Great Website for The Roots Naturelle Products (free shipping)

 This is gonna be a quickie. I found a new place to buy my Roots Naturelle products. The site is called Black Panther Strong (don't be hating on the name, folks!) and I was really impressed after ordering the hard-to-find (at a good price) Bouncy Curls Hydrating Creme.

Number One, the shipping is free - on all orders. Let's just applaud that from a business. When is the last time you saw free shipping without a bunch of restrictions and small print walk-backs?

Number Two, the packaging and shipping were awesome. I ordered (and was able to pay via PayPal) and received tracking information for my package which arrived 4 days later. Shut. Up. That's almost better than a lot of Amazon orders these days...

When I opened my package, I was surprised and pleased to see that a sample of another product was included. The sample was not simply tossed in like "Here ya go!"; it was in a plastic bag so nice that I'm going to re-purpose it.

I have shopped a lot of online sites for my hair products and this is the first time that I felt so valued and respected as a customer. It's as if good service, good pricing, and pride in product presentation are so rare that I was shocked. All that should be standard but it's not. And this is a family-owned business - so that's another positive point in my book. The family also runs this site carrying The Roots Naturelle products and a larger variety of items.

I am now going to be getting as many of my hair products as I can from this site and I wanted to pass along the link for anyone else.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I've reviewed Bouncy Curls back in 2015 but that was when I got the product free via Tomoson so I won't re-post. Instead, I will do an updated review. For one thing, my hair is different now. For another thing, I got that product free of charge and I no longer do those types of reviews. 

**REVIEW** Suave Curl Defining Cream (with shea and coconut oil)

 Money talks and now that so many people are going natural and showing off the beauty of their curls - kinky curls, coily curls, tight curls, loose curls - brands are trying to get in the game.

A long while back, Pantene surprised me with how good their Gold Series products are. At least 2 of the 3 that I tried, I liked. I wasn't crazy about the Detangling Milk but I loved the Hydrating Butter Creme and the small sample of shampoo that I tried was nice. I would love to try the oil treatment but I need to use up products I already have...

Now here comes Suave making nice moves. 

I scored a dual sample of the Curl Defining Cream from the Suave line for "naturally curly and coil hair" in one of my beauty boxes from Target or Walmart. I've been getting quite a few products geared to natural hair in these boxes. Look, these folks know what's up. Natural hair chicks tend to be product junkies. We are always looking to find the best creams, butters, milks, gels, and oils to nurture our finicky tresses. 

When I first got the samples, I didn't even try them. I was so busy rotating the various hair products I already have. Plus, I was thinking, "It's Suave". That's judgemental I know but it's the first thing I thought. It's hard enough to find good products from lines that originally catered to textured hair types.

The other day, I was looking for something to use after taking down my African threading. My hair wasn't super-dry but it was late and I didn't want to use any of my "good" products until I had time to do a twist-up or something. The Suave packets were tucked in the middle of my full-sized items so I grabbed them.

1 sample fits my palm

I wasn't expecting much. As long as the cream wasn't stinky, sticky, or ended up crunchy, I was going to be fine.

Well.

I must go ahead and give Suave credit for coming up with a nice product.

The cream is the consistency of hair milk - definitely not thick enough to be a pudding and just barely dense enough to be called cream. 

What I liked most was the this gave my normally dull hair a bit of shine. Usually, the only way I get shine is by using oil, and that never lasts.

See the SHINE????

This cream has enough slip that I will be able to "rake" in some curls. It's not greasy but it's not crunchy, and it softened my hair.

This next part is a straight-up screen freeze from the Walmart site where the price runs (at this time) $4.98 for a 12-ounce bottle.

Click to enlarge or use
CTRL-+

So, yeah. I'm not mad. Keep in mind that I am not one of those folks who gets too deep into reading the labels for my hair products. I don't want anything obviously damaging but I don't dissect the ingredients. 

The price is what gets me the most. I have spent double the amount on creams that didn't do half what this one does. If the full-sized product turns out to be as good as the sample, I'm going to be really happy.

