Coily Headed Chick’s Hair Perfection First Impression Review

This is not a full review! I will continue testing this product hopefully in the next 2 weeks before the temps get too low to go out with damp roots.

SO far I’m impressed by this gel. The first time I used it I wasn’t too impressed. I found it made my hair crunchy (which is normal) and dry. However, the first time, I tried it alone instead of with a leave in, ect.

However, this time I used less gel (about 2 pumps per section)! I also used a leave in and a butter or cream with the gel. I didn’t get a lot of crunch (I mean very little and mostly only on the ends of my hair).

Today I used it with:
 Organicals Deep Conditioning Crème (http://www.ingredientstodiefor.com/item/Organicals_Deep_Conditioning_Creme/1001/) - it’s a conditioner based sold by a website called Ingredients to Die For! Since it is a base (check out this video or the website to find out what a base is or to even purchase), I added honey, my Rosemary Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Vatika Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Grapeseed Oil mixture to it.



 Camille Rose Moisture Butter- see previous post. So far I like this better than the Almond Jai Twisting Butter. However I still have dry hair after using this. It feels really nice and has nice slip on wet hair though! It sorta foams too!

And of course Hair Perfection (Youtuber’s jcokes7 (CoilyHeadedChick) new hair product).

I must say this is the second time I got a nice, mostly frizz free, and soft wash n go when using a leave in, a cream or butter, and a gel. I’m loving my hair right now! I’m going to try and get at least 2 or 3 day hair with it. Hopefully, I can test it some more and get a full review out!

P.S.: When my phone charges I might come back with a pic of my hair!

Peace and good hair days everyone!

Product Review: Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter

Hey everybody! I know it’s been a while. Well a lot has happened! I moved upstate for Grad School in August. Classes started then too so I’ve been pretty busy! But since I’m sort of taking things slow with my course load this week, I thought I’d do a product review I promised months back!

Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter

Old Jar!

 

New Jar!

These picture aren't my own. I used up my jar so I couldn't take my own pics.

Now, I went out and purchased this butter after watching a demo and review by denimpixie on youtube. I was also intrigued by amla as a main ingredient. But, I cannot say how much I regretted this purchase. Now, the product is great for twist outs, it has great ingredients and the consistency is perfect. However, the moisture is not there. For me that is the most important thing for a twisting butter --especially since you might keep your hair twisted for several days. This butter makes my hair dry no matter what I put under it. I’ve even sealed it and there’s no change. 

Furthermore, I hate that the company changed all the ingredients of most (if not all) their products without notifying the public formally! I really was taken aback by that! I’ve tried most of the products form this line and there’s only 2 that are HG status for me (the Algae Deep Conditioning Mask and the Growth Oil). But since they changed the ingredients they might not be HG status anymore… But anyways, this review pertains to the original ingredients. I used up the jar that contains the original ingredients NOT the updated ingredients.

From Curl Mart:

NEW INGREDIENTS 06/04/2012:
almond milk, distilled water, aloe vera leaf juice, BTMS, almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, macadamia oil, hemp, honey, green tea, marshmellow root, amla, optiphen, natural fragrance.

OLD INGREDIENTS:
almond milk, distilled water, aloe vera leaf juice, BTMS, almond oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, brazil nut oil, amla oil, pumpkin seed oil, macadamia nut oil, baobab oil, honey, manketti oil, nettle, algae, L-cystine, xanthum gum, optiphen, fragrance

Where to Buy:  CurlMart, Camille Rose FB page, CR Website (which I do not recommend, it’s really sketch), Sage Naturalceuticals Website (http://www.sagenaturalceuticals.com/shop/Camille-Rose-Naturals-Almond-Jai-Twisting-Butter-8oz.html)

Moisture: Good/passable for about a day but by the next day my hair was dry as the Sahara desert.

Texture: Creamy, medium thick white cream.

Smell: It has the light smell of Vanilla Cake Batter! All their products basically smell like this except the oil.

Application: Easy. It absorbs very quickly! But if you apply too much it gets gunky.

