Category Archives: Reviews

May24

A Dream Deferred

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A Dream Deferred

Curlformers Hook Down!!

Ummmmm … see, what had happened was …

So yeah. I just got home a little while ago and decided that it was time to see if the long & wide Curlformer curlers were long enough to set my hair. I pulled the almost two year old box out from under the bathroom sink, dusted it off and cut open the corner of one of the four sealed bags of curlers to remove one. Then, I grabbed the two pieces of the hook and attempted to assemble the little knitting needle like device. The little bugger wasn’t snapping together, so I pushed the two pieces really hard and … it snapped alright. Snapped right in half.

Frick!!!!!

Not to be denied in my quest to discover the truth … I put the two broken pieces together by inserting them into opposite ends of a curler and confirmed what I had suspected anyway …

Ummmm … yeah … this ain’t gonna work. The curlers are too short for the length of my hair and it’s not even stretched to the full length. Chy’s Curlz shared this post with me a couple of weeks ago, because she had ordered the knock-off Curlformers that only came in short and wide. She figured she could use the technique demonstrated in the post when her hair got longer. The blogger in the post demonstrated how to use two Curlformers to set hair that is longer than one curler. That being said, I doubt that I’d have enough rollers in the kit of 40 long and wide and 6 short and wide to set my entire head, if I had to double up most of them.

That being said … guess there won’t be any Curlformers set this weekend. When I did a length check on my pressed hair in February, my longest lengths ranged from 22-23″. It’s been a few months, so I probably gained about 1 1/2 inches since then, but I’ve also cut about 3″ from the longest lengths. The blogger in the above post indicated that the extra long and wide curlers are good for hair up to 22″ long. Therefore, I think that they should work. I don’t have the receipt for this set anymore, but I’m going to see if I can get a store credit/exchange for the extra long and wide. Hopefully they’ll have pity on me as it’s obvious that the set was never used and the hook broke in the first attempt to assemble it. Guess we’ll see! If they won’t do anything for me … I know what the June giveaway is going to be!! LMBO!!

May24

Hair Steamer

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Hair Steamer

by Nia of Ask Nia B

Dear Nia B,

I recently purchased a steam dryer. I researched it & debated it for months. In the end I concluded it is an investment. But how often should I use it? Can I use it too much? Is it true now that I have the steam dryer, I don’t have to pay a lot of money on my conditioners because the dryer is going to do the work regardless? Should I do a pre poo now that I have the dryer? I think that’s enough questions for now :) .

Happy & Natural,
AL
Hi Happy & Natural

Congratulations on your hair steamer purchase! Now let’s get down to business!

How often should you use a hair steamer?
This is a very good question. If your hair is damaged, using a steamer once a week during your conditioning session may be necessary. If your hair is healthy, this level of frequency may not be necessary and twice a month during your conditioning session is sufficient. I’d say start off using your steamer once a week for about a month. The next month, steam twice a month. If you liked the way your hair “behaved” with your once a week steaming, continue with that. If you noticed the same results when you steamed twice a month, then it’s safe to say you’re fine steaming twice a month. You may need to continue to adjust/test the once or twice a month routine until you understand what your hair needs.

Can I use it too much?
I don’t think it would be necessary to use your hair steamer, say, everyday (in which case may be too much!). This question ties into the above one. Say for instance you feel that steaming once a week, twice or even once a month during your conditioning session is beneficial to your hair, then you’re not using the hair steamer too much. When I say beneficial, I mean you notice a positive change in the way your hair looks and feels. But, if you notice your hair is not “right” and seems “off” since you started using the steamer, chances are you’ve used it too much and need to reduce the frequency.

Is it true now that I have the steamer, I don’t have to pay a lot of money on conditioners because the dryer is going to do the work regardless?
Whether you choose to buy cheaper or expensive conditioners is a personal choice. The steamer – along with the conditioner you use, will work together for the benefit of your hair. The warm steam will help open up your hair’s cuticle, which will allow your hair to receive all the beneficial ingredients found in the conditioner. So, in a nutshell, I’d say use a conditioner that will benefit your hair along with the steamer to optimize your results – regardless of cost.

