Category Archives: Moisture

Feb18

Howdy!

Coming to you with another product experience with the aboslute wonderful product line from Karen’s Body Beautiful. Yup, this one is in Target stores too! All the products from the gift box I received from KBB will be sold in Target! In case you missed the ones I’ve reviewed so far, check them out here: Sweet Ambrosia, Butter Love, Hold It Gel w/Argan Oil.

KBB finally posted a list of Target stores that will carry these on their Facebook Page. I also noticed the release date is now March 18, not February as I mentioned in previous posts. Oh well, it’s definitely worth the wait!

***SIDEBAR — I also just saw as I am typing this (it’s Friday, Feb 15) that KBB, for a limited time, brought back some of the retired scents that I used to love back in the day!!! (coco lime, coconut fig and luscious pear are TO DIE for!) I wonder if she saw my plea to bring them back lol. Sadly, I won’t be buying any this time :o( since I need to use up what I have first. HOPEFULLY, she will run this special again!! ***wink** :o)

Ok so let me tell you about the Hair Blossom Moisture Mist. It retails on the KBB site for $16 for 7.1 oz of product and the same on CurlMart. Mine is the juicy smelling Pomegranate Guava.

Product Description
Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair Blossom Moisture Mist contains nourishing oils and extracts to moisturize your hair as it refreshes curls.

Product Description
Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Gel, Water (Aqua), Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Persea gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Panthenol, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Amica) Extract, Calendula officinalis (Calendula) Extract, Echinacea angustifolia (Echinacea) Extract, Urtica dioica (Nettle) Extract, Equisetum (Horsetail) Extract, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Argania spinosa (Argan) Oil, Limnanthes alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Helianthus annus (Sunflower) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Potassium Sorbate, and Vitamin E (Tocopherol).

This mist spray is PERFECT for when you are twisting or re-twisting your hair. I use this to dampen and moisturize my hair before I twist it back up for the night. It’s got an amazing mixture of oils and extracts along with my beloved aloe vera and since its water-based, this will definitely moisturize your hair which is why I love to use it before I do my twists because the shea/oil based products I use seal in the moisture from the Hair Blossom Mist. So in essence, this is an alternative to my usual spritzer mixes. Besides it providing moisture, it also helps soften my hair which I find helps my twist-outs become more defined the next day. This contains glycerin and aloe which are both humectants. If you wear your hair in a wash-n-go style, this is a great way to refresh your curls and provide some moisture.

I have two more products from KBB to share with you guys so keep checking back! Byeeee for now!

Jan21

Deep Condition : : Hair Therapy Warp Thermal Turban

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Lauren

Deep Condition : : Hair Therapy Warp Thermal Turban

I have been wanting one of these things for so long! Finally treated myself to one hehe

It’s the Hair Therapy Warp Thermal Turban!! One of my Girl’s Behind the Curls, Kelley, said she uses hers all the time and loved it and ever since then, I have wanted one! I finally got mine from Curlmart.com for $21.95 (I think I had a coupon or something, because their shipping rate is kind of ridiculous, so the coupon helped compensate for that).

Product Description

The Hair Therapy Wrap Thermal Turban Heat Wrap is a reusable, heated hair wrap. Remember when deep conditioning meant soaking a scalding hot towel, wringing it out, and it still went cold in 5 minutes? The heated Hair Therapy Wrap does away with that and will stay hot up to 30 minutes, cordless, reusable and NO MORE sitting under electrical hairdryers!