Price: 8 oz: $15 ($16.50 at Sage)

Product Claims: “Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter contains nourishing ingredients to help decrease shedding and stimulate healthy hair growth. At the same time, providing maximum softness and long lasting hold to all your favorite natural hair styles. This thick and creamy medium weight butter is perfect for twist outs, braid outs and bantu knots. Can also be used to moisturize and cut down on frizz for wash and go styles.”

I only agree with the hold. Everything else is a no! I didn’t see less shedding or increased growth. It did soften the hair but that softness only lasts 1 day. 

Pros

Good slip

Great hold

Pleasant smell

Last long enough for several applications

Suitable for a topper/finisher for wash n gos (see wash n gos post)

Cons

Moisture doesn’t last long enough

Ingredients changed

Could be cheaper? (It does last a long time though)

If you use too much it makes the hair gunky and stiff (it might even leave a white cast)

I give this product

3 out of 5 stars

I only give it 3 stars because of the smell and the hold. It provides a nice set for twists out but I hate how it makes my hair feel dry. I put some in yesterday afternoon around 5pm and my hair was dry before I went to bed around 11:30pm. I’m glad I was able to use the whole jar BUT I have a similar product from this line called Moisture Butter. I’m trying to use up my stash so I’m been using products that have been opened… God I wish I never opened these products. 

I’ll write a review for other products from this line as well. I did a haul way back and I’ve only used up 3 items (this butter, the coconut rinse out condish, and the growth oil which I repurchased). If you guys want to compare the old and new ingredients for each product, go to CurlMart. They have the updated ingredients listed in the ingredients tab!

Well until next time! Peace, love and good hair days everyone!

For the Wash n Go Challenged

Hey guys! I know it has been a while. But April, May, and June have been hectic and trying for me. I graduated from college, stopped volunteering (on some bullshit…), and developed asthma. But now that things have settled down, I figured I should start posting again! I’m also a product reviewer for KinkyCurlyCoilyMe (as of last night)! So I’ll definitely be posting over there. Whenever I do, I will provide a link! 

Well on to the post…

Some naturals swear by wash n go’s. As for me, I ALWAYS had issues doing them. Either I would get tangles and SSKs, my hair would shrink and not flatter my face, or I would use certain gels and get hard, crunchy, dry hair. Well, I finally figured out a technique to eliminate this! I hope this helps anyone who has issues with getting a nice wash n go.

After cleansing (this should be done on clean, wet hair) apply a light but moisturizing leave in conditioner (I used Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair Nectar). While hair is still wet, apply a cream or creamy butter (I used Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter - Old Formula)! Then apply your gel while hair is still wet. Since I was afraid my hair would get hard, I opted for pure Aloe Vera Gel (Lily of the Dessert) which has a soft hold.

*Note: I started this process in the shower (leave in and butter) and ended in the kitchen (aloe vera gel).* 

I let my hair air dry and checked for moisture by touching lightly. For the most part, my hair was soft, moveable, WELL DEFINED, and fell in my face nicely. 

Now to preserve the style you can add a light refresher (a light leave in or spray leave in) and pineapple. I like to make two on both sides of my head so I can sleep more comfortably. I used Oyin’s Juices and Berries as a leave in spray and sealed with Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO). If you use a lotion type leave in, spray hair with water first, apply the leave in, and then lightly seal.

The next day my hair felt sorta dry in my jungle area (the sides near my ears). The rest of my hair felt relatively soft. So I refreshed with Curl Junkie Coco Cream Lite and sealed again. Today my hair feels sorta gunky. Next time, I won’t use so many different products and seal each time. But for the most part, 1^st and 2^nd day hear were wearable and soft (except for my jungle). For me, if my jungle stays moisturized after a day or two, I know the moisture content on the product is excellent. Unfortunately, I can’t say that for the Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter. I’m testing it out some more before I do a formal review. But so far, it’s not a staple or a re-purchase.

I’ll be back with more posts!

Peace!

Single Strand Knots Update

Back in January I wrote a post on SSKs (single strand knots)! I said I would update you guys on my progress in Feb... Well it's April so I thought I should do this little post! Lol

So far, I haven't developed many new ones! There are still left some left that I never cut. However, I have been moisturizing, sealing, and twisting nightly (with different products, I'll make a post about this sooner or later). I'm going to get a trim in the next 2 weeks for graduation, so after that I expect the SSKs to be next to nothing! So far, moisturizing and sealing really helps with the knots, so I'm trying to be a little less lazy and do it every night!  I'll update again in the next 2-3 months!

