Protein, Protein, Protein -- My Favorites!

Fine hair usually LURVES protein--and my hair is no exception. My hair loves any form of protein it can get in any way it arrives--in short I can hit it with major protein shots constantly and it never goes hard or straw like.

In honor of protein I thought I would post about my favorite products that have protein in them in high enough concentrations that my hair notices. A lot of products have protein--but for my hair, that needs a ton of it , I notice markedly more spiral curls and ringlet's the more protein I use. Animal, vegetable, whatever--my hair doesn't care--it wants it all! It is a glutton for this stuff!

Let's start off with protein treatments:

Nexxus Emergencee-- to say my hair adores this is a dramatic understatment. I use it in the shower at least 2x a week. I'll do my low poo and then use this and leave on for about 5 minutes (sometimes 10 if I'm shaving) and then rinse it out and use another rinse out conditioner left on for a couple of minutes. When I use this I am guaranteed spirals and ringlet's and tight curls. Links at the top.

Spiral Solutions Repairing Protein Treatment -- this is my other favorite protein treatment. The beauty of this one is that it can be used as a rinse out condish for me -- I don't need to add anything else! I really like this one with heat (usually on weekends) but I use it during the week too as both a rinse out and a leave in. I don't combine it with other protein heavy products because it is enough on its own. the smell on this one is divine--chocolate latte.

Curl Junkie Curl Fix -- I love the smell of this conditioner treatment. Although not solely a protein treatment it does have quite a few proteins in good concentrations. I like to use this about 2x a month with heat. This is how it works best for me. I've tried it as a leave in and my hair felt producty and got frizzy.









Moving on to rinse out conditioners that are heavy on the protein:

Hairveda Moist Condition PRO -- this is my favorite protein conditioner. Although short on ingredients this one really gets the job done with protein. It is not heavy so those with fine hair don't need to worry it will over condition you. You can use this as a leave in if you like -- works superbly for that as well. The cost is very reasonable although it can take a little while to get your product so order with plenty of time to spare.

Jasmines Shea Butter Conditioner -- Another excellent conditioner with protein. My hair likes this one as rinse out or leave in but I find it best as a rinse out. I think it's heavy enough to satisfy some of the more dry customers but not so heavy to make me flat and limp. Another good choice!

Tigi Catwalk Oatmeal and Honey Conditioner -- This one smells like cake batter or vanilla cookies. It's very thick and I find it very rich. I could not use it daily as I would end up over conditioned. It leaves my hair very soft. You can get this in litre size at Ulta's sale and my local grocery store (Von's) has it on sale quite frequently. If you prefer you can order it from amazons subscribe and save as that's another very inexpensive way to do it (this is the way I do it)--link on top left.

Jason Thin to Thick Conditioner -- although this smells like Grandpa's medicine cabinet in a very unappealing menthol way it really does work nice for those that like protein. You can get it on iherb for a good price (coupon code is at the top of my blog) or through vitacost or similar. I found it way too expensive in stores ($13!). Although it's not my favorite it does make my hair thicker, provide more volume, and get those spirals going due to the protein.

Mop C Hydrating Conditioner -- This is a very heavy conditioner. If your hair needs protein and loves a very rich, thick condish then give this one a try. We also like the Hydrating shampoo (it is protein free) but the condish is really moisturizing.

And, lastly, leave in options:

Terax Life Drops -- this is my top choice for a product specific to leave in's that has protein. It is fabulous and very light--will not weigh down your hair at all (in fact those that like a heavy leave in--this is not for you as its really light). It's not the cheapest product out there but it certainly rates very high for me. I love this stuff!

There are other options--I've chosen the ones I am most attached to and that I feel provide the level of protein that I require (high!). Leave a note if there is something else you found that you like! I'm also always happy to have guest bloggers so if any of you would like to post feel free!

Deva Deva Deva -- Love, Hate, Love, Eh, Hate, what???

Most Curly girls and guys know that the mother of the curly girl method is Lorraine Massey who wrote the Curly Girl book. She was the one who started it all.

She also developed a line of products called DEVA. There are two kinds of Deva--DevaCurl and DevaCare. My understanding is that the Care products are for processed or color treated hair. She has a few other products like shampoo/condish for blondes, redheads, etc but I haven't tried them.

She's also spawned her own trademarked DevaCut for stylists that is a specific method for cutting curly hair.

I've had a few questions on why I haven't mentioned Deva products or Devacuts. I think the title of the blog post says it all.


