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

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

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

Renpure site also has different fragrances

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Afrofy Afro Twister

I. Cannot. Stop. Raving. About. This....

This.... - over there to the right →→→

It's a sponge. For your hair. Well, for naturally kinky/curly hair anyway. If you want twists, coils, dreads, curls, locks, This is so the thing.

Who ever would have thought that you could style your natural hair with a sponge? (I'm too lazy to look up the info but, to whoever did invent this: THANK YOU!)

As you can see, the sponge I am now loving for twisting/coiling my hair is the AFROFY Afro Twister.


First of all, what a simple concept. But one that I never would have thought of. I wasn't even convinced that it was going to work.


The trick to using the sponge to achieve twists and coils is in the design.



There are holes in the sponge. And that's the genius of this product.

To use the product, you dampen your hair very lightly, then rotate the sponge over your hair in a circular motion. It doesn't take a lot of pressure - in fact, I've noticed that the less pressure the better. The way that I have been using it (with great results) is to use a light but constant touch.

By the way, this works on hair as short as 1/8 inch and as long as 7 inches.

I have heard that some users will use the sponge to achieve the start of twist/coiling, then apply a little styling gel as they continue. I have not used styling gel yet because I get really good results without it.

Let me share some photos that I got the first time I used this.

The pic right below is the un-styled state of my hair. The photo is taken about 4 days after a shampoo and condition. I just moisturized my scalp, then combed out the hair so that you could see what it looks like without styling.

The next photo is of my hair coiled lightly with the Afrofy sponge. I only had about 5 minutes to get ready to go somewhere, so I spent very little time with the sponge. 

The results were so good after such minimal efforts, I had to do another set of "After" photos when I had more time to spend using the sponge. I took 15 minutes to work on my hair for the following photos. I took photos at different stages. Sorry that they are out of order, but you can see progress in the tightness of the twists and coils.

near crown of head. I loosened some coils for styling

along my side edges. I could have continued, added gel and gotten
a really nice pattern of elongated twists

was still working
on my hair that was drying out

not sure at what stage I was at here
but I really like those coils!

a collage for Instagram and such

Now that I have used this a few times, I can tell you that I'm learning some tricks for styling. While I like that I can get such nice twists in a little time, I really like the idea of putting more time into this. After all, when I do my twists manually, I'm putting in a lot of effort without promised results. I hate when I spend all that time the night before twisting my hair and tying it into place only to wake up with a bad style. Sometimes that's because the twists loosened (or, more embarrasing, I slept the scarf right off my head!) - or just that I did a rushed or bad job and the twists are impossible to style... The struggle, as they say, is real. Here are my personal suggestions:

• Work in sections. I separated my hair into sections of 4, then worked on halves of those.
• Use light pressure and go in the same direction for each section of hair
• Make sure not to over-dampen your hair with water or other products. 
• Well-maintained hair gets better results. Trim your split ends and make sure your hair is well-moisturized/conditioned. This will result in a nice shine. (Notice that the hair closer to my roots look better than my raggedy ends? Yeh. I'ma work on that!)
• I got away with wearing my sponge twists for at least a couple days the last time. That's without tying on a scarf at night (though I should). I just re-styled my hair with my fingers.

Another issue I have with manually twisting my hair is the damage to my already fragile tresses. My medications have damaged and thinned my hair. I really don't like making matters worse. I thought that might be a concern in using the Afro Sponge, but after using it a few times already, I can see that I'm still not loosing hair to the process.

You can see from this photo of the sponge that there's not a lot of hair collected. And I don't notice any tugging at all when I am actually using the sponge. Thank goodness. I don't need to lose any of this hair!

I mentioned to my niece today that, if I wanted, I could sponge for a longer period of time on smaller sections of hair and get a super-styled look. If you notice, in one of the photos, I had some really cute, small lines of twists going. I could have gone on for that look all over.

This sponge is BIG. I was worried at first that it was going to be tough to grip. No problem there. It's actually designed the way it is for a good grip. The sponge itself is pretty flexible while the lavender and orange bottom piece allows you to hold and control it easily.

