UPDATE & APOLOGY **REVIEW** CAMILLE ROSE NATURALS Honey Hydrate Leave-In

UPDATE & APOLOGY - 

First, I have to backtrack on all the trash I talked about the product. As with so many other things in my crazy life, most of the problem was due to user error. I need to remember that every product can't be used the same way for every person.

The Honey Hydrate saved my hair after I dried it out trying to wash out an unfortunate dye job. Clarifying shampoo is awesome for getting rid of buildup - with a good single wash. After using it 3 or 4 times in a row on my hair, I ended up with tresses like those straw-headed dolls. And the dye was still horrible.

My hair was so dried out that it felt like damp steel wool. When all the water evaporated, I was afraid to comb it for fear of strands just snapping off.

Honey Hydrate to the rescue!

I sprayed my hair so that it was very damp then I applied the Honey Hydrate to my hair in 4 sections. I ran my palms from root to tip to make sure I was coating the hair well. Then I wrapped my hair in a satin bonnet for the night. In the morning, my hair was softer and felt less damaged, if that makes sense. Still, I avoided combing it for a few days. I just sprayed my hair lightly with water every morning and wore a scarf and let the Honey Hydrate do its thing. 

Now that I have more respect for the healing power of Honey Hydrate, I try to use it more. I don't use it full strength because that's still just too much. What I do is add a couple of drops to my sprayer and use it for curl refreshing or for softening after applying those hard curl gels. I also tend to add it to almost every other hair product I have! 

Basically, I have to use the product sparingly. Otherwise, it's too hydrating.

So, yeah, I had to come back and give Honey Hydrate credit where credit is due.

P.S.: My best friend says that I never tell this update story the same way. Probably. But gist is the real deal! LOL

**********************

 Oh, the hype out there about this stuff! I read, watched, and listened to probably more than 50 reviews about Camille Rose Naturals Honey Hydrate Leave-In. Well, hype is hype but results are what count. The price of this ranges from $14 to $20, depending on where you buy it. I got it from Target for 14 bucks and Amazon has lost its mind and has it for around 17 bucks with free shipping (and up). So, is it worth it? Let's take a look at everything about the product:

The look: It looks exactly like the amber-colored supposed-to-be-honey you find on most store shelves. Well, it might be a touch darker.  When you hold it up to the light, it looks even more like honey because of the tiny bubbles and what looks like sugar granules.

The smell: I've heard other reviewers describe the smell as "nothing", slightly sweet, and "just like honey". Sniffing the jar, I thought it smelled faintly of honey and amber with the tiniest hit of... chocolate??? It's not stinky and it's not strong. However, once I used this on my wet hair, the scent got much stronger and sweeter. It was more candy-scented than perfume-like. When it dries, it retains the sweet scent but is not overwhelming or unpleasant.

The texture: I  saw where other reviewers said that this felt just like honey - very sticky and unpleasant to the touch, in some opinions. Maybe I got a different batch but I don't find this to be sticky at all. It's not lotion-like, but it not overly tacky. You can see from the photo what it looks like just smoothed across my palm and the back of my hand.

A test strand: Before I did my entire head, I tried applying this to some strands of my hair. The first thing I noticed is that it brings out the curl pattern. Second, it seems to have an elongating effect. The hair was *not* sticky but had a slightly "coated" feeling that I didn't mind because it seemed to protect the hair and make it feel stronger. 

Doing my hair: The instructions are to apply to conditioned hair. I use a leave-in conditioner - which seems like overkill but... I use the Hydra Steam that I reviewed here so I applied that first, then applied the Honey Leave-In.

As I always do my twists

I want to note here that, just as mentioned by other reviewers, there really is a warming effect when rubbing the Honey between my palms. I didn't notice this when I was just applying it with my fingers to the test strands. It must be a chemical reaction between the ingredients and it actually feels nice. As I applied this to my hair (I did it in sections), there was that slightly sealing/elastic kind of feel left on the hair that I previously mentioned. 

