**REVIEW** Art Naturals Fractionated Coconut Oil

This is probably the eighth FCO (fractionated coconut oil) that I've used. I think I have reviewed at least 3 or 4 of them in the past few years. I wanted to come and do a review on this one because I think it's going to be a new favorite.




You wouldn't think that there'd be much of a difference in FCO's, no matter the brand, but you'd be so wrong. I've liked almost every FCO I've tried, so if I had to pick one of those over another, it would come down to price. Since this one would rate well in the price criteria, I'll go over what else I do like so much about it.

First off, it's not rank, stale, or stinky. I hate to speak ill of local stores, but good quality and price are two main reasons I usually order certain products from Amazon. When I picked up a bottle of FCO from a small store in a local mall, I thought it would be okay. The oil was in a smaller bottle (I think it was 8 ounces), but wasn't too expensive. I had previously gotten some scented lotions and fragrance/warmer oils there and wasn't too underwhelmed. Plus, I was trying to buy local. I don't know if it was a batch problem or what, but that FCO was "off". It had a rank/dank odor. I returned it and the store explained that I must have just gotten a bad bottle. In addition to my refund, the clerk was nice enough to give me a sample bottle of fragrance oil.

Next time I bought some FCO locally, it was from a store I generally trust. The oil itself was pretty good as far as the moisturizing properties. The problem I had was that it was labeled as "pure" (or maybe it said "whole" I can't remember which) and there was a light coconut scent to it. As far as I now, pure FCO does not have a scent. That's one of the things I like about it. I don't want to use anything on my face if there is a scent involved.

Anyway, there were two reasons I applied to try this FCO from Art Naturals. One reason is I was out of FCO, period. LOL The second reason is that I'd been seeing other Art Natural products (tanning creams, Argan oil, face serums, etc.) on the brand review sites I use. I was curious about the brand, so...

My order for this FCO was placed via Amazon and the price was really decent. Like I said, the price is going to be a big part of the decision to purchase a quality oil. And, trust me, the  prices vary a lot. The 16-oz size is pretty standard, but just go and check out how many price ranges you can find. It's crazy. If you go over to Art Naturals, you'll notice the price for the FCO is dang good.  And, there are two extra reasons for shopping from the site (especially if you aren't an Amazon Prime member):

1. Shipping. Standard is FREE & Expedited is only around $6.00 (I didn't even see any exclusions for Alaska or Hawaii!)
2. You can sign up for their mailing list for a chance at free products in exchange for reviews. I think you have to stay tuned for when they are running a campaign but, still.

See the site's FAQs for info on all that. By the way, I noticed that they also have a magnesium oil. Interesting, huh?

I can tell you that I'm happy with the FCO from this brand. Like I said, I had run out since the last bottle that I bought (and liked) at a local health store. I used this one almost as soon as the FedEx guy handed me the box. 

In case you forgot or never knew all the ways FCO can be used:

• Moisturize skin & hair. Depending on your skin type, you can try using this as an overnight face and body treatment. The good news (especially for you loving couples) is that FCO doesn't stain sheets and clothing. Moving along...
• Remove your makeup (or just clean your face) with FCO. When the weather or my meds have my skin feeling extra dry, I will use the FCO with a damp face cloth so that some of the oil is left on my skin. Otherwise, I'll wipe the oil off with a cottony baby wipe. That cleans the oil completely off.
• Hot oil treatment for skin and hair. For the skin treatment, I like to slather on the oil then sit on some towels in the bathroom with the shower steaming the room. (Just be careful that you don't slip-slide and bust your pride!)
• The oil is great for shaving. I don't have to shave my legs, but I love putting FCO on my pits and leaving it while I shower, then shaving just before rinsing off.
• For those of you who need scalp moisture, you can apply this to wide parts in your hair and then brush.(I use it a little heavier after I've got my hair twisted for the night.)
• For people with a smoother (less kinky) texture of hair, a tiny bit of oil can tame or even prevent the "splits". FCO is a nice hair oil because it is so light (and remember - no staining).
• I've heard that "brushing" the skin is a trend these days. I am thinking of trying that but, for now, I know that applying some FCO and exfoliating is nice. You can try using the oil with sugar, coffee grounds, baking soda, rice powder, or some other mild scrub. I used to use sugar, but now I use the finer-grained rice powder or baking soda. One day, I'll have to experiment with a fine-grained salt.
• FCO makes a good cuticle oil, lip balm (try mixing it with an EO of your liking). Of course FCO is a wonderful carrier oil for using with EOs.
• This last one is a personal goodie that I will dare share with the ladies, but guys might want to try it: Throughout those hot (or extra active) days, try cleaning your "private places" with some FCO and a baby wipe. You can grab some small, cheapie plastic bottles at Walmart to keep a portable supply of FCO on hand. This is a nice way to keep fresh on days when you feel self-conscious for whatever reason. I'm just sharing a tip.

If you think that using oils as a part of your hair and skin care routines is worth it, let me share a photo of my 55-year old self. And be sure to keep in mind that I haven't always taken as much care with the rest of my health as I have with my skin. I smoked cigarettes for most of my life, not always eaten well, and messed around and acquired a chronic immune disease. Still...

Born with good skin genes. Upkeep with oils and other moisturizers.

So, yes, there are so many ways to use a good FCO. The one use that I haven't ever thought too much about until I saw the Art Naturals label: "Medicinal". They don't mean for internal use but as a wound cleaner. I thought that was interesting and will have to look into it more.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned in the post free of charge in exchange for providing a fair & honest review.

**REVIEW** Sweet Orange EO by Fab Naturals

Everyone who's read this blog at least twice must know that I love essential oils. LOVE them. After a few years of testing and reviewing so many EOs, I think I've developed a sense for which ones are good quality. The latest one I've tried is Sweet Orange from Fab Naturals.