If you go looking for this, make sure to look for it as shown in the bottle in the photo. If you search their  "curl defining cream", I don't know what you turn up.

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.

UPDATED **REVIEW** Aussie Creme Pudding Miracle Curls

UPDATE will be at bottom of post. A friend told me that the photos I used weren't very useful. That's what good friends are for! So I have added a couple of photos.

This is 1 of 2 Aussie Moist products I will be reviewing. I already love the A.M. brand of conditioners (especially the 3-Minute Miracle one) so I was kind of excited to finally try this from their Curls line.

One reason I am just now trying the Aussie Moist Curls products is that I've been using one of the three thousand other curly hair products in my bathroom pantry... The other "product junkies" out there will know exactly what I mean.

Here is what I heard from other reviews:

• Made the hair dry - or crunchy
• Moisture did not last
• Curl definition was not that great
• Worked great - but depended on the hair type (4Cs seemed to like it best)

Of course, hair texture and weather conditions have everything to do with how a product works - on the hair and on the skin. I gave the Creme Pudding a try or myself.

Here are the PROS:

• Did not take a lot for each twist (I applied to my unwashed but very dampened hair)
• Smoothed out the strands of my hair - sort of like a detangler
• There was no sticky or tacky feel to my hair
• There was no flaking when I untwisted my hair
• A LOT of definition (so much so that I will probably do larger twists next time)
• My hair was left soft once I loosened the twists with my fingers
• No smell left in my hair (you will see why this is important)

(I undid one of my twists for the photo just to show you the definition. My hair was not completly dry so it doesn't look wonderful - but you can see the curl definition.)

Here are the CONS:

• The label really hypes the whole "coconut-jojoba" thing but those are the last ingredients actually listed - along with some castor oil. That was disappointing.
• The product smells (out of the jar) a little like lightly perfumed Play-Doh. Not awful, but not awesome. This is why I'm glad it dissipated when dry.
• When applied solo, while this didn't dry out my hair, it didn't add a lot of moisture. The second time I used it, I used it on very wet hair and added a little bit of glycerin - just a tiny amount - and this gave me the moisture I was missing.

As you can see, there aren't a lot of negatives to the product, in my experience. The main thing I could complain about was that the product page noted that this product "Helps lock in moisture for defined curls without the frizzy fuss" and that's only partly true. It locked in the moisture of the glycerin that I added. I don't think that I would have gotten the same softness without having added the glycerin, but that might just be me.

I undid one twist to show you

Anyway, with the seasons in change and the weather here going from super-humid to dang-near-Sahara-dry, I had to find something to keep my nappies happy. (British folk might wince at that, but I am talking nappy hair, not baby bottom covers).

My hair texture has been changing over the past few years - especially after I foolishly did one of those Keratin "temporary" straighteners... Where I could use water and a good moisturizer to activate my curl pattern. I would only have to twist my hair to get more stretch or a specific style. These days, I have to do some kind of twist to get decent curls in my hair. Otherwise, I just have a straight-up 'Fro - a no-curl, no-wave, uneven puff of hair. I think that's an awesome look on some folk (except for the uneven part), but it does nothing for my appearance.

Twisting my hair - either a loose 2-strand or a flat, cornrow style - gives me the stretch I need. Also, a twist-out lasts me for at least 2 weeks, during which I don't have to irritate my fragile hair with a comb or anything. I sleep on a satin pillowcase so I don't even have to wrap my hair at night. It's a beautiful thing. And this is where a good curl cream comes into the picture.

This Aussie Moist Creme Pudding is just about perfect for me - as long as I use it with water or on damp hair. The Amazon price ($8.60 currently) is a little high, in my opinion, but Walmart stores carry it priced at around $5.50. That I can do!