Oh by the way! I got accepted to SUNY Plattsburgh on the free tuition fellowship! So that's where I'll be going for grad school in the Fall! It's really cold up there (near Montreal, Canada) so I'm trying to use up as much glycerin based products and save my glycerin free products! I'm really excited!!!! ^.~

Peace out!

Battle of the Twist Out Creams and Butters

I originally did this in December so ignore the winter mumbo jumbo. I still think this is a good post. I still wish I had taken pics though. ~.~ Read on!

Well hey there guys! Since it’s winter time (and we’re all pretty low maintenance anyways) the twist out is the go to style when you don’t want to worry about styling your hair every day.

Also since it’s too cold in NY to do much else, I’ve been turning to twist outs more often. 

Well, unfortunately, I went a little crazy and purchased like 6 items that you can do twist outs with. ~.~ Since I like them all so far, I figured it would make sense to test each out at the same time and see which one was the best!

Well let’s do this!

The contenders are:

Shea Moisture’s Curl Enhancing Smoothie (SM)

Curl Junkie’s Coffee-Coco Curl Cream (CJ)

Oyin’s Whipped Pudding (Oyin)

Uncle Funky’s Extra Butter (UF)

What I did:

I sectioned my hair into four sections. Then I applied and twisted each section with product. As I added product I used my knock off Demnan brush (it’s from Goody) to make sure each section was smooth. 

Here’s how I applied them

Oyin    | Front Right: SM

______|_________

UF       | Back Right: CJ

            |

The Results!

*Drum roll please*

The winner is:

SHEA MOSITURE’S CURL ENCHANCING SMOOTHIE!

Why this one?

Well, after 4 days, my twist out is less fizzy, more defined, and pretty moisturized!!!

The Curl Junkie was the worst (probably because of the protein and how I used it). It gave great curl definition but it has a waxy feel to it. I think it is supposed to be used for wash and gos. So oopppps!

The runner up was Uncle Funkys! I felt it gave me looser curls than the other ones and was very moisturizing as well. However, it frizzed up like a mother #%^$ *gasp*! 

The Oyin was a close 3^rd. It frizzed up and loss the curly texture 1st. I’m not sure why? When I did it on my whole head it lasted much longer. Lol I’m thinking about using the Oyin as an overnight moisturizer because it keeps giving me flakes as well… I guess that’s one way to deal with this issue.

Well, I’m glad the Shea Moisture won because you can get it on the ground, I have two tubs in my closet, and it smellllllls sooooooo gooooood!

Well, see you guys later! I shall return! ^.~

Don't Let Me Get On My Soap Box!

So I just had to rant about this... Well read on if you dare.

I went to Panera Bread with my bestie to study for exams back in Nov. When I approached the counter to order my mac n cheese (fattening but awesome), the cashier said, “Ohhh your hair looks really cute!” I smiled and thanked her (I had just taken down my twists that day). I did sorta give her a side eye because she had bone straight hair. But much to my surprise, she said, “I cut mine off so it can grow back curly. I messed up the first time. This time it should come in curlier.” Then she proceeded to take off her wig (I’m telling you, it looked like her real hair) and showed me her shaved head. Now… At this point my heart ached for her. I said, “Wow you’re brave…” and before I could tell her that wouldn’t change anything she was done processing my order. 

The moral of the story?

I don’t know what it is with black women and curl pattern… but this is getting out of hand. So many women are misguided about their hair. We see Youtubers go through their hair journeys and rave about products defining their curl pattern and we believe we’ll have the same hair. 

But NO my hearts! This is a fantasy!

If you don’t have a curl pattern, you DON’T have one. And enough of this bullshit about black girls with a curl pattern have good hair, or mixed ancestry.

NO sweetie!

You get what you get. I’m fat! You don’t see me going around saying skinny people have better genes than me and the like.

So stop being jealous, and ignorant.

Educate yourself and the rest will follow!

