**REVIEW** Uncle Funky's Daughter Travel Kit

 Since I've tried Aunt Jackie, Miss Jessie, and Carol's Daughter, I figured I'd give Uncle Funky a shot. The first thing I can tell you is that getting a trial kit or samples is best. The full-sized items tend not to be cheap...

The first thing I did was text one of my nephews to tell him that I was going to try some hair products by "Uncle Funky". After we got through laughing about it, I did actually give all 5 products in the travel kit a test.

By the way, I'm being silly. The product line is Uncle Funky's Daughter, and I (kind of) love the name. But it's a long 'un so I'll tag it as UFD from now on.

First I have to admit that I only got the travel kit (with some Google Rewards money) because honey chile! The individual products are priced as if they are Uncle Funky's Gold... You can take a peek at the UFD Amazon storefront or go to the official UFD site.

The kit is nicely presented in a little plastic zip case. There was even a security zip tie on the zipper when it arrived. I appreciate that because we've all gotten products that were wrapped in cheap, stained plastic.

The insert cards give an overview of the key ingredients for each product. As when trying any new hair product, I first did a wash and condition. I began applying the UFD products to my towel-dried/damp hair in the order suggested on the insert. I will use that order to give my take on them. The descriptions are from the Amazon product's "About" section.

(When ordering via the UFD official site, shipping is free on orders over $49 & customers can earn "reward points".)

Step 1 - Midnight Train (8oz) Amazon: $18.54 ($2.32 / Fl Oz)  UFD: $10.99 

Lightweight, herbal conditioning mist. Strengthens dry, weak strands. Adds softness and pliability for comb-out. Works best on curly and kinky textures. Mist generously on hair strands.

Me: 4 .5 stars for the effects and pricing. This smells good - Has a very light, soapy-green scent. It is moisturizing and I think it's what kept my hair from drying out for a few hours after washing. That moisture did not last and I can tell that I would have to re-use the spray more than once a day. It does make my hair feel very soft while it is working. As with the next product, this worked better on my day-old hair.

Step 2 - Supercurl (8 oz) (or Extra Butter) I used Supercurl first. Amazon: $21.99 ($2.75 / Fl Oz) UFD: $19.99

Smooth, lightweight, no-hold formula; Adds amazing softness and moisture, Stretches tight curls to aid in comb-out, Works well on all curl patterns and styles, Rub in palms or on strands and style;

Me: 3 stars for the effects and pricing It smells okay - like a basic rinse-out conditioner. This added more moisture and softness on top of the Midnight Train. My hair does not love coconut oil products for some reason. this did not help my newly washed hair. It works much better on my "day-old" hair and it really boosted the moisture. If I use this to freshen my hair after having used my usual products (StaSofFro), it's wonderful. I like that it softens my hair without adding a heavy or greasy feel. I don't like it enough to pay what it costs...

Step 2b - Extra Butter Curl Forming Creme (8oz) Amazon:$19.99 ($2.50 / Ounce) UFD: $19.99

Thick, creamy, whipped formula; Fortifies curls with natural shea butter, coconut, and palm kernel oil. Elongates curls, detangles & deeply moisturizes to aid in comb-ability. Provides residue-free style ability with this moisturizer. Apply evenly through damp or dry hair, then style.

Me: 3.9 stars for the effects and (mainly) the pricing Another light, clean and unobtrusive scent. This is a product that I would think about getting in spite of that ridiculous price. My hair is a mix of curl patterns - some strands are really curly/coily, some are straight and some are just slightly wavy. This crazy hair of mine is also resistant to curl creams. The only ones to work best are the eco-styler types and Taliah Waajid's Curly Curly Cream. This one is somewhere in between those types. It's not super thick like Curly Curl and it's not a "sticky styler" like the eco gels. I like it the most out of the products in this kit. The downside is that this works best on day-old hair after I have used other softening products. There's not a lot of reason for me to switch from the Curly Curl by Taliah Waajid. On the other hand, if someone with a more consistent curl pattern asked me, I'd recommend this.