I didn't have anything else handy to show size comparison, so I used a standard toothpaste tube to give you an idea of size and width.

Finally, I just want to say that I love this product SO much. I don't never, ever, ever want to be without one. At the time I ordered this (using Prime), it was priced at just under $15. Un.beat,able.  Also, there is a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee of a replacement or refund.

Now. Go get your coil on!

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** Neem Oil by Oleavine

This is Oleavine's Organic Neem Oil...

This oil is pure and organic and not extracted with chemicals, which is really important to a lot of folks. I've used products from Oleavine before and I've never had problems with quality or service. (By the way, you can sign up for discounts, samples, and more at their site.)

As someone who loves using oils (you guys all know this by now), I had heard lots about the benefits of Neem oil for natural hair care - and other uses...

• 14 different daily uses here
• For hair loss
• For scalp psoriasis (video)
• To help your pets skin/hair issues, or their
• Flea and tick problems (who knew?)

What I did not know for myself was:

1. It is great for hair and skin, and
2. That it has a distinct smell all its own

I'm probably being a bit dramatic, but the smell is something I had to get used to. I can't even really think how to describe the smell. Close your eyes and imagine the scent of really fresh dirt mixed with old, wet, wood mixed with ground seed nuts of some kind. Or used cooking oil, like old fried-meat grease... I dunno.

The thing is, while the smell is not nicely fragrant, it's not particularly "stinky" in the way we think of stink. It's just an unusual odor. And it's strong.

After I smelled it for the first time (and by "smell" I mean opened the bottle top and was hit by a waft of "whew boy!"), I was hesitant to even use it. But to not use it at least once would be unfair to the business who sent out the product for review. I figured the least I could do was try the oil in private so that I could give some feedback.

So.

Around bedtime, I ran a bath with some lavender oil so that I could dive in and wash away the Neem oil smell after experimenting with it. Then I applied some of the oil directly and undiluted to my hands up to my wrists. 

Wow!

The feel of this oil was so nice that I started massaging in more on my arms. As much as I disliked the smell, I was fascinated with the feel of the oil on my skin. It feels very lotion-ey and is highly absorbent. Once it is massaged in, my skin is soft and feels like I have applied a really good lotion. 

My skin felt so amazing that I had to grab the bottle and do a double take. I wanted to make sure that I was using an actual oil, and I wanted to read the product info from Amazon again. There are the indications of being beneficial for skin, hair and scalp, and - when I reached the last sentence, I almost broke a rib laughing:

KEEP BUGS AWAY - Commonly Used as a Natural Bug and Mosquito Repellent or to add to Pet Care Shampoo...

I checked the bottle label and, yep, I was warned:

click & enlarge to read

The smell might not be what provides pest relief, but I'm thinking that it's key!

All kidding aside, though, I will put up with the smell for the wonderful benefits. That might tell you just how good this oil is.

So far, I have been using the Neem oil every day (or, rather, every night). The smell dies down after a few hours. As long as you don't get it on your clothing, you can mask the scent with perfume or scented water. Someone suggests using Tea Tree Oil to mask it. I've been rubbing in some vanilla-grapefruit oil or spritzing on some rosewater (which I will be reviewing here on the blog at a later date) and it works nicely. Ways that I have used this and the results I've gotten -

• On my hair and scalp - I love it on my scalp because it penetrates and soothes after I've washed my hair. On my dry hair, it was highly absorbing and felt good, but I haven't used it long enough to notice a lof of benefits. However...
• As an additive to my conditioner - this is amazing! I washed my hair with a moisturizing shampoo bar, then conditioned with about 1/2 Tbls of Neem oil mixed into about 3 Tbls Aussie Moist 7-in-1 Conditioner. I rinsed with cool to lukewarm water. I cannot tell you how soft and de-tangled my hair was afterwards. It was pretty awesome.
• Added to other oils for overnight skin conditioning - after long baths, I like to soak my skin with oils (added to an inexpensive lotion) to keep it from dying out. I tested the Neem oil by adding it to some regular no-name brand lotion with a little bit of Camelina oil and Avocado butter. (NOTE: You will want to protect your sheets and pillow cases from the Neem oil with towels.) The Neem oil  is just really good on the skin. Really good.
• As a lip moisturizer - it worked great when I had chapped lips after a little bit of fever the other day but, again, the smell might not be something you want helping to repel any kisses. Also, the taste is extremely bitter and icky. I probably won't use it on my lips again except in the worst kind of emergency.

