands to put in your hair the smell is scrumptious and rich. It feels elegant to me. Extremely unique. The Curl Enhancing Jelly has the same smell and I love that they layer over each other. The smell doesn't linger but just lightly remains to the point that I kept thinking something smelled so good all day. I love this smell!!

It's thick and gel like--rub it in your hands and like the SS CEJ it spreads easily into your hair.

What I did: Used Sweet Nature by Eddie Low Poo (cannot wait until Spiral Solutions low poo comes out!) and then Spiral Solutions Repairing Protein for about 8 minutes or so. Rinsed and used a nickel sized of the Deeply Decadent Deep Treatment as a rinse out. I got out of the shower and put in a small pea sized of the Repairing Protein as leave in followed by the Curl Enhancing Jelly and the FHG. Amazing results--root spiral's and ringlet's galore. No need to use any clips as my hair layed perfectly. It even looked good after I was out in the rain and wind to go get pizza! Awesome!

The Firm Hold Gel has a great hold--it dries crunchy when used with the jelly but scrunches out extremely well. It's not hard to SOTC like it is for me with something like BRHG if I use too much.

I cannot tell you how much I am loving the Spiral Solutions products. There were new posts about an etsy company on naturallycurly.com and I went and scoped it out, even posted a question, but in the end didn't buy anything as I kept thinking I'm just gonna wait for more Spiral Solutions stuff to come out. I have never had a line where I've loved absolutely everything before. The closest is Curl Junkie where I like a lot of things. Between these two lines and a few outlier products I am one happy junkie!

Spiral Solutions Repairing Protein Treatment

"The PT"

So as a fine haired wavy/curly I spend A LOT of time looking for good products with lots o protein. My hair lurves it..just lurves it. Sometimes I cannot get enough. I will often use it in low poo, conditioner, leave in and curl enhancer or gel. My hair does not seem to get overloaded (it got overloaded recently with Panthenol but not protein).

This protein treatment feels like a conditioner and smells like fresh natural ingredients. Once again the fragrances used are not overwhelming. It is pretty thin for a conditioner but that does make it spread easily. I give all of my DT/PT's the drip test--first time I use them I see how long it takes for them to drip through my plastic shower cap under my R2D2 hard hat Ionic dryer. This one: Just over 3 minutes. PASS!

The reason I do a drip test is because products where there is mostly water will start dripping like crazy right away. I've found that they tend not to work as well as a DT/PT..they might work fine for conditioning but NOT for the sit under R2 type. I left this one for about 20 minutes on low heat. I will say it did itch--I am not sure why except it is thinner maybe? None of the ingredients show up on my watch list (I'm allergic to papaya and sensitive to a few other things--although they rarely show up in hair products!). In any case it wasn't that bad and it went away within about 10 minutes.

When I took the cap off I found all the product had absorbed and nothing was left in the cap. Yippee!

After rinsing I did the stretch test and noticed my hair had noticably more elasticity (what I was going for) so I declare this PT to work awesomely!

The nice thing about this one is that it doesn't leave your hair hard like some other Protein Treatments--so it's more pleasing in the feeling department.

If you have a need to do a PT then this one should be placed at the top of your list.

Spiral Solutions Curl Enhancing Jelly

Curl Enhancing Jelly

This stuff is the BOMB DIGGITY. MAC DADDY O. The BEST STUFF EVER!

Although not long on ingredients this jelly is long on greatness! It is one of the best curl enhancers I've ever used. It's not sticky and doesn't leave residue on your hands. You can use it with a leave in or without (my preference: with a leave in). You can use it on top of other curl enhancers mixed with a hard or medium hold gel AND if you add a bit of water (dollop in the hand + bit of water..not much!) you can scrunch it in and have a shot at 2nd day hair. Keep in mind I rarely get 2nd day hair but this *almost* did it!

It's not heavy and will not weigh down fine haired folks. It is very enhancing--giving a nice boost to your waves, wurls, or curls and also providing for a bit of definition as well. My hair is left shiny with very even curls.

Love it! Those who like jellies or gels instead of curl creme's will love this but for those of you that use cream's only you really ought to try this---I think you'll like it--since cream's are heavier just either mix it with a leave in or add it over a leave in.

Smells good as well. A TOP choice for enhancing your curls!

Spiral Solutions Emollience Hair Butter

Emollience

This is a fabulous butter - it works great to Scrunch Out the Crunch (SOTC) or to scrunch in mid day for a pick up. It's a butter so you'll need to emulsify it in your hands a bit. Your hands will thank you!

It is not heavy and oily - it sinks into your hair and hands without residue-leaving soft skin and hair with a healthy sheen without frizz! I use it after I've diffused and SOTC to get rid of the few flyaway and frizzy pieces. Just rub between your fingers or palms (depends on how much you need!) and then gently scrunch it in.

