Showing posts with label cleanser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleanser. Show all posts
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.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Power Product Line Review: Camille Rose Naturals
Since I like the gel and two of the twisting butters,
Camille Rose was a strong contender, so I bought a nice chunk of products in a Black Friday haul. Here is a review of the products that I’ve
tried thus far from my haul, in order of preference. Overall, Camille Rose knocks it out of the park on cleansers and butters, and I feel in love with the growth serum. However, none of their leave-ins worked for me.
LOVE IT:
- Cocoa Nibs & Honey Ultimate Growth Serum ($16 / 8 oz.) – This is now one of my favorite Camille Rose products. It actually makes me break my dislike of oil mixes. It is light enough that it works well on my low porosity hair, while still being able to seal moisture in. As an added bonus, it has hair growing products.
- Caramel Cowash ($14 / 8 oz.) – It is a close call between this product and the Cocoa Nibs for which one I love the best. Ultimately, I chose the serum because the bottle will last longer. This co-wash is amazing, but it will go fast because I have a lot of hair. In addition to the Camille Rose heavenly scent, it has amazing slip and makes my hair feel like butter, while still being able to clean my hair. It is also gentle enough to cleanse and condition my 18-month old daughter’s hair, despite her sensitive scalp.
- Coconut Water Penetrating Hair Treatment ($20 / 8 oz.) – I was so surprised by how well this worked on my hair as a deep conditioner. Every time I used it, it soften up my hair and left it feeling like butter when I washed it out. My only pause is that I don’t see any protein in it, and I know my hair needs protein over time.
- Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse ($11 / 12 oz.) - This is one of the few Camille Rose products that I've tried that does not smell like a sweet dessert. It cleanses my hair without stripping it, and it has incredible slip. Plus, a little goes a long way and it is cheaper per ounce than the other Camille Rose cleansers. For people who think a cleanser should foam, this does that too.
LIKE IT
- Nourishing Cream Cleanser ($11 / 8 oz.) – This is a holiday limited edition product. It reminds me of a watery version of the Carmel Cowash. It smells heavenly, has amazing slip and it cleanses my hair without stripping it, but I have other cleansers that I can get year-round that I like just as much.
- Coconut Water "Style Setter" ($15 / 8 oz.) – I was torn on this product as a styler. It is very similar to the Camille Rose Almond Jai Twist Butter in the way it works on my hair. It moisturizes, but there was little definition and sheen. However, on one sleep deprived night, I accidentally attempted to use this product as an overnight deep conditioner. It left my hair sooo soft when I washed it out. I put it in the like it, as opposed to love it, because it isn’t performing the function it is supposed to.
LEAVE IT
- Coconut Water Leave-In Treatment ($14 / 8 oz.) – This left a strange coating on my hair, though it did leave it moisturized. I ultimately donated it to my daughter’s newly formed product stash.
- Nourishing Cream Leave In ($13 / 8 oz.) - This is a holiday limited edition product, and I have no desire to ever buy it again. I tried it both right after a shower and on wet hair, and it left my bone dry.
- Ajani Growth and Shine Balm ($12 / 4 oz.) – I have already reviewed this here.
I’ve also reviewed a few other
Camille Rose products on my page,
so feel free to check those out too. I also
hope to do a battle of the Camille Rose butters soon.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Wash Day 09-04-2015 (DevaCurl Take 2)
Hey, beautiful people! I decided to give DevaCurl another try this weekend because I really liked the NoPoo and One Condition, and I suspected that I could like the Styling Cream as well.
First, I did a deep condition overnight with Aubrey Organics Island Replenishing Conditioner. I previously did a review of this product. This is still one of my favorites, even though they have changed the formula somewhat. I ran out of the old formula while I was applying it, so I finished my hair off with the new formula. So far, so good. My hair felt soft, supple and strong when I rinsed out the conditioner the next morning.
Next, I washed my hair with the DevaCurl No Poo. Just like before, this felt wonderful on my hair and I was even able to detangle with it, though the scent gets to me. As I may have mentioned before, I am sensitive to strong scents.
Then I finished detangling my hair with the One Condition. This is also great. It left my hair soft, and made it easy to detangle. The scent on this is also a little easier to handle than the No Poo.
Finally, I did a wash n go with the DevaCurl Styling Cream, my oil mix and my tried-and-true Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic. My wash n go had great curl definition! It was also soft, and the shrinkage was not as severe, though there was significant shrinkage. This product would be great for people who love big wash n gos. My only complaint, if I can call it one, is that my hair still was not dry after 12 hours.
