Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, I pulled back the veil and exposed  about half of my stash in this post. Well, here’s the other half. Be forewarned, there is a lot of stuff here with mini reviews, so this is a loooong post. Don’t judge me.

1. Sally’s GVP (Generic Value Product) Paul Mitchell’s The Detangler: This is about $5.99, but Sally’s often has BOGO (free or 50% off) sales for their GVP stuff. I really love #2 in my henna and I read some good things about The Detangler for co-washing. So, picked some up. It’s another one that is fine, but didn’t replace HE HH as my staple co-washing conditioner.

2. Sally’s GVP Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm (staple): Again, about $5.99. I usually buy a couple when they are on BOGO sale. This is the conditioner that I mix with my henna when I want to do more of a conditioning henna treatment (rather than a full strength) a la Curly Nikki. It works very well for this purpose because it’s extra thick, slippery, protein and -cone free.

3. MYHoneyChild Olive You DC: $18 on Curlmart.com. I got this because of Nikki again. She loved it. Me?  Not so much. I wasn’t impressed by it at all. And, at $18 for 8 oz., I expect to be impressed. I used it once. I’ll use the rest of it at some point and I’ll probably do so by mixing honey and oils into it. But, as I’m good on DCs that work well for me (JessiCurl Weekly Deep Tx, Darcy’s Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Conditioner and SM Raw Shea DT Masque), it’ll probably sit around until I run out of something or feel like experimenting.

4. Hydracap: $3.99 for 4 at Sally’s. So, this little handy dandy device is essentially a shrink wrap processing cap! It’s a harder, cellophane type cap that you put on and then use a hair dryer to shrink to snuggly fit your head. The heat of the dryer not only shrinks the cap, but warms your hair.  Use this, then put on a Winter hat and you have absolutely no need for a bonnet dryer for your DCs.

5. Pantene Texture & Shine Defining Pomade: I have no clue how much this costs as it was one of my PJ Swap Meet acquisitions. I snagged it to see how it worked on slicking my edges. Used it once or twice, but stopped because, one, it wasn’t great and two, it has several parabens. The thing is, I do use items with parabens, out of necessity. However, I’m slowly weaning it out of my beauty products, where I can.

6. Murray’s Loc-Lock Gel: This is about $3.99 at BSSs (Beauty Supply Stores). I use this for two-strand twists when I want to wear them for a week.  It’s pliable, doesn’t flake and isn’t sticky or waxy.  It gives my twist some light hold and great shine. It’s not so great that I can’t do without it. As it’s not available locally, I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it. However, if I happen be at a BSS for my JBCO restock and am running low or out of the Murray’s, I’d buy it again.

7. Elasta QP Design Foam: $2.99 at Sally’s (may be discontinued). When I first started doing TnCs last year, I got this to set the ends of my twists on rollers because DevaCurl Set It Free was too expensive! I actually got item 8 first, liked it a lot, so picked this up my next visit to Sally’s. It foams and has that mousse-like tacky feel going on, which I don’t like.  Haven’t used it since last Summer.

8. Elasta QP Feels LIke Silk Design Silk Thermal Styling Spray x2: Also $2.99 at Sally’s and again acquired for setting the ends of my twists on rollers for TnCs. This worked very well, that’s why I have two! As I often have to sit under a dryer to dry my twists because they do not dry overnight, I thought it would be a good idea to use a heat protectant setting spray. But, DevaCare Set It Free is still the poster child for that. So, when I run out and if there isn’t a sale on the SIF, I’ll use this again.

9. Curlformers Kit: $69.99/$63.99 with membership at Sally’s (pretty sure I had a Sally’s member coupon or they were on sale for $59.99 when I picked them up). No review, as I’ve yet to use them{=|. *lol* I know. I just know that it is going to take me 2 hours to figure out how to get them in my hair and then I’ll still have to sit under a dryer for another 2-3! So, just haven’t sucked it up to get ‘er done yet. I’ve only heard good things about them though.

10. Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% gel (notice it doesn’t say 100% Aloe Vera gel): I think this was $4 or $5 at Harmon’s. I actually very rarely use this and, if I do, it’s for my skin and not my hair. I used to use it as a hair gel, but it didn’t do much for my hair at all. I use aloe juice and/or gel, but only the edible kind for my Kimmaytube leave-in.

11. Jamaican Mango & Lime Resistant Formula Locking Gel. This is about $3.99 at BSSs and you can find it at Sally’s too. I didn’t like this at all. #13, which I bought first, is far superior. I picked this up thinking it would hold my hair even more because it’s for hair that is resistant to locking. I was wrong.