As a body product this stuff rocks. I rarely find a butter that immediately absorbs into my skin--most tend to sit for a while and I end up being ultra careful of my clothes and bedding so as not to get oil stains on them. With Emollience I don't have to worry--it's all in right away. This stuff also works good on your cuticles!

I used this on my daughter's ends and my son's coarser hair on his nape -- worked great for both of them.

As with most butters a little dab will do ya' but don't worry if you go a bit overboard..just rub it into your hands or body!

Enjoy!

Spiral Solutions Products

Spiral Solutions is the brainchild of naturallycurly.com Runnerchicki. She has been part of our community for some time and saw a need to create products that would work great and be based on natural ingredients full of things that are good for your hair.

By way of introduction here's some info from the owner of Spiral Solutions:

"Something that I haven't mentioned before, but I think it is important for people to know: I DO NOT use pre-made bases. Ever. I created each and every formula myself and I mix them myself. I even make my own version of Seamollient (it's a trademarked product) so I can get the exact texture and consistency that I want. I select my own herbs, mix to my own ratios, infuse my own oils...you get the idea. I even make my own labels, although I am not sure I will continue to do that for much longer!"

It's also important to know that, like most small businesses, it's going to take a little while to work out all the kinks. Because her products are so awesome we all descended like a swarm of grasshoppers devouring everything in our way (what can I say..we curly girls/guys are SERIOUS about our product! LOL). So the products sold out within hours -- while that is a great testament to the quality and efficacy of the products it can be a bit of a bummer for those of us who need to wait a bit. However, like the most fine wine you have to wait a while but when you get the goods -- OO LA LA!

Here's the skinny on the recent shortage:

"I am very sorry to make people wait for product. I know that is frustrating, so I am going to make it my priority to keep my out of stocks to a minimum. HOWEVER, this will not happen overnight. I'm not sitting on my tail...it just takes time for a single woman operation. It will happen...Today, I am keeping it simple: turn an amazing blend of herbs and jojoba oil into a blissful concoction. I love doing this because it is relaxing. It takes me most of the day because I infuse very slowly, but it makes my house smell heavenly!"

As you can imagine a one woman operation (she has a little help from Rambo her adorable super cute little doggie! Pic above!) takes some time to coordinate and set up--so please put on your patience cap. I PROMISE the end result will be worth it!

You will be getting products designed from scratch by another curly -- no base, no hastily thrown together product, no marketing hype. Just honest to goodness outstanding products that will quickly become your HG go-to's!

Patience is a virtue grasshopper!

Products reviews are next so stay tuned! Here is her etsy website which you should go right away to and bookmark! http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpiralSolutions

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!

Hand Dry Hair Gloves - a review!

Hand Dry Hair Gloves: A guest blogger review by Anniemae from naturallycurly.com!

I've always wanted beautiful, defined curls but could never really get them by scrunching my hair myself or with my diffuser. So, when I heard about the Hand Dry Hair Gloves, I just had to give them a try.

As a lot of you already know, I really love these gloves. They might look big, funny, and bulky, but they are actually very comfortable and easy to use. They are made of 100% polyester microfibre, machine washable, hang to dry. This material reminds me of the pile fleece that certain fleece jackets are made of - a really soft, thick, nubby texture.

For me, I've noticed that the gloves work a little better when my hair is very wet, but I do use them on towel-dried hair, also. After washing my hair, I put it for a few minutes in a microfiber towel, comb it with a wide-toothed comb, and then put in some type of leave-in or gel. Because my hair is kind of thin, I don't use a lot of products because I don't want to weigh it down too much. I usually use Curl Junkie Smoothing Gellie (I love this stuff) and apply about a quarter's worth all into my hair, especially the ends (you can experiment with the products that work best for your hair). Then I start scrunching my hair for about 15-20 minutes. When I scrunch, I hold my head sideways and scrunch each side, letting the hair hang and scrunching upwards. Then, when I hold my head up, I actually pull down on my hair with the gloves to eliminate any possible frizzing. I scrunch the parts of my head that I want curly, and I only scrunch it until it's about 90% dry, not dry all the way. At the end, I spray my hair with some DevaCurl Set It Free Spray to avoid frizz, and scrunch some more. My hair is fairly thin and almost shoulder length, so it doesn't take too long to dry.

Another option is to also use a blowdryer while scrunching to speed up the process. I set the blowdryer on high heat, low speed. I use the gloves to not only scrunch up the curl, but also to pull down my hair to get rid of frizz. I also use the gloves to help me get the look of beachy waves, rather than curls.

If your gloves get too wet during the drying process, just use a blowdryer on them for a few minutes and they will dry fast.