Step 3 - Curly Magic (18 Fl Oz) Amazon:$24.99 ($1.39 / Fl Oz) UFD: $24.99

Aloe-based formula; natural fragrance.  Firm hold provides lasting curl definition. Delivers unmatched frizz-fighting ability. Defines curls in curly, wet hair. Finger comb thru soaking wet hair.

Me: 2 stars for the effects and pricing (and smell) I hated the smell of this one (like Eau de floral gasoline) and the texture is of an almost obscene slimy viscosity. I guess some people would say that at least it has "good slip"... Ugh. To be honest, I think I used this one wrong. The product page says to use it on soaking wet hair while the insert says wet or damp hair. By the time I tried it, my towel-dried hair was only still damp from the other products. I just can't with this one - because of the smell and that price.

Step 4 - Thirsty Curls (8 fl oz) Amazon: $14.99 ($1.87 / Fl Oz) UFD: $14.99

Lightweight, coconut water-based mist. Revives the bounce in frizzy, fallen curls. Aids in comb out and styling. Great for day-after Curly Magic use. Spray generously and fluff style.

Me: 3.5 stars for the effects and pricing The smell of this one is neither bad nor good, but it is odd. In my opinion, this is a decent product but, like the others, it does not play well by itself. It was good on my day-old hair but, as I mentioned, by then I'd had to use some StaSofFro. This did help refresh the moisture but I have several cheaper products that do the same.

So, overall, what do I think about these products? 

I have to tell you, nothing really wows me enough to pay the current prices. I'd be more inclined to dish out for the Midnight Train at $10.99 and the Extra Butter at a much lower price (if I didn't like my current and more affordable products better).

Eh...

The main issue for me is that these don't really work well as stand-alone products. Also, they don't solve my dry-hair issue without my having to supplement them with something like StaSofFro. That's not a big problem because I find that to be the case with several other products. But these are much pricier. If I'm paying 15 to 25 bucks for a hair product, I don't want to have to spend more money to boost its effects. 

On the other hand, I can see that for some hair types, UFD products would be really good. As I mentioned, my hair doesn't like some of the key ingredients and my nose obviously hates some of the smells. 

I have one niece with a 2b hair type and I think I'm going to send her this kit. As for me and my nappy naps, I will stick with my current regimen - which now includes a hairdressing cream I'm loving. I will review that soon (or have, depending on how I schedule the posts!).

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Bella Leave-In Conditioner

This is one of the products I ordered from Dollar General. It's the Bella Curls Coconut Whipped Creme Leave-In Conditioner. And, dangit, that is a mouthful of words!

From Bella Curls Haircare

You can get on from Amazon ($12.77 but this is just one listing of many) but it is much cheaper from Dollar General - $4.50 as I type this though it was $5.50 when I ordered it. Drats.

I was glad to get it at a bargain price and I wish I could say that I loved it. I like it but I am not in love. Not yet. I will hit the highs and lows of my first time using it.

PROS:

• It smells great - very lightly tropical but clean at the same time. The smell does not overwhelm or linger though.
• When I was applying it to my freshly washed hair, it felt good going on. It had what I would call medium-good "slip".
• It was slightly detangling - or just added enough slip that I wasn't losing a lot of hair while combing it through.
• The moisture retention was crazy good at first. More on that in a moment.

CONS:

• The moisture did not last. Once my hair was fully dry, it felt somewhat better than usual but was still dull and had that slight feeling of straw.
• You're only supposed to apply this to wet hair it might not be something a "natural" and kinky-coily gal can use often. If I washed or even seriously wet my hair every day, it would just dry out more than ever.

The conditioner has a pretty standard lotion-like consistency and it's not sticky or tacky feeling.

I have to admit that I haven't completely made my mind up about this conditioner. As I was saying, the initial moisture retention was amazing. After sleeping on my twists all night, they were still too damp to take down after at least 7 hours. Usually, my hair is bone dry and sucking the moisture out of the atmosphere by the time I get up in the morning.