To start I have had two "DevaCuts" from two different stylists. The first was a local stylist and came highly recommended. She was o.k.---nothing super special. Then I got a cut from Tiffany of "Live Curly Live Free" fame (her blog is linked on the side for you) and it was FABO--simply awesome. Overall I'd say there is a benefit to a Deva Cut (or dry cut) since they can see how your curls lay when they are cutting. Since I can't go to Florida to Tiffany's regular salon (I lucked out and had her cut my hair on a roadshow to CA) I'm still looking for that perfect stylist. One thing: Because of the way Devacuts and styles are done it is *possible* that you will end up with way less curl than you normally have if you let them style your hair. Don't worry--you'll get to restyle when you get home. I think it comes from using the bonnet dryer (gives me straight hair) and the fact that there is minimal scrunching. Or for me that seems why.

On to Deva products

DevaCurl No-Poo

I do not like the smell of this. I guess it is supposed to be roses but really it's just kind of, well, icky. Strong. And it lllliinnnnggggeerrrrsss fffoooorrreevveeerrrrrrr. Get the drift?

It does a good job cleaning and is heavy enough so that I don't have to use a rinse out conditioner if I don't want to. I do find that it leaves my hair with some sort of "coating" no matter how much I rinse. I'm not keen on that. If I mix Deva products I will end up with dry hair so I usually try to use only one at a time. This I didn't find drying. It's not a repurchase for me.

DevaCurl One-C conditioner

 I LOVE LOVE LOVE the smell of this. Like lemony sweet tarts. I sometimes just pick up the bottle to smell it. Yes I'm weird. I like how this goes on my hair and it is easy to distribute. You don't have to use too much. I find it pretty conditioning but occasionally it seems like it is drying my hair out. I've no idea why. It is an occasional use product. Not sure yet if I'd repurchase since I have so much other stuff I love.

DevaCare Low-Poo

We like this at my house. It works well and it does not strip my daughter's hair but leaves it pretty well moisturized for a shampoo. The smell is o.k. I'm not keen on the whole orange creamsicle smell of the DevaCare products but we can live with it. It works as well with both my son and I. We don't encounter the dryness from this poo that others seem to.

Deva Set It Free:

For the life of me I do not see the draw of this outside of a curl emergency. Everytime I use it all that happens is that my hair sticks together (or my hands do if I put it on my hands first) and its gunky. It also seems to attract every speck of dust and dirt in the atmosphere to deposit on my hair. Reserved for a Code Blue situation ONLY.
Deva MirrorCurl: Another ish. Just ish.

Deva Set Up and Above: While this gave me shine it turns out I'm horribly allergic to it. I have not yet identified the substance inside that is causing this but I gave it away real quick when the hives showed up.

DevaCare ArcAngell: Made my hair drier than the Sahara. Took a week to get it back to normal. Unbelievably awful experience. Could not get rid of it fast enough.

DevaCurl Angell: Seems like this is the one they always want to use on me when I get a haircut. I'm not fond although its not as drying as the ArcAngell stuff. It just does not have enough hold for me and I end up with barely any wave.

So there you have it. My love to hate relationship with Deva. The end.

P.S. I only put pics of the products I still have.

Komaza Hair Care Cleansers and Shampoo's

Komaza makes several cleanser/shampoo's but I've only tried 2.

Komaza Almond Milk Cleansing Conditioner:

This was my favorite cleansing conditioner until it was discontinued early this year. I loved the smell (almonds, milk, sweet...mmmm) and it worked very well as a cleanser that did not strip my hair. It is an in between cleanser that provides some moisture but not so much as to make a rinse out redundant. I have heard that the children's Sweet Pea line shampoo/cleanser is very similar to this but have not tried it yet. I really loved this stuff for how soft it made my hair without that over conditioned feeling--and it cleaned pretty well. I don't use cleansing conditioners to get out oils but on my regular daily dirt it worked fabo. No lather of course as its a cleansing conditioner.

Komaza Moku Shampoo:

This is a pretty clarifying shampoo. There is nearly no lather--which is kind of strange as because it is a shampoo and usually I can get some lather going but not with this one--no siree bob. I actually used about 3 quarter sized blobs--much more than I normally do as it is a bit hard to distribute. Anyway it seemed to clean fine--did not leave a residue. My hair was not squeaky but it was definitely more clarifying than other low poo's I've used. It rinsed clean out. It did seem to give me some volume. I can usually tell with that (even when I use other products) because after shampooing my hair feels fuller and almost foamy but without foam. I was fortunate to find this on the swap board but it would be a repurchase for me.