I really, really like these gloves!! They are a blessing for me because I don't ever get really good curl. Diffusers seem to mess my hair all up, whereas these gloves allow me to "place the curls" where I want.

I know that everyone has different hair types and textures, so these gloves might not work for everyone. But, if you think you like them, give them a try!!

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!

Hairveda

Hairveda Products!!

Back several posts now I blogged about how great the Hairveda Moist Condition Pro (MCP) did on my hair. I'm still loving it but now it has company on my go-to products shelf!

Amala Shampoo: Doesn't really have a smell. Sort of herbally if anything. A kind of golden color it cleans exceptionally well. My hair does not feel stripped but it definitely does feel clean. I've found that low poo's that have some of the more medium cleansers/surfactants in them tend to have the same effect. That's o.k. with me and this one gets a thumbs up! I would not use it daily but for my regular about every 3 days low poo it does a great job.

Amala Cream Rinse: This ranks second right behind the MCP. It is called a creamy shampoo but functions like an in between co-wash/shampoo for me. I didn't really figure that out until I used another cleansing conditioner that had mush more cleansing power--so I'm revising my original opinion to consider this between a co-wash and shampoo (although for me it acts like a co-wash for the most part)It absolutely does not leave my hair stripped. My hair feels clean yet conditioned. This does not get out something my hair likes to hold onto (like the Polyquat 11 and 7!) unless I become the DOW scrubbing bubbles on my hair--scrubbing like a maniac but for every other occasion its a real blessing. I get less shedding with this product than any of my low-poo's which I find quite interesting. In general things that are marketed as cleansing conditioners or creamy shampoo's gie me less shedding.

It's quite inexpensive and Plain Jane like its cousins..but a definite repurchase for me! I use it nearly every 3 days. Given the amount of products I have that is a real testament to the product. If you are looking for something that cleans pretty well but is a conditioner based then you should try this one out. If you use cones or other things like polyquat's or mineral oil you probably should opt for a low poo actual shampoo.

Moist Condition 24/7: This one I got primarily for T's hair. We have to watch the protein intake for her hair as the mixed texture tends to go haywire with too much protein. We used it as a rinse out and detangler in her hair and it worked fine. It was better as a rinse out and leave-in and only so/so as a detangler. I haven't tried it in my hair yet but with Hairveda's track record for me I'm sure I'll like it as well. It is not as thick as some others which made distribution much easier through T's hair.

Cocasta and Shikakai Oil: This stuff smells so good and I have no idea how to describe it. I really don't. It does not smell like anything I can get a handle on. I've done a pre-poo with this and it was fine but I think I won't be able to do one very often as it is very conditioning and I think I might get OC'd. So I started using it on my body and in my bath and it is sublime! I think it would make a good oil to seal with but T is not willing to try anything other than the ShescentIt butters and the Qhemet Biologics Burdock Cream. She is in love. So I'm happy to use it for myself!

SitriNillah Masque: This is a deep treatment. I've used it with and without heat. I did notice my hair was softer with heat. It smells like Oranges--sweet oranges--its a good smell. Although this worked I have other deep treatments I prefer. This looks like it has very similar ingredients to the MCP and I like that one so not sure this is a repurchase. I am eyeing that Methi Sativa set next!

Whipped Gelly: The one product that just did not work on anyone in the family. On my hair it didn't really do much-not enough hold as its a very light hold. It smells DIVINE though! I used it to twist T's hair but her hair didn't stay and turned very dry after a day. I used a very moisturizing leave in with this that always works so it was clearly the jelly. We tried it on my son and his hair felt a little producty. Although I really love the smell this one is not a repurchase.

I should mention that the ladies at Hairveda are super nice to work with. I had a problem and they contacted me right away to fix it. We agreed on a solution and they immediately took care of it. Since this is a very small business it can take a while to get a response and the products take a while (sometimes a long while) to ship. IMHO the Moist Condition Pro and the Amala Cream Rinse's are la creme de la creme of my product rotation. I will not be without them.

Darcy's Botanicals Part Duex

Darcy's Botanicals NEW products!

Those who read my blog know I love DB products. If any of you shop her website or her etsy store you might have noticed she has NEW products introduced in time for Black Friday. I, however, could not get on to her site until she was already closed so I missed the big BF sale. Waaaa!

Never fear cowgirls--I just saddled up again and ordered after the sale. Yes I think her products are that good that even the loss of a good 20-25% discount did not deter me.

Here's the sitch on the new products:

Pumpkin Seed Conditioner: OMG. AMAZING. AMAZING. AMAZING. If you are looking for slip in a conditoner this one has it in spades. Other than QB Coco Tree Detangling Ghee this is the only other product that has done a great job of detangling on T's hair. Other stuff is good and even great but this one is literally like butter.