By the way, here are the ingredients:

• Water
• Dimethicone
• Sorbitol
• Aminomethyl Propanol
• Carbomer
• Va/Crotonates Copolymer
• Benzyl Alcohol
• Fragrance
• Dmdm Hydantoin
• Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
• Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil

And, yes, I know that we natural hair folk have a love-hate relationship with 'cones in hair products. I used to avoid them as much as possible but, hey, 'cones give awesome results. What I do know to do. is for every other wash or so, to use a clarifying shampoo to clear the buildup. By all means, though, I think it is wise to do a web search on every single ingredient listed on hair and skin products. So much of what we use can cause allergic reactions or, worse, potentially cause health issues. Do your research.

(I also want to mention that I have seen the product featured in the white jar I show above and in a purple jar. As far as I know, there are no differences. Maybe Aussie M just decided to revamp the look?)

As I said before, I will also be reviewing the Aussie Miracle Curls Defining Oil. There are not a lot of Amazon customer reviews yet but one did catch my eye. A customer mentioned that the oil (in her opinion) is moisturizing but not defining. So I will get to see for myself in the next few days.

Apparently, people with all kinds of textures are using this Aussie Moist Curls line. I have seen reviews from ladies with fine-straight, fine-curly-or-wavy and every kind of naturally-kinky-curly-wavy hair. I love a product that works for so many hair types. I can't wait to review the oil. Until then,

Peace

--Free

Here are the updated photos that I lightened the contrast and brightened to show my dark hair better:

FYI: I also added some of the Aussie Moist curl oil at this point

This is one of my favorite songs from one of the bands of my youth.

I hate the X symbolism but I wanted to find a video that had the lyrics - even those they are badly transcribed in places. Someone commented on the video page that the lyrics he wrote for this song seemed foretelling of the way Hutchence's life ended.

**REVIEW** Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Curl Milk

I've been wearing my hair in a protective style for the past month or so and plan to continue throughout winter. This is to combat breakage because my hair is dryer in winter so I don't want to handle it too much. Since I am doing this, I'm not using my usual curl creams. I don't want to waste those since... not showing off the curls. Instead, I am trying out a leave-in product to use along with my trusty StaSofFro that I love so much. This is the leave-in:

That's the Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Curl Milk I got because, A: it's cheap (under 7 bucks*), and B: I've read a lot of great reviews about it.

Right off, I was pleased that there is only a very faint scent to this. I thought there was going to be a fragrance of coconut screaming up my nostrils. No. There is just a mild whiff of the scent.

Now, this might sound strange, but I often check moisturizing hair products on my skin first. I will rub in a bit of the product on the web between my thumb and forefinger. After washing and drying, that is some of the dryest skin on my body. I figure it's a great place to test the moisturizing properties of a product. This one passed that test. Also, it didn't leave the skin greasy and when I added a little water to the spot, there wasn't a white or waxy residue.

By the way, the cream itself is of a medium-thick texture - sort of like good skin lotion.

The ultimate test though is on the hair. Since it wasn't time for me to do a full wash, I only rinsed my tresses before applying the MM Curl Quench. Let me tell you something I was warned about: a little really does go a long way. That's great because it means I will get a lot of use from this affordable 8-ounce bottle. I know now that I need to carefully separate my hair so I can apply this to small sections at a time.

By the way, here is the full list of ingredients** (given by one of the sellers on the product page):

• Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
• Glycerin
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
• Isopropyl Myristate
• Cetearyl Alcohol
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water
• Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
• Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina)
• Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
• Plumeria Alba Flower Extract
• Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
• Polysorbate 20
• Stearic Acid
• Tapioca Starch
• Diazolidinyl Urea
• Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
• Fragrance (Parfum)

I'm not altogether sure about some of the ingredients, but...

This stuff is nice. Really nice. Once I got the hang of applying it in small amounts, I could tell that it was going to be perfect for use with a protective style.

Other than applying it in very small sections, I also made sure to keep my hair slightly damp during the process. I used my spray bottle set to a really fine mist. After applying the leave-in to a section, I would spritz with water, then smooth my fingers back over the swatch of hair.

