**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** Dead Sea Mud Shampoo (by Adovia)

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

You guys know that I am using Tomoson.com to get products to review. You should know this since I've talked about it here a couple of times. This post is a review of a shampoo I recently tried.

7.4 oz for around $23.00

Adovia's Dead Sea Mud Shampoo was a nice surprise for me. For one thing, I didn't know if it would work very well on my coarse and nappy natural locks. For another thing, I didn't expect that the first two ingredients listed would be water and water. Yep. There's the demineralized water first and, second, the dead sea water. It makes sense to me that the first water used has all it's minerals removed since the second water (dead sea) has its own unique properties. In addition to the 2 waters, the ingredients include Vitamin E and Chamomile.

I have coarse hair that visits in the neighborhood of 4b/4c. It's coarse and dry and can be wiry. What I wanted from this shampoo was the "soft and flexible" part mentioned in the advertising.

Did I get what I wanted? Let's see:

After wash & air-dry with regular brand

As you can see, this is what my hair looks like after a wash and air-dry with my regular shampoo (which I won't identify except to mention that it's from a main retailer and is for dry hair). I did not apply conditioner or products because I won't be able to compare before-and-after wash and condition results until I receive the Dead Sea Conditioner.

After wash & air-dry with Dead Sea Shampoo

Even though I had a little more lighting for the "after" pic, you can still tell that my hair doesn't look nearly as thirsty. This is with no conditioner or after-care products applied. I just washed and air-dried. (By the way, it took very little product for my short-to-medium length natural hair.)

Is this shampoo worth the price? Yep. And you guys know that I live for a budget. One reason is: it worked so well on my hair. Another reason: because it takes so little for a good shampoo, it will last longer than the current brand I'm using. (I had to get out the calculator, but the math worked out.)

My first thought was that I needed to share this with other women who wear their hair natural and unprocessed. I know that a common complaint among "naturalistas" is dry hair. This is why we use the softening and moisturizing products we do.

I not only got what I wanted, I got more than I expected. What I mean is, the shampoo also seemed to act as a detangler. No kidding. (One note: shampoo is ultra-slippery so make sure to cup your hands while dispensing so you don't lose any down the drain.) I actually didn't expect this to work this well on my hair. I figured I'd be telling you guys how well it could work for less coarse/dry hair. So, I am really happy about this one.

This doesn't mean that I am not going to continue using my usual products for styling and moisturizing, but it did show me that this shampoo is non-stripping and non-drying. I can't wait to get the conditioner to try it out for my after-wash. When I do, I will be posting, so watch this space. (FYI: You can get the shampoo via Amazon or Cleopatras Choice.)

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