Should I do a pre-poo now that I have the steamer?
Pre-pooing for some people helps to soften the hair and makes detangling the hair a bit easier before shampooing – or whatever cleansing method is used. It also adds an extra layer of oil or moisture to the hair that sometimes gets stripped away during the shampooing process (depending on the product used during this step). So, because the pre-poo step happens before you cleanse your hair and will most likely be rinsed away during the cleansing process, if you’ve been doing a pre-poo, I see no reason to stop. I’d like to add, you have to do what works for your hair. Try doing a pre-poo and steaming; the next time don’t pre-poo and use the steamer. See how your hair responds. If you like the results with pre-pooing, keep doing what you have been. If you don’t notice a big difference, skip the pre-poo and save yourself some time!

Xs and Os
Nia B

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Do you own a hair steamer? If so, how often do you need to use it and when, to get the best results, and maximum benefits?

May23

Why I LOVE African Black Soap for Skin and Hair

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Why I LOVE African Black Soap for Skin and Hair

by Journey Mahogany

Don’t let your eyes fool you. Many have misconstrued the photo below for a blondie and, although this soap only contains the “yummiest” ingredients (i.e. shea butter, palm kernel oil, cocoa pod ash and coconut oil), I wouldn’t eat it ….  lol.

There are many variations of true African Black Soap (ABS). But for the purposes of this entry, I will focus on the kind that I use, which is handmade in the West African country of Ghana and typically looks like this:


NOTE: The soap’s color isn’t black.

So why do I love it??

There are so many things to love about African Black Soap; in fact, it changed my life. Ok, I’m being a bit dramatic, but I do use it to wash my face, body and my hair with beautiful life changing results! Yep, ABS is THAT versatile and THAT good.

It is THE only soap that has worked to completely clear, moisturize, tone and brighten my sensitive skin; and trust me, I definitely have sensitive, problematic skin. ABS has also done an exceptional job at cleansing, moisturizing and detangling my THICK, kinky curly hair and at keeping what I use to consider a dry, itchy scalp at bay.

So how do I use it on my skin?
I either lather some soap in my hands or a washcloth, rub on my face and body and rinse … nothing major. Since the soap is organic, I would be careful about rubbing the soap on my skin as it may have bits of harden cocoa pod ash and other matter that may scratch a little.

And how do I use it on my hair?
I create a shampoo by boiling water, grating the appropriate amount of soap over the water and letting it thicken overnight. I store it in an empty Kinky Curly Knot Today bottle and use it as a regular shampoo. The initial ratio of soap to water I decide to use and whether I decide to add oils or other ingredients will determine how thick it gets — it is a personal preference. The shampoo can also double as a body wash and should be stored in a refrigerator in between uses.

You may be wondering how a soap does all that in one? I am no chemist but my guess is that it is all in the ingredients- there are no harsh skin/hair irritants in this soap..at..all.  In fact, this is probably one of THE purest skin and hair products you can ever purchase. Either that or maybe God blesses each and every one of them before they are shipped out…lol.

And how much does it cost? 
Being the frugal chick that I am, I have never paid more than $2.75 for a bar of African Black Soap since I try to catch it on sale and buy it in bulk.

So there you have it.  This is my beauty secret for the day.

Want to learn more about African black soap? How it works? What are the pros and cons? Then check out African Black Soap Part 2: How Does it Work.

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Have you tried African Black Soap?

May21

I ♥ Aubrey Organics!!!

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I ♥ Aubrey Organics!!!

This past Saturday I finally made time for a long overdue henna day.

