Helloooooooooo!

I hope you guys have been staying cool in this miserable heat wave. I don’t know about you but I can’t stand this humidity. I really miss my California summers, where the temperature felt like the actual temperature and you could find relief in the shade and at night. The east coast on the other hand….you be sticky and sweaty no matter where you go unless you’re in some serious AC or in a pool smh….BUT I will say, the humidity is great for keeping your hair moisturized lol *sigh* one day I will be back in the my homeland

…until then, I’ll just blog about these next two products, which are the last items I will review from the Shea Radiance goodies I recently got. If you didn’t see the other product experiences (<—-I think I’ll use that word instead of “Review”, sounds jazzier lol) here they are: experience #1 and experience #2 ;o)

Let’s get right to it. First up, the Maximum Curl Defining Cream. This was a gifted item but it retails for $16 for 8 oz on their web, in Whole Foods and other stores around the country. I think I forgot to mention this but 10% of the profits for all SR products go to the Agricultural Initiatives for Women in Africa and are vegan?! Products with purpose :o)

Product Description

Our leave-in styling conditioner gives great curls without frizz. Nourishes starved hair cuticles with proteins that moisturize and strengthen. Holds gently, resists humidity for beautiful long-lasting curls. Note: Moisture retention, elasticity, sulfate-free, curl definition, excellent feel, frizz resistance.

Ingredients

De-ionized Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Vegetable Glycerin, Unrefined Shea Butter, Polyacrylate-15, Cetearyl Alcohol and Cetearyl Glucoside (Vegetable-based Emulsifier), Castor Seed oil, Hemp Seed oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Quaternium-79 Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydroxypropyl Starch (Vegetable-based Conditioning Agents), Avocado Seed oil, Panthenol, Phenethyl Alcohol and Ethylhexylglycerin (Paraben Free Preservative), Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Essential Oils, Polyquarternium-10, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate (Vegetable-based Conditioning Agents), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Vegetable-based Conditioning Agents), Citric Acid, Chamomile, Nettle & Horsetail Extracts.

It is a water-based, smooth cream that comes out of a pump dispenser and of course, has that signature SR citrusy, lemony, spicy scent. Mmmm, they have a great recipe for the fragrances in all their products. I swear every one is bomb! Any way, this was one of the products I debated if I wanted to actually buy or not because I noticed that this product said for “Curly and Wavy” hair whereas the other products included “Kinky” hair. So that told me, this product would work better for finer hair with looser curls, none of which I am. So I was like hmm, let me see how I can use this. I tested it out for a wash-n-go and was pretty pleased with the results. I don’t get that “gel-like” curl definition but I do get really soft, super moisturized curls. I noticed my curls did become a little more defined as the product dries. My hair feels like it has a coating over it, but it wasn’t like a bad coating or anything, it was like a “protectant-moisture-locking” coating. It sealed my hair really well, probably because of the shea butter and since it’s been really humid lately, the aloe vera and other humectants pulled the moisture from the air into my hair without making it frizzy! What’s even better, is it isn’t greasy and doesn’t leave a residue on your hands.

Wet, freshly applied

Dry, end-of-the-day hair

2nd day hair with the shower droplet method

Although I was ok with the wash-n-go results, I still feel this would be better for “wavy, curly” hair as the packaging states BUT, you know how we like to make stuff work, I decided to try it out for a twist-out. Well, actually a bantu knot twist out. This worked great! It gave the same moisture locking benefits and great hold. I didn’t have to reapply any product for the entire week and the moisture was still going strong. I also didn’t re-twist! But, this was a bantu knot twist out vs. a regular twist out. I’ll have to see how it works for that… Oh and I am saving pics of that for another post hehe :o)

WAIT, don’t go! I’m not done just yet!

I also wanted to share the last but not least product in my SR review, the Moisturizing Hair Milk. I bought this during the 50% sale but it retails for $16 for 8 oz. It’s a watery, milky moisturizing spray. The great thing about the SR products is that you’ll notice a lot of the same ingredients in all of the products so no matter what you use, you’ll get the benefits.

Product Description

Get easy comb-outs, responsive curls & love-to-touch conditioned hair. Our Moisturizing Hair Milk is almost weightless yet eliminates frizz & leaves hair soft and smooth. Note: Smooths out hair cuticle, softens and detangles, minimizes product build-up, strengthens hair shaft and prevents breakage.

Ingredients

De-ionized Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate, Polyquaternium-7, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Phenethyl Alcohol and Ethylhexylglycerin, C14-22 Alkylalcohol (Vegetable Based Emulsifier), C12-20 Alkylglucoside (Vegetable Based Emulsifier), Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate (Vegetable-based Conditioning Agents), Hydroxypropyl Starch (Vegetable-based Conditioning Agents), Vegetable Glycerin, Unrefined Shea Butter, Avocado Seed oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) oil, Hemp Seed oil, Chamomile, Nettle & Horsetail Extracts, Citric Acid.

The Moisture Milk is great for spritzing your hair anytime you plan to style. it’s super light so it won’t weigh down or leave a residue in your hair. It’s really emollient so it softens my hair on contact and makes it very manageable and easier to detangle. I also use it how I would use my plain old spritzer when I am doing twists except I won’t go as heavy as I would with plain water. It’s a great moisture boost if you’re hair is feeling dry. You could also refresh a wash-n-go with this too. It’s great for when you’ve worn a twist-out for a few days and need to re-twist to get the definition and moisture back. Instead of applying more product, you can just spritz with this and then re-twist (be sure to seal those ends!). That way, you aren’t adding a bunch of product build-up to your hair.

Overall, I am loving the Shea Radiance line. Although, a bit pricey, it would definitely be a wonderful treat every now and then when I can afford it. Good thing they have sales and discounts! If you happen to see this in a store near you, don’t hesitate to try it out! You’ll be pleased with whatever you buy!