My preference for one oil over another depends on what I'm using it for. I like lemon, orange, cinnamon, black pepper and clove for their particular cleaning uses. All of them are great, IMO, as fighters of fungus, bacteria and other germ-y things. Sweet Orange has the added Plus of a great smell. Today, I had some lemon-scented wax melts going when I was cleaning with this Sweet Orange. I discovered how good the scents mingle. A long while back, I had mixed some orange and lemon EO with water to spray the trailer and the smell wasn't nearly as yummy. Huh, Live, learn and experiment, right?

























There is a difference in the different types of citrus EOs and this ezine does a great job of breaking down the orange types  sweet, wild, bitter, etc. I'll have to bookmark that for reference!

For me, I just like the scent of sweet orange. It's a lighter and less "tart" smelling fragrance. I've been experimenting with using it in combinations. It's very nice with black pepper EO and I sort of like it mixed with my vanilla-grapefruit fragrance. I'll have to play with the combo amounts a bit more.

Here are some of the way you can use this Sweet Orange EO:

• Can be used as an insect repellent. (I've seen several sources that talk about this. I heard it when I first started using EOs regularly.)
• Citrus oils are supposed to be good for acne prone skin. I would be careful to test for any kind of negative reaction. Also, know that citrus oils react to the sun. Don't apply before going out into sunlight. Some people use citrus oils to highlight their hair.
• Lots of natural hair enthusiasts like to use a combo of moisturizing oils and citrus EOs to condition their hair. The main carrier oils I've heard of being used are olive and coconut, but I'm sure you could use whatever your favorite is as a carrier. Here is what Nappy Headed Black Girl has on the subject. 
• Apparently, mixing a bit of moisturizing oil with a some Sweet Orange EO makes for a nice lip balm. (Again, think about the effect of the sun on citrus oils!)

Here are the way, I've been using it:

• Mixed with water in small spray bottle to clean work space and scent the air.
• A couple of undiluted drops on a damp cloth to clean bathroom counters and get rid of soap scum marks in shower. On a paper towel to clean toilets seat and outer bowl. Toss the used paper towel in bathroom trash can to scent the can.
• two drops in the 30ml electronic diffuser. The scent is:  a stress reliever/mood lifter, depression fighting and enhances relaxation. (Some people say that they only use this way during waking hours because of an energy lift. It doesn't interrupt my sleep and seems to help me feel more peaceful.)
• A few drops added to a drop of black pepper EO and some lotion or moisturizing oil is great on my feet, legs and ankles at night. It seems to help with my circulation and I've read that it's also good to relieve swelling.
• I put about ten drops in a small bottle and added twice as much coconut oil. I keep this mix in my purse so that I can apply some to my wrists or temples. It's a mood lifter when I am dealing with temporary bouts of the blues. There are a couple of different oils and blends I use for this purpose, but this particular EO is the best smelling of all.
• What I didn't know until today was that this EO is great for applying to foot calluses. Huh! I will be trying this later and updating you on results. Right now, my feet are looking lovely. LOL
• My favorite new way of using this particular oil is to add some to my twisting cream(s) when I style my hair. Since I don't like to over-wash/dry out my hair, I get some product buildup. Adding the Sweet Orange as an antibacterial gives me some confidence. Also, the scent is just really, really nice.

So, there you have it. There are lots of ways to use Sweet Orange, but the main thing is to get one of good quality. I mentioned somewhere that I've bought a sweet orange EO that was not right. First of all, it didn't smell that great, which should have been my warning. Very soon after I started using the oil, it turned funky smelling. It lost what little bit of citrus scent it started with and picked up a rank odor that got worse and worse. I tossed it out. 

I've been faithful to a couple of brands when it comes to essential oils. Fab Naturals is another brand I'm glad to have found. Right now, I see only a few oils on their site but, if the others are as good as this Sweet Orange, they have something special.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned in the post at a discount or free of charge in exchange for a fair and honest review.

**REVIEW**' Silk Elements Pure Oils

Okay, this is actually a review of 2 products, but they are both from the Silk Elements line of "Pure Oils".

I could have sworn that I had already done a review for the Hair Butter. Oh, well, I will do a quickie about how much I love the stuff.

The Hair Butter is a "thin". It moisturizes the scalp without a lot of weight. I don't use it on my hair just because I don't like oils on the hair, but I could see this being used by some people to protect the ends. I think that even people with Caucasian type hair could use this on their ends and flyaways.

I'll get back to this in a moment, but I now like using the Butter very heavily on the roots of my hair while they're damp and when I am using the Marmalade.

The one thing that I noticed right off about the Butter is that there is little to no smell to it.The Marmalade, though, has a really wonderful fragrance that I wouldn't have placed without looking at the label:

I spotted "honey" in the list of ingredients but had to look harder for the "Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil".

Anyway, the Marmalade smells delicious. The scent fades as soon as the product dries so there isn't a problem for people bothered by conflicting fragrances.

The Marmalade has an odd texture. Right out of the jar, it's super moist and has a slightly slick and slime-like feel. (Not like something gross, so no worries.)  In my book, this was a Plus for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it takes very little product to work with my hair and, the other thing is that it really helps the twisting process. It's a little bit like Eco styler in the way it applies.

Do I like the Marmalade? No. I love it. It defines my twists like crazy and the hold is serious. Now, do I have any negatives to report? Yep. One.

The Marmalade is very moist going on the hair but, boy, when it comes time to unwind my twists... That stuff is like hard glue. I had to be really careful not to tug and break aloose the hair when I was untwisting it. That was a little alarming. I mean, how could this be that moisturizing when it dries so hard???

Well, there's an upside to that downside. Once I went back and studied the label, I saw the suggestion to use some Pure Oils Moisturizer with this Marmalade - "for softer hold and definition". (Tip: when you're ready to untwist/style your hair, use a moisturizing spray if you forgot to add something when setting your hair. I used some StaSof and it softened my curl right up.)