Pre-Shampoo Deep Conditioning
On Friday night, I decided to take a leap of faith and do a pre-shampoo deep conditioner treatment with the Aubrey Organics GPB (Glycogen Protein Balancing) Conditioner mixed with Vatika Oil. Though it’s a protein conditioner and I was doing a henna treatment, I suspected that I could violate the cardinal rule to not use protein and henna at the same time for two reasons.

  1. I only henna my roots, so I could concentrate the protein conditioner on my length and go lighter on the roots that would get henna.
  2. I was doing the protein treatment prior to shampooing, so I would still be following the henna treatment and protein with a moisturizing deep conditioner.

I slept in the treatment overnight and, on Saturday at around 1 pm, I set out all of my henna and indigo supplies and hopped in the shower. I rinsed the AO GPB/Vatika Oil combo and my hair felt strong, sleek and smooth! SCORE!! It wasn’t hard or brittle at all, it just felt good! After rinsing the deep treatment, I placed my hair into 6 loose twists and shampooed with diluted DevaCare No Poo (again, diluting the shampoo with water makes it go on so much easier, more thoroughly and aids in detangling). I rinsed that and then applied Herbal Essence Hello Hydration to thoroughly finger detangle before rinsing and hopping out of the shower. Again, detangling was a total breeze. I can’t tell you how awesome that feels as my hair had started to become a struggle to detangle and I thought that it was due to the added length and wear and tear. What a difference Aubrey Organics makes!!! I am in love (I even begged Wei to let me put it in his hair on Sunday for a pre-poo DC before he hit the shower so that he could see what I was talking about!!! I was just so excited about it. I don’t think he was too impressed though ;) . Of course, he didn’t condition after he shampooed either. Men. *lol*).

Henna/Hendigo
Now on to the henna/hendigo treatment. I reeeeeeeaaally didn’t feel like adoing a two step treatment,which at the minimum adds another 1 1/2 hours to the process, so I decided to give hendigo another whirl. I applied straight henna (mixed with honey and Sally’s GVP Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm) to the center top roots of my hair. Then I applied what I think was about 2/3 indigo mixed with 1/3 henna to do the sides and back of my hair (again, roots only) in hopes that it would make them a dark brown. Finally, I applied Sally’s GVP MBCB to the untreated length of my hair and sat under my heat cap for a full 4 hours. #FAIL … AGAIN.

Ugh. So, it looks like I have no option if I want dark brown/black hair in some areas. I can’t take the shortcut. I have to do the two-step henna/indigo process *sigh*.

Anywho, though the hendigo was a bust, the length of my hair that had conditioner on it was so smooth and sleek!! The parts with henna had the typical, post henna, dry, hay-like feel. As it seemed the Sally’s GVP MBCB worked wonders on my length, I decided to pull out the jar of the real deal that I picked up many months ago on sale at Ulta!! Although it isn’t formulated as a deep conditioner, it seemed to work great! So, I applied it heavily to my henna treated hair and very lightly to the length. Then, I sat under the heat cap again.

After an hour, I removed the heat cap and allowed my hair to cool for about 10 minutes. Then, I pulled out my other new Aubrey’s acquisition, the Green Tea Cream Rinse. This is a different looking conditioning product. It has a light, minty green color and smells like mint green tea. The consistency is like Pepto Bismol, which was a surprise. I guess it is because the first ingredient is “coconut fatty acid cream base?”

What they say:

Want shiny, healthy-looking hair in a hurry? Fast-acting cream rinse infuses vital nutrients and rinses clean to help hair dry quickly for easy styling. Detangles on contact and controls flyaways to leave lengths silky and full and curls softly defined.

I diluted it with filtered water in a dye applicator bottle and applied it directly over the DC, then rinsed with cold water. Again, smooth, sleek, silky hair!!

Styling
Finally, I hopped out of the shower one last time and proceeded to gently and easily finger detangle and set my hair in 13 plump twists … yes, you read that right. THIRTEEN PLUMP twists! When does that happen on my fine hair?? I used AO Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner as my leave-in and sealed the ends with a JBCO/EVOO mix.