Komaza Coconut Care Shampoo:

I got this off the swap board on nc.com from a lovely curly. Consistency wise this is much thinner than the Moku shampoo. It has more lather and spreads easier. I like the smell (not sure its coconut though--smells more just sweet). However this shampoo most definitely is *CLARIFYING* in a major way. My hair was very clean when I finished. It didn't feel dry but it did feel squeaky. I would consider this a clarifying shampoo--much more heavy duty than the Moku for me. Of the two I prefer the Moku still.

Komaza Hair Care Stylers

Komaza Stylers

I've tried several Komaza stylers but have not had the greatest results. A lot of folks on the nc.com website love Komaza and their puddings and stylers but for me they tend to pull my curl out a bit and give me some frizz. On the other hand they provide pretty good definition to my hair and leave it very soft and touchable. My favorite of the three I've tried is definitely the Califia Styling pudding although it is pretty heavy.

In the immortal words of one of my naturally curly's board mates "I need to be touchable, and any product that doesn't let my curls spring back after some solid rolling around, fuggedaboutdit." ...so you might want to consider giving these a try (*wink*)

Komaza Coconut Hair Pudding: 

I've tried this about 8 times--initially it was ok but my curls just fall out and elongate by mid day. I like the smell (coconut'y) and the consistency (its sort of between a gel and a cream) but I haven't been able to get it to work consistently for me. Even with a hard hold gel on top of it. I do seem to be in the minority though--as many absolutely consider this their HG. Komaza has samples available on the website at a *VERY* reasonable price so this is one time I'm going to advise you to pick up a few samples and see what you think.

Komaza Coconut Curl Lotion:

Theoretically this would be a better choice for me than the pudding since it is supposed to be lighter. For me though all it did was give me a frizzy undefined mess of curls that fell into barely there waves by about 11am. The pudding was much better. It smells a little strange to me so I wasn't overly fond of the smell either--but I could have handled it if the result was better. This is not for me.

Komaza Califia Care Styling Pudding:

I absolutely LOVE the consistency and smell of this--it is like chocolate latte mousse--looks so good you want to eat it! It's thick and more creamy then gel'ly but once you get it on your hands it actually feels more gel like than cream like. It almost seems to coat your hair--for me it had no slip but did distribute well. I've never had anything go on my hair like this--took about a minute or two for my hair to absorb and I could tell when pixie diffusing that my hair was already going to be soft. It did provide very nice definition and soft touchable hair (see above) but I didn't find it curl enhancing. I don't think it is meant to be but that is what I like to see in a curl pudding--since I'm always trying to get more curls!

Overall the Califia pudding for me would be the only full size purchase (I used samples on all of it and glad I did so!). I do think that those curlies who have a stronger pattern such as 3B/3C/4A/B or strong 3A might do better with this since it defines well.

Komaza Hair Care Conditioners

Komaza Hair Care 

A hair care line designed for natural hair

They have a new website for you to check out: http://www.komazahaircare.com/ (where you will find ingredient listsing as well!)

On to the products:

Komaza Aloe Conditioner: This is one of my favorite conditioners but unfortunately has been discontinued. The smell is strong--sweet but with a hint of spice or musk. It has a fair amount of slip but seems to do best with those of us who don't need slip who want grabby conditioners. Grabby means that they "hold" your hair and don't make it slippery so the curls fall out. I find this one to give me a bit of volume but where it really shines is in thickness--it makes my hair appear noticably fuller and thicker. In terms of moisture it would be about average--if you had dry hair I don't think this should be a first choice as it provided some but was not ultra moisturizing. I was quite disappointed to hear it was being discontinued.

Komaza Califia Conditioner:

This is designed for more highly textured hair than mine and hair that needs a lot of moisture punch. I actually quite liked it although regular use would weigh my down. It is very moisturizing and I actually liked the smell--sort of spicy, sexy musky. It is very different than most scents. Its thick and a bit tough to get out of the bottle. I did feel almost like there was a residue left when I used it--although I didn't notice it next day when I went to do my low poo. This would make an outstanding conditioner for someone whose hair was very dry or that required a lot of moisture. It is also very concentrated so a little goes a long way..in fact that is a good motto for Komaza as a whole--a little goes a long way.

