23rd February 2012

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HALP.

Okay y’all.

I need help.

There are certain details of things like bantu knot outs that I don’t understand,

First thing. I have really really thick dense hair. 

First thing is if I do a knot out or any other style like that on my hair when it’s damp it won’t dry for 2 days. Do I have to sit under my dryer?

Second thing, what kind of hold products should I be using? I need something with a good amount of hold because some parts of my hair want to revert to their own texture and not the curl I want. I think I want something that is less watery and more pudding ish. I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg.

Next question, if I can get my hair down and styled can I avoid epic tangling. Is that possible?

AND one last thing. I need to find large banana clips. Huge. I have broken the ones I have. 

Tagged: natural hairblack hair

30th January 2012

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Condition washing magic.

Oh hi folks.

I haven’t forgotten about this spot again I just haven’t had anything to say.

Until last night I did some deep conditioning/co-washing/moisturizing magic.

My hair has been feeling a tad dry and extra breaky (yes I’m making up words) so yesterday I dc’d all day.

What I did was spritz my hair with my Mane N Tail De-tangling spray. 

Next I sectioned my hair off, spritzed with plain water until it was pretty wet and put some Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise in each section and detangled. I repeated this until each section was detangled then I added a bit more conditioner to each section, made bantu knots with them and put a grocery bag on my head.

I let that sit in my hair for hours because a.) I was tired and b.) I wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.

When I was ready to shower and whatnot I saturated each section with (SORRY y’all this is an affiliate link, Mama needs some pennies) my new favorite cheapy con.

Salon Selectives Conditioner Type S, Smooth & Straight, 32 fl oz

I picked a huge bottle of this up with a pump in it on sale at Walgreens for 4 dollars.

I add the extra cheapy con for slip for detangling and a bit of extra oomph to the conditioning process.

I am a lover and fan of cheap conditioners. Most of the time I use them at the end of dc cowashing to scent my hair and give slip.

This one gave me major slip without using as much of it as I tend to use of the V05 I favor. It has a nice smell and as I let my naked hair air dry, it stayed detangled and soft and bouncy.

To test out the efficacy of any new conditioning/cowashing/dc’ing thing I always let my hair air dry for a while. When you’re hair is still wet it will feel different than when it’s dry.

Once I decided I was happy, I picked up my Oyin Handmade Whipped Shea Pudding and on my ends mixed it with (another affiliate link sorry) 

African Royale Hot Six Oil, 8 oz.

Which is one of my favorite things ever. 

All this said, my hair was butter soft and shiny and my ends felt sproingy and delicious. 

Fair warning if you don’t use cones don’t use the commercial products I’ve talked about here. Unlike some folks I’ve never noticed a difference in the health of my hair over months of being cone free or using cones.

For me the big difference is slip when I’m detangling my hair which is super important for me. Most of my breakage happens when I’m trying to untangle the massive knots I tend to get.

Overall this combo has my hair happy and I will probably cowash this way in a couple of weeks. This coming weekend is a shampooing weekend.

Big lesson is this- find what works with you.

This works for me.

26th December 2011

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Mane ‘n Tail Detangler Review.

Okay today in review.

Mane ‘n Tail Detangler.

I purchased this product at Sally. You can have a look at it here. 

The description from the website:

• The solution for hard-to-comb hair

• Provides a rich, luxurious shine

• Hair becomes easily manageable

• Restores lost moisture

• Prevents breakage

• Reduces split ends

Now I have been aware of and used Mane N Tail products on and off since childhood. It’s one of those brands I forget about until I see it.

I decided to try moisturizing/bunning my hair when damp more often. I’ve been having an issue with major tangling because I was trying for less manipulation.

I have learned low/no manipulation is just not for me at all.

That being what it is I spotted this and it was inexpensive so I thought I’d give a try.

First impression: the mist is very fine so you’re hair won’t get sopping. It does actually give some slip because it does have cones in it. The scent isn’t strong or very noticable.