Wei and I then went out to dinner and those jokers had the nerve to be dry by the time we got home a couple of hours later. AGAIN, another “never” event for my hair!! The hits just kept coming!!

 Since my twists were dry, I decided to release them and found a very defined, but soft and silky twist-out!

Could have used some more fluffing, but it worked. I can’t wait until I fully transition out my thinner ends!

And that’s it!! Aubrey Organics is a KEEPER!! My PJ ways may be over y’all! I’ll probably still try other things to give reviews, but I really think that the products in this line are going to be my staples/holy grails!! I mean, have you seen Jasmine and Zhara’s hair?!?! The proof is in the pudding!! I ordered one other product that I’ve yet to try, the Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo. I didn’t want to strip my hair too much as I was doing a henna treatment. So, I didn’t use it this wash day. But, I want to try it this upcoming Friday in order to get nicely clean hair for my first Curlformers attempt!! We’ll see!! I don’t know if I should be experimenting with a Meet-Up on the line! LOL!!

Oh, and lastly, I put my dryer together on Sunday! It was very easy to assemble. Test drive pending.

Don’t get it twisted. I assembled it! He’s just Vanna White;).

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINES!! WISHING YOU ALL A WONDERFUL MONDAY!

May14

Pre-Wash Deep Conditioning and a Braid-Out

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Pre-Wash Deep Conditioning and a Braid-Out

Okay, I am officially an Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose (AOHSR) Conditioner convert!! OH EM GEE!! On Saturday morning, I melted some Vatika oil and mixed it with AOHSR. I globbed the mix on my dry, stretched hair and smooshed it down the length, but didn’t detangle. Once I worked the conditioner through and ensured that my hair was thoroughly coated, I bunned and donned a baggie while I hopped in the shower. Then, I got dressed, removed the baggie and went about my day. That evening, I placed my hair into 6 twists and hopped in the shower to shampoo with DevaCare No Poo diluted with water (thanks to Bdanni of mightyfinenatural for this tip! It makes my DevaCare even more awesomer!!).

My hair was sooo smooth and soft and felt virtually tangle free through the length. But, after rinsing the Deva Care No Poo, I still applied HE HH to each twist, one by one.  Then, I started with the first twist and thoroughly finger detangled. Given that I hadn’t detangled at any stage prior to this, you’d think that this would have been a little tough. Not at all!! My roots were the most tangled, but I was able to get through them very easily.

Once I finished detangling and re-twisting each section, I rinsed with cold water. I exited the shower, blotted with a Curl Cloth and then applied my modified kimmaytube leave-in (1 tsp jojoba oil only) to each section and decided to braid my hair for a braid-out! I don’t think I’ve done a wet braid out since I’ve been natural, to tell you the truth! LOL! Oh, and as an afterthought, I applied Wonder Curl Butter than Love (BTL) Pudding down the length of each braid. You see, it hit me, I’d been somewhat doing the L.O.C. Method on my TnCs when I used the kimmaytube leave-in (the “L” and the “O”) and then BTL (the “C”). So I thought, what the heck? Next time, I’ll apply BTL before braiding.

 Once I finished braiding, I set the ends of each braid on big doobie pins to seal and curl. Then, I tied a satin scarf around my edges and hit the sack. I didn’t release my hair until around 2 p.m. on Sunday. As usual, my hair was still slightly damp, but actually wasn’t as wet as usual as I didn’t apply as much leave-in as I usually do. In fact, I was surprised how close to dry it was as my hair was very wet when I applied the leave-in and braided it. Anywho, when I released the braids, my hair was very defined and oh so soft. It lost some of the definition once I fluffed since it wasn’t fully dry. But, as you know though, I don’t mind sacrificing definition for big hair ;) .