I had to wait for my hair to dry (I am doing flat twists in thin rows from front to back) to see if it retained any of the conditioning moisture. My hair wasn't bone dry like it usually is after a rinse. Still, I needed to put a little bit more of the MM Quench on my palms and dab it over my twists. Just for good measure, I sprayed on (like I always do anyway) some of the StaSofFro. After about 20 minutes, I checked and loved the results. My hair felt moisturized without being greasy and the ends of the twists (where I can really tell) where in good shape.

Usually, I leave my hair in twists all week, then take it down to apply StaSofFro and some other moisture before re-twisting. I take it down for washing or co-washing about every 2 1/2 to 3 weeks, depending on how well I feel. Now that I have this leave-in, I plan to only take my hair down when it's time for a wash.

By the way, for the other naturalistas wondering about "protective" styling, I find the this is one that works well for home, work, church, or anywhere. I tend to wear my beanie scarf/hat to dress up the look. Best of all, if you do need to take down the twists for some reason, you are going to have the most beautiful zig-zag curls.

Anyway, to sum things up, yes, I do like this leave-in. I think that I will always thin it out with some filtered water though. That's to "stretch" the use and to make the application more even.

I will do an update on the product as I get more time using it. Hopefully, I have found a keeper...

Peace
--Free



 * When I went back to get the link for this, I realized that it was only available from certain sellers and the price has gone up to as much - some are priced at over $15! I got mine from Amazon.com Services, Inc when I ordered and paid $6.74 with Prime (free) shipping.

** The links in the ingredient list are to Making Cosmetics (where available) because that site gives more laymen-friendly descriptions and information. I can't say that the MM leave-in used the same formulations but you now have an idea of what each ingredient is generally used for in products.  I have ordered from them before and the reason is because of their information-based set-up. EWG is another good site for checking on cosmetic ingredients.

**REVIEW** Long Aid Curl Activator Gel with Aloe Vera Extra-Dry

People, I have solved my dry hair problems. In the past, I have tried so many products that I can't even remember half of them. Oddly enough, I was shopping for an old standby product that was cheap and had worked for me in the past. It's that IC Fantasia Hair Polish (I love that stuff), but happened to run across this:

That right there is my new fave hair product: Long Aid Curl Activator. I got the one for extra-dry hair. Just like the Fantasia, it's got a decent price. They looked so similar and I was in such dire need of something, so I snagged it. It was also nice and cheap - about 4 dollars for a 16-ounce jar.

The Fantasia is more of a styling/holding gel and it does work great for adding moisture to dry hair like mine. The Long Aid is a curl activator and it is super moisturizing but doesn't have the holding factor. That's fine because I use it for when I twist my hair and for finger-styling in some curl. (By the way, I cut my hair super short yesterday because of these 90-plus temps we're getting!)

Older photo but same hair as pre-cut

Much cooler in this heat!
But it's time for some dye..

What I also love about the Long Aid is that there is no strong smell. Just like with the Fantasia, a little bit goes a long way. That means that you get a lot for your less-than-5 dollar investment.

Here are the ingredients for the Long Aid and Fantasia side by side:

LONG AID                                                                  FANTASIA

Aqua/Water                                                                   Purified Water (Aqua)

Glycerin                                                                        Glycerin

Triethanolamine                                                            Carbomer

Carbopol                                                                       Triethanolamine

OLETH-20                                                                    Aloe Vera Gel

Fragrance (Parfum)                                                       Dimethicone Copolyol

DMDM Hydantoin                                                        Tocopheryl Acetate

Methylparaben                                                               Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein

Disodium EDTA                                                            Polysorbate-20

Hydrolyzed Collagen                                                     Benzophenone-4

DL-Panthenol                                                                 Methylchloroisothiazolinone

D and C Violet                                                                Disodium EDTA

Aloe Vera                                                                        Fragrance (Parfum)

Notice that the Aloe is last on the list for Long Aid and much higher up for the Fantasia. 