Based on this wash day, I learned two things: (1) the DevaCurl gel is probably what caused the flakes in my hair last week; and (2) a little bit of the styling cream goes a long way. I don't have to use as much styling cream as I do with leave-ins. In fact, in the one quadrant of my hair where I went overboard with the styling cream, it flaked. This was the only area that flaked.
Total styling time: 20 minutes
Total drying time: over 12 hours
First, I did a deep condition overnight with Aubrey Organics Island Replenishing Conditioner. I previously did a review of this product. This is still one of my favorites, even though they have changed the formula somewhat. I ran out of the old formula while I was applying it, so I finished my hair off with the new formula. So far, so good. My hair felt soft, supple and strong when I rinsed out the conditioner the next morning.
Next, I washed my hair with the DevaCurl No Poo. Just like before, this felt wonderful on my hair and I was even able to detangle with it, though the scent gets to me. As I may have mentioned before, I am sensitive to strong scents.
Then I finished detangling my hair with the One Condition. This is also great. It left my hair soft, and made it easy to detangle. The scent on this is also a little easier to handle than the No Poo.
Finally, I did a wash n go with the DevaCurl Styling Cream, my oil mix and my tried-and-true Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic. My wash n go had great curl definition! It was also soft, and the shrinkage was not as severe, though there was significant shrinkage. This product would be great for people who love big wash n gos. My only complaint, if I can call it one, is that my hair still was not dry after 12 hours.
Based on this wash day, I learned two things: (1) the DevaCurl gel is probably what caused the flakes in my hair last week; and (2) a little bit of the styling cream goes a long way. I don't have to use as much styling cream as I do with leave-ins. In fact, in the one quadrant of my hair where I went overboard with the styling cream, it flaked. This was the only area that flaked.
Total styling time: 20 minutes
Total drying time: over 12 hours
Sunday, December 28, 2014
2014 Favorite Products
Deep Conditioners
Cleansers
Aubrey Organics Swimmer’s Shampoo (staple)
Dr. Woods Shea Vision Black Soap (staple)
Rinse Out
Conditioners
Herbal Essence Totally Twisted (staple)
Leave-ins
Oyin Handmade Hair Dew (staple)
Moisturizers
Oyin Handmade Hair Dew (staple)
Stylers
Jane Carter Curl Defining Cream (staple)
Pink Eco Styler Gel (staple)
Oils
Essential Depot Vegetable Glycerin (staple)
What are some of your
favorite products from 2014? Will any of
them become staples for 2015?
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Power Product Line Review: As I Am Naturally
As I Am Hydration
Elation Intensive Conditioner:
If you have been following me for awhile, then you should know by now
that my usual routine is to deep condition overnight first. The conditioner itself is light like cake
batter, and it allowed me to detangle some, but it left my hands feeling a
little weird. As for results, this deep
conditioner was nothing to write home about.
I felt like it didn’t do anything to moisturize my hair, despite the
name. A couple days later, I tried using
this in the shower as a regular conditioner, and it didn’t do anything that way
either. I would not repurchase this
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As I Am Coconut
Cowash: Next to the SheScentIt Blueberry Cowash, this is my favorite co-wash. It cleanses while moisturizing.
In the past, when I’ve had a deep conditioner that left my hair dry, but
I still needed to cleanse, I’ve used this and it brought my hair right
back. This wash day was no different. I love this stuff! I’m not currently purchasing any more
cowashes because I want to see if I actually need them. Otherwise, I would repurchase this in a
heartbeat.
As I Am Double Butter
Cream Rich Daily Moisturizer: In
the days following my wash day, I tried to use the double butter cream to
moisturize my hair. It didn’t work. This product is much thinner than I thought
it would be given that you normally see it in a jar. The top 6 ingredients are: Water infused with extracts, Shea Butter,
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Cocoa Seed Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, and Emulsifying
Wax NF. However, even though water is
the first ingredient, this had more of a sealing effect on my hair than a
moisturizing one. I also think that my
hair doesn’t like Emulsifying Wax. The
remaining ingredients also made me dislike this product. Given the price of a regular sized jar of the
double butter cream, I was surprised to see hydrogenated vegetable oil in the
list of ingredients at all, and definitely surprised to see it as the third
ingredient. While I’m sure it works
perfectly fine as a sealant simply because it is an oil, I haven’t heard of any
great benefits that it has. The cream
also has lanolin and some other ingredients that are not so great for my hair. There are a ton of good oils in this product,
but they are further down the ingredient list and likely in low concentrations.