When my hair finally did finish airdrying, I thought for sure that it was going to be uber soft and lots more manageable. It was softer than it usually is, but not my as much as I expected. I took a photo before I added more products so that you can see how dry my hair looked.

Stay away from open flames!

Trust me when I say that my hair felt as dry as it looks in that photo. 

I have to admit that this provided a LOT more body and volume that I normally get after a wash, dry and twist. I had so much volume that I had to pin the front back so that I didn't look like a pufferfish.

If this doesn't work any better when applied to dry (or just semi-damp) hair, I will try adding a little bit of StaSofFro to it. I feel that with just a tiny touch more something, this would be a great product. Since it did help in detangling my hair and keeping it moisturized overnight, I give it some credit but it's supposed to be moisturizing! It talks about that on the front label.

The back label even has graphics to hammer in the point.

As far as ingredients, I was too lazy to type them all out, but their site makes this statement about the absence of certain ingredients:

"...eliminating our use of those unnecessarily harsh chemicals like Sulfates, Phthalates, and Parabens."

(By the way, I am not one of the curly naturals who will actively avoid 'cones and some other ingredients in hair products. My 4C hair needs some 'cone love sometimes or my comb would never get through it.)

Anyway, here is my photo of the ingredients on the label:

 I understand and appreciate wanting to keep toxic items out of hair care. What I noticed from the label how far down on the list are the coconut "juice" and oil. I just wish that there had been something in the product to actually moisturize this hair of mine.

So, that is my review. I have since received one other product that's supposed to be softening and moisturizing and I have bought a sale product that claims the same. I will get around to those reviews soon.

Peace
--Free



P.S.: It's been just about a month since I wrote this review and am just now getting around to scheduling it to post. In the meantime, I have since found a way to get some use out of the Bella. I added some purified water and a touch of glycerin (about a tablespoon to the 16-ounce bottle. That helps a little but I am still not in love with the product.

On the Plus side, I do think that this might work better for people with finer and straighter hair. It's probably good for sealing the ends and adding some flyaway control.

***UPDATE*** Miss Jessie's Products & Shipping

When I posted recently about wanting to order samples of Miss Jessie's products the other day, I mentioned the outrageous shipping costs of items to Alaska.

I contacted the company with the following email (sorry, but I can't enlarge it more):

Asking for alternative (reasonable) shipping methods...

Maybe I was asking too much. This is the response I received from the company:

Yep. If I'm asking for them to read the email.
They thought I was mooching for free stuff... smh

I guess customer emails are just scanned for key words before a response is sent out.

I did reply, but I don't expect a response, and I don't really care anymore. I'm not going to bother calling the number they provided. Why should I? They provided the email contact form and look what happened. I'm not going to work this hard to spend money.

This all lets me know that I don't want to buy products from a company with such impersonal responses to inquiries. Businesses have improved ways to market and make money, but they don't seem to put as much effort into customer service. I can recall when, (about 15 years ago) I contacted Dell Computers about concerns with a PC I'd ordered. I received a phone call from one of Michael Dell's personal assistants. In this case, I didn't expect anything but a response that indicates someone in customer service actually read my email. Why do they even bother to have a "Contact Us" button on their website?

So...

Unless I find a way to get hold of Miss Jessie's without going broke, you won't be reading here about how "darned good" the products are!

Peace
--Free

Miss Jessie's and the Cost of Being Ethnic

(*Make sure to read the bottom of this post before you leave)

On a quick run to Target's yesterday, I noticed that they carry a better variety of "ethnic" hair products than the Anchorage Walmart and Walgreens. At first, I was all "Oh, nice!" I haven't even seen most of these products at the local Sally's Beauty Supply store.

Walmart & Sally's also carries these
  (check that per pint price)

I've tried Carol's Daughter hair balm before. It was okay, but had a strong smell. I'm sort of impressed by the reasonable-for-Alaska prices here:

I envy Carol's Daughter. Yes, I do.