Anyway, like I was saying, the Long Aid will be my go-to for moisture. When my hair grows back out, the Fantasia will be for styling on the more humid days. Both are awesome. I do know that some folks - especially among my fellow Afro-Natural-Curly ladies - don't like the 'cones and the other chemicals. I have to work with what I can on a very limited budget. I've tried other products that may have had 'cleaner' ingredients but not-so-great results. For a short stroll down memory lane, I can point back to posts I did on these products:

• Shea Moisture Buttery Miracle
• Miss Jessie's
• Aunt Jackie's
• Dove's Quench

And there were so many other (often pricey) products that I tried. Some worked but were too costly, and some were pricey and failed.

So for those of us on squeaking-tight budgets, this Long Aid might be the best thing. 

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Bouncy Curls

Since I was just recently discussing my hair and how dry it's been, I recieved this product to review at just the right time.

Add caption

 My Bouncy Curls was ordered via Amazon here. The brand site is here.

Sorry I couldn't rotate this photo!

This super-cold and dry last-minute winter weather is driving my hair and skin crazy! But on to the hair situation...

First of all, I'm always glad to see products for natural hair wearers. There's not enough variety of product outside the brands that are so heavily marketed but not properly formulated. This is how the product is described on the product page (I bolded the ingredients):

Ultra Rich hydrating cream made specifically to create the spring in your curls that only nature can create. Olive and grape seed oils infuse moisture while our proteins strengthen and protect your tresses from frizz. Whether you have kinky, curly, afro or wavy curls, Bouncy curls will deliver the soft touchable curls you've always wanted. Directions: Perfect for daily styling. Apply to towel-dried hair. Massage in from root to tip saturating strands. Style as desired, allowing hair to dry naturally. Ingredients include: Panthenol (Pro-vitamin B5), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat Germ Oil), Olea Europea (Olive oil), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Cocos nucifera (Coconut Oil), Fragrance.

I tried Bouncy Curls two different ways: the way the directions instructed me to, and the way I know I will sometimes tend to use it. Because I'm a maverick. Also, I know that lots of us ladies with natural hair don't wash our locks as often as others, yet we still need the moisture and styling benefits of our products in between washing.

Before I even start the rest of the review, let me get to one of the most important parts of any product: the smell. The scent is very. very mild and pleasant, thank goodness. It reminds me of a soft hand lotion with maybe a slight scent of fresh milk. I like it alot. Now, on to the hair results.

First, I used it on my dry hair. I wanted to see if it was as moisturizing this way.

This pic is of my dry hair. I had not treated it with my Carol's Daughter or any other product since night before last.

verrry dry!

This second pic is taken immediately after applying Bouncy Curls to part of my dry and otherwise untreated hair. I can tell that the product is very moisturizing.

This third pic is of my Bouncy Curls treated hair about 5 minutes after applying. I wanted to let the product dry and set for this one.

By the way, this product is nice and creamy, and it doesn't take a lot to treat your hair if you work it carefully. I am using it by working small sections to fully treat my hair without over-saturating (which might cause a weighted down look) and wasting good product.

One thing to note: I think that if you do over-use/over-saturate with this product, you will get a waxy feel. For myself, I plan to use sparingly, then apply more as needed. Just to avoid that situation.

Now, on to the way I was instructed to use it...

First - the comb-out. No added products. I have had my hair twisted into 2 flat plaits from front to back & just picked my hair free and combed it with a wide toothed comb for this shot:

This is a fresh wash and towel blotting. No Bouncy Curls applied at all:

And this is with the Bouncy Curls applied and still in the drying phase. I lost some of the fullness (aka "wild" look) that I like, but the moisture level is wonderful!

Webcam photo because I had to change rooms and lighting

By the way, I can tell that I can regain my full (and wild) look without losing moisture and curl definition. All I will need to do is finger comb some of my locks. For now, I think this tamed-down look is a better one for daytime.

There is no information regarding product guarantee, but I noticed their website has a Contact page. Personally, I have no reason to request a refund since I'm happy with the results.

If you are interested, I did a slideshow of the process on YouTube. (And I will do a review later on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 phone I used to produce that slideshow... For now, know this about the phone: AWESOME!)

