Shampoos
truth be told I'm rather indifferent about shampoo. I try to go by the "noo poo" method which basically entails washing hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. I only use shampoo when my hair feels extra skanky. I've used 3 shampoos this year:
- Kinky-Curly Come Clean-I like it. It's not harsh, meaning it doesn't leave my hair excessively stripped when I use it. It's very readily available. (I used to drive to Target in Sicklerville to get it before I realized it was sold at the beauty supply down the street). The only negative is that it's fairly expensive (about $12.00 for 8 ounces). I pretty much only use it when I'm using the rest of the kinky-curly system for a wash and go, or I'm out of Trader Joes.
- Trader Joes Nourish Spa and Tea Tree Tingle- I like both of these as well. (Like I said, I'm not picky about shampoo as long as it's sulfate free). I find the Nourish Spa to be quite moisturizing and I use the Tea Tree Tingle when my scalp's itchy. Both are very cheap (about $3.50 for 16 ounces) but I live about an hour from Trader Joes so I usually by them in bulk (3 or 4 bottles at a time).
Conditioners
Conditioners are important because the more roles they can take on the better. Primarily, conditioner is what I use to wash my hair. On particularly lazy days, I use it as a leave-in too. The more slip the conditioner has the better, because I also detangle with them as well. I've only used 4 this year:
- Herbal Essences Hello Hydration- the first conditioner that I used. I like it for the most part. It's cheap, easily available (we sell it at CVS), smells great, and has slip. It also makes a pretty decent leave-in. I still use it in a pinch (when I'm low on Trader Joes). Because it's so cheap it's also a good choice for washing out henna.
- Aussie Moist-it's everything that HEHH is but I think it has even more slip. I think Herbal Essences smells a little better.
- Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat- a little more expensive than the others, and to me, not as much slip. I don't use it very often. I bought it on a whim. I would say for the price of it, it's just "okay".
- Trader Joes Nourish Spa Conditioner- this is my "holy grail" right now. I love the smell. I find it to be very moisturizing. It has lots of slip and it's fairly cheap. It also is a good leave-in. This conditioner's only downfall, is the distance I live from Trader Joes. Not a big deal if I buy 3 bottles at a time.
I deep treat my hair once a week, but because I'm trying to take a lower manipulation route to the maintainance of my hair, that will increase to every 10 to 14 days. I pretty much apply the deep conditioner, I use this time to detangle sometimes, put on a plastic cap or bag and don the heat cap for 15-30 minutes.
- My Honeychild Olive You- I love this DC! It makes my hair soft and it smells awesome! Even the husband remarked on how good it smells. It's quite expensive (I buy it from here) it's 17.99 for 8 ounces. Plus I just hate to shop online. I'm a walk in the store and get instant gratification kinda gal. Larger sizes of it are available here
- Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque- My back-up off the bench. Very rich and moisturizing. I used to drive to Target in Sicklerville to get it, but now it's available at my local walgreens (I have to wear a disguise when I go there seeing as though I work for CVS). Some folks don't like the smell, but I don't have an issue with it. They say you can use it as a leave-in too, but I don't. It seems a little too thick for that to me.
- Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonaise- Bought this on a whim. Went to Sicklerville for shea moisture and they didn't have it, so I bought this so I didn't leave empty handed. I hardly use it. It's also a protein treatment, so I would say avoid this if you are protein sensitive. I try to get my protein from my henna treatments.
- Lush Jungle Conditioner- bought this after reading a review on back to curly. I was intrigued because it's a conditioner bar. It looks like a little cake of soap. I'm still working with it so I will probably give a better opinion of it later. It smells awesome and seems to be moisturizing. Downfall, it's expensive about $8 for 2 ounces.
These are the workhorses in your haircare arsenal. A good leave in, applied to damp hair and sealed with an oil or butter should in theory keep your hair moisturized for a couple of days.
- Kinky-Curly Knot Today- discovered this early in the game and for the most part have stuck with it. It's lightly scented and has decent slip ( I detangle after adding this sometimes). I have used it the regular way and in the Kimmaytube mix (mixed with aloe vera juice, castor, and jojoba oils) I think I like it the latter way versus the regular way. I just get too lazy to mix it up. It is fairly expensive as well $12.00 for 8 ounces. This may become more of an issue when my hair gets longer.
- Hawaiian Silky 14-in-1 Miracle worker- I bought a diffuser for my dryer that didn't fit and I exchanged the diffuser for this (and some cantu leave in for my mom). I've only used it twice but I don't think it will be in heavy rotation. It's a curl activator and it has that oily curl activator smell to it. And it has mineral oil, an ingredient I try to avoid. I think I will use it to refresh my twist-outs if nothing else.
- Carol's Daughter Hair Milk Lite-I was a huge fan of CD's skin care lines so when I went natural, I figured I would love their hair care products. Eh. This may be considered more of a leave in. I usually use it to moisturize my twist-outs. It makes my hair feel ok I guess, but I can't get past the smell. Maybe if it was unscented...
- Curls Curls Souffle-I was applying this to my hair (wet and dry) as I twisted it. I like it. It makes my twist outs soft and it smells great. I recently stopped using it though because I feel like it doesn't give enough hold when I take my twists down. I will probably use it now to moisturize my hair on the subsequent days of an "out" style.
- Eco Styler Olive Oil and IC Fantasia clear gels-bought these during the "comb coil" phase of my natural hair journey. A good gel is always handy to have in your hair care arsenal. I use the gels to twist my hair, slick down my hair for puffs and frohawks, and for wash and gos. They are both cheap and readily available. I prefer the ecostyler, bought the IC fantasia in Florida because I needed a gel and that was what was available.
- Kinky-Curly Curling Custard- one of my first natural purchases. I got really good wash n gos when I had a twa with this product. As my hair grows out, I find that I don't particularly like using it so much. I'm not really fond of how it makes my hair feel (its a gooey weird feeling). It also seems like my hair takes longer to dry when I use it. It doesn't play well with other leave ins (you have to experiment to see what other leave ins (besides knot today) it will work with). Your hair must be clean for it to perform it's best (no oils or butters in hair), And lastly, it's expensive. If your hair is longer this may not be a good option. I'm still working with the first jar I bought, but I don't know if I'll repurchase it.
- Oyin Juices and Berries-I spray my hair daily with this, whether my hair is up in twists or down in a twist out. It has glycerin, which is a humectant. In the summer, the glycerin draws moisture to itself from the air so it makes my hair feel very soft and moisturized. I have not used this in the cooler months yet, but there is concern because it's believed in less humid conditions, the humectant will suck the moisture from your hair since there is no moisture in the air. Oyin addressed these concerns here so I'm going to continue to use it year round. Plus it smells yummy, it has a very fruity scent.
jojoba, coconut, and castor oil are used to seal in moisture. I have a coconut castor oil mix I apply to my hair, but I may step away from coconut oil for a while due to it's protein content. I also add jojoba and castor oil to kinky-curly knot today in the kimmaytube mix (along with aloe vera juice). I use tea tree oil when my scalp is itchy. I also mix raw shea butter with coconut oil to add to the ends of my twists.
That's everything! I know it's a long post, but as a new natural, I was overtaken by product junkyism I guess. I'll admit that I am very guilty of running out and buying whatever product a natural hair guru that I admire is loving. I hope to simplify things this year now that I have an idea of what I like and what works for my hair and stick with it. Thanks for reading!