There is no such thing as “good hair.” Sorry, you’ll just have to love what you got. Do you know how much time this cashier wasted on her natural hair journey? She could have more hair and more options if she just embraced what was growing out of her head. 

OH and one more thing! 

So many naturals try to act all righteous when a relaxed sister continues to relax their hair and not join the natural hair movement. But some natural women (*cough* the ones who MUST have a curl pattern *cough*) suffer from the same complex they did when they were relaxing. 

SOME New Natural Sisters: “If I go natural, my hair will be unprocessed but CURLY and cute.”

SOME New Relaxed Sisters: “If I relax my hair, it’ll be STRAIGHT, long, and flowing.”

In both cases, altering their kinky hair to something they consider more desirable is the main objective. Both choose to alter their hair because they believe their kinky hair isn’t acceptable. However, in the case of natural hair, when some women find out they don’t have curly kinky hair, they flip out. 

“OMG! I don’t have curly hair so I only have nappy, afro textured hair… I cut off all my hair for this?”

Listen, 4c hair is just as beautiful as 4a hair (or whatever typing system you go by, there are several). I’m supposedly 4a BUT I wear my hair in an afro puff and afro 85% of the time. I embrace my afro texture along with my curly texture. Just love your hair. If you don’t love your hair, why should anyone else?

Get over this curl pattern business. Love your hair for what it is.

Peace out!

Darcy’s Botanicals Vanilla Delight Daily Leave-In Review

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with a lot of products. I got a B.A.S.K Beauty haul, a Camille Rose haul, and I broke out some glycerin filled products I crammed to the back of my shelves during the colder months.

Also, I’ve been dissatisfied with my leave in condishes (esp. the Oyin Hair Dew which has been iffy with me lately). I mean, my hair was dry like no other after a day or half a day – something I’m not used to. So taking note of the weather outside, I broke out this Vanilla Delight Daily Leave In. And now, I’m officially in love! 

When I first tried this leave in the winter I was totally in like with it. But since it was so cold out (the glycerin… ~.~), I knew I couldn’t use it… But with the warmer temps, this leave in has been the bomb biggity! I mean, all I do is spray some water (with grapeseed and olive oil mixed in) on my hair, and throw some of this leave in on top. My hair is soft, bouncy, and touchable!  

So let’s get down to the specs!

 

Where to Buy:  http://darcysbotanicals.com/, http://www.curlmart.com/brand/darcy-s-botanicals/

Moisture: EXCELLENT!

Texture: Very light. It easily moves in the bottle. *This is why I didn't bother to take a pic of the texture. It's soooo light and runny!*

Smell: It has the light smell of Vanilla!

Application: Easy. Be careful though! It’s easy to be heavy handed!

Price: 8 oz: $12, 16oz: $20.

Product Claims: “Darcy's Botanicals NEW Daily Leave-In Conditioner will tame your frizzies, provide healthy conditioning, moisture, softness, and will make your hair easy to detangle!”

So far, I agree with everything but the frizzes. I didn’t really use it for that. And usually I use pomade to smooth down my hair occasionally. But I will be testing that out in the coming weeks.  

Pros

Great slip, very moisturizing, great smell, affordable. Slicks down old and frayed ends pretty well! 

Cons

Hmmm… it’s so light sometimes a lot more comes out than you might have wanted. But this is a very minor con. Perhaps the 16 oz would be perfect since it has a pump. 

This brand has become one of my favorites along with Shea Moisture! I also love their Madagascar Vanilla Styling Cream! I’ll be reviewing that with an interesting post very soon! *^.~ lol

Once I’m done narrowing down companies and finalizing my Holy Grail List, I know this brand will be one of my go to brands.  Their stuff just agrees with my hair! Love it!

~.^ Well peace out, I’ll be back very soon! ^.~

Donna Marie Dream Curling Creme

Once again sorry for the sporadic posts! Applying to grad school is taking up a lot of my time. Hopefully, I’ll get in somewhere!! I recently got called for an interview upstate in Plattsburgh NY! If my essay is chosen I'll even get free tuition!!! Uber Excited! ^.~

Well, today I'm here with a product review... This particular company and product has a pretty loyal following... and I feel like I'm the only one who DOESN'T like their products.  So to balance out the good, here I am with the bad *gasp*. 