12. Aveda Light Elements Defining Whip: $24 at salons or Aveda.com. I got this for my TnCs because of … guess who?!?!  *LOL* I’m such a sheep when it comes to Nikki!  Anywho, again, not impressed for something that is so expensive. I got far better results with Wonder Curl’s Butter Than Love, which is $4 cheaper, though not cheap. The thing is, though SM products are only $9.99, I had to use both the Milk and Smoothie to get desirable results, so that is $20 too. Also, the jury is still out on the SM combo until I try it again because although I loved how my hair looked (definition, volume, hold), I wasn’t loving how it felt and I don’t know if that was the SM or a factor of not DCing before use. Regardless, as the SM combo costs $20, WC BTL is equally economical.

13. Jamaican Mango & Lime Locking Gel (staple): Also about $3.99 at BSSs (don’t ever see this version at Sally’s … go figure). Love this mixed with CD’s Healthy Hair Butter for my WnGs. It’s this orangey, jello like gel. It smells nice, gives a light hold, is pliable, doesn’t flake and isn’t tacky … all the things I desire in a gel. I actually discovered this at the house of my friend who has locs. Tried a finger coil with it and was like, “Can you pick some of this up for me?” She gave me her jar and I’ve been buying it ever since. However, haven’t been doing WnGs that much, so haven’t used it in a while.

14. La Bella Lotsa Curls Gel (staple): This is, like, $3 for this huge 22 oz. bottle and it has been a staple for my WnGs in the past. Again, I would mix with CD’s HHB and “shingle” my curls. My sister hipped me to it and it used to be easily found at Walmart. Not so much anymore. But, looks like you can get it on Amazon if you can’t find it at your local Walmart. This is another light, non-sticky, non-flaking, pliable gel. Also, I think it does enhance curl.

15. Samy Get Curls Re-Energizing Potion (staple) x4: This is about $6.99. I stocked up because it was on sale at a local drugstore that was going out of business. Another WnG staple that I mix with CD’s HHB to “shingle.” Can I call three different gels staples if I use them for the same thing=)? It’s just that all three of these work very well for me and I’ve used them interchangeably.

16. Samy Fat Hair Thickening Cream: $6.99. In addition to my never-ending search for a real curl enhancer, I also began searching for products that would make my TnCs bigger and more voluminous=)!  This isn’t necessary for WnGs, but I wanted my TnCs to be fluffier. This didn’t really do too much of anything. Of course, I didn’t really give it much of a chance either as I only used it once or twice.

17. Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizing Cream: $5.99. I think I picked this up at a BSS but Sally’s also carries it. I read some good reviews on this in some comments on CurlyNikki. Actually, it might have been about Elasta QP Mango Butter Moisturizer (no Olive Oil). But, this is the one I saw in the store. I used this for TnCs a couple of times last year. I think it actually worked very well, smelled great and left my hair feeling soft. However, it has dimethicone, so I shied away from it as I wasn’t sure how often I wanted to shampoo. I’ll probably revisit at some point in the future as I did really like how this product made my hair feel and I do shampoo regularly.

18. Ouidad Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel: $22 for 8.5 oz. I used to get Ouidad cuts and I got this after getting my first one several years ago. There is only a little tiny bit left in the bottle, but I also have a little freebie sample (might even have two) of it from Curlmart that I need to pour into this bottle. This stuff really is fantastic. It is one of the few items that I feel is worth the price. However, the lack of ready access and the cost kept this from becoming a staple for me as I found the other three gels I mentioned a lot more economical, readily available and found they provided almost comparable results.

19. Oyin Handmade Juices & Berries: $11 at Oyin store in Baltimore or Curlmart.com. This smells lovely (again, I love sweet smells, especially berries and vanilla). If you have dry hair, this is probably fantastic. For me though, I think products with a lot of glycerine don’t agree with my hair. I used that Hawaiian Silky for a little bit too. Both of them never seemed to dry entirely to the touch, so my hair would feel tacky. As products with glycerine aren’t good to use in the Winter anyway, I haven’t used it since last Summer. I haven’t given up on it though because it smells so good and is made of such lovely ingredients. I think I might need to use it very lightly when/if my hair is feeling dry.
(Note: I realized after I took this pic that I already included the Eco Styler in my PJ Stash I post, so this is a duplicate and is not a missed product.) 

20. African Pride Olive Miracle Braid Sheen Spray: I don’t have a clue how much this costs as it was given to me in a gift bag at a lunch honoring my aunt. There were several African Pride products in the bag. However, this is the only one I kept as it was the only item in which the ingredients looked decent. I put the rest of the products in a “give away” box in the ladies’ restroom at work. Everything was gone by the end of the day. Anyway, back to this spray. As I said, the ingredients looked decent, so I kept it thinking it might be good for re-moisturizing twists. Jam reviewed this in her product stash post and indicated it made her scalp itch. Given that I have plenty of other products that would serve the same purpose, this may end up at work too.