I was spraying my hair to keep it from drying out as I applied the Leave-In. At the finish, my twists - which are normally only damp at this point - were dripping wet still. I took that as a good sign.

By the way, I have fairly thick hair and I ended up not using a lot of the product. 

Overall results: I am not that impressed. See for yourself. My hair is very moisturized but looks dry.

This did leave my hair incredibly soft but it also 'floofed' out any curl definition. I love the way my hair smells and feels, but it looks like I haven't done any styling at all. 

I ordered this online but, after one more test, I plan to return to Target when I go back into town. It's just not living up to the hype. The other "test" I plan to do? Since this suggests applying to conditioned hair and I used a leave-in, maybe the low-quality results are on me. Next week, I am going to do a "traditional" wash and wash-out condition and see what happens with the Honey Leave-In. 

Keep in mind that I used this in conjunction with Hydra Steam Curl Designing Cream - which is highly moisturizing by itself.  This next photo is the 2nd-day results of the Honey Leave-in used as described and then the Hydra Steam product used by itself (no Honey Hydrate).

Top - Honey Hydrate Leave-In applied over Hydra Steam Leave-In
Bottom - Hydra Steam Curl Design Leave-In by itself

Look at how those curl pop! with the Hydra Steam. My curls have never been so defined and shiny with less work...

Summary (and to be fair): I saw where some reviewers used Eco Styler and other aids to help with curl definition. As I said, maybe the other leave-in I used over-softened my hair and ruined the curls. Maybe. 

I am not totally knocking this product. I think that results depend on how you use it and what your hair type is - or maybe just your styling method. I don't want to have to buy another product (styling gel) to use with one that costs this much. I would like to use just this and get all the benefits it's hyped for.

I will update this when I use it solo.

To summarize:

Natural hair needs moisture. Afro natural hair needs lots of moisture. Moisture retention is important for hair growth, length retention, and hair health. 

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Coconut Oil Hair Mask

I'm going to do some raving about this. Seriously. Before I even tell you what it is, let's look at the ingredients:

• Coconut oil
• Shea butter
• Water
• Rosehip seed oil
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin B5
• Glycerin
• Argan oil
• Glycine (amino acid)
• Betaine (amino acid)
• Climbazole (topical antifugal agent)
• Ginger Oil

Now, when is the last time you used a non-homemade product with such simple ingredients?  Except for the ones I had to Google and link to, I know what every one of the ingredients are.

This is the product:

It's Pure Body Naturals Coconut Oil Hair Mask - Deep Conditioner.

First thing I checked out when this was delivered was that list of ingredients. I was glad that it was so plain and simple, but I did wonder if it would actually work. That makes me kind of a hypocrite, I think. I mean, I am the one always talking up all things "natural" when it comes to health and beauty.

Anyway, I did a sniff test next. The coconut scent is not as strong as I thought. It's there, but it's pretty mild. The other thing that I noticed was that the conditioner is not as thick as I expected. Since it's called a hair "mask" and since it has all the shea and coconut, I thought it would be much more dense.

As thick as any other conditioner, right?

It took about 2 1/2 of those spoonfuls to coat my short hair from edge to edge to nape. This is not a super thin formula, but you can see that it's just about as thick as a bottled conditioner. No matter. The thing is, it works. And I mean, it works really well. 

When I first used it, I did everything wrong. For one thing, I know that any hair conditioning product works best when applied on washed (or at least damp) hair. I had already washed my hair and it was dried. Plus, I'm lazy. 

I just applied the mask to my hair and sort of rubbed it through, same as I do for a leave-in product. Then I put on a plastic cap and waited about 10 minutes. (You're instructed to wait 5 to 15 minutes,so I was mostly in line.

While I was rinsing the mask out I could tell (like you usually can with a conditioner) that it had softened my hair quite a bit. The thing is, it was the same kind of softness I get from any other decent conditioner (like my Aussie Moist). It wasn't until my hair was fully dry again that I noticed where this mask beats my beloved Aussie Moist (yes, I said it!). 