So, yeah. I'm not even mad about that. For one thing, I love so much how this does hold and define my twists that I'm going to be playing with other styles. For another thing, the label did warn me! LOL

When I added a little bit of my Mizani Moisture Stretch while twisting my (damp) hair, the Marmalade still defined well and without the over-strong hold. I don't yet have any of the Pure Oils leave-in, but I can't wait to try it. For now, it seems like the Mizani - or any other good moisturizer - will do the job. There are going to be times when I need the stronger hold of this Marmalade, but it's nice to know that I can add another moisturizer to lighten things up.

So, to sum up a bit:

• The Butter is fantastic for light scalp and ends use
• The Marmalade will hold you like Teddy Pendergrass would have and it will define like a dictionary.
• The Marmalade has a nice (light) fragrance that I like. The scent fades with drying.
• The Butter has no noticeable fragrance.
• Both products work well, but the Marmalade is for getting serious definition and hold. The Butter could work for all hair types, depending on what you're looking for.

By the way, a long while back I used a little of the Butter on my hands. I had washed dishes without using gloves and, for some reason, I wondered what the Butter would feel like on my skin. It feels really good but, since that's not what it's labeled for, I'm not going to suggest anyone else use it that way. (But it did make my hands feel really good! LOL)

All in all, I really do like both of things. As I type this, I have just done my scalp with the Butter and I did my twists last night with the Marmalade. 

Still hard to tell. Take my word, it looks and feels good.

Is that a freaking double chin???
What the heck!

They make a nice hair styling duo. I just have to get me some of that Pure Oils Moisturizer to test out...

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Isododecane

This is a cosmetic ingredient that I am using to "thin" out and moisturize some of my makeup:

The item is from Making Cosmetics, the same place I get my Wrinkle Blur from. While the Blur is easy to use, with this product,  I'm kind of experimenting.

Here is the description for Isododecane ("Iso" from here on out). This is straight from the product page:

"Description: Hydrocarbon that is most often used as an emollient and solvent in skin care products. Thanks to its low viscosity and density, it has a high spreadability. Colorless liquid. Water-insoluble, but completely soluble with silicones, hydrocarbons, isoparaffin & mineral spirits. CAS# 31807-55-3. INCI Name: Isododecane."  (my emphasis)

And some more info:

"Properties: Has a weightless feel on skin, enhances spreadability of products, helps prevent evaporation of water from the skin, excellent emollient and can be used as replacement to oils in emulsions. Compatible with silicones for imparting shine, slip, combability for hair care products, conditions hair & skin. Use: Can be added to formulas as is, add to oil phase, use level 2-15%. Storage: Stable when kept in a closed container at a cool & dry place. Application: Mascara, eyeliner, creams, lotions, hair care, conditioners, hairsprays, perfumes." (my emphasis)

What I plan to use it for is what a lot of laymen Cosmetics Kitchenistas seem to use it for. I'm going to be adding minute amounts to my foundations to help them spread better and also with my gel liners to help them not "clump". I also add a bit to the Vanilla-Grapefruit fragrance that I'm so in love with. I noticed that the Iso helps the scent "stay" longer. Maybe that's because of the whole evaporation prevention?

I will definitely not be using this to try getting more mileage out of my old and dried out cosmetics. It's not good to use old cosmetics - eyeliners and shadows, etc - simply because they can cause me skin issues. I won't try to tell you guys what to do with your old products, but I will suggest you be careful of them. I've read of people getting eye infections and having serious skin breakouts from working with their ancient makeup. LOL.

So far, I've had good results.

With my fragrance, I added the smallest amount I could manage. I put one drop into a 4ml vial of the fragrance.  As far as using with my makeup, I have some concealer that I use the Iso with. I will dampen only the very tip of my smallest makeup brush with the Iso, then run the brush across the concealer before applying to my skin. It really does help with diluting the concealer and making it spread better. This works for me because, even when I want more foundation coverage, I never want a heavily applied concealer. Pretty sure this might work for thinning out other creamy cosmetics. Haven't tried that yet.

The one way that I absolutely love using the Iso is when I have over-applied my mascara or get clumps on my lashes. I take a clean mascara wand (you can get these at beauty supply stores), dab on some Iso, then run the wand through your lashes to "clean" them up a bit. It also works to thin out heavy lipsticks. I have a couple of lipstick shades that I like to blend together on the back of my hand before applying to my lips. The Iso makes this easy.

I did have to get used to handling the Iso. It's very, very runny and it only takes a bit to work with. I find that best way to use it is with a clean dropper.

I haven't used the Iso with hair products yet. I'm going to experiment with it though. I know that I want to try thinning out some of the hair gel I use sometimes. What I'm thinking about is the moisture and evaporation factor. Wonder if this would help my hair retain more of the moisture I get from some products? Hmmm....

As you can tell, I'm still playing around with uses for this stuff. If any of you have used it before or have tips for using it, let me know. I'll try to keep you updated from this end.

Of course, there's a bunch of info online about the Pros and Cons of Isododecane. It's not one of the "natural" products, so I get that a lot of people might not like that. For myself, this is one of those cases where I'm going more for control of my beauty products - natural or not.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Roman Chamomile Essential Oil

I'd never tried this essential oil before now. I'd never even heard of it:

I mostly applied to get this EO from First Botany.at a discount (yes, in exchange for an Amazon review) because I hadn't heard of it, but found from researching that one of the main benefits is a "calming of the mind" (source). Lord knows, with the start of the year I've had, I need as much calming as I can get. Also, it's probably safer for anyone I have to be around!

It doesn't hurt that I read in more than one place that Roman Chamomile (R.C.) is also supposed to help support a healthy immune system. I'm all about that.

Apparently, there are 2 different types of chamomile: Roman and German. I found source for explaining the difference, but I''ll just let you check this link for some clarification and get on with the review of this particular brand of Roman Chamomile essential oil.

