Product Review: Shea Moisture "JBCO Strengthen, Growth, & Restore Leave-in Conditioner"

Hello Lovelies!

One word: AMAZING. 

JAMAICAN BLACK CASTOR OIL STRENGTHEN, GROW & RESTORE LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER

Whats in it? The main ingredients are: Organic Shea Butter, Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Peppermint, but the rest of the ingredients are listed in the Shea Moisture website.

I love, love, this product. (find it HERE) I'm going to review it by how each of my senses (except hearing and taste LOL) reacted to it.

Touch/Feel:

• On hands: its thick, but not very thick.... like a yogurt, but not a pudding
• On hair: I have 4B (kinky, small spiraled, can't do co-wash) hair, and this product makes my hair feel SO SOFT, its AMAZING for finger detangling. It took out every tangle as soon as I smoothed it through my hair

Smell

• The blend of the peppermint and castor oil give it this light, almost desert like smell.... DEFINITELY aromatic (I love smelling hair products lol)

Look:

• It's a creme color and its very smooth looking... again, I would call it a hair yogurt

How I used It:

After I co-washed (washed my hair with just conditioner, no shampoo) I dipped my fingertips in the conditioner and ran it through small sections of my hair from tip to root. I did not need to comb it! (also amazing)

I thought I was going to need another product to supplement my leave-in conditioner, but I think this was all I used! I do like adding oil to my hair and scalp for a little extra moisture. Also, it made quite an awesome twist out after I let it set over night. 

I am SO excited to sample the rest of this Jamaican Black Castor Oil line. I will say that this is the best leave-in conditioner specifically for natural hair that I have used thus far. 

Have you been trying Shea Moisture's new products? What do you think about them?

Have you seen all the new natural hair Barbies they are making?

XOXO

Henna Experimentation Part 2

Hey Lovelies!

So, above is my part two vid. It's already been a month since I dyed my hair using Henna! In all honestly, I don't think it was worth all the hype. The color change was barely noticeable and while I was scared to dye my hair, I did intend for the change to be noticeable. The redness is pretty in the sunlight and all, but that's about as much as it does in terms of color difference. I plan to dye my hair a fun color for the spring, hopefully in March, using an actual boxed dye. (I'll definitely let you know how that goes lol.)

As for the conditioning....

Its nothing to go crazy about. There was a lot of residue which was very annoying. I don't know if that's because the brand of Henna I used was not powdered out well, or if it was because I'm bad at rinsing out my hair, but either way, there was too much residue for my liking. The MOST annoying part has been the SMELL. Days after, whether I was co-washing, shampooing, or styling, I could still smell it.... Finally, my hair was no softer than it would be if I had just used a regular conditioner. All in all, Henna doesn't seem to be a big deal. Experimenting was fun though.

Would I suggest Henna?

Yes, if you want a slight change in color you should try it. Henna has a different impact on everyone's hair, it mostly depends on the porosity of your hair follicle. However, if you just want to condition, I would say to go with your routine deep conditioner or just shea butter & olive oil.

And that's that!

I hope this gave you a little insight on my Henna experience :)

BEFORE HENNA-ing:

AFTER HENNA-ing:

Much love to you!!!!

Marsha Ambrosius!

Henna Experimentation Part 1

Hey Everyone!

This is a video from my youtube channel about Indian Henna as a natural Hair Dye.

I wanted to try some new color on my hair, but I was scared to do a box dye. (However, I will rack up some courage and do it in the spring!) I decided to look for something natural, and Henna was the first thing that came up in my search.

For information on what Henna is and dying naturally curly hair click here >> http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/kinky-hair-type-4a/coloring-type-4-hair

If you decided not to click, its a grounded up plant from India and parts of Africa, that when combined with liquid can be used as either body art or as a hair conditioner/natural highlighter. For more info watch my video/click the link!

In my part 2 video/blog post I will talk in detail about my results and how my hair looked/felt in the days after I dyed it!


Stay tuned!

Be Big & Beautiful

Solange Knowles!

Hair Vitamins and Balanced Diet

hello lovelies!

I know a lot of us get impatient with our hair's growth, and just want a quick fix. After my big chop I really wanted my hair to just hurry up and grow, I started to research on hair growth supplements. The most prominent one that I found was Biotin. Biotin is in the B-vitamin family; it is also called B7. Biotin helps in the production and metabolism of fats and amino acids (protein!). So, as you can see, fats and protein have been a recurring theme when it comes to hair health.  The body also needs Biotin for the growth of healthy skin and nails. It is generally advised that people suffering from hair loss take Biotin to replenish their hair growth. WebMD provides more information on the effects of Biotin on the body (WebMD: Biotin)

I when found out that Biotin does so much good for hair growth, I decided to start taking it to see  how it would effect my hair growth over a month. I got a bottle of Biotin pills from the Vitamin store, and I was so excited to try it out. I took one pill a day for about two weeks. I wanted to continue taking it once a day for at least a month, but I had to stop, because I had started to break out. I usually get a few pimples every so often, but with Biotin I got full on ACNE. One of the interesting things about Biotin - or Vitamin B7, is that is helps to maintain and/or increase hormone levels. I guess for me, breaking out is one of the things that come with increased hormone levels. I'm definitely not saying anyone who takes Biotin will have a case of acne, but what I am saying is to try it and see how it effects your body. Biotin is water soluble, which means if your body has too much Biotin and doesn't need anymore, the extra will come out in your pee, so don't worry.