I won’t be repurchasing this product.
In short, I like the co-wash, leave-in and gel. I would leave the rest.
Have you used As I Am products? What did you think?
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Product Review: Alikay Naturals CoWash Me Cleansing Conditioner
Price: $13
for 8 oz. / $22 for 16 oz.
Promise: Formulated
to be gentle enough for daily use on curly, kinky or straight hair. Leaves hair soft, moisturized, clean and easy
to detangle. Hair will feel and smell great!
This Product is 100% Natural and 90%
Organic. Cleans hair without the
stripping it of natural oils caused by sulfates.
Scent: Like
strawberry lemon starburst or skittles
Consistency: It
was very runny. It almost ran off my
hand mid picture.
Results: My
hair definitely did not feel stripped.
However, I’m not sure this cleansed my hair at all because my hair didn't feel any cleaner after using it and I can't really tell which ingredient is the cleansing agent. It was
a great conditioner, though. This had lots
of slip and was great for detangling.
Unfortunately, I run through conditioner way too fast to ever use this as just a good conditioner. I used up the
8 oz. bottle in about 2 washes. After
the second wash, I only had enough for 1/4 of my hair. If I had a smaller head of hair, I would add
this to the regular rotation. Maybe, if
I have a daughter, I will use it on her, if I can figure out what is in the “herbal and botanical blend”.Saturday, May 10, 2014
Product Review: Hairveda Amla Cream Rinse
Price: $11.99
for 16 oz.
Scent: Lemon
Pledge.
Consistency: Like
gel
Results: This
did not feel like it cleansed my hair at all, which isn’t that surprising
because it doesn’t have strong cleansers.
This was not for me
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Clarifying vs. Chelating
Hey, beautiful people!
In my search for cleansers, I forgot about something pretty important
and I wasn’t reminded of it until recently by a fellow forum member --
clarifying and chelating.
Clarifying is a
deep clean where you are removing buildup from the surface of the hair, including
dirt, oil, gel and silicones. Think of it as a very intense
shampooing. You should do this if it
feels like your staple products have stopped working. You may also want to clarify if you are
trying out new products, so you can see how it works without the benefit of
residue from your prior products. Some
people clarify on a schedule, like once a month, but I personally just clarify
when my hair needs it (i.e., my products aren’t working, my hair feels gross or
I know I used a lot of gel or other product in my last style). Good clarifiers include:
- Sulfate shampoo (not an option for me)
- “Clarifying” shampoo (these use ingredients that are just as
strong as sulfates)
- African Black Soap (my preferred clarifier)
- Apple Cider Vinegar (my alternate)
- Baking soda
- Aritha ayurvedic powder
- Bentonite clay
Chelating is not the
same. Chelating goes one step further
than clarifying to remove metals and minerals from the hair. You should do this periodically if you have
hard water to remove the mineral deposits, like magnesium and calcium, or if
you are a swimmer to remove the chlorine.
Don’t chelate if you don’t have to because it is guaranteed to strip
your hair. You can find out more about
hard water on the U.S. Geological Survey website and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website. A good way to determine if you have hard
water is to check here where
some counties post their annual drinking water quality reports online. You can also buy test trips at your local
home improvement store. Good chelators
include:- "Chelating" or “Swimmer’s" shampoo
- Citric Acid a/k/a sour salt
- Phytic Acid
- Shampoo containing EDTA
I checked my county’s quality report, which said that my area has moderately
hard water. I then bought some teststrips online, and I actually have very hard water. Thankfully, I already deviated from my no-buy to
purchase Aubrey Organics Swimmer’s Shampoo because it was on clearance (they
are discontinuing the old label) and I know my son and I will be swimming this
summer, so I will probably use that this weekend.
It probably goes without saying, but I will say it
anyway. After clarifying or chelating,
be sure to condition your hair so that it is not left in the stripped state.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Updates 4-13-14 and The Rinse Out Conditioner Hunt
Hey, beautiful people!
Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while, but I promise I have a good
reason. I’m pregnant! Yup. The
end of my first trimester was pretty rough, including a trip to the ER, so I
didn’t really have energy to do much, including post. I hope
to get back to posting more frequently now.