From reading the product info page on Amazon, in addition to general info I found online, I learned what really interested me about this EO;

Few drops of Roman chamomile Oil can be added to your favorite moisturizer or lotion to promote youthful looking skin or can be added to shampoo or conditioner for beautiful glowing hair. 

That's what I'm talking about!

The page also mentioned something about using the EO in a diffuser (or what I call my "humi-diffuser") for getting a restful sleep. I can get down with that too. But back to the skin and hair issue...

As you know, I have done another "big chop" on my hair. It's looking and feeling great because I have a bunch of new EOs and oils to baby it. Until I get another chance to do a wash or condition, I won't be able to tell you much about the hair part. Still, I couldn't' wait to see if this R.C. could do something special for my skin.

The R.C. EO has a very pleasant smell. I wasn't expecting that from the name. I could only expect it to smell like chamomile tea ~shrug~. The scent of the EO reminds me a little bit of Myrrh oil, but sweeter. It's woody and, well, sweet.

Instead of adding it to one of my other skin and hair oils (coconut, kukui, jojoba or emu) because I thought that would defeat the purpose of seeing how well this worked, I added it to some regular lotion.

I like my purse-sized tube of Jergen's hand lotion, but it can fade after a while and it sometimes feels a little tacky on the skin. When I added the R.C., I couldn't really tell anything at first. I noticed later that (and I hope this isn't just my imagination) my skin  hadn't lost any of the initial softening/moisturizing from about and hour and a half before. I'm sorry but I didn't pay a great deal of attention to the times.

Another thing I can tell you about this is that is really is soothing when I use it in the humi-diffuser. Of course, I was dog tired the night I tried it, but it seems like I fell off to sleep with less tossing and turning. I do know that I slept all through the night, which is unusual for me.

Next week, I'm going to be working at blending some of the various EOs I've collected. I can''t wait to try this in a blend (maybe with some Ginger or Ylang Ylang), and I'll have to get back to you guys on that. Also, I will let you know when I do the hair treatments using this one.

This particular EO is from First Botany. I think I've gotten 2 EOs from them recently. So far, I really like the quality. The price for this one is up there, but I think that it could be because of quality since I noticed the same range of pricing for the same EO from my preferred brands. This one is backed by a 100% refund guarantee.

Peace
--Free




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

**REVIEW** Kukui Nut Oil

Kukui Nut Oil is, obviously, from the Kukui nut. It's one of a few oils that I've been wanting to try but knew so little about. One of the first things I learned is that the Kukui nut and Candlenut are one and the same. Wha-???

This is what a kukui nut tree looks like:

And this is what a kukui nut looks like:

Those nuts are, of course, made into a necklace.

At any rate, I did have an idea that Kukui Nut Oil was from an Hawaiian tree. I got a bit of a discount to try this one in exchange for an Amazon review.

I'm trying to be more consistent in the way I present reviews, by the way, so let's get to it.

What is it commonly used for?

Because if its essential fatty acids and antioxidants, this has been used for a long time as a natural moisturizer. It protects that skin against salt and sand (in historical Hawaiian use, I guess) and it feels amazing.

Before I even did any research, I was immediately impressed with how this oil absorbed so fast. My niece and her friend also tried it with me and we all loved how "silky" it felt on the skin. Sure enough, that's one of the first things I read about the effects.

What's it like on the hair and skin?

Unlike argan or olive, this oil has almost no greasy feeling to it while applying. After about a minute of slathering some onto my face and hands, it was completely absorbed.

It's also a great hair moisturizer. The absorbency factor is one reason but, for me, the biggest thing was that it softened my hair. Love that.

If you check out that link I just used, you'll see that it's great for protecting the skin in lots of ways: sunburns, windburns, chapping, etc. My niece used some on her dry elbows and loved that it absorbed so fast and worked so well without staining her clothes. Her friend used some on her scalp in a spot where she has problems with dryness. (I will have to check back with her to see how long the effects lasted.)

I used it on my hair and face right off. This morning, I applied some after cleaning my face with castor oil and a baby wipe. No heaviness to it at all.

This reminds me a lot of Marula oil, but seems a bit more moisturizing.

I have to say that this is one oil that I am going to want to get more of. I really do like it.

Other positives

The oil naturally contains good stuff like:

• Vitamins A, C, and E, 
• Fatty acids -  Oleic (25.5%), Palmitic  (6.5%), Alpha-linolenic (25.1%),  and Linoleic  (40%)

5-Star Ratings:

5 of 5 for smell. There is none that I could detect once it was applied. Right out of the bottle, my niece said it had a slight "warm and nutty" odor.
5 of 5 for softening (I'd give it 10 stars!)
5 of 5 for moisturizing (because it can be worn under makeup without shine, stickiness or greasiness
5 of 5 for the pricing. (It's not a cheap oil, but it earns its keep.)
10 stars just for being such a really good oil.

This is so multi-use that I need to do more research on why it works so well. I can't rave enough about the softening effect it had on my skin and hair.

This is also the first time I've tried something from Renewalize, but I now want to try more. I like the way the packaged this so well and I think I can put the quality of this oil up there with some of my favorite brands.

I will update this review when I've gotten the chance to use this over time

Peace
--Free


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

**REVIEW** Majestic Pure Pale Pressed Castor Oil

Yes, I know. I just did a castor oil review a couple days ago. That was for what's called a "cold pressed" castor oil. This is for a "pale pressed" castor oil. Specifically, this one:

                    Majestic Pure's 100% Pure Castor Oil (cold pressed & hexane-free)

I have to admit that, before now, I never paid attention to the different oil "pressings". What I did notice immediately when I got this pale pressed oil is that it's so much thinner in texture.