Now, I limit my intake of Biotin to twice a week. Drinking water also helps to counteract the acne. I also rely on other vitamins that are important to hair growth, including: vitamins A,C, and D, most B vitamins, calcium, gelatin, MSM and silica. Multi-vitamins usually have all of the vitamins I just listed. So, take your vitamins, eat healthy and exercise and you'll be on your way to healthy hair, and good health over all.

I also wanted to emphasize the importance of DRINKING WATER. It truly does help. A lot of us have heard that the body is 70% water. Well, that's a very important fact, because our body uses water for most processes, including hair growth. Water is hair''s main source of moisture. This means that the body will always need to be replenished with water. 8 glassed of water a day and you'll be straight.

I definitely say to try Biotin and see how it works for you. Even if you don't, still try to remember to take your multivitamins!!!

Be Big & Beautiful!

xoxo

TLC. They're so awesome. Fly ladies lol

Product Review: Silk Elements Mixed Silk Leave-In Conditioner

hello lovelies!

I thought it would be nice to do product reviews every now and then. There is always some new product out there professing to make our hair long and luxurious, and as a person many would call a "product junkie" I often give in to their claims about how awesome their product it. But, before I hit up the beauty store I want to know how a product will respond to my hair, so I usually do my research before investing in a new hair product. I say "usually" because I spontaneously bought the particular product I'm about to review. I guess bought it without thinking because I trust the product line its from. A piece of advice for you - research the ingredients and reviews on a product before you buy a product!!!

I say this because I didn't love the product I'm reviewing today: "Silk Elements Mixed Silk Leave-In Conditioner"

17.25oz conditioner, about  8 inches tall

When I used relaxer, the Silk Elements product line was my staple. The relaxer itself treated my hair well, the shampoo didn't damage my hair cuticle and the cholesterol treatment was (and still is) fantastic. So, when I went to Sally's Hair & Beauty Supply (http://www.sallybeauty.com/) about a week ago and saw that they opened a line of products for people with natural curls I got super excited. They were on sale so I picked up 2 bottles and the accompanying deep conditioner. I thought it was going to be wonderful. A couple days later, when it was time to do my shampoo and deep condition, I added this leave-in conditioning creme to my routine. It's creamy, but a but slick to the touch, and smells kind of like dish soap. It was different than other products I use that are more thick and heavy. I used about 3 pumps and ran it through my hair with my fingers, combed, and did a two-strand twist set. The next day when I untwisted my hair, I wasn't completely pleased with my results. My curls held up ok, but the hair itself was not completely moisturized.  The directions say, "Apply to clean wet hair from roots to ends for an even application. Do not rinse out. Hair can be air dry or use a blow dryer with diffuser." To me, it seemed as if it this conditioning creme could be a stand alone product, but that wasn't the case. The fact that I needed to add oil moisturizer to my hair after I untwisted indicated to me that I shouldn't have used this product on its own. All in all, I will give "Silk Elements Mixed Silk Leave-In Conditioner" a 8 out of 10.

Pros about the Conditioning Creme:

• It has a pleasant scent
• It is not greasy 
• It has natural oils including Jojoba seed oil, Safflower seed oil and Evening Primrose Oil
• It contains amino acids including wheat amino acids and silk amino acids (amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are very good for strengthening hair
• It is a very good detangling product

Cons:

• It is almost too light. I like products that seal the hair cuticle well and I'm not sure that this does. More "liquidy" products like this one are absorbed by the hairs, but don't seal out dryness
• It detangled my hair, but didn't provide long term moisture, which is very important to me. 

Although I have listed more pros than cons, I still believe this product is a 8/10 because it isn't good at retaining the hair's moisture. I will say that it is a very good base product, and what I mean by that is that its a good thing to apply as a detangler while your hair is still wet and it doesn't clash with the styling cremes I use. Overall,  I would suggest trying it because it's always good to have a leave-in conditioner, especially if you can't deep condition your hair as often as you'd like to. I'll definitely use mine as a detangler (after all, I have two bottle get through lol)

I hope this helps!

Be Big & Beautiful

xoxo

Beyonce: radiant and stunning! (and pregnant - yay!)