So, what I can tell you is that Neem oil is unique from a lot of other oils I've tried. I especially love that the skin softening effects lasts so long. The oil itself appears to have a grainy texture, but those "grains" melt on skin contact. Maybe I get that granular looking result because I keep the oil in the fridge (?). 

By the way, while I've noticed that a lot of other reviewers hate the smell, I have one friend who said that she sort of like it after it faded somewhat. Maybe you will be okay with the smell (like my friend), or hate it (like me). Either way, I will continue to use it. It works too good not to.

Before I forget, as far as how much use I will get from the 12-ounce bottle, I'm thinking it will last me 2 or 3 months. For one thing, I will definitely be mixing it with other products (lotions, oils, shampoo and conditioner) and, also, it's one of those a-little-goes-a-long-way kind of products. And not just because of the smell. Next time that I add it to my hair conditioner, I will probably use a half the amount to condition and just a few drops as a leave-in oil.

dry hand

By the way, to give you an idea of the way the oil absorbs, I took a photo of my "dry" hand and my other hand right after applying the oil:

 You can see that the oil is not slick/greasy-looking. The skin feels very supple and moisturized though.

with Neem Oil

Finally, I want to say that I found some warnings for using Neem oil excessively. Here is info I found via WebMD. You must always be responsible for yourself and do your research before using any kind of product. If any of you have used Neem oil, please let me know here or on Plus what your results have been.

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** J.R. Liggett Bar Shampoo Moisturizing Hair Formula

When I did the pre-review for the shampoo bars, I didn't think I was going to end up being so excited about them. Well, I am pretty excited now that I have tried the Moisturizing Formula.

I got both formulas to try - the Original and the Moisturizing - and, of course, I tried the Moisturizing first.

This is the first time that I have ever used a shampoo (bar or otherwise) that made my hair feel this good. EVER.

I read somewhere that, once your hair gets used to this shampoo, there might be no need for you to apply conditioner. I put this to the test from the get-go. The first time I used it (sans conditioner), my hair was not anywhere near as dried out as with regular shampoos. While it was still wet, it felt as if I had used conditioner. Once it dried, it was still softer than with other treatments, but needed a little boost of moisturizing spray.

The second time I used this, I didn't need any spray. That may be because the shampoo bar didn't strip my hair of the previously applied moisture. Actually, that is the whole trick to this product: it's non-stripping - no matter which formula you use. The moisturizing one has a boost of moisture to add to the effect.

Results after the third shampoo (and I was purposely shampooing a lot just to test this out), were phenomenal. My hair dried and I resisted putting in any leave-ins or other additional moisturizers. This shampoo passed the test with flying colors. I can add some spray for a little more softness boosting but, really, the only thing I need is to make sure that my scalp is well-moisturized.

It's really rare that I find a hair product that exceeds my expectations this way.

You guys know how I have been disappointed in finding leave-in treatments to soften and moisturize my hair, right? Well, who knew that I could have eliminated a lot of that hassle just by using the right shampoo?

Here's the bonus for me: I can actually wash my hair more instead of doing co-washing and just guarding like crazy against sweating. Seriously. I love washing my hair with this bar.

Bonus 2: I use this on my skin also.

I normally don't use soap of any kind of my face. I prefer cleaning with oils. Sometimes though, I will clean my face with a light and foaming cleanser. It's like a once or twice every other month kind of thing. I like getting the deep clean to take care of blackheads and such, but I hate that it takes my face a whole day to recover.

When I used this on my face, I did need to re-apply my facial oil, but my skin never got that tight, dried out feeling like it does with other soaps. As for my body, it was gentle and effective.

I have really scored in finding this shampoo bar. Can't wait to try the other formula.