Komaza Califia Leave In: This has really good slip and is, like its sister conditioner, extremely moisturizing. It is thinner than the condish and has more of a sweet smell mixed with the spicy musk. They complement each other very well. This is a heavy leave in IMHO--not for finer haired folks or gals/guys who get weighed down easily. It works very well in T's hair and we found it fairly easy to distribute.








Komaza Moku Conditioner:

This is the new condish that is meant to replace the Komaza Aloe Conditioner. It smells similar (not exactly the same..the Moku is more understated). It works fairly well for me--has o.k. slip but not too much and is moisturizing but most likely would be best for those that do not require a lot of moisture. Normal to Oily hair would probably do well with this. It isn't a "wow" conditioner but it gets the job done. I do not get as much lift and volume with this as with the Aloe conditioner which is a bummer since that was a primary reason to purchase the other. Overall though of the Komaza line it is my favorite currently available product.

If I ever get up to Sacramento I am going to stop in and say "HI" to the Komaza folks!


Komaza Coconut Conditioner:

This is actually the conditioner that should work best for me given my hair type. It smells like a lighter version of the Califia conditioner. The difference between them is night and day. I did not find the Coconut Condish to be ultra moisturizing. It did a fine job and I was able to pair it with a heavier leave in without any problems. I think it will make a nice conditioner for me when I don't need ultra moisture. I think my favorite of all of the Komaza is, unfortunately, still the Aloe Conditioner which I found the moist moisturizing but not overconditioning. If your hair is super dry go with the Califia but if you have hair that can get weighted down you might want to try the Coconut or Moku--performance wise I did not notice much difference at all.

New to CG methods? My 10 top picks for products to buy!

So you are new to the Curly Girl method? Confused by acronym's and wondering what on earth you should buy to begin the journey?

First I believe in KISS --especially in the beginning with CG where you are struggling with the transition to the CG method. Both you and your hair are likely frustrated. We can relate--we started there too!

It goes without saying that you need to read heavily--go visit the naturallycurly.com website or any of the blogs I link below as all have various amounts of information. The Live Curly Live Free website is a goldmine of information as is the blog by Jillipoo.

So here is what I recommend for you to purchase in the first weeks of going CG. Most will be on ground but I've thrown in a couple of recommendations for online purchases if you want to give that a try:

1. Suave Naturals or V05 Moisture Milks or similar for a co-wash. These are widely available and cheap. If you have medium to coarse hair stay with things that don't have a lot of protein in them (V05 or Suave is fine except the coconut)Cost: $1.25

2. LA Looks Sport Gel (LALSG): again cheap and widely available. If you can't find the Sports one then try LaBella or a generic (e.g. CVS) version of hard hold gel. Cost $2.00

3. Lustrasilk Cholesterol Conditioners--choose one of the three without cones (Olive Oil, Shea and Mango, or Organic with Argan Oil). At a price of $2.50 you can afford to pick up a couple. I vote for Olive Oil for Leave-in and either Shea Mango or the Organic for your DT's. Cost $2.50

4. A good conditioner. Giovanni and/or Trader Joe's conditioners: Depending on your hair type and scalp issues and if you have a TJ's around you. Choose the Tea Tree is you get itchy scalp or your preCG hair was oily/greasy. If your hair was pretty dry but not ultra frizzy and dry then I recommend the TJ Nourish or Refresh or the Giovanni 50/50. If you have really dry hair or want to do a couple of very moisturizing DT's then try Smooth as Silk by Giovanni. Your other option is the ones we use on my daughter--Garnier Fructis. The Triple Nutrition and the Sleek and Shine (fortifying Conditioners) are excellent choices for really dry hair or just normal to dry, cheap, and work great. They are reviewed on my blog so you can see what they look like. Cost $3-8

5. Any or all of the following hair accessories if you do not already own them: mini clips, bobby pins, ponytail holders, headbands, clips, barrette's, Flexi-8's, etc. You are likely going to put your hair up or back at some point. Inevitable. Make sure you have some products you can live with to do that. Trust me. You may also want to clip your hair to give it volume on top so clips can be a lifesaver. Hit up the Goody or Scunchi isle's in your local CVS, Target, Walmart, or Walgreen's.

6. A diffuser or hard hat dryer. Whichever floats your boat. Peeps with very thick and potential-poof hair might want a hard hat dryer (I use and love Ion Conditioning Hard Hat dryer from Sally's). I use a diffuser more often on my hair--check out the Conair attachments for regular dryer's available at Sally's as those work well and are cheap $5-8.