When I saw just how thin this was, I worried that it wouldn't be a "good" castor oil. Except for Jamaican Black Castor Oil (BJCO), all the castor oils I've used have been either thick or super thick. This one was as thin as table syrup. I love me some Majestic Pure, as you guys know, but I was trying to give this item the side eye at first!

Because I was curious about this (and the color, which is a yellow-ish hue), I went looking for info. All I could come up with was that different "pressings" produce differences in oils.

Okay.

To be honest, I really only care the most about whether this would be moisturizing. It is, and the good thing about it's thinner texture is that it makes a great skin moisturizer.

Thick castor oil (like the one I just recently fell in love with) is great for dealing with hair and skin at it's driest. Because a thick oil is heavier, it takes more time for it to absorb. What I learned using this thinner oil is that it's easier to apply on my skin in place of lotion because it absorbs much faster. It still does a the job of moisturizing my skin (and holding in more hydration from, say a shower or bath).

When I applied this to my hands, it only took a couple of minutes before it was absorbed and I could touch paper without staining it. Cool.

I decided that there's a place for both types of oils in my routine. Still, I wanted to understand more about this whole "cold vs pale" pressing thing. I'm no expert, so take what I learned with a few grains of salt:

• Cold pressing leaves the oil more "virgin" because there's no heat used in the process.
• Pale pressed oil has a lower acidity. Pale pressed oil is from the first pressing of the castor bean.
• (source for info includes this specific page)

Um, that's about all I learned! Sorry. Hahaha...

If any of you know more about the subject, be sure to fill me in. 

For now, I am loving this oil. I like the fact that I can apply this to my hands and the rest of my body just before I get dressed. I like that it absorbs almost like a lotion (I just need to fill a small bottle to fit in my purse and gym bag), and most of all, I like that it really does work.

One warning: Don't over-apply. Just because this is thinner, I went a little overboard when I put some on my hair. My body heat begin to warm the oil and I had it dripping down my neck! A little bit goes a looong way, trust me.

Again, I have to say that I've used quite a few products from Majestic Pure by now. They seem to be a real stand-up brand and they do stand behind their products. By the way, this castor oil, other than being "pale pressed" is also hexane free.  There is a 100% refund guarantee.

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** 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** Organic Castor Oil from Cammile Q

Sometimes, I have a brand reach out for me to try something because they read the blog and know what sorts of products I like reviewing. This was the case with this:

That's a 100% Organic Castor Oil from Cammile Q.

You guys know that I have tried a couple of different castor oils. I've mainly been using Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO)  - which I sometimes call BJCO or Black Jamaican Castor Oil!

"Regular" or JBCO, when it comes to whatever kind, there is a big difference in castor oils.

What I like so much about this one is that I can use it in a lot of different ways. There is no odor or fragrance so I feel more confident about using it to extend the scent on perfumes and the fragrance oils I wear as perfumes. (I'll get into the specifics of that in a moment.)

This one is very, very thick. Love that. I had tried another castor oil that was super thick, but it did have a sticky or "tacky" feel to it. I didn't mind that when using it on my hair or on my feet, but it wasn't as nice when trying to moisturize all over after a shower.

My original intended use for the Cammile Q castor oil was as an eyelash/eyebrow moisturizer. It's only been a few days, but I can't wait to see how this works down the road. What I did was take one of the wands from an empty mascara, cleaned it really well and stored it in a plastic baggie. Now I use it to apply the castor oil to my lashes and brows at night after I clean off my makeup.




I like using the oil on my lashes and brows, but we all know I'm a maniac about my the hair on my head! I found ways to incorporate this castor oil into that care regimen. Because this is thicker than my JBCO, I especially like to use it as a hot oil treatment. Once again, there's no odor. Also, if I rinse out the treatment with conditioner instead of shampoo, I find that more of it remains to moisturize my scalp. If I want lighter oil on my scalp during the day, I can use the JBCO.

One other way that this works is as a protectant (not exactly a carrier) oil for when I want to apply EOs  to my skin as a fragrance. The reason this works well is because, while it does protect my skin from the strength of the EO's, it also helps to make my fragrance last longer. (I find that wetting the skin with warm water, blotting, and then applying the castor oil before a perfume or fragrance EO is the best way.)

Other ways I've tested this out is by adding it to the hand lotion I keep in my purse, adding a little (about a full dropper full) to a 16-oz tube of shampoo. The shampoo was a clarifying one that has been sitting in the bathroom cabinet for months. I figure it will be less stripping with the oil added to it. Also, I am using the oil on my little nephew after his baths. He's inherited his daddy's tendency to "ash up". Most lotions just roll of that child so I've been using oil on him ever since he was about 2 years old! He'll even ask me if it's time to out on some "oy-yul")

Of course, this is just a really nice sealant after washing and/or conditioning the hair. Apply to the ends with a the fingertips is you don't want much oil on your hair.

Finally, this is going to last. It's thick and doesn't take a lot. The trick when doing hot oil treatments is to use just what you need. I don't like warming my hair oils over and over. What I do is put just enough in a baggie (about a half - or little more - of a dropper) and warming the baggie in hot water. Then I can drizzle my scalp with the oil. I hate wasting stuff so this works best for me. Also, I've noticed that, just like my hair, my skin works better at absorbing moisturizing products when it's damp and a bit warm.

When you look at this on the Amazon product page, it looks small. The bottle is actually bigger than I thought.

USDA certified Organic

Like I said, I love my JBCO, but I love this unrefined castor oil too. It's unscented and thick - without the tacky feeling. There is a 30-money back guarantee, just in case you aren't as impressed as I am.