I re-braided Sunday night with a new acquisition and sealed with JBCO. I’ll reveal the new product with a results posts tomorrow ;) . (On another note, I need to henna in the worst kind of way! I really planned to do it this weekend, but it was sooo nice out after 2 weeks of overcast skies! I just couldn’t bear to stay in to henna. But, I know what I’ll be doing this upcoming weekend!!)

Okay, now back to Aubrey Organics. Ladies, I am so sprung on this conditioner!! Mixing it with Vatika Oil and washing with diluted DevaCare No Poo seems to be a match made in heaven!! And, as I previously indicated, I love pre-pooing and deep conditioning in one fell swoop, with the bonus of being done with one round in the shower!! No going back in or having to use the kitchen sink to rinse!! In fact, I’m so sprung, that I went back to Jasmine’s November GOC update to figure out what shampoo she uses and ordered the Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo, the GPB Conditioner, the Green Tea Finishing Cream Rinse and another bottle of Honeysuckle Rose from the Aubrey website (I should have researched a little better first though, each product is about $2 cheaper on Vitamin Shoppe’s site)!! Anywho, I really want to see how the products from this line work together!! If they are anything like AO HSR, I may really give up my PJ ways y’all and retire a lot of stuff!!

Okay, let me not get ahead of myself. But, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about a product!! Keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be as blown away by the other offerings in the line!!

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 When was the last time that you were blown away by a product? What was it and why did it turn your grey skies blue ;) ?

May7

Botticelli Botanicals: Winner’s Results

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Botticelli Botanicals: Winner’s Results

Last month, Anne won the Botticelli Botanicals Giveaway, which included bottles of the Foolproof Formula Flax Gelee and Styling Mudd. Now she’s back to share her results with the Gelee!! Thanks Anne!!

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Hi! I wanna show you my hair. I love this Foolproof Formula Flax Gelee from Botticelli Botanicals. This really defines my hair and make the scalp feel great. I just joined the Curly Girl Challenge using conditioner and gel and this is amazing. I used a little Tresemmé Naturals. I don’t leave a lot in like most do, it was barely a quarter amount. I just deep conditioned with it and a little olive oil overnight, then rinsed this morning leaving the quarter amount. I sectioned with four clips and did as the Gelee directions say and raked it through small sections. I placed the magnetic clips in the front until it dried just to hold it in place.

Wet

Dry

I’ve been natural for 10 months and, honestly, this is the first time I have worn my hair all down. It’s usually in a ponytail, twists, braids or a protective sew-in. Thank you so much for allowing me to win this product.

May4

Salon Hair Dryer on Wheels

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Salon Hair Dryer on Wheels

Alright, it’s been almost two years coming. I’ve been eyeing this dryer since 2010, when I came across this thread on the CurlyNikki forums: Pibbs 514 Dryer. The thread was about the Pibbs dryer and whether it was worth the $300 investment. One poster responded:

I can’t say whether or not it gives the same exact results as the Pibbs because I’ve never tried the Pibbs but the SalonsRus salon dryer on wheels is amazing imo. It dries my roller set hair in an hour/hour 15 minutes max. With my old table top dryer it took over 2 hours (not really sure because I never stayed under long enough for it to dry completely). It also has an air control dial which allows you to change the direction of the circulating air so that all of your hair gets dry. It has a timer and also a temp setting. I can sit under the dryer without feeling like I’m in Hades. And the best part is it’s less than half the price of the Pibbs. I highly recommend it as an alternative. … [G]ot it online at salonsrus.com. They offer free shipping too (to anywhere in the continental U.S.).

Well, I went to the salonrus.site, which is now LCLBeauty.com, and located the dryer. The features listed were:

  • 1200 Watts of Professional Power
  • Durable Plastic Hood
  • Adjustable Height
  • Adjustable thermostat heats up to 165 degrees
  • Timer with automatic shut-off
  • Smooth casters for easy mobility

It was $99, but out of stock. When I returned to the site, it was back, but I waited too long and the price increased to $129.77 (shipping to the US was still free though). So, I bookmarked the site and there the dryer sat, collecting dust, for almost two years as I attempted to locate additional reviews and/or a cheaper, but effective, alternative. Neither search was very fruitful.