UPDATE: About 3 hours after I used the product, I still love the curl definition, but I lost some of the moisture. My hair is not dry, it's just not as moisturized as it was right after applying. Because I still have softness and good curl definition, I'm happy enough. I did spritz on some of the Carol's Daughter I mentioned recently, and all is well with the world of my hair.

Peace
--Free

DISCLAIMER:
I was compensated and/or 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** Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla

Black hair (race, not color) tends to be drier than that of other ethnicities. My hair is probably some of the driest of dry black hair. And I wear it natural - no softening relaxers or smoothers to leech out my natural curl pattern.

So.

I am always up for products that soften my hair, moisturize it and, with the best luck of all, make it smell nice. When I saw this at Target the other day, I was a little reluctant to try it out. For one thing, I have tried other products from the Carol's Daughter brand and mostly what I liked about them was the story of Carol's daughter. Then, of course, I am gun shy of many products that claim to be made for my kind of hair. I will thank Miss Jessie for that...

This time, it was the price that convinced me to try the product. I can't remember exactly, but I think I paid around $12 for this:

I'm glad I took the chance.

This stuff does what it says. I sprayed on just a couple spritzes around the outside of my 'fro, then scrunched it in to moisten the undergrowth. Boy, what an instant difference.

Of the 3 claims made right there on the label - to replenish moisture, improve manageability, and add shine - the only one I didn't notice with my use was the shine part. There's some shine, but mostly from the lack of crackling dryness that my hair had been suffering from.

If you keep up with this blog, you know that one of my favorite natural hair products is StaSofFro by Carson. It still is a favorite, but this Black Vanilla leave-in by C.D. is a whole other kind of  niceness.

StaSofFro gives me shine and softness. It's great for using in addition to other products that tend to give me extra curls or styling options. The StaSofFro was always a counterbalance to the drying properties of other products. Also, depending on the weather, I need to give StaSof a little time to work away the dryness. Sometimes, to get full softening results, I have to treat my hair 2 or 3 times with StaSof (letting it soak in between treatments). The Black Vanilla is great on its own and at the very first treatment.

The driest time for my hair is also the time that I achieve the perfect curliness: right after I was it. I always wished that I could freeze-frame the state of my natural hair to that point where it's almost-but-not-quite-dry from a fresh wash. It's the right kind of curly, but not dry. Until, well, it does finish drying. Then it's super-dry. That's when I have to start using the StaSof.

The Black Vanilla works as soon as I spray it on. There's no waiting for the product to work, and there's no need to keep re-applying. The best way to use it, I find, is to part my hair into sections of 4 - just like when I used to apply relaxer. I then spritz the root and scalp along each part-line, and add another spritz to the top of each section. I scrunch each section of hair to let the leave-in absorb and, done.

Best thing ever about this product is the smell. I love a nice vanilla scent, and this one is so glorious. It's not loud enough to be offensive or clash with any other perfume, but you just know that your hair will smell yummy should someone get close enough.

You can see (of you squink) the ingredients

I noticed that, like in StaSof, glycerin is a main ingredient. I think it's just a good combination of the other ingredients that makes this work so nicely.

Also like what it doesn't include

Another great use I love this product for is detangling. One of the reasons I'm not diligent about putting my hair up in twists overnight is that I hate hassling with the dryness. It seems that I do more damage from overhandling my hair - for twisting, arranging styles and general care - than I do from product use. I noticed that this really does make my hair much more manageable.

All in all, if I had 5 stars to give this product, I throw in 10. It's good stuff. It's so good that I'm going to have to check out some of the other products in the line.

Peace
--Free

***REVIEW*** Well, Well, Well... Miss Jessie's, I Got Ya!

***UPDATE May 14, 2014: When I shampooed my hair last night, I discovered that where Miss Jessie's is only so-so as a styling product, it is TOPS as a conditioner. I failed to take a photo, but I almost cannot describe how wonderful my hair felt and looked. I had tons of big, soft curls. I washed my hair prior to dyeing it, but I really hated to mess with those curls. I have now re-applied Miss Jessie's (my way) and can't wait for my next rinse-out to see if I get those same luscious, soft curls.***


So... 'Memba when, a while back, I was interested in trying out the products by Miss Jessie's? And remember how I mentioned there was no way I could afford the products? And how, even if I could find samples to purchase, that I couldn't afford to have them shipped to me?