Anchorage is finally catching up with the rest of the States in decent hair products for us nappy gals. I'm always amused to see how stuff is marketed. Mixed Chicks stuff is not only for "mixed" chicks. Anybody with a lot certain hair texture would like it, but my "mixed chick" niece finds it's too heavy for her hair. I'd love to see something marketed for "rowdy" hair, but that's just me.

What's with the gold level prices on this stuff???

And when I saw this,

I'd love to have both of these products

I broke into a big smile. Hah! I can buy Miss Jessie's hair products? In Anchorage???

I tot I taw a pwetty tag!

And what  is that little silver marking on the tube? I was thinking it was a type or rating or designation for a great product, but...  Wrong! It's a store security tag to prevent theft. I put on my glasses and realized why the product needs that tag...

$41 & $67 by the pint! Highest darned price, for real!

Is it just me, or does that  price seem a little bit high? The Canon printer I was complaining about in this post only cost 10 bucks more than this hair product. I have a very nice blender that I will be using for years that cost about 10 bucks more. With a warranty.

I almost threw that tube of Miss Jessie's back onto the shelf! I was afraid I'd be charged just for reading the label.

My hair was suddenly talking to me, like a devil on my shoulder  head, trying to get me to buy the Pillow Soft. Thing  is, I have read mostly (but not all) great reviews about Miss Jessie's. Didn't hear about her finances, but I'm sure her family's now rich.* She wouldn't have to sell many of her products to make it onto a Forbes list, that's for sure. (Notice the price Amazon has for the Pillow Soft.)

I looked, but did not buy. The only way I could afford  some Miss Jessie's is if I want to suffer miss-meal cramps for the next several weeks. Guess what? I miss enough meals just trying to pay my bills. Plus, I noticed on the product description (and in the reviews) that the Pillow Soft "marries" fabric care technology into the hair care. That concerned me so I looked up a list of the ingredients. Maybe I will  just try out some trial sizes to be safe.

Or... Maybe not.

Again with the to-Alaska shipping costs!

That right there is not the fault of Miss Jessie's. That is just the way things usually are when trying to have anything shipped to Alaska. I'm going to contact Miss Jessie's to see if there is an alternate way to get my trial sizes. Maybe they can just stick the stuff in a regular mailer and calculate postage. Or - and this just occured to me - maybe they can supply Target and Sally's with samples for the Alaska customers? It's worth writing an email and making the request. I will get back to you folks with the outcome.

Peace
--Free

* I have to add here that I am not down on the folks behind Miss Jessie's. Some of my post is done out of silliness and humor. While the prices for Miss Jessies products are higher than I can afford, so are the prices on a lot of long-time corporate brands that never catered to minorities until recently. Revlon, L'Oreal (and a bunch of other companies) are suddenly on the "natural hair" ride, but I still can't find a decent shade of foundation to use on my "ethnic" skintone. I wish I could buy more  products marketed by the people behind the need, and I recognize the folks behind Miss Jessie's probably have to charge higher prices to see a profit. If I ever can, I will buy all my products from mom-and-pop ops. I applaud them for their courage in entering the game.

Natural Girl Hair Tales

We've all been warned to be careful what we wish for. Just weeks ago, I was wishing for my hair to grow a bit faster. With the mild chemo meds I am on, I'm having to constantly battle to care for every nappy strand on my head.

I remember when I used to complain about having hair. Too much of it, too thick and heavy... At one point I even went and had it all chopped off. Thought I wouldn't miss being able to snatch my hair into a ponytail. The style was cute as heck, but after about three weeks, I got tired of flat-ironing and gelling it to keep up the look. I'm not lazy when it comes to my appearance, but getting up almost two hours before work just so I didn't look like I didn't give a damn got old real fast. Of course, this was pre-sarc. For a fix I only had to throw in a couple inches of weave and wait out the grow period. These days, I'm so afraid of damaging the little bit of hair that I have that I don't even like to use bobby pins.