Because I was specifically testing this for the review, I didn't apply any other products (my oils and sprays, etc.). Plus, it was late and I was, once again, too lazy. I pretty much wrapped my hair in my silk scarf and went to sleep.

Here is where I am very impressed: Next morning, my hair was still soft. Don't get me wrong, I did have to moisturize my Sahara Desert scalp... But what I mean is that, no matter how well I condition, once my hair is dry - completely and totally dry - I tend to lose a lot of moisture. This time, my hair was still very soft and just felt so good.

Remember I told you about the moisturizing shampoo bar I use? That helps my hair retain moisture when I regularly use it. That's because it doesn't strip all of the moisture I have in my hair. This time, I was so impressed because my hair seemed to retain all the softness caused by the conditioning mask.

This is great news. For one thing, I co-wash my hair more than I wash with shampoo. What do you want to bet I'll be using this more than I use my Aussie Moist? That's how good this is.

That first treatment was on Saturday night. It's now Wednesday. My hair is still nice and soft. I have used my scalp butter and, yesterday, I used my spray moisturizer when I was styling my hair. Still, I know that this is going to be my new go-to conditioner

The mask costs $13 with Amazon Prime (when I have to pay for it), but I'm guess-timating that the jar will last me through a good 30+ washings. Maybe more. When I use it next time, I will follow the directions and apply to damp hair. I know that will let me use less of it. 

So, I'm pretty impressed. I especially like that there aren't a lot of crazy-sounding ingredients in this. 

By the way, I happened to apply to review another product from the same brand, Pure Body Naturals. Now I really can't wait to try that.  (I already looked it. The ingredients are just as natural as in this hair mask. Yay!)

I've used Pure Body Naturals products before and have never been disappointed, but they really scored one with this hair mask. I don't think anyone will ever use the offered money-back guarantee, but it's there on the product page, just in case.

If you don't get yet just how much I love this stuff, I can tell you this: All I had to do to fulfill my part of receiving this was to do an Amazon review. This was my pleasure to do a blog post on!

Peace

--Free


DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using AMZ Review Trader. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

**REVIEW** Miss Jessie's Leave-In Condish

Yes, I know. I have had very poor results with a couple of Miss Jessie's products. Very poor. In fact, the only reason I decided to give yet another Miss Jessie's items a try at all was because I cannot believe such a successful brand is all bad.

Let's recap the instances I've had my feelings hurt, hopes crushed, and hair (and wallet) left in need:

• There was the time I tried "Pillow Soft Curls" only to discover that the 'pillow' referenced had to be a stone one from Wilma Flintstone's bed... (although, as a conditioning treatment, P.S.C. worked better.)
• Then I mentioned (or ranted) about the high cost of such products.
• Latest was when I obviously wanted to believe in Miss Jessie's the way I once believed in a bad relationship... Yeah. Pillow Soft Curls didn't teach me nothing; I just had to try the "Jelly Soft Curls" because, you know, "Baby, I swear I won't_____ anymore." (And you can fill in that blank with whatever the last lie is that you were told...

And, by the way, falling for the lies of that dang Miss Jessie didn't teach me quite enough. I rebounded by running into the arms of Miss Jessie's less well known cousin, "Aunt Jackie". sigh.

If this were a history of my past romantic entanglements, I'd be swearing off men and entering a convent. Really. Seriously. HOWEVER... I might have a cold heart when it comes to certain men, but I'm warmer blooded when it comes to my hair. Which is why I did pick up the "Leave-In Condish".

 Also, the 8-ounce bottle was cheap. And I'm on write-cation. And I can spend $10 on a hair product when I am on write-cation and not really writing as much or as well as I thought I would be. So there.


I picked this up for about $10.00 at a Target here in Texas. I've never seen this item in Anchorage stores but, no doubt, the price would go up by two or three bucks on those shelves.

As usual, the first thing I did when I got the product was to smell it. It smells like that plain old bath bar soap that you get when you stay in cheap motels. Just so plain and funky that you automatically think that it's either really cheap stuff or that it will strip all the sebum right out of your skin and hair.

