Saturday, July 30, 2016

Power Product Line Review: Uncle Funky’s Daughter



Hey, beautiful people!  If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you already know that I love Uncle Funky’s Daughter’s Curly Magic gel for my wash n’gos.  I also love it for my buns.  As I mentioned in my pre-Black Friday post, I have been trying to find one line that I can rock for all or most of my products, and I have narrowed it down to about three lines:  Silk Dreams Hair Care, Camille Rose Naturals and Uncle Funky’s Daughter.  Thus, I recently bought some more products from the Uncle Funky’s Daughter Product Line.  Here is the break down of how I feel about this line:

Love It
  • Curly Magic Curl Stimulator gel ($25/18oz) – I think I have posted enough reviews of my wash n’ gos with this gel that you already know why I love it.  This gel is so slippery that I’m even able to detangle with it.  I can rake it through my hair, rather than shingling, which makes for a faster wash n’ go.  Also, for really neat buns, I will rake it through my hair before putting my hair up.  This gel rocks!  For those that are Camille Rose Curl Maker fans or fans of Sweet Soul Magic’s gel, this is very similar to me.

  • Rich & Funky Shampoo ($16.50/8oz) – This shampoo cleanses my hair without drying it out.  Also, a little goes a long way.

  • Extra Butter Brilliant Shine Creme ($22/8oz) – I previously reviewed this product here in a battle of the butters.  This is a very light butter, so be careful what leave-in you use underneath it.  It leaves my braids and braid outs shiny with a moisturizing leave-in conditioner.  It also gives my braid outs definition.  If you like the Qhemet Biologic’s Burdock Root Butter Cream or Camille Rose’s Almond Jai Twisting Butter or Aloe Whipped Butter Gel, you may like this.
Like It
  • Midnite Train Leave-in Conditioner ($11/8oz) – If I liked liquid leave-ins, I would probably re-purchase this again.  It gives my hair moisture and softness.

  • SuperCurl Miracle Moisturizing Creme ($22/8oz) – I previously reviewed this product here, and in my battle of the butters here.  This is a very, very light moisturizing cream.  It is so thin that it feels like water when I rub it between my fingers, but it has some good ingredients.  Like the Extra Butter,it leaves my braids and braid outs shiny with a moisturizing leave-in conditioner.  It also gives my braid outs definition.  It reminds me of a thing version of Jane Carter’s Curl Defining Cream.
Leave It
  • Thirsty Curls Leave-in Curl Revitalizer ($15/8oz) – I am not a big fan of liquid leave-ins or “curl revitalizers” because I make my own oil-water mix.  Also, while this works similar to Midnight Train, it is not as moisturizing, and does not smell as good. 

  • Good Hair Conditioning Styling Creme ($18/8oz) – I previously posted a review on this product here.  While I feel like I should have liked this product, I just could not and gave it away.  It is was like a liquid version of Supercurl, which is good, but it literally caused bees to chase me at the zoo and the gas station.



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Thursday, July 28, 2016

Battle of the Butters: Uncle Funky’s Daughter Supercurl and Extra Butter (The Braiding Files #8)


Hey, beautiful people!  As I went through my braiding challenge, one of the creams that I came across was Uncle Funky’s Daughter Supercurl.  Then, because I liked Uncle Funky’s Daughter’s shampoo, gel and Supercurl, I decided to purchase a sampling of other Uncle Funky’s Daughter products and do a head-to-head between the Supercurl and the Extra Butter.  I’ll do a power product review of the other products from the line at a later date.

For my head-to-head, I did a few braided styles, that later turned into braid outs, with Supercurl on the right side of my head and Extra Butter on the left.  Both the Supercurl and the Extra Butter give me a lot of shine and some hold.  However, I noticed that the moisture level in my hair, after using them, really depended on the leave-in I used under these products.  I needed a heavier, moisturizing leave-in because these are both very light.  For example, when I used Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter, my hair was incredibly soft for days, in addition to having shine.  The day after I used the products with Camille Rose, I kept touching my braid out because I literally could not believe how soft my hair was.  For my previous review of Supercurl, I was using the Silk Dreams Wheat Germ Butter Conditioner, and you can see how great my hair looked here.  When I used Oyin Hair Dew, which is a little lighter, my hair was not as moisturized and the shine was a little less.

I also tried using them together with Oyin Hair Dew because I read a couple reviews where people mixed the two together.  This made my hair much softer than using either product alone.  The downside to this, however, is that I would have to buy two products, instead of one.

Consistency:  The Extra Butter wins in this category.  It is a cross between a light butter and a cream.  The Supercurl has the consistency of goop or paste, without the stickiness.  Also, when I rubbed Supercurl between my fingers and when I put it on my hair, it was very thin and watery; so, the first time I tried it, I wondered if it would be able to do anything.

 Ingredients:  For me, this is a tie.  The ingredients in both are ok, though there are a couple that give me pause because I just don’t know as much about them:
  • Supercurl Ingredients:  Water, Soybean Oil, Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Honey, Polymide-1, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Shea Butter, Fragrance, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Olive Fruit Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Macadamia Seed Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Caramel.