How many ladies out there know where I'm coming from?

Going all-natural was my first step in getting my hair together. No more straightening relaxers or mild texturizers. I even started using gentler shampoos and styling products. Being natural makes me feel somehow more 'in touch' with myself. It's also fun. Whenever I have a bad hair morning, I look at something like this -

Thank you, Pinterest

Then I just laugh and laugh.

I've also had a few teary moments. One of the reasons I went natural is because I thought it would save money. Yeah, right.

When I used relaxers, I'd get a $5 - $8 box product about every three and half months. Because my hair was so short after the medical treatments, I could stretch two touch-ups from each box. With relaxed hair, I had a small flat-iron, some general combs and brushes and a a few accessories to pin down or dress up the tresses. Shampoo and conditioner lasted forever. I went natural and lost my mind trying out different products. For what I pay for a good curl cream, I could keep Motley Crue in makeup or years. Just ridiculous.

Right after I went natural, I accumulated curl 'puddings', softening lotions, shine serums, oils, scarves and plastic conditioning caps. I have a box so full of products, I could hawk them for grocery money. Some worked. Most were too heavy, oily, stinky, sticky or runny. I used one that made my hair look like a chick with a stylist and chauffeur on call. Until I went out in some -2 degree weather. That shit sent my hair into corpse mode: chalky and stiff.

Now that I have found a few products that work for my hair, it's not the money factor that's killing me. Nooooo... My new torment is that my natural hair has a natural mind of its own. I can wake up one morning and these naps just look luscious. Wake up the next morning and I don't know whose hair I've got on my head. Then, of course, there's the whole you-can't-be-lazy-and-beautiful thing.

I just love the natural chicks on Pinterest

That right there is the stone cold truth!

I'm not too lazy to tie up my hair at night. I even like doing it because I have some cute scarves and I like the way I look wearing them. The problem is that I usually sleep out of the scarf sometime during the night. I woke up to go to the bathroom the other night, saw myself in the mirror and had a ten-minute giggle fit. The damn scarf was hanging down inside the front of my t-shirt. It was like I had just sat it on top of my head and said "Hell with it". If I don't lose the scarf completely during the night, I usually wake up looking like a drunk pirate. Not sexy. I have fears that I'll manage to strangle myself one night. With a cute scarf. Damn.

There are good hair days though. I love the look I get right after a shampoo. Curls popping and not crunchy. Yes! That lasts if I splurge and use one of my 'good' products for moisturizing. I'll do that if I have to, but, let's face it, I'm single. No one's snuggling close enough to feel these curls. I usually use the cheap stuff that just makes my hair look touchable. Saving that good stuff for better days ahead.

I just got some new products courtesy an Amazon gift card (sent from an app developer for my feedback - hey-ey!). This is stuff that I would never have spent money on without a trial.

Leave-in detangler

Leave-in conditioner

I've heard great things about both products from all the natural hair sisters out there. When I use them, I'll post a review with pics.

That Kinky-Curly Knot is no joke price-wise. $15.80 for 8oz. I'll be using that sparingly. The KeraCare was slightly less expensive at $6.38 for 4oz. I don't know how it is for delivery elsewhere, but the shipping costs are stupid for Alaska addresses. Merchants must think we get a PFD every month! For $25 in products, I paid over $20 for the shipping alone. Crazy, right. This is why I don't order from Amazon as much as I'd like to. You know it doesn't cost that much for a padded mailer. Pshhh!

Anyway.

I'll try to get to those reviews soon. In the meantime, my hair is calling for moisture. Let me go drench and tie it up for the night. Before I go, I have something for those sisters who think "nappy" is a dirty word. Nobody is buying your ancestry lies, ladies. Straight, curly, nappy, kinky. It's your hair, you might as well claim it.

Claim your hair, girl. Claim your hair!