Maybe the mix of ingredients???


Of course, the smell had me thinking that I was about to be disappointed once again... But, nope. Once I got past the smell to give the product a try, it wasn't half bad.

I think I already mentioned that the air here is extremely humid. I have been calling it "no-lotion" weather. The thing is, it's great for my hair and skin but it also makes my hair resistant to styling. The only way I can get my hair to hold a nice twist-coil wave is to wash it. That's because my hair tends to dry out when I wash it (which is why I am careful about using the right shampoo).

Since the Leave-In Condish is to be used on damp (not wet) hair, I did a co-wash with the cleansing conditioner I told you about yesterday, then I let it go from wet to damp. I applied the Leave-In and waited for that to dry.

Result: quite stiff.

I then used a spray bottle to fine-mist on some water that I massaged into my hair.

Result: much better. Actually, my hair felt quite soft and moisturized.

Next, I did my twist-coils and let them dry.

The final result was not bad at all. My hair was not stiff or sticky at all, though it was a little bit over-dry. Since it is so humid here, I expected better. However, I do have very dry hair after washing.

Overall, I have to give this Miss Jessie's product a 9 out of 10. I'd even give it a 10 if not for that icky, soapy odor. (I will resolve that by adding to my water mister a touch of the yummy-smelling Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner, or some of my Vanilla Grapefruit Fragrance.)

Also, please notice what is not in this particular product: sulfates and other no-no's for (especially) natural hair.

So, yay to Miss Jessie's for finally having a product that lives up to the labeling & goes easy on the average wallet.

At some point, I will compare the results I'm getting with products here to the ones I get in Alaska's drier climate.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Sweet Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner (by Renpure Solutions)

Just because I am on a little "write-cation", it doesn't mean that I'm not going to keep up on the reviews.

I actually picked up this product in a Target here in Carrolton, Texas. I sure do hope that I can get the Anchorage Target to order some for the future.

Renpure site also has different fragrances

The main reason I decided to purchase this (even though I had never even heard of the brand before now) is because of the delicious smell. Oh, my GOODNESS!!! This is the nicest scent I think that I have ever smelled in a hair product! When I was trying to think of how to describe the scent, I asked my niece to help. We both decided that it's like a very sweet and juicy pomegranate. Or, as my niece said, "I'd drink it." Oh-kay!

There are a lot of ingredients (not all as healthy-sounding as I prefer), but notice the things that are not included. (Sorry for the crappy photo. I'm having camera issues.)

As far as how well it works, I give it an 8 out of 10. For one thing, it does a great job of cleaning  the hair, but the moisturizing could be a smidge better. Here in this part of Texas, my hair and skin are already super spoiled by the humidity. I haven't had to use nearly as many oils for moisturizing as I do back in Anchorage. I have a feeling that this conditioner is going to need a boost from some of my other products when I use it in that drier climate. In this moist climate, it does alright, but I did have to use some moisturizing curling gel after my hair dried.

The smell alone makes this worth using (even if I have to add another conditioner) and I only used the size of three quarters to do my hair in the shower. And the entire bathroom smelled amazing afterward.

No kidding, I actually wish I could find this same exact scent in perfume or lotion.

The price was nice on this (at least at the Target down here...). I paid $6.99 (plus tax) for the 16-ounce bottle. I checked Amazon and found it as a Prime "Add-on" item for the same price. The Renpure site just sends you to other retail sites for the products.

I did have a moment of surprise when I noticed the back of the product:

Co-washing started, I thought, as a thing that black women did to protect their natural hair growth. Whatever.

I'd love to hear what women with different hair textures have to say about the product. Maybe the reason it isn't as moisturizing for my kinky/curly hair is that it wasn't formulated for this texture??? So, if someone with a different hair texture has tried this, please let me know what your results were. I bet we can all agree about the yummy fragrance.