So, last year, I decided to give the Gold N’ Hot Soft Bonnet Dryer a whirl after Marsha’s review of it as it was cheaper and easier to return if it didn’t work (see here). The dryer worked okay, but wasn’t phenomenal as I still struggle with TnC sets that never dry. Also, it was a no go for an ApHogee Two Step Protein Treatment as the bonnet rested against and started to stick to my drying hair. If you know anything about the two step, you know that you don’t want to have to pry it from your dried hair.

So, after my protein treatment in February, I started thinking about a hard bonnet dryer once again as I knew I would need one if I didn’t want to use a hand dryer (heat is required for the ApHogee Two Step Treatment). I went as far as actually buying one of the Gold N’ Hot Hard Bonnet Dryers on Wheels at Sally’s. But, I immediately returned it after it rang up for the $99 sale price without the 20% discount. The cashier decided to tell me that my coupon didn’t work on sale equipment AFTER she rang up the purchase. I was so peeved, I told her that I didn’t want it without the discount.

And so we come to today. The Gold N’ Hot dryer was on sale for $99 again at Sally’s. I hit the crack spot to pick up Wild Hair Growth Oil in the white bottle (I purchased the “Light” in the yellow) and started eyeing the dryer under the sales table again. I asked about returns and was advised that there was a 20% re-shelfing fee. I walked out with only the hair oil.

So, I’m sitting here playing around on FB and internet surfing and decide to click on my old bookmark. There it was, still $129.77 with free shipping. Impulsiveness set in and I did it!!! I FINALLY ordered the dryer.

Now … the waiting …

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Do you use a hard bonnet dryer? If so, which one and how does it work for you (ease of use, sufficient setting options, drying time, value for price, etc.)?

May4

Sunflower Oil for Hair

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Sunflower Oil for Hair

If you remember, as part of my GOC regimen, I indicated that I would start oiling my scalp with sunflower oil. This was because I went to a salon where the stylist recommended sunflower oil to reduce shedding. After some research, I found information that indicated that sunflower oil is a nice light oil for those with oily hair or fine hair that is easily weighed down (see articles here and here). However, I didn’t find anything to support that the topical application of this oil to the scalp reduces shedding or thickens hair. I did find that taking a teaspoon a day orally might provide these benefits though.

via LiveStrong.com

Nutrition

Sunflower oil contains gamma linolenic acid, which is an omega-6 fatty acid. Such fatty acids are essential to hair health, says Spencer David Kobren in his book, “The Truth About Women’s Hair Loss: What Really Works for Treating and Preventing Thinning Hair.” GLA also is effective in preventing hair loss from male and female pattern baldness as well as alopecia areata, which causes round patches of lost hair. Just 1 tsp. a day is all that’s needed, Kobren says.

In regard to topical hair application, I located a study that compared the protein retaining and hair strengthening properties of coconut oil to sunflower and mineral oils.

via NCBI.com

The findings clearly indicate the strong impact that coconut oil application has to hair as compared to application of both sunflower and mineral oils. Among three oils, coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product. Both sunflower and mineral oils do not help at all in reducing the protein loss from hair. This difference in results could arise from the composition of each of these oils. Coconut oil, being a triglyceride of lauric acid (principal fatty acid), has a high affinity for hair proteins and, because of its low molecular weight and straight linear chain, is able to penetrate inside the hair shaft. Mineral oil, being a hydrocarbon, has no affinity for proteins and therefore is not able to penetrate and yield better results. In the case of sunflower oil, although it is a triglyceride of linoleic acid, because of its bulky structure due to the presence of double bonds, it does not penetrate the fiber, consequently resulting in no favorable impact on protein loss.