If I get the chance to check out some of the other Cammile Q products, I will let you know. In the meantime, you can go over and take a look.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Plantation Brand Blackstrap Molasses

Let me start this by pasting in what I shared on Google Plus back on the 18th of February:

The fatigue has been serious for a few weeks now. The ferrous sulfate docs give me causes constipation (yeah, sorry). 
Today, while at the infusion center, another patient (older lady visiting from Georgia) reminded me of an old remedy for "tired blood". 
Her: Where are you from, baby? Me: Texas, but raised here in Alaska. Her: Your mother from Texas and you never heard of using 'strap? Me: (Thinking of whoopings I got) Yes, ma'am. Strap, switch, belt... Her: No, honey. Blackstrap Molasses! 
And then I did remember! And I_hated_ that ' strap as much as I hated whoopings. I have learned in the past few years how to mask the taste of things that are good for me. 
I dragged my behind to the store after treatment and picked up some 'strap! 
I swear this is the same slavery time brand my mother used! 😲
I got home and slept for 4 hours, woke up and made some coffee and added a spoon of the 'strap (and I'm always going to call it that!) 
Still dog tired, but I'm going to keep adding 'strap to my coffee and see if it helps.

I'm drinking some in black tea now. After this, bed. 😴😴😴

#fatigue#chronicdisease#sarcoidosis #lifeisstillbeautiful#iamblessed#iamjoyful#nothingsgoingtobreakmystride#naturalhealthremedy#workedformymama #plantationblackmolasses #plantationseriously#evenauntjemimagotamakeover


Yes, it was like that. Here is the brand of molasses I'm talking about:

Okay, aside from my jabbing at the brand's name, I have to tell you what an impact this product has made on my life.

The very next day (after taking that first dose of 'strap), I put another 1/2 tablespoon in my morning coffee. Even though I felt much better than I usually do after an infusion, I knew I was going to have to find another way to get my 'strap dosage. It was not bad in coffee, but made it a little heavy tasting. Later, while looking up more information about molasses, I ran across a more delicious way to get my daily dose:

Tablespoon of the molasses in bottom of a coffee cup
Couple of drops of hot water to cover the molasses (to soften/thin it)
Stir the water and molasses
Add 8 ounces (or more) of your choice of cold dairy or soy (I use vanilla soy)
Stir well and enjoy
(Of course, I modified the recipe and will sometimes drop in a frozen cube of coconut milk! )

To me, the taste is like chocolate. Like I said, I have added a cube of coconut mile, but I also enjoy this as a warm drink before bed. At any rate, mixed with the soy, the molasses takes on a whole new (better) flavor. I bet parents could probably get their kids to drink it. Check with your doctor first!

The best thing about getting my energy from the molasses is that I don't get the constipation that iron pills cause. I thought it might be because of the added dairy/soy, but I found that BSM is used as constipation reliever. Also, it's just nice not to have one more pill to deal with.

Even if you're not concerned with fatigue, there are lots of uses for 'strap (I kind of knew about baked beans, but forgot all about BBQ sauces!):

• Considered an affordable "superfood"
• Uses of, varieties of, and other info on BSM
• 11 ways to use blackstrap (BBQ sauce included here)
• Cookie and bread recipes
• Light vs Dark molasses. Some info for cooking.
• Using for hair. Unsulphered vs sulphered molasses
• A recipe using cocoa powder.
• Blackstrap is vegan, apparently.
• Some vegan recipes (including a BSM one)
• As a remedy for acne (stroll down)

The brand that was available at my local health food store was Plantation (yeah), but I did find a more affordable brand (with slightly different nutrient levels) on Amazon. As far as I can tell, 'strap will "keep" for  up to 4 months or more without losing quality.

Plantation label

Golden Barrel label

Since there are several brands, I am going to be making future purchases based on nutrition labels (I've order the Golden Barrel brand), taste, and price. Availability here in Anchorage is limited to our health food stores (as far as I know) but, depending on where you live, you might be able to find it in grocery stores. I'm pretty sure my mother and grandmothers living in Texas weren't hitting Whole Foods in the '60s and '70s!

If you know of more information about 'strap, let me know.

Peace

--Free

Chop Chop

So...

Between my meds and either that temp straightening and an overdosage of supplements, my hair was a mess. Thicker at the root (yay), but ragged at the ends (boo).

I know how to let go of stuff.go. So I just chopped all my hair off. Well, not all. I did leave about and inch and a half. And I only left that much so that I could put in place my new plan for regrowing a healthy head of hair.

I tried to find my other pictures - you know the ones we keep of our younger and better looking selves? I remember having the healthiest head of hair ever. I could wear it straight, curly, wet, pony-tailed, bunned... I could actually just shake my fingers through it and walk out of the house and attract positive attention.

Not missing my younger years as much as I am not having to work so hard to have healthy hair.

Anyway.

My PLAN is this: I've chopped off my hair and I'm going to baby it like a rented Ferrari. I'm fine with very short hair. I've learned how to wear hair scarves and other accessories to feel nice about my appearance. However, I know that I'm going to want some versatility so I'm going to occasionally wear clip-in extensions. I chose human hair in the kinky/curly set. My niece actually walked me through choosing the hair, the clips, and instructions. 

Oh PAUSE! First I have to mention a particular store (other than Sally's Beauty) where I used to love shopping at for hair care supplies. It's called Queen's Beauty Supply in our local Northway Mall and is the sister store of one called King's Beauty Supply. I've been going in there off and on for over a year. When I went to pick out the supplies I needed to do these clips, I chose a bag of 14-inch hair that was $10 more expensive than the 10-inch hair I could have used. I didn't realize this until I walked out of the store, got five feet away and my niece (still on the phone) mentioned it. So, I turned around and walked back into the store and asked about doing an exchange. The response: "No cash refund. Just store credit." He didn't even try to be nice about it. Basically, he pointed to a sign tacked at KNEE LEVEL - seriously, it was that low down on the wall. (BTW, I had paid with a debit card.)

Now, my niece said that I overreacted when I told her I would never shop there again. Maybe. Maybe not. At any rate, I think it was short of good customer service. I can always order via Amazon now that I know which brand stuff to buy.

Moving along.