If you remember all that, then you remember that I never heard back from Miss Jessie's when I emailed them trying to find another way to get samples for purchase. I pretty much wrote off the company. I figure that, if I don't deserve a customer service response, they don't deserve what they want to charge for a product.

I was done with Miss Jessie's.

~dusts hands~

Until yesterday.

Apparently, no one in Anchorage is willing to pay the originally marked price for a product most of us up here are unfamiliar with. Miss Jessie's products were marked down a bit at Target. Not much (just 5 bucks off for the Pillow Soft Curls), but enough that my sister surprised me with a tube for an early Mother's Day gift.

Still about 18 bucks - on discount! Hmmph.

(You might be thinking that this is a strange Mother's Day gift, but, to me, it was perfect. That's the way we roll, my sister and I. Flowers die, cards get lost, but curls are a beautiful thing!)

Now, is Miss Jessie's worth the price? Well... Not really.

The instructions are to apply a "capful" of the product to "damp, freshly washed, conditioned and detangled hair". When you have "good coverage", you are to scrunch your hair to "encourage" the curls.

Maybe I'm still pissy because of my pre-ownership experience with Miss Jessie's. Right off, I'm irritated that I'm going to have to wash and condition my hair three days after my last wash. That's my own doing for being so anxious to try this stuff.

Next, I'm thinking, "What capful?" There's no cap to fill. (Yeah, so I am being really pissy about this!)

Like I said, I'm determined to make this last (or have as full a tube as possible when I return it to the store), so I'm careful not to over-saturate my hair. I do the scrunching thing and wait for my hair to air-dry.

Results: super-crunchy hair. I mean Cheetos-crunchy.

My dried hair felt like it had a light coating of shellac. Seriously. And I hate that. Crunchy hair is the one of the enemies of a naturalista. (Amen, girls?)

The worst thing about products that crunchy-coat hair - any type of hair - is not just the icky feel, but also the breakage. One of the reasons I went natural was to be good to my hair, to encourage its health and growth. Okay, and because I love the look and feel. Crunchy is not the feel I'm going for. Crunchy is for snacks, not hair.

Because I didn't want to damage my hair, I had to spend long minutes massaging the curls to loosen that shellac-like coating. Then I spent another fifteen minutes or so gently combing through in sections. The whole process kind of defeated the "Pillow Soft Curls" thing. When I finished, there were no curls. I had a big, dried-out looking pillow-puffy 'fro.

~sigh~

Since I had already washed my hair more in three days than is good for it, I didn't even want to do a rinse. What I ended up doing is babying my scalp with my good old reliable Jamaican Black Castor Oil, and easing up my dried out hair with some StaSofFroand and a gentle massage.

By now, it's dang near bedtime. I've neglected my laundry and cleaning for longer than I intended. I decided to just braid my hair for overnight. I was thinking that, maybe in the morning, I can apply this expensive crap to my dried hair to "encourage" the curl and (hmph!) actually have some "pillow soft" results.

Here is a pic taken before Miss Jessie's

It's dry, as you can tell by the part behind my ear

And here is one I just took (post MJ)

I really need to get a better webcam, but...

I know that bottom pic is not the best, but I think you can tell that my hair does look softer and more moisturized. The downside: By touch, you can tell that there is product in my hair. If StaSofFro could get therapist certified to "encourage" more curl, it would be my choice over Miss Jessie's. It's waaaay cheaper, very softening and non-greasy to the touch - plus you can find it almost anywhere.

About 4 bucks & available at most retail stores

By the way, StaSofFro is one of the products I used frequently for a couple of months while growing out my hair from this stage:

Looking like mugshot...

Summary: Miss Jessie's did "encourage a nice curl; left my hair soft and moisturized. Of course, I had to tweak the directions a bit, and I can feel the product in my styled hair. Is this product good? Yep. Is it worth the price? Nah. I could get a cheaper curl cream to use in conjunction with the almost SIX bottles of StaSofFro.