Donna Marie Dream Curling Creme

Smell: Vanilla Cake! Smells pretty good!

Texture: Smooth, thicker than pudding.

Moisture: I give this two thumbs down… Doesn’t beat Shea Moisture, Darcy’s, or Curl Junkie in that department… I even put a leave in under it sometimes!  The only thing that made it moisturizing was layering Curl Junkie Beauticurls Leave In and Donna Marie Hair Whip underneath it… That’s too much layering just to get moisture when I can use one product and get the same or an even more moisturizing effect. 

Application: It’s good. It’s sturdy so it doesn’t fling everywhere. 

Product Claims: Ok this prides itself on CURL DEFINITION and MOISTURE. But I only get the curl definition. It says it’s a “moisture packed and rich styling cream” designed to give “extra hold.” Again, I get the hold and definition but not enough moisture for me…  

Pros: The smell. It smells like Vanilla Cake! It does have great curl definition!

Cons: Not moisturizing enough! It might be too heavy for me but it leaves a film or a cast on my hair that I DO NOT LIKE! If you use too much you get CRUNCHY HAIR! Grrr… This is the same reason I DON’T LIKE GEL. Lol 

With that I give this…

Overall Rating: 2 ½ out of 5. 

For something that prides itself on moisture… this product doesn’t deliver in that department for me… I just don’t care for it. I’ve tried it on damp, freshly shampooed hair, with a leave in and without a leave in, and on dry and wet hair for twists… It just doesn’t deliver… Lol

You can try it… but I must say, this is the first product I’ve tried that I didn’t like. I mean, I’ve tried a lot. And sometimes you might not like a product for its intended use but find another use for it. I just can’t find one for this. I only gave it 2 ½ because of the smell and easy application.

Anyways! I won’t buy again! I just don’t like it…!   

2 for 1 Deal! (Part 2) Product Review: Shea Moisture’s Purification Masque

Hey guys! I'm back with your 2nd piece! Lol  *This time I’m using my own pics of the product!*

I believe Shea Moisture is pretty popular. So if you want more info, I suggest you go to their FB page.  

Smell: Love it! It smells like candy to me (PEZ Candy). ------>  

Others hate it… because it smells like bananas to them. Well it does have plantain extract. But I love plantains so meh!  

Texture: Smooth, sorta runny. It’s sorta like instant pudding.

Moisture: AWESOME! Even after you rinse it out your hair is soft! 

Application: Easy to Medium. Sometimes if you move your hand too fast the product might drip somewhere else. 

Product Claims: This product is said to remove build-up and prevent itchiness, ect. I agree with the build up removal. I had stopped shampooing when I started using this and I never had build up. But, I still have problems with itchy scalp. But honestly... I forget to put the product directly on my problem areas sometimes... MY BAD! But when I do, it does help. Lol 

Other Notes: It has tea tree oil (some people are sensitive to it), it’s protein free, glycerin free, organic, and pretty inexpensive (I got it during a Walgreens BOGO sale so I paid $4.99 for some, $0 for some, and $9.99 for some… the sale price was a fiasco…. But meh).  Also it has Kaolin Clay so you CANNOT leave this in. If you want to leave this in get the Balancing Condish from this line (it’s awesome as well and I will review it soon).

 

I’ve been using this DC since the summer. I've overnight DC'd, regular DC'd, dry DC'd, and wet DC'd with it. I've even added heat! It's great for everything! I’m on my third jar and I have six in my closet as backup! It’s on my Holy Grail list and I love it! It has AWESOME SLIP (probably because of the coconut oil as the 2^nd ingredient)! I mean as soon as you put it on, the tangles just melt away. No need to use a comb, finger combing will suffice. It’s easy to rinse out and the smell doesn’t linger in your hair (especially important if you don’t like it).

Overall Rating: I give this a 5 out of 5. 

I’ve yet to find a DC that will replace this one. I thought the Curl Junkie Banana and Hibiscus Deep Fix DC was going to but NOPE. I figured they do the same job but Shea Moisture is cheaper and has a different smell. 

Peace out! I'll be back next week! ^.~