The reason I chose using clip-ins is because I recently learned that they can be used in protective styling. I'd stayed away from anything to do with sewing and glue because I don't want to damage my hair. That's the opposite of my goal. (I've used a glue-in weave once. Loved wearing it. Hated the mess of getting it out. And it did a bit of tearing.)

There are several online resources that mention using clip-ins as a protective styling method. Black Hair Information shares tips and tricks for blending the extensions into your own. Black Naps also looks at some pros and cons. Black Girl Long Hair offers links to products. 

This is going to be my planned routine:

• Wearing lots of oils and leave-in treatments at night. (Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, etc.)
• Shampooing once a week (with mild, moisturizing and low-protein shampoos).
• Deep conditioning (meaning with a cap or with heat) once a week.
• Trimming once a week. (Something I don't do often enough)
• Taking regular vitamins daily (including my 1 Tbl of molasses.
• Trying to rest more.
• Cutting back on coffee.

My niece walked me through choosing the right hair and supplies, but she's not hear to walk me through the actual process of making the finished product. Thank goodness for YouTube and, in particular, the Mayvenn videos. 

This is the video I am going to be using as my reference when I get started.

                                             

I will try to come back often to post on my progress. Once I actually cut off my hair, I had that moment of panic (I always have that moment) and thought, "Oh crap! WHAT did I do???" But you know what? When DJ saw my hair (or lack of) all he cared about was whether or not he and I were going to play with his cars or G.I. Joes. Long hair, short hair, that baby don't care!

Here's to the journey..

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Red Palm Oil

I've mainly stuck to the more common oils and butters when it comes to using them for my hair and skin. Coconut oil has been a favorite, and I've got argan, marula, avocado, and a little bit of raw shea butter in my little beauty chest. I haven't ever really heard much mention of red palm oil though.

I can't remember what put my attention on this particular oil. I think it was something I read about caring for extremely dry hair. Not sure now, but am I glad I found out about it.

This is the brand I picked up at a local health food store:

on sale for $4 and change.
Normally $6 something

The texture reminds me of coconut oil. It's very thick and slightly hard until it gets any kind of warmth. The color is not so much red as a sort of "brick orange" and, boy oh boy, you have to be careful not to stain your fabrics. I did stain an old towel that I use just for messy jobs. I will see what happens on wash day...

The first thing I did with this was risk staining something by slathering it on right before taking a shower. I wanted to do a light body scrub with the oil and my rice powder. Every now and then I like using rice powder or baking soda mixed with oil to do some all-over exfoliation. I usually use either refined or fractionated coconut oil, but this was my chance to try something different. Since I was experimenting, I went ahead and massaged some of the oil (minus the ricee powder) into my hair along with some coconut milk.

The palm oil goes on really nice. I can tell that it feels more moisturizing than coconut oil. It also feels a bit heavier on the skin. When I exfoliate with oil and powder, I always use my hands. (Ladies, since massaging in a scrub takes more time than just showering, this is a great time to do the self-exam of your breasts. Because cancer sucks!)

The palm oil rinsed off nicely with my liquid soap and, no, it didn't stain the tub, thank God. The softening effects were amazing. My skin felt like silk. As for my hair, I have to say that the palm oil is going to be a great pre-poo treatment. I did shampoo the oil out, but I think that next time I might just try rinsing with very warm water. I love that the moisture lasted longer than it does with a coconut oil conditioning.

Now, don't get me wrong - I am not ditching my coconut oil. For one thing, the palm oil doesn't have the fragrance and deliciousness of coconut oil. I do know that I will be keeping palm oil in my regimen. I like how it made my hair and skin feel, and I love that it makes a more effective lip balm than coconut oil. (By the way, try doing a oil and baking soda or rice powder lip scrub to fight chapping.)

So, I loved the red palm oil. I'm not crazy about the staining. One thing I tested was rubbing the palm oil into my skin really well, letting it 'set' for a couple of minutes, then seeing if it would stain my sheet. It did not. Hmmm.

When I used the oil on my face (pre-makeup), I noticed only the slightest possible tinge of it's color. Of course, I have dark skin. What I wonder is if the oil would be a nice addition to lighter skin tones. Maybe in place of tanning? I don't know and I'm going to have to experiment on one of my friends to see what this would look like.

Okay. I love this for my skin and hair. Definetely. So, what about using it for cooking? I tried that out.

I had some ground veal that I've been meaning to defrost as soon as I had a recipe. I never did look up anything I liked so I just mixed the veal with some tumeric, red pepper (yes, me), a little salt, some onions, garlic and chopped spinach and sauteed it in some of this palm oil. After I drained the meat, I ate it over some thin noodles.

The oil certainly added a nice color to the bland veal. The flavor was very, very nice. With the seasonings I used, I couldn't really pinpoint the oil, but I really liked the results. For that quarter pound of veal, I used about a half tablespoon of oil. That was plenty. I cooked it on medium-low heat and had no problems with smoking or anything.

Just like with coconut oil, I understand that there are different ways to incorporate the palm oil into the daily diet. That's great when you have multiple uses for a product. I did a side-by-side shot of nutrituion labels (RPO on left) to show a comparism with coconut oil. With my coconut oil, I add it to my coffee and smoothies, plus I like to spread it on toast. For the palm oil, I think I might add it to meats and veggies with I'm baking them because I don't fry food that often anymore. I love the color.

Here are some sources I checked out for more information:

• Livestrong on the hair & skin benefits of RPO
• Naturally Curly's take on using RPO for hair growth
• The Boah talks on the (hair & skin) healing properties of RPO
• Probably the most objective of the 3 sources is here

Of course, just because something is natural, that doesn't mean we don't have to be careful with it.  Make sure you do your research and watch how your hair and skin reacts. As far as ingesting something, well - use your common sense.

Peace
-Free

P.S.:
My niece told me about this video and I just have to share it. This post seems the perfect spot.

Stop hiding them dang butters!!!