My hair feels like it's being healed from its natural dryness. I plan to keep using this moisturizing formula for the next month or so (since I will be washing my hair more), then when I think my hair is completely "healed", maybe switching up every other washing with the Original formula.

If you are looking for something to re-nourish your hair and help keep it that way, you should consider giving one of these shampoo bars a try out. With my hair being 4B/4c and extremely dry, this is like a miracle product. Now I don't have to keep searching for every new leave-in product that promises to relieve my hair issues.

Since this is a non-stripping shampoo, hair color will last longer. I like that because I only dye my hair every now and then, but it never lasts past more than a few washes with regular shampoos.

A few more things to let you know about this shampoo:

• It's not as long as the average bar of soap. 
• I saw some reviews that said it didn't lather much. It lathered plenty for me. I think you have to wash rinse off the outer "skin" first.
• Like any soap (or maybe more so), this will dissolve if left in water. I keep mine in a plastic baggy in between uses.
• Some people advised cutting the bar into sections. That sounds like a good idea. I will be cutting my new bars, but I just used this one right out of the wrapping.
• I read somewhere that each bar lasts as long as a 32-oz bottle of liquid shampoo. (Even if it doesn't, I'm thinking of what I save on conditioner!)

Since it might be a while before I post a review about the Original formula, I will list the ingredients for it now along with those for the Moisturizing one. Both bars are 3.5 oz. They are 

Moisturizing Formula   ($6.99)                         Original Formula ($6.58)

Olive oil                                                                 Olive oil

Coconut oil                                                            Coconut oil

Castor oil                                                               Castor oil

Pure New Hampshire spring water                        Pure New Hampshire spring water

Organic jojoba oil                                                  Sodium hydroxide (a binder)

Almond oil                                                             Essential oils for fragrance

Pure essential oils for fragrance                                    

If any of you do try any of the shampoo bars, do let me know how you like it (or not).

Peace

--Free

**Pre-REVIEW Post** Shampoo Bars

Since I have had mixed results with the last few purchases I've reviewed, I thought I would try something different. Instead of just reviewing my next beauty product, I decided to give a little preliminary information.

I am going to be reviewing a shampoo bar soon. Maybe I'm just late to the party, but I had never heard of shampoo bars before. Unless you count the times that I had to use an actual bar of bath soap in place of shampoo. (Long story. Traveling, Bad motel. No shampoo... Yeah.) Anyway.

The other day when I was shopping on Amazon with the very last bit of my birthday money, I ran across this:

Sulfate- and detergent-free

(Interesting read: 5 Benefits of Sulfate Free Shampoo)

                                                                                
Huh. Interesting, right? I mean, have you ever heard of this brand - or any other brand - of a shampoo bar? Me either.

For the last hair product I tried, I ended up feeling duped by the reviews I read prior to making the purchase. Too many glowing reviews for such a ho-hum product. This time, I read the reviews and still can't decide if I can hope for good, bad or just plain ugly results.

Some of the reviews (on Amazon as well as on other sites) are plain rude. There are people saying that the product made  their hair feel, look and smell horrible. Most of the rest of the reviews aren't bad. I keep gravitating toward the ones that claim the product will soften the hair and eliminate the need for using a conditioner. So... sign me up!

The most candid review I read was one that advised using the product for a while. The reviewer stated that it took her hair time to "get used to" the shampoo bar. A similar reviewer said that they hated the way their hair felt while wet (after using the bar) but that, once dried, their hair felt pretty amazing.

I'm kind of excited to try the product (or, rather, both formulas of it) because I do need a change in shampoos. Because, like a lot of women with my type of hair (4B/4C - or nappy/kinky/dry) I try not to strip the natural oils from it. It's for this reason that I don't wash my hair as much as I rinse or "co-wash" it.

The shampoo bars come in different formulations. I can't, of course, try all of them for now, so I have just ordered 2 of them.

This is the description for the Original Formula:

Refresh your shower and shave routine with this amazing bar shampoo original formula from J.R. Liggett. This old-fashioned formula was discovered in an old New England cookbook by the Liggett family who has since been creating these all-natural, safe-to-use bath products. Its unique formulation lathers and quickly cleans, leaving you with healthy, beautiful results. This sulfate-free product is safe to use on all hair and skin types with no risk of irritation. Enjoy this old-fashioned recipe with your family.