This is a good price for decent results on my normally very dry hair. I imagine it will work much better for hair is that is less problematic.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Pura d'or Hair & Body Care

Nice to have a set of products that will treat my hair and skin. This set is from Pura d'or:

A complete care system

 These products are formulated for hair growth/prevention of hair loss. I haven't used it long enough to tell you about that, but I do think that when used regularly, it probably does help. That's because of how each of the products worked for me.

Actual sizes I received

Let's look at each part of the set.

The shampoo works really well for cleansing without drying my natural (kinky/curly) hair. It feels really good during the washing and the only thing I didn't like about it was the smell. There's a very strong, medicinal/herbal smell that reminds me of fresh planting soil. That's the negative part. The positive part is that the smell only applies to the shampoo and doesn't last long.

The conditioner is very pleasantly and  faintly scented. I can't put my finger on the type of scent, but it's more of a fresh smell and not perfume-y. And it is such a great conditioner. It left my hair softer than normal (even after drying and before otherwise treating with moisturizers and follow-up products).

I had 2 of my nieces try out the shampoo and conditioner just so that I could get opinions from ladies with different hair textures. One niece, (who has naturally very healthy hair that she wears straight and unprocessed) liked the conditioner but not the shampoo. She wasn't pleased with the smell, but her main point was that it didn't feel as if it was cleansing her hair as well as her store-brand shampoo. She did love the conditioner - both for the smell and the resulting softness. My other niece (who has more of a caucasian texture of straight/slightly wavy hair) liked both products as much as I did. She did agree with my other niece and I about the smell of the shampoo.

As for the Argan oil, we all loved it on our skin and nails.I happen to like using oils for my cuticles and this worked as well if not better than the actual cuticle oil I have purchased off the shelf It was a bit too heavy for my 2nd niece's hair if she applied any more than the very tiniest amount. My other niece and I love it. Our hair tends to be much drier and the oil absorbed well into it without weighing it down at all. Still, we applied it sparingly.

I like using the oil on my face at night. The weather has suddenly gotten colder an drier in the past several days and my normal moisturizer wasn't enough. This oil absorbs so well that I didn't even need to blot it. I applied a couple dabs from my fingertips to my face concentrating on my eyes and smile lines. For ladies who have dry hairline edges (me!), dab some of the oil on and, instead of rubbing it in, just keep dabbing until you have worked the moisture into the hair and skin.

Only take a couple of dabs

So, yes, this is good stuff. Like I started out saying, I can't swear anything about the hair growth/hair loss prevention, but I can see how that might be the case. I think it's important to use a product for a while (and to use it correctly) before expecting results. I like that these products do work well together, and I love the oil.

Pura d'or offers free shipping for the Continental U.S. and, for first-time customers, a 20% discount on products. The products are made with all natural ingredients, are animal cruelty free and USDA biobased certified. There is a "100-day Complete Satisfaction Guarantee" (with a request to complete a short survey for improvement of the products and services).

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received my Pura d'ora products( via a BrandBacker campaign) in exchange for a fair and honest review for my blog readers.

**REVIEW** Tru Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner for Dry Hair

You have no idea what my hair has been through lately. I don't even think you want to know...

Right now, I am struggling with a change in medication (plus, I've been on vacay to a different climate and am back here with the cold), and my hair is not happy. It's been kind of dry and kind of dull. Actually, it's been all kinds of dry and somewhat dull - which is, I guess, a natural thing for dry hair.

Anyway, I am giving this shampoo a tryout:

It'sTru  Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner for dry hair. My hair must have put in a call and these guys answered. Guess what? I like the results. A lot. To be honest, I've only used the shampoo once and the conditioner twice, but they tested well on this arid bush on my head.

The shampoo has a nice smell (herbal?) but isn't perfumey. The consistency is thicker than my current product. I guess it has the thickness of a good syrup, if that makes sense. The conditioner is luxuriously thick - almost cream-like in texture. The scent is much fainter than the shampoo's.

The conditioner is THICK

Unless I use a good shampoo and conditioner, I get that "crunch" of dryness after washing. To test the shampoo, I let my hair air dry before re-wetting and conditioning. By itself, the shampoo is not super-moisturizing to "natural" (kinky/curly) hair, but it does not strip it. Used with the conditioner, the results were really good. I got moisture without my hair being weighted down. Unfortunately, I have let my hair get in such a state that I am going to have to do some more conditioning before I heal the damage I've caused.