On my hair it left it very well conditioned, silky smooth without being too smooth and feeling very soft. The scent is excellent as well--kind of like vanilla buttercream pumpkin cake batter. My hair felt SO good in the shower and out. It also gave me wonderful clumping. It has hydrolized oat protein and I already know my hair loves this particular protein. Its in her NC Curling Jelly too--which is another product my hair loves.


Natural Coils Daily Leave In Conditioning Spray: This sprays out in a wonderful mist. It is very light. Did not feel heavy on my hair but I could definitely see the conditioning aspect. Not sticky, tacky, or producty (which tends to happen with sprays). I used about 6 sprays for my entire head and it was perfect. I think I could use less in the summer (unless its dry). Smells very good--sort of sweet but not overwhelming or overpowering. This, on my hair, is light enough not to weigh it down at all. I think if you have fine hair and it leans towards thin and you like lighter products you ought to try this one out. Its not similar really to something like SNBE Growth Spray--that does better for me after my hair is already SOTC'd or mid day or before bed. It doesn't have enough Umph to use as a full leave in IMHO. This one IS a leave-in and you can feel it right away. Although there are oils in it my hair absorbed them very well--no problem with oily/greasy looks.

Avocado and Wild Plum Twisting Creme: I used a bit after the LI just to get a sense. Seems very good. I think I'm going to like this one the same way I like the coconut and aloe pudding--after I've SOTC or mid day especially to add some moisture. I found Darcys stuff to work really good for this--these pudding and creams. I'll have to try it alone to see if it has any curl enhancing effect. I like these for mid day moisturizers because they seem to have a little hold which helps my kind of droopy curls sometimes around 2o'clock. Also when I get home if its dry outside I usually spritz a little water and then scrunch in some of these creams. Just love them. Mine came as sample size so it is unscented so I can't speak to the scent. EDITED TO ADD: Tried it today as a "curl enhancer" and it doesn't enhance at all. I should be clear I didn't really expect it to but thought it was worth a go. Not a repurchase for me since I love the Coconut and Aloe pudding too much to replace it with this!

In my next order I plan on getting the Darcy's Botanical's Herbal spray, the Deep conditioner, and the Tucuma Butter along with at least one additional oil. Stay tuned for Part 3!

Kinky Curly

So you knew it was coming. Kinky Curly Curling Custard seems to be the "it" product for many. The number of curlies who say this is their Holy Grail product is legendary.

So what took me so long to add it? Simple. It did not work for me. You heard that right. Just did not create the curls or waves I was hoping for. It certainly did create something in my hair--but I really wasn't sure if I should blow dry it or cook it over medium heat for 15 minutes.

So what did it do to my hair? Well it created FAT SAUSAGE ringlet's all over my hair. Like 7 or 8 of them all around. I looked like I was going to a costume party as an adult film star version of Shirley Temple. Awful. My hair is just too fine and thin to sport this look. The pic above is of one of the sides. Even my kids commented--mostly regarding the fact I was not a 3 year old anymore so the look really didn't suit.

The ingredients look great. I found the smell only so-so although others rave over it (I could never figure out why as it always had a slightly off smell to me..like a product thats reached the end of its lifecycle). I did give it the old college try--in fact I gave it more than 10 college tries!

However, in deference to the fact that so many like this, I've asked my fellow CG'ers over at Naturallycurly.com to say a few words about one of the favorite curl enhancers currently on the market.

Robin-in-FL says: "KCCC works well on my coarse wavy hair, it does not provide hold but does prevent frizz, smells great, and it sort of stretches out the waves but not in a bad (limp or flat) way, they are still bouncy and nice."

Finaleofseem had this to note: "First of all, KCCC: you know I love it! It's a great "base" in my opinion. I can't use it alone, because with my wavy hair it doesn't provide enough hold. However, I really LOVE the way it helps enhance my waves, and makes them a little more uniform, which is really what I'm looking for in a base product. Two things that people should know before they use KCCC: first, it will likely increase your drying time, so if you air dry, it may be a pain in the butt. Secondly, it will have some crunch. I've never had a problem scrunching it out, and it leave my hair soft and touchable and very bouncy. However, those wavies/curlies who don't like aloe should probably stay away from KCCC, because it's very aloe-heavy. As far as how much I use: three pea to dime sized blobs emulsified in my hands: one for the left, one for the right, and one applied upside down (all sprunched) for my medium-density, just-below-chin length hair."

The amount of people who love this product seems to outweigh those of us who just couldn't get it to work. So my recommendation is for your to purchase it or secure a sample from a friend or fellow curly/wavy. The chances are good it will do right nicely for you!