7. A towel or something that functions as one. Either a curl towel OR use old Hanes type undershirts or other tshirts or flour sack towels. You won't be using regular terry cloth towel's on your hair and you need something to get some water out.

8. Ingredients to either make your own Flax Seed Gel OR to do DT's and soothe your scalp: Honey, Coconut Oil, Flax Seeds, strainer, Avocado Oil, Jojoba Oil, Tea Tree Oil, eggs, mayonaisse, avocado and more. No you don't have to be a Mixtress to do this-it's easy and you'll like using what you have on hand to have beautiful hair! Recipes are all over the net and on naturallycurly.com on the Recipes board.

9. If you have coarser hair you may want to invest in some butters or cream's that are moisturizing. This is where you start to go online. I recommend something like Karen's Body Beautiful or Shescentit for your butters and creams. We've also used Ohm Avocado Custard and Oyin's whipped pudding to good effect. Just google them. If you are a finer haired wavy or curly I recommend investing in a good protein treatment. There are numerous options like Nexxus Emergencee, Apoghee (may have cones) or one of the online like Hairveda's Methi set or Curl Junkie's Curl Fix. In addition if you are a wavy you may want to invest in a low-poo because many wavies need to low poo--there are many to chose from including the Giovannie or Trader Joe's shampoo's, EO shampoo's, and others you can get from a health food store or drug/grocery store.

10. If you want a curl creme or gel (and trust me you will) then check out any of the following (mostly online but Whole Foods in states other than CA have some Kinky Curly products and you might find the AG and Mop products in a local BSS or salon):

Kinky Curly Curling Custard, Donna Marie Mira Curl Curling Jelly, Amourai Organique Duchess of Curls, AG Re:Coil, Jessicurl Rockin' Ringlet's and Confident Coils, Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle, Coffee-Coco Curl Creme or Smoothing Gellee, or Mop C Curl Creme and Darcy's Botanical's Natural Coils Curling Jelly.

I've listed in order of importance IMHO. You can always use #1 as a rinse out conditioner as well until you figure out what your hair likes.

Hairveda Moist Condition Pro

Hairveda MCP -- How do I love thee? Let me count thy ways

1. As a fabulous rinse out conditioner that leaves my hair spiral'ing in the shower

2. As an oustanding leave-in that gives my hair the protein it loves without weighing it down

3. As a Deep Treatment (DT) with some heat applied to leave my wurls all moisturized and bouncy

This is my favorite conditioner. Don't let the looks deceive you -- this Plain Jane looking bottle hides a real workhorse of a conditioner inside. It leaves my hair moisturized but not over conditioned. I don't look for slip in a conditioner because my hair does not tangle. I look for a condish that "grips" my hair so that I can get the curls to hold. If a conditioner makes my hair too soft it will pull out all my curl -- leaving me with barely wavy hair.

At about $8 for 16oz the price will leave you smiling as well. This can take a little while to get after you order since they make it up for you so patience is the key. While you're over there shopping you might want to give a try to some of their other products like the SitriNillah Deep Conditioner , CoCasta Shikakai Oil , and Amala Shampoo and Cream Rinse. The picture in my Piki up top of the blog is with Hairveda Moist Condition Pro and Darcy's Botanical's Natural Coils Curling Jelly. Best. Hair. Day. Ever.

Look for reviews on other Hairveda products in the near future. I only have samples of several of them so will wait until I get the full size to do a full review. I can tell you that I currently love all those I mentioned above. Great smell, great price, great ladies over there at HV.

www.hairveda.com

Nuff' said.

Amourai Organique

I've used 4 products from the A.O. line and have liked 3 of them!

Silver Spoon Shampoo: This is a SLS and paraben free shampoo. It's a goldish/yellow and smells lightly of mint (spear or pepper I can't tell which). It's quite gloopy, almost like a jelly, and it jiggles in the container (so it's kind of fun to watch LOL). This shampoo left my hair clean but it felt kind of stripped--as if I'd pulled quite a lot of moisture out along with the dirt and pollution. After I finished my hair had that telltale very squeaky clean sound. It has protein so those who are protein sensitive might want to be judicious with use. I will use it again but it is not a daily product for me. This is an excellent poo to use when you've had oil or some other substance in your hair overnight in a DT.

Knight in Shining Armour Hair Mask: At first I didn't care too much for this. It has the same type of lavender-minty smell as Duchess of Curls. This conditioner is paraben free--for many who are looking for a condish without paraben this is one you should try. Although it says it is a hair mask (to me this = Deep Treatment) I found it's best use to be a leave-in. Since it has protein and coconut, both things my hair loves, it did a great job as a light leave-in. I have not tried this with heat applied for a DT so perhaps it is better that way.