21. Samy Jooouge Fun Fiber Styler: I had to look up the price of this one and am finding it listed for $17.99. There is NO way I paid that much for it. I think I picked this up at Harmon’s for $7-$8. If I’d paid 18 bones, I would have returned it as it didn’t do much. I got it because I love the Samy Get Curls gel and thought this might work well to really hold my TnCs. I’d say the results were forgettable … because I don’t remember what they were. I didn’t use it more than once or twice, and really think it was only once.  Something else for my second annual PJ Swap Meet=).

22. Humco Castor oil: This was a few bucks at Walmart. I got it as a back-up in case I run out of JBCO and I also wanted to compare the two. I don’t think I’ve used it yet. I should probably try adding it to my DC to preserve the JBCO for sealing. Regular castor oil is a lot thicker and stickier than JBCO.

23. Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) (HG! HG! HG!) x3: $5.99 for 4 oz. at BSSs or Amazon.com.  Did I say Holy Grail?!? I love this stuff as it gives my hair shine and softness without oiliness/greasiness. I use it in my Kimmaytube leave-in, in my DCs, to seal my ends and to release my twists.

24. Samy Big Curls Lightweight Curl Cream: $6.99 ($4.99 at Walgreen’s!). I picked this up on sale at that drugstore that was going out of business. I liked the Samy’s Get Curls Re-energizing potion so much, I wanted to try this to see if it provided moisture and hold (substitute for my gel/butter mix for WnGs). These curl creams never work for me though. They don’t provide enough moisture. So, I will not be repurchasing.

25. Frizz Ease Corrective Styling Gel: $5-$6. I don’t know if you can tell, but there is only about a half inch of product left in this bottle and I haven’t used it in ages! But, I refuse to throw it out as I will use it. I’m one of those people who cuts bottles of lotion open so that I get all of the product. Hey! I paid my good money for it! I don’t think there was anything stellar about this gel. However, generally speaking, Frizz Ease products always worked very well for me. It’s the cones, I’m sure. I don’t even know if this is available anymore, but I wouldn’t repurchase. I probably just bought it because I’m a PJ and love trying new products in search of the next great thing.

26. Fantasia IC Pure Tea Silky Gel Moisturizer Activator Hair and Scalp Conditioner: $5.49 at BSSs. The thing is, I don’t even think that is what is in this bottle!!  I think I dumped this bottle and put some other conditioner in it, but I don’t know which one! I also don’t know if I diluted it with water!! So, I’ll probably be discarding this if I can’t figure it out!

27. Aveda Be Curly Curl Enhancer: $19 at salons or Aveda.com. When I was picking up #12 at the salon, this caught my eye too. This is made with wheat protein and is supposed to intensify curls. I keep an eye on proteins as my hair is not a fan of many (make my hair brittle, dry and straw-like). However, I was desperately in search of something that would restore the curls I lost to henna as amla was no longer an option. My review of this? Blah. I didn’t notice any appreciable difference when I used this on a TnC. Again, for this much money, I expect to be blown away. But, I will say that I don’t remember it causing my hair to feel dry or brittle. Maybe I’ll try it on a WnG and “see what it do.”

28. CitreSine Take Hold Styling Spiking Glue: $4.29 at drugstores. Early on in my return to natural hair, CitreShine gel used to be my staple for WnGs (I used to mix it with TCB Lite Hair & Scalp conditioner and later, with CD’s Mimosa Hair Honey before moving onto the HHB). So, I picked up this “glue” for my edges when doing ponytails or buns. It is definitely glue like, but dries without any tacky feeling. I do think it would flake a little though with repeated use/daily applications. Haven’t used this since discovering EcoStyler gel.

29. Rusk Wired Styling Cream: $9-$12 depending on retailer. I got this one at TJ Maxx.  This is another product that I picked up for slicking my edges, but my sister hipped me to it first. This worked great when I was rocking a fake pony. Haven’t used it in quite a while either and wouldn’t repurchase given my new love, EcoStyler gel mixed with a butter.

30. Herbal Essences Body Envy Weightless Hold Gel: Approximately $5. I picked this up in my search for a product that would give me increased volume. Another item that I’ve only used once. Actually, now that I think about it, I may have not used this at all yet! I’ll get around to it eventually.

And that’s it (I know, it’s MORE than enough! Hush!!  Some of you have it bad too!! *lol*)!!!!

… … … *sigh*

Okay, okay … that’s not it. In the interest of full disclosure, here is a pic of my henna and oils stash, as well as the JessiCurl Confident Coils Collection I won through the Grow Out Challenge (GOC)!!

As you may know from my prior PJ stash post, I love the JessiCurl Weekly Deep Treatment and keep it “in stock;-).” However, I haven’t tried any other products in the line. So, I’ll be busting this joint open soon to sample the fares and give you reviews=)!! Stay tuned!!