Peace
--Free

One Month of Going Natural (on the cheap)

I am just at about one month in on my natural hair journey. Actually, I've been in transition since taking the Methotrexate to treat my sarcoidosis. For some reason, I didn't lose all my hair, but the texture changed and it did thin a bit. Going natural - getting away from the relaxing and dyeing chemicals - has really helped.

As for being overwhelmed by all the information withing the natural hair culture, I am finding a balance by keeping things very simple. I don't have a lot of money to spend on products and there are too many to try without going broke. You don't have to spend a fortune on products to take care of your natural hairstyle.

So. What to do? The same thing as with my other cosmetic issues: go natural to be natural.

First, I thought about what my hair type needs:

Moisture, moisture, moisture

Yep. Good old water. Free and on-hand. I've upped my daily intake from at least 70 to about 100 ounces per day. This is something my doctors will love me for even though staff at any place with a restroom are starting to recognize me by by my run-gait. I go into Starbucks and someone is handing me a pink or blue key before even thinking about taking my order.

In addition to hydrating my body from the inside, I am also watering my hair on a nightly basis. While steaming is way too much trouble without the right equipment, anyone can manage a spray bottle and plastic cap (like these). I think I paid just over a buck for the little sprayer and not much more for a bundle of plastic hair caps. (Heck, I might just mess around and get fancy and spring for a sturdy conditioner cap next month.) I take a 30-minute break in the evening, treat my naps to a good leave-in conditioner, adding a few drops of some SoftSheen glycerin, and do my routine spray-bag-and-sit in a warm bathroom. Just to kill more than one bird with that stone, I downloaded a really cool brick-blasting game on my phone. Reading a book or studying something useful might be a better way to go but, hey, at least I'm not still playing Angry Birds. As much.

$1 Spray bottle from Walmart

I remove the bag and, while my hair is still damp (or I guess you could say "porous"), rub in a little bit of oil and let my hair air dry - and it's amazing that there is no greasy feel. I'm using whatever oil I have on hand, by the way. Right now, it's either olive or sunflower oil (because those are what I cook with most), but I did get pick up some Jamaican black castor oil with my membership at Sally's Beauty Supply when they had a sale. (That JBCO is the bizness!) I tie on a satin scarf to cover the nape and sides of my head so that I can look cute while I protect my hair from my pillows. And, ladies, the look really can be cute in a 50's style kind of way. You don't have to be all "country" about it so that you scare the hell out of your man.

JBCO (About $6) This is great on my skin too.

 mix of black castor oil, sunflower & olive oil.
(Beauty tip: Use w/a baby wipe to remove
 make-up or cleanse & moisturize the skin.)

My niece gifted me the scarf a couple years ago. Thanks Gabs!

Left from an old relaxer kit I had. It's good stuff.
I added a touch of oil to it though.

I like this for the softness and shine

For the wake-up, I will cover my hair for the shower (or another light water-spritz) so that I can add some more leave-in or oil if needed. By the time I brush my teeth and hit my eyes with some liner, my hair is ready to be finger-styled. If I do need to use a tool to "lift" my curls, I use either this comb or a "pick."

Great for styling the natural

 Any plastic. undamaged afro "pick" will also do. I just try not to pull at the root of my hair. I like the comb you see because it's multi-use: it detangles, parts and lifts. I think I paid $1.50 at a local beauty supply.

Since I was too lazy to go get my glycerin spray from the bathroom pantry, this is what I'm talking about.

For now, I have not even gone out and gotten any special shampoos or wash-out conditioner. I've always used ones that are for boosting moisture and softness. Until I use up the different brands I have in the bathroom closet, I am just adding a few drops of oil to them. Next time I buy, I will worry about things whether or not they are sulfate-free or have good "slippage. For now, I'm glad I don't have to buy anything for a couple months. Maybe if I save on products, I'll be able to get this t-shirt

I like it kinky

There you have it. That's my cheap and easy way to keep these natural curls in shape and looking nice. If you have a good routine, you don't have to spend a ton of money. And by the way:

Cool game!

Peace

--Free