I did use the conditioner again (without shampooing) and I loved how intense a treatment I got without using heat or even leaving the product in for more than a few minutes. I was in a rush, so I just put the conditioner on and tied a plastic shopping bag over my hair for long enough to brush my teeth. I did a cool water rinse and let my hair air dry. Normally, I immediately spritz on a lot of StaSofFro (or rub in a little straight glycerin), but I wanted to see how my hair would look without it. While my hair stayed very soft for a few hours, it did eventually dry out. Way out. Again though, I think that this is because I've damaged my hair.

Bottom line, this shampoo and conditioner duo did wonders for my super-damaged hair. I am going to keep using it until I get this mane back in shape. I can tell that, had I used this when I had my normally dry/slightly damaged hair, I would have gotten amazing results. As it is, the results are still pretty outstanding. I'm surprised that it took so long for my hair to get "crunchy" after a conditioning treatment and no backup product.

To give you an idea of the damage I've done to my hair in recent weeks. I not only went from a cold/dry climate to a warm/dry one (with different water), I also applied a harsh chemical. Usually, I use a kiddie-strength texturizer to soften and define my natural curl pattern. When my local supply was out, I used a product I was unfamiliar with. It was supposed to be a "curl softener" but it felt more like a mild relaxer. Oh boy. So... I lost a lot of my natural curl and volume, plus my hair feels really stripped.

I'm going to keep using these products and will try to remember to do an update on my hair soon. For now, understand that there is a reason I'm going to keep using this shampoo and conditioner: they are doing their job. I need them. I must get my hair back into shape, hopefully, in time for Christmas. Some of my out-of-state family is coming and I don't want to look frightful...

The ingredients in these Tru Moroccan products seem to be just what I need.

Shampoo:

• 100% Organic Argan Oil
• Organic Herbal Infusion 
• Organic Aloe Kosher Vegetable Glycerin
• Wheat Germ Oil
• Vitamin B5
• Organic Asparagus
• Organic Cilantro
• Organic Geranium
• Apricot Kernel Oil 
• Organic Rosemary 
• Jojoba
• Olive Oil 
• Rose Hip Oil
• Tea Tree Oil
• Ethylhexyl Glycerin
• Phenoxyethanol

Conditioner:

• 100 % Organic Argan Oil
• Organic Herbal Infusion
• Organic Aloe
• Jojoba Seed Oil
• Organic Sesame Seed Oil
• Organic Avocado Oil
• Organic Olive Fruit Oil
• Organic Evening Primrose Oil
• Organic Linseed Seed Oil
• Organic Coconut Oil
• Organic Shea Butter
• Organic Starflower Seed Oil
• Pro-Vitamin B5
• Kosher Vegetable Glycerin (Plant Derived)
• Palm Oil
• Oatmeal
• Citric Acid (Naturally Derived)

The 2 ingredients that surprised me were the Cilantro (in the shampoo) and the Starflower - also known as Borage -  (in the conditioner), so I looked them up. That's what those links are about.

Finally, for those who want to know, the shampoo and conditioner are made in the U.S. in an FDA Certified Facility. (For those who care, I will be checking into and blogging about what exactly it means to be an "FDA Certified Facility".)

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Africa's Best Hair Mayonnaise

My hair is pretty happy right now. Between the shampoo and conditioner that I am so in love with and this new leave-in, I feel as if I'm wearing someone else's hair. Someone else with soft, moisturized and nourished hair.

I'm a little bit ticked off. Here, I've been using all kinds of pricier potions, lotions, curl butters and creams and this four dollar and sixty-four cent product is sitting right there on the shelf. I had noticed it before but passed on trying it. I've tried other "hair mayos" and they just coated my hair with a greasy, messy slime that I couldn't wait to rinse out. Not this stuff.