After reading this information, I have decided that:

  • I will not use sunflower oil on my scalp.
  • May occasionally use it on my hair post-wash.
  • I will continue to use Vatika oil, which is primarily coconut oil, for pre-pooing.
  • I may start incorporating a teaspoon of sunflower oil a day into my diet (i.e. on salad).

So, what will I use on my scalp? I have decided to use Wild Growth Hair Oil (WHGO). Stay tuned for more on my research on that ;) )!!

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Do you use sunflower oil for your hair and/or scalp? If so, how and what has been your experience with it?

May3

Sofn’Free Nothing But Curl Wake Up Spray & Curly Pudding

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Sofn’Free Nothing But Curl Wake Up Spray & Curly Pudding

As I indicated the other day in this post, my plopping experiment didn’t go too well. After bunning to save the day, my hair was looking quite the mess when I took it down that evening.

So, I figured a dry twist and curl was in order and opted to try a couple more items from the Sofn’Free Nothing But line. I decided that I would try the Curly Wake Up Spray and Curly Pudding combo. If you remember from my review of the Mold & Hold Wax, this line is free of petrolatum, mineral oil, sulfates, parabens, colorants*.

Curl Wake Up Spray ($7.99)

Curly Pudding ($7.99)
*Click the hyperlinked product names to check out some great info about the ingredients on the Nothing But Hair Care site.

So, I placed my hair into 8 twists after spritzing lightly with the Curl Wake Up Spray and moisturizing each section with about a finger full of the Curly Pudding. The Curl Wake Up spray had a light, citrusy smell that I really liked. The Curly Pudding didn’t have too much of a scent at all. It was white and had a lightly whipped consistency that was neither runny nor too heavy. After twisting all of the sections, I set the last couple of inches of each twist onto small red flexirods. The next morning I released to a softly defined TnC. This was my hair at the end of the day.

Pretty good, right? If you remember, the only things I used on my hair on wash day were KCKT leave-in and AVJ to seal. So, I didn’t have much product on it before using the spray and pudding and the added moisture was good.

However, that moisture is partly attributable to the glycerin that is high on the ingredients lists. And, unfortunately, my fine, medium to high porosity hair is not a fan. Glycerin tends to make my hair tacky (though, surprisingly, it was not overly so) and leads to frizz (i.e. lack/loss of definition). If you’ve spent any time in NJ during the summer, you know the humidity is a BEAST. So, with that season fast approaching, using anything with water attracting glycerin is a recipe for disaster for those of us with high porosity hair.

The other ingredients about which I’m not too enthused are the dimethicone and dimethiconol. I generally try to avoid non-water soluble cones, with the exception of amodimethicone and bis-aminopropyl dimethicone, which repel build-up. So, although I don’t practice the Curly Girl Method, I do tend to avoid too many build-up prone, water blocking cones (see this Curly Hair Product Ingredient Guide for more info on cones and other common ingredients).

Final Thoughts:
With all the above being said, although I got a decent set, these two products in the Nothing But line will not become staples for me. But for those who don’t mind a cone or two and have hair that loves glycerin, these just may be the ticket (especially with the reasonable price tag)!!

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Have you tried the Sofn’Free Nothing But Curl Wake Up Spray and Curly Pudding? If you have, how did they work out for you? If not, what products do you use for dry sets?

May1

my cuticle smoother: coconut vinegar rinses

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my cuticle smoother: coconut vinegar rinses

Reblogged from mightyfinenatural:

Click to visit the original post

picture source: floridacoastalcooking.com

hi guys!

so i just wanted to share with you all my experience with using coconut vinegar rinses and the benefits that it gives my hair as a final rinse.

so first thing is first, I’m pretty sure at this point you guys probably have a look of confusion on your face and the first question that probably has come up in your mind is “coconuts can make vinegar?”..

Read more… 296 more words

Now THIS is interesting ... coconut oil and coconut milk are good for hair ... vinegar rinses can be good for hair if used properly. And now, coconut vinegar?!?!? My Spidey senses are TINGLING y'all!!