Royal Revive Liquid Moisturizer: This product just did not cut the mustard on either my hair or my daughter's. In my hair it didn't really do much except create an oily mess and for my daughter she could not get past the smell and the fact that it left her hair sticky. Although I genuinely like the rest of the line I've tried this one is not a repurchase. If your hair can handle oils and you like a more herbal smell you could certainly give this product a try.

Duchess of Curls:

THE BEST FOR LAST.

This is a HG (Holy Grail!) styling product. When I use it I am virtually guaranteed great curls that have volume and body. DOC works equally well on my more ringlet prone underneath hair as well as my straighter canopy. IMHO it is really user friendly as I've used widely varying amounts and never had a hot mess. It seems like it also imparts a bit of moisture to your hair.

This is not a heavy product--it does not weigh your hair down. For us fine haired wavies and curlies that is outstanding--as many curl creme's and gel's can be too heavy and we end up with limp and lifeless waves.

Overall this is a nice line. The names are very cute as are the packaging designs. My son enjoyed the "Knight" mask as he likes Knights and Castles and such. It states that the ingredients are organic--which goes a long way to justifying the fairly steep price tag since most products are at least $11 for 8 oz. The owner responds to questions very quickly and the site (at this time) offers free shipping if you spend $36 or more. That's a really good deal. I have not yet tried all the products but other than the mist we've been pretty happy with what we've used so far.

www.luvamourai.com

Qhemet Biologics non cream products

So there are 3 more products that we've used of Qhem's that merit a mention

Coco Tree Detangling Ghee: We use this stuff to detangle my daughter's hair. It smells like chocolate and is the texture and consistency of Diaper Cream (you know--the stuff for baby's behind's!). While chocolate diaper cream may not sound too great if you (or your child) get tangles this is a great product. It not only makes the comb glide through your hair like butta' BUT it also imparts moisture. A 2 for 1 that smells like chocolate? Count me in! The way we use this is by sectioning off my daughter's hair and doing each section separately. Great stuff!

Honeybush Tea Soft gel: This has a very strong smell and I lurve it! It's very citrusy and it does linger a bit (the only one of her products I've tried that does!). It moisturizes and adds some curl defintion. Notice I said definition and not enhacement--it does not give me more curls but it does help to make the ones I have clump nicely. It does not have enough hold for my hair so I use some hard holding gel over it. It is also not strong enough to lay down my daughter's edges nor can we use it if she wants to rock a pony tail or braids to get her hair smoothly in...so this is used mostly by me. If any of you use something like Aubrey Organics Mandarin Magic Jelly or pure Aloe Vera Gel on your hair this could be used in place of it...the function is very close.

Olive and Honey Hydrating Balm: This stuff is NOT just honey--I promise! When you open it and feel it you will think it is JUST HONEY. It's not. It is sticky, does smell quite olive oil like, and has humectant properties...but when you put it on your hair it will melt right in. It provides yet more moisture and is a staple for my daughter for summer. We use this on my daughter's hair layered under Qhem's BRBC and we are able to get 4-5 day hair.

In the pics you can tell which one is the OHHB and which one is the gel--the OHHB is the one that looks runny just like honey on my finger! The Gel is very watery and just leaves a bit of moisture behind almost like you wet your finger.
Excellent!

Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream

Amla and Olive Heavy Cream (AOHC)

First this stuff is what legends are made of. Serious.

Here's another wonderful cream. A word of caution: Fine and thin haired ladies/guys should opt for the Burdock Root Butter Cream instead of the AOHC. This stuff is HEAVY DUTY. If you have medium to coarse, thick, and very dry hair you really ought to give this a go.

The smell is lemony citrusy but like most of her other products it doesn't linger. It's very natural smelling. It is a heavy product--we use it on the ends of my daughter's hair and as a pre-poo treatment for when her hair feels exceptionally dry and straw like. You can use it on wet or dry hair but be aware it does cause a small amount of build up on T's hair if we use it daily in heavier amounts. So just watch the amount you are using.

My ex has very very very coarse hair and this is an amazing product for him--weird I know that I care about my ex's hair but whateva'--it leaves his hair soft for 2 days.