$4.64 at Dimond Walmart in Anchorage

I'm too freaking tired to try doing a selfie - plus the light is horrible right now - but, I'll try to describe what my hair feels like. It's soft and moist without being wet (get Prince off your brains!). I can touch my hair and not leave prints on paperwork. It's just a perfect leave-in follow-up for my new shampoo and conditioner duo. I can certainly see why it will stop breakage. I'm not sure how it would work for ladies who want to use heated curlers or irons on their hair, but it's really handling the heck out of this problem of dry hair for me.

Looks icky. Smells okay. Feels wonderful.
Still trying to identify those brown-ish bits in there

I have seen other products from Organics by Africa's Best (which is under the banner of House of Cheatham, which makes the site hard to locate online), and I bet most of you have seen the products. Apparently, the Hair Mayo is new - or at least I have this "new and improved" version of it.

At first, I thought that, despite the "leave-in" aspect, I would have to rinse it to avoid a head full of greasy curls.

I followed the "daily use" directions. Sort of.

The "daily use" directions are to use a small amount, so I did. Until I could almost hear my thirsty hair slurping up the mayo. Because I could immediately tell that my hair liked the cream, I went ahead and applied a bit to my scalp and tips, then did a little curl-massage. And... WOW.

Like I talked about before, I am loving the Adovia shampoo and conditioner. My hair is not as dried out as usual even a few days after washing it. Matter of fact, this mayo is the first product I have applied. Once again, between the shampoo, wash-out conditioner and the mayo, I think I am set for a hair-care routine. Maybe I will start retaining and expanding on the new growth trying to come in lately. My problem has never been growth, it's always breakage.

I took a look at the ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Polyquaternium-32, Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lanolin Oil, Dimethicone Copolyol Laurate, DMDM Hydantoin, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Parfum (Fragrance), Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Origanum Vulgare (Oregano), Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Equisetum Hyemale (Horsetail) Extract, Soluble Collagen, Tocopherol, Panthenol, Ovum (Egg Powder), Yellow No. 5, Red No. 40, Blue No. 1.

I have seen a lot of the same things on other hair products. By the way, as much as I love this mayo, I am pretty disappointed with the brand website. Other than having to hunt it down, once I found it, there wasn't much information about the individual products - like an ingredients list. I had to cop one from the product page on Amazon.

I have seen other bloggers mention this product. Some of them love it and some of them aren't thrilled with the ingredients. I saw a couple mentions of flaking and  Personally, the only problem I have with the ingredients are the little bits and pieces of what looks like remnants of nutshells. So far, I'm not bothered. I'm going to use it for a few days and see if I'm still this happy by then. If not, Walmart is pretty cool about returns/refunds/exchanges.

One last thing for people with different types of allergies/reactions to certain things: be careful to read the ingredients list and do the needed research. The mention of oils, extracts and egg-stuff made me wonder about that.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Mineral Balsam Conditioner (by Adovia)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Remember this post about the Dead Sea Mud Shampoo by Adovia? No? Then, if you have hair, go over there and read that post.

Done? Good because I have found the perfect conditioner to pair up with the shampoo.

The Mineral Balsam Conditioner (MBC) is sub-labeled: "with Dead Sea Minerals, Chamomile Extract and Vitamin E". Whatever. All I know if, this is some of the best dang conditioner I have used in.... ever. And I have tried a lot of conditioners to deal with my dry and nappy hair.

Once again, let's whip out the photos:

This is my hair on its regular shampoo/conditioner:

You can almost hear the tumbleweeds blowing through here...

This is my hair on the Dead Sea Mud Shampoo/no conditioner used:

This is my hair (immediately after a dye job & water-rinse/no shampoo) on the MBC.

No moisturizers & sun-dried.

Dang, right? Right? Yep. I applied no other products because I wanted to show how nicely conditioned my hair is hours later (and after being under a very warm sun all day). Of course, I will be putting in some of my regular moisturizers before bed tonight. But you see my point: this conditioner is the bizness, especially for my thirsty hair.