And this is for the Damaged Hair Formula:

Refresh your shower and shave routine with this amazing bar shampoo damaged hair formula from J.R. Liggett. This old-fashioned formula was discovered in an old New England cookbook by the Liggett family who has since been creating these all-natural, safe-to-use bath products. Its unique formulation lathers and quickly cleans, leaving you with healthy, beautiful results. This sulfate-free product is safe to use on all hair and skin types with no risk of irritation. Enjoy this old-fashioned recipe with your family.

The Damaged Hair Formula is also labeled on Amazon as a "Moisturizing Hair Formula". That's the main reason I wanted to try that one. Just in case the original one is not enough for this dry nappy mess of hair that I have. Also, I was thinking of the product reviews. I wanted to review at least 2 of the formulas until I can do more.

Yeah, so I'm pretty excited to see how these are going to work out and let the blog readers know about them. In the meantime, if you are interested in making your own shampoo bars, here are a few links I ran across:

• From Candle & Soap
• Some FAQ's (from a soap site)
• 7 Recipes from Simple Life Mom
• Some info & recipes from Wellness Mama

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Caribbean Roots Black Castor Oil by Aveya Beauty

Remember back when your mom or grandma made you take a spoonful of castor oil every so often? No? Okay, maybe that's just me. And I will never forget how I hated seeing that spoon coming at me!

If you are too young to remember stuff like that, then I have to tell you something: no matter how I hated it, I have learned that Mom and Grandma knew what they were doing. Castor oil is one of those things that is good for you, inside and out. My elders used it as a moisturizer, a "hairdress" (treatment), a lip balm, and a remedy for constipation. Being young back then, I wanted nothing to do with it. It tasted horrible and, besides, I preferred the cute little tubes for my lip balm.

Flash forward all these years and I'm back on the castor oil. I still haven't gotten a taste for ingesting it, but I have discovered the benefits of using it externally. I'll get to that in a minute. For now, let's talk about this:

Aveya Beauty produces this Black Castor Oil that smells better than what I remember from my childhood. Actually, I have tried a couple other brands of black castor oil since those days so I can compare this one to what I have used before. Looks like Aveya has some other quality products I'd like to try (I'm already trying another product of theirs).

I'll cover some more castor oil info in a moment, but about this one:

• There is the faintest of scents to it (you'll see why this matters to some folks in a moment)
• It's one of the first "heavier" oils that I've been able to use right out of the bottle without having it just sit on top of my skin. It soaks in so quickly that I carry it in my purse use it during the day. If I wait just a few moments, it has absorbed enough that it doesn't smudge papers or clothing.
• I love what it does for my hair. Applied to damp hair, it seals the ends so that I don't get so much frizz once the hair is dried.
• Because of the nice absorbency, I can use this on my face without getting a lot of buildup. Best thing is, it makes a really nice oil cleanser if I mix in a little bit of fractionated coconut oil and use wipe with a baby wipe.
• After I had been using it as a hand moisturizer, I noticed that my nails and cuticles were getting a lot of the benefits. At their driest, the sides of my nails get that ashy white look from the dead and damaged skin because I wash my hands a lot. I'm planning to do a cuticle scrub with this oil, using it and a little bit of baking soda and an old toothbrush. Then, I will re-moisturize with the oil. Can't wait.
• Speaking of scrubs, I have been using sugar and another oil to exfoliate my lips. After the next lip treatment, I'm going to balm up with this castor oil. I plan to do a heavy coating of the oil and let it rest a while before I smooth it into my lips.
• Because I am noticing that it doesn't take a lot of this oil for regular uses (even the above lip treatment shouldn't take much), I'm happy with the size of the bottle. At first, I was wishing it had come in a little bit bigger size for the price, but it's working out to be a good value after all. (By the way, the label even instructs users not to use more than needed. That's a nice change from the old "wash-rinse-repeat world" method used to keep consumers coming back for more.