When I used this I sectioned my hair with my fingers, I sprayed first at the root then used my fingers and more spray to spread the product down my hair. I probably use more than is needed but I have a lot of thick dense hair and wanted to get it all.

I am not exaggerating when I say that using this product cuts my detangling time by about ten minute per section. I start with a wide toothed comb and use progressively smaller combs to a medium comb. Then I use my fake Denman. This also cut extra hair loss.

Being that I have a lot of hair I believe that I’m just always going to shed more than people with less hair. 

I haven’t used a hardcore protein treatment in a while and for the last few weeks had a bit more breakage than usual. Just adding this product to my routine has stopped that.

It works on wet or dry hair.

I would highly suggest this for anyone (as in not just people of color) who has thick tangle prone hair. I give this product two enthusiastic thumbs up.

I also like that despite using it 2-4 times a week and not shampooing for about three weeks, I am not experiencing any build up as one might expect.

I added a bit of Hot Six oil to mine, for just that little bit of extra moisture. 

Also at the price even if it’s not something you want to use regularly on your hair it also makes an excellent preshampoo detangling aid.

Overall, if you need detangling assistance this product will do it for you.

ETA- here is a pic of my hair with this product on it just after a wash.

Tagged: black hairnatural hairproduct reviews

12th December 2011

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Oyin Handmade review-

My review of Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding.

I purchased a tub of whipped pudding and have been using it for a few weeks now. I have highly multi textured, dense hair that is natural. My hair is both dense (lots of individual hairs) and the hairs themselves are quite thick.

I work in an air conditioned environment and my hair takes a beating from the dryness. For my winter hair care routine I prefer to be heavy on creamy moisturizing products.

Whipped Pudding has the following ingredients (as state on the website):

Whipped Pudding contains: purified water, shea butter, organic aloe vera gel, cocoa butter, castor oil, coconut oil, sweet almond & olive oils, vegetable emulsifier, beeswax, palm stearic acid, vegetable glycerine, honey, optiphen (preservative), fragrance.

First impressions:

The Oyin website is easy to navigate and if you sign up for their newsletter (no spam, highly recommended), I also created an account there to keep track of my purchases.

I recieved my order in a timely manner despite ordering in the middle of a huge sale. As with all handmade items I was not expecting such quick shipping. It was a nice bonus.

One thing I was very happy to see is that the pudding comes in a very sturdy container. I have purchased other handmade items like this and had a mess on my hands.

Upon opening the jar this stuff smells delicious. You get a good whiff of the cocoa and the pudding itself is glossy and thick.

Using this product takes a little getting used to. I am not used to using products with butters and aloe in them. At first I was not sure I liked how it made my hair feel honestly. The first use I used it on wet hair to bun and at first was not impressed.

However- using this product on dry hair for me is really nice.

I have been using various formulations and versions of whipped shea butter and while this isn’t the best I’ve used it’s not the worst. 

After a few more uses I do like that it leaves my hair very very soft. My hair doesn’t feel overly greasy. I do need something a bit more oily (for me coconut oil) for my ends.

If you have fine hair this could be too heavy for your use. Or it might work more as an end sealant. Or as they suggest on the website used as a pre-shampoo treatment.

Overall I would buy this product again. I get what I am expecting from it. I like the scent, not overly perfumey. I like that it doesn’t leave my hair coated. 

I will probably buy this product again. I like how it works, I like that it is multi use (you can also use it on your skin) and I like the people who make it.

It is a tad pricey, 18$ for an 8 ounce tub which is a little more than I’m normally comfortable paying but so far I don’t have to use a ton of product so it is lasting and it works. 

Also if you join the newsletter you can keep up on sales and whatnot. 

I give it two thumbs up. Well worth the hype. 

Remember your mileage may vary. If you use this product or something like it don’t forget to balance out the intense moisture with some protein if your hair starts feeling mushy. 

The next review I will do is for the Mane N Tail Detangling spray as seen here at Sally.

Tagged: oyin handmade reviewwhipped shea butter reviewnatural hairnatural black hairblack hair care