I'm thankful to my sister for the gift, and I will use it up, but I won't be purchasing any more of this particular item in the future.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Mizani H2O Intense

$9 @ Burlington Coat Factory
$3000 elsewhere

This stuff is my new love. Good thing Burlington Coat Factory wouldn't give me a cash refund when I finally returned a Christmas gift. I only used part of the exchange because the only thing I could find was the Mizani. So glad I took a chance and bought it.

I paid less than ten dollars for the jar, but I priced other Mizani products at places like Sally Beauty Supply. The product website informs us that "Mizani" is Swahili for "balance". It could also mean "gold" because that's how the products are priced.

After trying my "discount" jar of the H2O Intense, I have to say that it's worth paying double what I did pay.

Pros:

• Not greasy or sticky
• Has a very pleasant (and faint) scent
• Takes very little to treat thick hair
• Leaves hair soft (no "crunch") without feeling heavy, damp or oily

Cons:

• I might have to jack a child's college savings to afford it

Now, I don't know if you saw the freak show that was my hair yesterday but, as awful as the pic was, you can see that my hair has been growing quite a bit in the past weeks. (The photo of me on the sidebar was just taken in December.) The Mizani Intense as made that mop of a mess as soft as it's been since I was twenty and wearing Gheri Curls, minus the nasty mess.

Seriously, this is the best hair product I've used since going natural. The instructions suggest using the cream 2 to 3 times a week but, in the name of all that is cheap, I've stuck to 2 times a week for the last two weeks. Results: Awesome-soft hair.

Like most quality products, the Intense might seem pricey off the shelf, but could be cheaper to use in the long run. I was going through quite a bit of my other (cheaper) products by having to re-apply or over-apply. By the way, not all of the other products I've tried have been that much cheaper than this one. 

Because I have to use so little of the product, this 5-ounce jar is going to last me a very long time. Also, I will be scraping the lid and crevices to get out every last dab! 

Finally, I noticed another of the Mizani products I'd love to try: the Butter Rich hairdress. If I get my hands on a sample, I'll be sure to do a review. (By the way, Mizani is a division of L'Oreal.)

Peace

--Free

***UPDATE*** Natural Girl Hair Tales

As I sort of promised, here are some pics for the previous post on natural hair:

Is that a gray hair?! Nope. Split ends, dang it!!!

Still a TWA, huh?

Have to find a style since the new growth...

My hair had a buildup of other products and, since it wasn't time for my shampoo, I did a rinse-out. I applied the Kinky-Curly leave-in detangler before I let my hair dry and put it up for the night in some sloppy cornrows. This morning, I used some JBCO on my scalp and applied just the tiniest bit of the KeraCare leave-in conditioner to the rows. I took the cornrows out and used another teensy bit of KeraCare while I did my comb-out.

You can see my hair growth when looking back at a December photo.

Had leftovers of a texturizer. Kinda like it.

What you can't see is how soft my hair feels. There was a slight feeling of product until it sort of absorbed (after about 15 minutes), then there was no dampness or oily feeling at all. My hair feels a little bit 'sponge-y' but in a good way. There's no coil to my hair right now because I picked it instead of doing using my fingers to style it. I did just spritz the back with some water to see what happens. The water gave me some curl formation, but I'm going for a fluffy 'fro today.

Both products seem to work really well. I am loving the KeraCare the most. Because the Kinky-Curly is so pricey, I probably won't buy anymore until I have more length. I will definitely be getting more of the KeraCare. By the way, I like that neither product has a "smell". I sniffed the containers and the Kinky-Curly is almost odorless (there is the slightest soap-like scent) and the KeraCare smells a bit like body lotion. It's not unpleasant.

I think that the KeraCare is going to be something that works for all hair types, but especially for hair in the 4 range.

So, if you are wondering about these products, that's my take on them. (Now let me go do something to style these naps!)

Peace
--Free