There is one gripe I have, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. It's the printing on the label. Other than the front, all the other print is so small that I actually had to use a magnifier app to read it... Seriously. And the label includes some good info - such as suggestions for how to use the oil and/or mix it with other products. 

To save you some squinting, here are the benefits listed on the label:

• Increase hair growth
• Thicken hair that's starting to thin
• Reduce and prevent hair breakage
• Eliminate dry hair
• Make hair fuller and shinier
• Deeply condition and moisturize hair and scalp
• Prevent dry scalp
• Boost your hair's overall growth.

Some of that is a bit repetitive, but it matches what I have been reading about the benefits of castor oil. One other thing I'd like to point out is that I don't personally find there is much difference in benefits between a good "regular" castor oil and a good JBCO. That's just my opinion though and other people might have a different take.

If you are buying via Amazon, Aveya discounts a limited amount of this product on a monthly basis, so there's your chance to give it a try. (The Aveya site offers what they call an "iron clad, bullet-proof guarantee".)

Now here goes some more general information about castor oils:

If you have checked out castor oil recently, you might notice that there are a few popular types out there:

• Castor oil - has a yellow-ish coloring unless it's filtered to a clearer shade.
• Black castor oil - gets its dark color from the ash of roasted beans
• Jamaican black castor oil - I don't know for a fact but, since not all JBCOs come from Jamaica, the name comes from the process, which is, I am guessing, a Jamaican invention. (This Aveya black castor oil, for instance, is a product of Haiti.)

 By the way, Black Hair Information offers up a wonderful history and some info on castor oil & JBCO. Glad I found BHI, which is now bookmarked.

The big difference in castor oils, other than the color, is the smell. The JBCO has a odor that a lot of people don't like (I do). BHI describes it perfectly as having the scent of burnt seeds.  "Regular" castor oil has a faint, well, oily scent, in my opinion, but lots of people claim it's odorless. Even though the JBCO does have a smell you might find unpleasant, I found that the odor dissipates very quickly. As for ingesting castor oil, it's not my favorite thing to do but, like I mentioned at the start, my elders were big on getting a little bit of it into the body for, um, cleaning things out... LOL

Here are some links to more info:

• Covers most of the benefits as listed on the label
• Interesting to see what the Times of India site says
• Some not-so-common uses
• Home Remedies lists some uses and warnings
• Black Naps (love that name!) has some great info about using castor oil on natural hair

Sure hope I gave you some good info - or lead you to it - if you have been thinking about using a castor oil in your beauty routine.

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** 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** StaSofFro and L'Oreal EverCreme

Now that I have more length to my hair, I had to switch up my styling products. With the shorter hair, I used a lot of oils and creams to help the growth. Dry and damaged = enemies of growth.

December 2013

March 2014

July 2014

Today

For my shorter hair, I was using a lot of coconut oil, Jamaican Black Castor oil, plus just about anything that tamed the frizz. My hair has grown out quite a bit, so my big thing now is holding a curl, softness and conditioning.

The two products I'm using are ones I've talked about before, but I have a new appreciation for both:

The Leave-in is SO good

Sounds greasy, but it's not

I discovered the L'oreal EverCreme leave-in a couple years ago (according to my post). I like to use it first thing in the morning to add a shot of moisture to my hair. I follow that up with the SaySofFro for some softening and scalp moisture.

Most people think of StaSofFro as being greasy/oily like so many "wet curl" products, but it's a whole other thing. If you apply it and let it absorb for a few minutes, your hair is very touchable. The softening I get with this spray is amazing. After I wash and condition, I like to spray the StaSofFro on my roots and scalp. I massage it in a bit to work it through to my ends, then I spray the EverCreme just enough to get the outer part of my hair.

Since I've been using these two as my main hair products (about 2 weeks or so), I find that I have a lot less breakage and a lot less dryness. It's also nice that my hair is easier to "refresh" in the mornings.

What I like about both products is that they leave my hair very touchable and soft. Also, the price. I can get each for under $6. Can't beat that with a 5-speed blender.

Peace
--Free