Now, if this conditioner can do this for my hair - and by "this" I mean keep it from drying up and blowing right off my head - imagine what it will do for a less damaged grade of hair? Matter of fact, I have hopes that my moisturizers are going to work better after this. I will certainly not need to use as much since my hair is less dried out to start with.

I also noticed that my hair felt less fragile than it does when I use other softening conditioners. That's another Plus.

So, yeah, this right here is some mighty fine conditioner for all hair types. Here's a list of the ingredients:

Demineralized water and Dead Sea water, cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride 29%, mineral oil, isopropyl myristate, glycerin, lanolin, fragrance, polyquaternium-7, propylene glycol and chamomile extract and algae extract* and papaya extract and aloe vera extract. (* I find that to be an interesting ingredient because of my Google searches on its effects on hair.)

You can, of course, get the conditioner on Amazon, or you can get it (or with the shampoo) via Cleopatra's Choice where there's a 60-day "Easy Return" policy cited.

Peace
--Free

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** L'oreal EverCreme

Okay, it's that time again.  I have tried a new product & here's the breakdown:

Once again, I love belonging to the Word-Of-Mouth sites which allow me to try so many different products. I really needed something for my hair. Like a lot of women, I have been at war with my hair from way back when Mr. Leon used to do my press-and-curl every week. (As a teenager, I went through a period of using weird things like body lotion on my hair.)

This month has been a horrible one for my hair. First, I tried that Keratin treatment (which bombed), then, when picking up my usual treatment, I grabbed the wrong one (and actually used it) and ended up stripping out my natural curls. Right now, I am having to baby my hair to get it back in shape and back to it's natural texture.

Yeah. I needed serious help.

This EverCreme is wonderful. It's being pushed by L'Oreal as being "sulfate free." I should probably care about that but I don't. All I care about is the hydrating qualities. The Nourishing Shampoo is super gentle but very cleansing. Even before applying the conditioner, my hair felt not-as-fragile yet very soft. Remember, I had done some damage with the other products I'd used.  Usually, a good conditioner will leave the hair soft while still damp; this Nourishing Conditioner left my hair soft even after I let it dry.

The Leave-in spray is amazing. For a looong time, I (like a lot of women with a natural coarse-curly texture) have searched for a spray that doesn't leave my hair sticky or with a slightly hair-sprayed feeling. This is it. I sprayed on just a little bit and my hair felt soft all day. I have previously used sheen sprays, oil sprays, curl sprays and on and on. All of those were just "Too" something - oily, stiff, wet, etc. The EverCreme is spot on perfect.

After using the products for two weeks (one shampoo & conditioning and the Leave-in spray every day), I can tell my hair is "healing." I know that the scientists all say that the hair we see is dead, but at least mine is now not dead looking. Since I am staying "natural" and letting my hair come back into its original texture, the EverCreme system is working for me. It's keeping my hair moisturized and breakage-free. My natural texture is normally very tightly curled and over-dry. I use a light texturizer every now and then to loosen the curls. (I've given up on years of bone-straight "Oprah" hair that I achieved with relaxers.) This lineup of EverCreme products is going to be my new weapon in the war on my hair!

By the way, the products I used smell really nice. They have a soft, clean scent.

As you can see, there are 7 products in this line . I want to try them all, but will have to wait a while. I really want the Deep Nourishing Mask (or, you know, masque if you're French or rich). The Creme line also includes the Cleansing Conditioner, Intense Nourishing Conditioner and an Intense Nourishing Shampoo. Along with that new wardrobe, all are on my "Wish List."

I think that for black women and others with a kinky-textured hair, the EverCreme is the way to go, while for those with relaxed hair, the EverSleek might be the best. You can check out all the systems here:

EverPure - Color-preserving
EverSleek - Frizz-control
EverStrong - Strengthening.

For anyone in doubt about whether or not L'Oreal's products are suitable for black hair (and I know some of you), keep in mind that the Soft Sheen products are made by the same company. So put that attitude away.

Finally, I rate EverCreme a 10 of 10.

Peace
--Free