  • Extra Butter Ingredients:  Water, Coconut Oil, Glycerin, Palm Kernel Oil, Shea Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sweet Almond Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Fragrance, Potassium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Tetrasodium EDTA.

Scent:  Supercurl wins this category by a slim margin.  It has a slightly sweet smell, while Extra Butter is a more chemical smell; but, both smell ok.  

 Verdict:  They are very similar in how they make my hair look and feel.  If I had to pick one, however, I would pick the Extra Butter because of its consistency.  It is a little thicker, which makes it a little easier to smooth out potential flyaways. 
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Sunday, July 17, 2016

Ingredient Investigation: PVP (Polyvinyl Pyrolidone)



Hey, beautiful people!  Lately, I have been using Krystal Eco Styler Gel, instead of my favorite Pink Eco Styler Gel, to see if it gives me a better hold.  The Krystal has a 10 hold rating on the jar, while the Pink has an 8.  The Krystal does have a little better hold, but I have also noticed that I sometimes get white or light brown flakes, or it leaves white residue in my hair.  This did not happen with the Pink.  In looking at the ingredients in the Pink vs. Krystal, the difference is that the Krystal has PVP, and the Pink does not.  It made me curious enough to go hunting to find out more about PVP.

According to Truth In Aging, PVP is used in cosmetics and beauty products as a thickening agent, binder, film former, emulsion stabilizer, suspending agent and hair fixative.  In other words, it is great at holding things together.  For hair, it creates a thin film that bonds to the hair and holds it in place. 

According to Wikipedia, when dry, PVP is a light, flaky hydroscopic (water-absorbing) powder. It can absorb 40% of its weight in water from the atmosphere. Perhaps the dry form is why I sometimes have visible flakes.

It also seems safe to use.  The Environmental Working Group has rated it as a 1 on its health hazard rating scale, which is the lowest ranking. While it has been linked to cancer in some studies, it is not likely to be a human carcinogen. Indeed, the FDA has approved its use in pharmaceutical tablets because of its ability to pass through the body when ingested or absorbed.  Citrus fruits are also sometimes coated with PVP.  As another random fact, it was initially used as a blood plasma substitute.

In other words, don’t freak out if you see PVP in your products, but beware that it might cause flakes, depending on what it is paired with and the weather.
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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Product Review: Obia Haircare Twist Whip Butter (The Braiding Files #7)


Hey, beautiful people.  This post is really overdue because I tried this butter in the winter, but I forgot to post a review until now.

Price:  $18 for 8 oz

Ingredients:  Purified Water Extracts: Aloe Vera Oil and Lavender Oil and Lemongrass Oil; Unrefined Shea Butter, Palm Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Castor Seed Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol, Mango Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Tucuma Seed Butter, Soybean Oil, Vitamin E, Gluconolactone and Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance.

Promise:  From the website - A triple treat of unrefined Shea Butter, Tucuma Butter and Mango Butter to intensely moisturize, seal, add shine and protect your hair.  Twist Whip Butter is also packed with the essential oils of Lemongrass and Lavender to strengthen and promote hair growth. Ideal for creating beautiful braids, twists and locks.

Scent: Perfumed soap / light floral

Consistency:  Light Butter

Results:   The consistency of this product is just a little heavier than Camille Rose’s Almond Jai Twisting Butter.  Though this is a lighter butter, it was still too much for my hair and it sat on top of my hair.  However, my daughter’s hair (which is a higher porosity) likes it.  I typically use it as a sealant after putting a lot of water and a liquid moisturizer or leave-in on her hair.  It leaves her hair feeling soft, and keeps her hair moisturized for a couple days.  Even though it works for my daughter’s hair, I wouldn’t repurchase it because we have products that work better for us both.

Love it, Like it or Leave It:  Leave It



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Monday, July 4, 2016

07-04-2016 Wash Day - Quick High Bun



Hey, beautiful people!   Because it is a holiday and I was feeling lazy, I wasn't really in the mood to wash my hair, but I had to because I spent Friday afternoon and Saturday morning at a waterpark full of chlorine.


First, the moment I got home on Saturday, I put Silk Dreams Mocha Silk Infusion on my hair to deep condition.  I meant to wash my hair that night, but it didn't happen on Saturday or Sunday, so the deep conditioner was in my hair for a day and a half.  This is a good protein deep conditioner, but it is on the border of almost being too much protein for my strands.  I like some of the other Silk Dreams conditioners better, like the Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk Moisture Dream deep conditioner.

This morning, I washed my hair with Aubrey Organics Swimmer's Shampoo.  This is still my favorite swimmer shampoo because it is both chelating and clarifying.   Next, I tried the Herbal Essence The Sleeker The Butter Smoothing Conditioner on one section of my hair, but this did not work well for me.  It had little slip on my hair and did not soften my hair at all.  This surprised me because it worked well for my daughter's hair.  It gave it slip and made it incredibly soft.  However, I'm pretty sure her hair is closer to high porosity than mine.  

Because the conditioner did not work, I finished off the other three sections with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner, my holy grail conditioner.  When I got out of the shower, I put Oyin Hair Dew and my oil mix on my hair, then I put my hair in a high bun with Eco Styler Krystal gel.  It will probably stay wet for a few days in the middle.

Total Styling time - 20 minutes


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