It comes with 3 gel packets and one terry cloth wrap (comes in pink, white and brown…they only had brown when I ordered mine) that you insert the gel packets into. Once you insert the gel packets, you pop the whole assembled wrap in the microwave for 45 – 60 seconds and then wrap it around your head! (You wear a plastic cap under it of course) Simple! The wrap stays secure with velcro. I would definitely recommend “compacting” your hair as much as possible with some loose twists pinned down to your head so that the turban can fit over your head (unless you have a peanut head hehe)

That’s one of the side packets

That’s the second side packet and the zipper

This thing is great because you can deep condition while still being able to move around your house. It stays warm up to 35 mins. I actually re-heated it and had it on even longer, just because it makes my mind think that my hair is getting even more conditioned lol plus I just get lazy and don’t feel like hopping back in the shower again so soon…

The wrap itself is machine washable and the zipper/velcro are all plastic, which makes it microwave safe (I had a moment of paranoia and checked everything just to make sure lol microwave + anything metal = no good!). I’ll admit that inserting the gel pouches was kind of annoying but once you get them in, you only have to take them out when you wash the terry cloth part. I haven’t read much about the longevity of the gel pouches or if anyone has had problems with them. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing but hopefully they last for a long time with no problems.

This is what I used to have before lol remember these heat caps?! haha ———————>

This thing makes deep conditioning so much more effective and it is WAY cheaper than investing in a hooded dryer. If you already condition with a plastic cap on your head, get one of these and you will get an even deeper condition! The heat opens up your hair cuticle and allows whatever conditioner you use to penetrate deeper. After I condition, it feels like I partially rinsed out the conditioner because my hair soaks it up. You could also do an impromptu Green House Effect treatment if you are pressed for time.

Even through all my hype over this, nothing is ever perfect and there are some flaws (nothing major though). I did have some issues with the distribution of the heat. I feel like the two packets on the side get warmer than the larger one in the middle. It could be how I have it situated in the microwave or something. I have to play around with it and figure out how I can get the middle one warmer. It did say you can warm the gel packets on the stove so I think I may try that and see if I get better results. I saw a lady on Instagram wore the wrap backwards, maybe that helped with the distribution of heat for her. Might have to try that. OR the problem could be my big ole head lol for real though, I was worried it wouldn’t fit over my head haha

The second thing is more of a precaution to keep in mind, if you have earrings in your cartilage, they will get hot!! I have to stuff a towel over my ears, under the wrap until the wrap cools a bit because it made the tops of my ears hot lol See what I mean below lol

Yea, don’t mind these hideous bare-faced shots of myself lookin all kinds of crazy…. but overall, I do think this is a good thing to have, it’s not expensive which makes me feel better about buying it lol It does the job :o) I plan to use this every time I condition!

Jun24

Products : : Shea Radiance Curl Defining Cream & Hair Milk

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Lauren

Products : : Shea Radiance Curl Defining Cream & Hair Milk

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!

Jun4

The Greenhouse Effect

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Lauren

The Greenhouse Effect

image via Google images

Every now and then I like to do this thing I discovered by stalking other natural hair bloggers lol. It’s called “the Greenhouse Effect” NOTE: this is NOT the same thing as the baggy method! In a nutshell, it is a moisture infusing treatment that works with just 3 things: 1) a plastic shower cap (or plastic bag or saran wrap) 2) an oil of choice and 3) the heat from your head!

So we know our body temperature drastically rises at night and it is also the time where our skin, scalp, organs, etc. rest and rejuvenate, so night time is the optimal time to do this treatment. The heat from your head in conjunction with the plastic bag creates a moist, steamy environment that locks moisture in your hair. The oil coating will seal in the moisture. It’s sort of like a mini-steam treatment! Some naturals like to sleep with a beanie/winter hat over their scarf to create even more heat/steam but if you’re like me and produce heat easily, you probably don’t need to do that.

There are many variations of this method and I believe it was created by the owner of a site called http://realqueens.net/real-queens-regimen. She goes into more detail on her regimen (with Q’s & A’s) and how it helped her gain an average of 1 inch of growth per month by doing this 5 nights a week and washing once a month. I personally wouldn’t recommend doing this every night because I feel you need to allow your hair and scalp to breathe. You also don’t want your hair to be wet all the time because that can cause bacteria growth, mushy hair and a host of other problems I imagine (another reason I do this before I wash). The Real Queens site owner also notes that she doesn’t get hot or sweat easily which also may be why she can do it every night. Me on the other hand, I sweat lol. If you’d like to try this, maybe start with once a week and build up from there to see what works for you. I do this treatment 2-3 times a month on the night before I wash.