AOHC packs the HIGHEST wollop I've ever experienced in a hair care product as far as pure moisture to add softness. If you are closer to the coarse end of the spectrum and/or you have more highly textured hair this is a must buy product. There are plenty of youtube vid's that you can check out to get more info.

The Pikistrip above is a pic of my ex's hair with Qhemet Biologics Olive and Honey Balm and Amla and Olive Heavy Cream in. The first and third pic's are the B4 pictures. Look at how great it looks after and, although you can't see it in photo's, it is so much softer. He has type 3/4 very coarse and very dry hair.

Great product!

Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Butter Cream

BRBC

OMG. Serious amounts of WOW's abounded in our house when we tried Qhem's BRBC. This is true moisture ladies and gents...true moisture. You don't need a ton. It is a fairly thick but creamy textured cream that you can use on wet or dry hair. We use it on my daughter's hair to combat frizz, add tons of moisture, and help define her curls.

It is a pretty heavy product so the very fine and thin haired ladies might not be able to use more than a pea sized amount. I use it occasionally scrunched in for added moisture when the dew point and humidity drop.

How we use this: We section off my daughter's hair and apply a small (dime sized) amount to wet hair AFTER we comb her leave-in through her hair. We pay special attention to the ends as they get dry. We use this (about a nickel sized amount) in the mornings as well before I drop her at school to get rid of frizz and keep her hair moisturized.

The pic shows the large jar. The scent is sort of citrus but it's very light and does not linger at all. Since this is a smaller vendor be aware that she is occasionally out of stock and the product may take a little while to arrive on your doorstep. If you exercise a little patience I can tell you that you will fall in love just as we have with this wonderful wonderful cream! I think it's available on ground as well on the East Coast (NYC).

Jessicurl Stylers

Rockin' Ringlet's and Confident Coils Styling Solution

These two products confound me. The first two times I used them I got amazing curls--it turned my wavy hair to curly hair and held all day. I used a different brand conditioner as a rinse out both of those times. I then used them after using Jessicurl Gentle Lather Shampoo and Aloeba Daily conditioner and they were a dismal failure--my hair was all stringlets that were oily and producty and weighed down.

So I went back to the other shampoo and conditioner and have yet to be able to recreate the love I originally had. It may be that the oils in the product are too heavy or it may be my hair reacting to the mag sulfate. I'm not really sure. Or my hair could have changed or possibly the weather. The latter is less likely as I'm in SoCal and our weather is incredibly consistent.

I have tried each one alone--and found they are better that way for me now than together. Still my hair tends to be very stringy and if I do not watch the amount of product it looks very oily--the wet look and feel is not a good look for my fine and thin hair.

I cannot use these on my daughter due to the mag sulfate. Her hair is too dry to handle that amount of this ingredient. I'm going to be trying them over Christmas break to see if I can determine amounts, combo's, and so on. Since I make my own FSG (Flax Seed Gel) and that works great I suspect I can get the RR to work for me if I try it in different pairings. The Confident Coils Styling Solution I'm not too sure about--there is not enough hold for me and I'm not sure how much curl enhancing I get.

So for now the jury's out on these two. I'm hanging on to them to see if I can play around a bit more.

Jessicurl Conditioners

Aloeba, Weekly Deep Treatment, and Too Shea!

I LOVE THEM ALL!

Each one of Jessicurl's conditioners are huge winners in our house.

Aloeba is more of a daily conditioner IMHO--in the Island Fantasy the scent lingers just a little all day--enough to smell when you turn your head. It was very conditioning to me and provided plenty of moisture. It goes on very smoothly and you'll have no problems squeezing it out of the bottle. It's a medium texture product.

Too Shea! Is a much heavier duty conditioner. It comes in a jar and not a bottle--which is good in some ways and not in others. I find that I love jar's as I can get the last of the product out and I can see how much I have left (plus) but sometimes in the shower unscrewing the cover and scooping product out is not the most convenient thing (cons). A little goes a long way with this conditioner--and it has worked very well on both my daughter's fine to coarse textured hair that is very thick and dry as well as my much finer and thinner hair that is normal and not excessively dry.

Weekly Deep Treatment is exactly what it says--for use weekly as a DT--preferably with heat. I actually find the Too Shea to be as moisturizing as this one but either works fine. It's properties are much like Too Shea except it is a *little* thicker. As far as slip we found it sufficient to detangle my daughter's hair. We like to leave this in her hair overnight or for several hours with a towel wrapped around for the best benefit.