**REVIEW(s)** KeraCare, Marc Anthony, and SheaMoisture

No matter what type of hair we have - kinky, curly, coily, straight, fine, thick, short, or long - we know how frustrating it can be to find products that suit our individual hair care needs.

Speaking for myself, I get to try a lot of products in exchange for doing these reviews, but I also go out hunting on my own sometimes. And I also bag something... One day, I spent a gift card on 8 different hair care products from a local store. Curling creams, styling gels, polishers, conditioners... I ended up taking every last one of them back. Not one of them worked. 

By the way, my name is Trudy, and I am a product junkie.

Credit to Elle & Necie at Natural Hair Daily

That might be a bit harsh, actually. I'm not the kind to just try different products out of a bad habit. I just have trouble finding things that work, so I have to do the buy-and-return thing. Often. And, believe me, I have no trouble returning a product that doesn't work for me. (This is why I am starting to be way more careful about ordering things online if I don't already know the brand. More on that later.)

This review is for 3 different products I have recently tried. I have a few different goals when I'm looking at hair products. Since my hair is coarse and damaged, and I wear it relaxer-free, I have problems with moisture retention and breakage. For styling, I like having a gel or curl cream for twisting my hair at night (either bantu-style twists or corn-row twists), so that I have more curl definition during the day. Finally, I like good cleansing and rinse-out conditioners. I will alternate fully shampooing my hair with just massaging in then rinsing out a good conditioner, which is called "co-washing" the hair.

Credit to Natural Hair Problems

So far, I have a good shampoo that works well to clean my hair without stripping it. I use J,R. Liggett Moisturizing Shampoo Bar. The only thing I don't like about it is that, if any gets in my eyes, it burns like hellfire. I'd love to find a bar that works as well and doesn't have that kind of effect on the eyes. For conditioning, I have a few different favorites. I like Aussie Moist 3-Minute Miracle Moist for deep conditioning after a shampoo. For co-washing, I use Aussie Moist 7-in-1 conditioner. For deep conditioning with heat, I prefer Elasta QP Ultra Hydration or Cream Cholesteral (by Proclaim) because they are both extremely affordable and effective. The QP comes in such a huge size that I rarely have to stock up. With the Proclaim, I add water and shake the container to thin it out because less works better, plus this gives me a higher yeild of product.

With the cleaning and conditioning covered, what I still needed was somthing to use as 1) a daily leave-in conditioner and, 2) a moisturizing, non-sticky, non-greasy feeling cream for doing my twists. I was hoping for products that would be both affordable and effective, but I was willing to pay more depending on quality.

Recently, I tried out 3 products and am only unhappy with one. Let me back up and say that I am extremely happy with 2 of the products and supremely unhappy with 1 product. (On top of being unhappy with it, I'm irritated at the process required to return it. But, again, more on that in a moment.)

Let's start with the positive.

I found a wonderful daily leave-in conditioner that works even on my dangerously dry hair. It's this one by KeraCare:

The photo from the BeautyClicks page is better than mine...

 

I love this stuff. It's light, but very, very moisturizing. I only have to use the smallest amount. What I like to do is apply it to the roots of my hair just before I take down my twists. Once I have the twists down, I apply a little more of the KeraCare to any dry spots.

The thing is, KeraCare products are not cheap. This 4oz bottle is around $16. OUCH!!! But - and here is what it took me a minute to figure out - in the long run, it is much cheaper than a higher priced 16oz product I tried. And that is the one product that I loathe...

That right there is from SheaMoisture. Let me say now that SheaMoisture is one of those brands that seems to get a lot of undeserved (IMO) positive hype. Anytime I read something about natural hair, I hear "SheaMoisture is the stuff!" Bullcrap. I think the brand just has great marketing.

That leave-in by SheaMoisture was horrible. It was sticky going on and, after it dried, it felt slighty tacky to the touch. My hair might have been less dry, but I couldn't tell. The worst thing is that the price is crazy expensive for such lackluster results. (To be fair, a lot of folks seem to love SheaMoisture products. This is the second thing I've tried from them and I was underwhelmed both times. The other thing I tried was a small foil pack sample of some curl cream. Yuck. At least I didn't pay for that mess.)

I'm sending the SheaMoisture back (even though that means printing out a return label and praying I didn't toss the box it came in... ~sigh~)

I hate SheaMoisture so much that I don't want to spend anymore time discussing it. So, back to the positive.

The next product is one that I tried for the first time a long while back. I think I got the mostly empty bottle from a family member. There was only a little bit left and I loved it, but had to search for the bottle to get the brand name. It's Curl Envy 24-hour Moisture from the Marc Anthony Strictly Curls line.  At $7.99 for a 4.5oz bottle, this is super affordable. (Side mention: My dumb self, I thought that the singer Marc Anthony owned the line! "Tell me, baby girl, coz I need to know...") 

What I love, love, love about this leave-in is that it's perfect for doing my twists at night. Before finding this, I was just spritzing my hair with water at night. That worked great for styling my hair, but it didn't really boost the moisture throughout the night and after I took down the twists. When I use this moisturizer, I have a lot less dryness in the morning. My routine now is to spritz my hair with water, add a little bit of this product, then do my twists. I can really feel the difference in the elasticity of my hair when I'm doing the twists. There so much less breakage and pulling. LOVE it. 

                                                 

While I also love the KeraCare, I have to say that I think that the results are a bit similar with the Curl Envy. The KeraCare moisture lasts longer, but... At the price, I can always afford more Curl Envy.

So that's the rundown on a few products I've been trying out. I will try to come back and update this when I've used the KeraCare and Curl Envy for a longer period of time. Also, a friend of mine saw a leave-in by Dr. Miracle when she was at WalMart. She said she thought it would be something good for me to review so she picked up a bottle to give me. Isn't that sweet? Anyway, I will do a review of it when I've tested these other products for a while. 

Peace

--Free