Here’s what I do: I heavily coat my hair with an oil (usually my beloved coconut, EVOO or castor) I twist my hair in 6 loose twists and pin them down loosely to my head. I only do this because I have a lot of thick hair and I want it to fit under the shower cap lol I also make the twists loose so that the moisture can reach the inner parts of my hair. I put the shower cap over my hair, tie a scarf over it to keep it in place (and minimize some of the crunchiness from the bag lol). After that….I go to sleep!

When you take off the plastic cap in the morning, your hair (mostly the scalp) will be damp but really soft and moisturized! Some have contributed major hair growth due to regular use of this treatment. This isn’t why I do it but hey, I’m down for whatever helps growth. As I mentioned before, I do this on the nights before I am going to wash/co-wash because my hair will be wet, sweaty, shrunken and oily lol.

If you have dry hair, give this treatment a try a few times a month and see if it helps!

— Have you tried this moisture treatment? Have you created your own variation of it? Do share!

May9

Hair Steam Treatment

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Lauren

Hair Steam Treatment

A couple of weekends ago I borrowed my friend/neighbor Fleurzty’s hair steamer and I loved the results!! This was my second ever steam treatment of life! I am not doing a review on the actual steamer since it was not mine, but I will discuss the benefits of steam treatments in general and how I liked the experience.

As I always mention, I have low porosity hair so steam treatments work wonders! It opens up your hair cuticle so that your hair can absorb moisture and makes your conditioner more effective. When I did the treatment, I added some rosemary, lavender and tea tree oil to the water for an even BETTER steam experience. It smelt soooo wonderful. It was like an aroma therapy hair moisturizing deep conditioning treatment in one lol

I washed my hair and then applied Oyin Handmade’s Honey Hemp Conditioner (review on this BOMB conditioner soon!) and sat under the steamer for about 30 mins. My hair absorbed that conditioner right up! That stuff went in like a vacuum haha It felt so soft, shiny and stronger due to the improvement of my hair’s elasticity. Some folks like to also apply an oil to their hair prior to steaming to really lock in the moisture. I will try that next time I can get my hands on a steamer hehe…

I also really loved the treatment because it also increases the blood flow to your scalp and I also learned that steaming can help you detoxify and clarify your scalp. The pores on your scalp will be open, so any excess dirt/oil will be released. Unclogged pores on your scalp means healthier environment for hair to groooow!

ManI really wish I owned a steamer that I could use every week lol hopefully Flo won’t get mad at me when I knock on her door to borrow it again hehe :o)) Randomly….this made me miss when I did Bikram Yoga….that hot, steamy, sweaty room does wonders for dry hair lol guess I need to just invest in one… *sigh*

I don’t have any pics of how my hair looked wet immediately after the treatment but here’s some the next couple of days after I styled it, etc. My curls were bouncy and soft for quite a few days after the treatment!

— Do you own a steamer? Do you have any other methods of “steaming” your hair?!

Apr15

Product :: Crie Natural Jaja’s Loc & Body Pomade

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Lauren

Product :: Crie Natural Jaja’s Loc & Body Pomade

…another Baltimore Natural Hair Care Expo product post lol yea I’m pressed lol

I also picked up some Loc and Body Pomade by Crie Natural (formerly known as Created by Nature) for $14 8 oz. (I think that’s how much it was). Let me tell you how good this stuff smells! The pomade comes in seven different scents (Almond, Lavender/Vanilla, Spicy Vanilla, Honeysuckle, Lemongrass, Sweet Orange & unscented). I picked up the almond and omg I could sniff it all day lol ok I know that sounds weird #dontjudgeme. It’s a sweet, almond-y scent. Makes me think of buttery cookies or something mmmmm lol

Now, the product says it’s a whipped pomade but to me it seems more like a dense oily butter. The consistency isn’t fluffy like I normally consider something whipped, it’s more solid. The product itself is extremely light weight (good for the low porosity hair crew) and it contains shea butter as the first product in its ingredients. It’s full of my fav oils and melts in your hands easily. It’s only 8 oz of product but I swear it feels at least like 12 oz. I’ll be using this for like at least a year lol (even though it says use within 3-6 months…o_O ). It’s definitely a “little goes a long way” product.