Again the scent's are up to you and we love the Island Fantasy one. You can see that the difference between the WDT (left pic above) and Too Shea! (right pic above) is very slight--with the WDT looking a bit thicker. They act almost the same on our hair.

Huge thumbs up for these conditioners! They are worth your time to order online!

Sweet Nature By Eddie Moisturizers

These are two cream's that are designed for use on hair or body.

The other pic is what the products come in--a nice little carrying bag!

Dream Cream Moisturizer is the one I actually use on my hair. I use it to SOTC (Scrunch Out the Crunch) caused by my hard hold gel's. It clumps my curls and provides a shot of moisture and my hair feels soft. It does not seem to impart any sort of sheen. The smell is out of this world good--I often use this on my elbows and arms before bed so my linen's smell like this all night. I love sweet smells and this is definitely one of them..the smell is very similar to her Inspiration Shampoo and Growth Spray.

Wisdom Moisturizer--this product was too heavy for my hair. While I can generally use many products designed for textures of hair different than mine I do occasionally run across one that flat out doesn't work for me. This is one of those.

After watching youtube reviews I realized I could use this on my son's excema. I did and NO LIE it disappeared overnite. Literally. Truth. Could-not-believe-it. Now I just put it on him after he bathes (2-3x week max) and so far no excema. This cream did what hundreds of dollars of prescription product couldn't--it provided enough moisture to keep the itchy scalies at bay. Since my son has other medical issues the problem of him scratching and potentially making spots bleed cannot be ignored. It is actually dangerous for him.

I am a forever customer for this product for my son's skin. I use it on my feet, elbows, knees, etc. It is a great body cream. It smells like chocolate which is a complete bonus!

As I mentioned in my first SNBE review you can get smaller sample sizes of these products so you can give them a try before a full size purchase. HIGHLY recommended!

Sweet Nature by Eddie Shampoo, Condish, Spray

I discovered Sweet Nature by Eddie products via youtube. There are several really excellent and fun reviews of her products there--so first go check them out!

Now that you've seen the reviews I'll add my thoughts.

First a word--I am very committed to supporting female owned businesses whether they be for a more mom and pop operation or whether they are manufactured products. The owner of SNBE has also gifted us with inspiration and uplifiting stories and quotes that are actually on her product labels. It's a little something that is greatly appreciated and gives her a unique niche in the world of natural hair care.

So on to the products:

Inspiration Shampoo--this is my favorite "low-poo". It doesn't have any SLS in it. The smell is divine--like juices and berries and fruit. It does lather but not as much as a shampoo with SLS in it. It gets my scalp clean and does not strip my hair at all. In fact after shampooing my hair does not feel as if I shampoo'ed it at all. Many low-poo's can still make my hair feel a bit stripped but not this one.

Love Deep Conditioner--I like this conditioner. It smells like other minty scented hair products. The scent to me is not that special. When I first tried it I didn't use any form of heat and considered this to just be an o.k. product--but nothing special. After reading a couple more reviews I realized that it's true use was really as a more deep conditioner and that the application of heat was essential to obtain the full benefit from the product. So I tried it. WHAT A HUGE DIFFERENCE! Not only did my hair feel unbelievably soft but I could feel the peppermint tingle working! So if you first use it without heat and don't think it's anything special do yourself a favor and add the heat element (put it on and put a hot towel on top of your cap or run around to generate body heat or sit under your dryer and so on).

The consistency is not thick which frankly was very surprising to me in a product labeled a deep conditioner. Normally they tend to be ultra thick and hard to distribute. This is not one of those so don't dismiss it without trying it.

Growth Spray--now we come to my very first love for any spray product for my hair. I have no idea how this spray works this well--by all accounts it should weigh my hair down as it is composed of many oils--but it doesn't. The spray comes out in a very fine mist that distributes evenly without saturating your hair. It smells scrumptious and it does linger a bit--so you might have folks telling you how good you smell. This is a very moisturizing spray that can also be used as a leave-in. I don't use this as a refresher spray as I don't really do second day hair (I need to experiment with my products!) but we use it frequently on my daughter's hair to tame frizz by putting moisture in her hair.

All three of these products are staples for me and in my main product rotation. I highly recommend giving them a try. You can order a small sampler pack to you don't need to invest in the full size products right away. She also ships quickly--so for those of you that know how long you sometimes have to wait for natural hair care products from other businesses I can say I've never waited longer than a week for shipment from Sweet Nature by Eddie. You can find her products on www.fabulousblackwoman.com

Enjoy!

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 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.