Check out what’s in this bad boy:

Shea butter, olive oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, infused sage, rosemary, nettle and burdock root. Scented with alcohol free fragrance oil.

So I used the pomade on freshly washed twists (as per usual lol) and was ok with the results the next day for the most part (1st day hair). Nothing super spectacular, my hair was light and fluffy, somewhat defined but I think I will attribute the definition to my hair being wet and then drying into the pattern of the twists. Then day 2 came….my hair was just eh…I don’t think it’s heavy enough to hold my hair for longer than a day without having to use water and re-twist. Even after I re-twisted on day 3, my curl pattern wasn’t as coily, it was more wavy and sort of all over the place. I can’t really tell you what was really going on with it but it just seemed a bit drab. I’ll have to try this product out again and see if I can yield better results using it with another product, but as far as using it by itself, probably not.

*Side bar* I really need to figure out this lighting situation. I’m not feeling this flash…I’ll figure somethin out…

I think this product would be much better as a light “re-moisturizer” after I’ve applied some type of “styling” product i.e. as a mid-week moisturizer when my low porosity hair finally absorbs moisture and needs a re-up. I also tried this as a sealant on my ends but again, it was too light and didn’t clump my curls much. This could work over a 2nd/3rd/etc. day wash-n-go to help re-moisturize.

Overall, I like the product because of the ingredients, the AMAZING scent and it’s light-weightiness but I think I’ll stick to using it as a moisturizer when my hair feels dry and as a lubricant for when I dry detangle on wash days.

— Anyone else ever used this brand or any of their other products?!

Apr3

Product :: Oyin Handmade Sugar Berries Humectant Hair Pomade

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Lauren

Product :: Oyin Handmade Sugar Berries Humectant Hair Pomade

So my last post was about sealing your hair, so I feel like this would be a good opportunity to introduce one of my new fav products…Oyin Handmade Sugar Berries Humectant Hair Pomade! It’s an all-vegetable oil pomade that is great for sealing. I bought mine off of CurlMart for $12 for 4 oz. of product.

This stuff smells sooo yummy! It’s super sweet, juicy and fruity. I also recently got the sample size of Oyin’s Burnt Sugar Pomade, which is the exact same thing but their original scent . That one smells really yummy too and is more of a caramel, sugary scent (which I think I actually like better). Either way, your hair will be smellin good!

Here’s what’s inside:

castor oil, soy wax, organic virgin coconut oil, mango seed oil, olive oil, unrefined hempseed oil, cocoa butter, broccoli seed oil, and fragrance.

I was kind of surprised at the consistency when I first got it. When I thought of pomade, what came to mind is something really thick, waxy, hard and would smooth down edges (like Murray’s Hair Dresssing lol) but this definitely dispelled that thought. I guess that was my naivety. But it turns out I love it so it worked out!

This pomade is definitely rich in oil and is a humectant (great for my low porosity hair). It is solid in the jar but as soon as you rub it with your fingers it melts into a thick (but not heavy) oil. It will definitely keep your hair coated and lock in the moisture. You don’t have to reapply this often. Keep this in a cool place or you may have a greasy, liquidy mess!

I’ve been using this on my ends for twist outs and it keeps my ends nice and sealed for days at a time. I do go a little heavy on this since it is pretty light. It ads lots of shine yet it doesn’t feel super greasy or weighted down.

I paired this with Oyin’s Whipped Pudding (on the length of my hair for a twist-out) and I really, really liked the results! Now I have NOT used the pomade with other products yet so I we will have to see how it turns out.

Check out some pics of my week old hair (I re-twisted my hair 2x since I had washed it):