Aside from my big announcement, there isn’t much going on
with me. As you can probably tell from
my posts, my goal right now in my natural hair journey is really figuring out
what products work for my hair, so I’m still doing that by working through my toolbox essentials. I’ve
investigated what properties work for me in cleansers and moisturizers, and I think I’ve nailed both of those.
I even have staples and some backups.
I just have one more post for cleansers that I want to do on clarifying
vs. chelating to make sure I understand the difference between the two. Next, I’m looking at rinse out conditioners.
I’m a Youtube-a-holic and a LHCF-a-holic, and I’ve noticed
that people with long hair don’t necessarily use all-natural products. However, I’m still very conscious of what I
put on my body, especially since I’m now carrying a little one. I thought the best place to branch out into
more "non-natural" commercial products would be with my rinse out conditioners. There a few reasons why. First, I run through them like water, so an inexpensive
one would be great. Second, I don’t
leave it on my hair for long, so I’m less worried about the ingredients, though
I’m still cautious. Therefore, I’m going
to take a few posts and investigate some of the more suspect ingredients in
commercial rinse out conditioners.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The African Black Soap Experiment
Hey,
beautiful people! As you probably know
if you have been reading my blog, I’m currently on a no-buy. This means that I have been trying to avoid
purchasing any new products until I hit my goals. I am currently out of shampoo, though I still
have four co-washes with cleansing agents. Normally, the co-washes are enough to cleanse
my hair. However, the other day, I
experimented with a setting lotion that left flakes in my hair and I wanted to
make sure I thoroughly cleansed my hair to get it all out. I didn’t want to buy a shampoo, so I had to
get creative with what I had around the house.
That is when I decided to try my african black soap body wash on my hair. I will do a formal review
after I try this a few more times, but I just had to mention that it worked! My hair felt clean, yet soft. If this consistently works for my hair, I may
stop buying shampoos and just use this and my beloved As I Am Coconut Co-wash (I know I need to do a review on this as well).
I’m excited!
Have you ever tried black soap as shampoo? What did you think?
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Product Review: She Scent It Blueberry Co-wash Conditioner
Scent: Blueberry candy (light scent)
Consistency: Light, thin, almost serum-like. If I told you the first analogy that popped into my head, you would think I was being inappropriate.
Results: This
is one of my two favorites from the She Scent It line. I was skeptical at first about whether the
yucca root would be able to clean my hair, but it really does! I have been using this product as my cleanser
almost exclusively for about a month and a half, and I have not experienced any
buildup. Also, a little goes a long
way. I still have about a third of the
bottle left. It also helps me detangle before I even put in my rinse out. Can you tell I'm a fan?Saturday, February 15, 2014
Cleansing Agents Part 2
Hey, HHJs! In my last post, I talked about the three types of surfactants usually used in
cleansers: anionic surfactants (negative
charge), zwitterionic / amphoteric surfactants (hybrid charge), and nonionic
surfactants (no charge).
This post is about some of the cleansing agents in these
three categories to look for. Based on
what I’ve read, here is a list of some cleansing agents to look for in a
cleansing conditioner or a shampoo:
Anionic surfactant-based products include:
- Castile Soap
- African Black Soap
- Sodium lauryl sulfate aka Sodium dodecyl sulfate / SLS (harsh)
- Sodium lauryl ether sulfate aka Sodium laureth sulfate (less harsh than SLS)
- Ammonium lauryl sulfate (harsh)
- Ammonium laureth sulfate (less harsh than ALS)
- Sodium olefin sulfonate (used in Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo and Kinky Curly Come Clean, can be as harsh as SLS)
- Sodium cocoyl sulfate (very similar in structure to SLS)
- Sodium cocoyl isethionate (used in Aubrey Organics White Camellia Shampoo and Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream)
- Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate aka docusate sodium
Zwitterionic / Amphoteric surfactant-based products include:
- Cocamidopropyl betaine aka cocobetaine or cocabetaine (used in Burts Bees Baby Shampoo and Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream)
- Sodium lauroamphoacetate (used in Ouidad Curl Co-wash)
Nonionic surfactant-based products:
- Decyl glucoside (used in Aubrey Organics White Camellia Shampoo and Burts Bees Baby Shampoo)
- PEG-40 Castor Oil (used in As I Am Co-wash and Hairveda Amala Cream Rinse)
- Cetearyl alcohol aka Cetostearyl alcohol and cetylstearyl alcohol (it has minimal cleansing power, so it is more of a conditioner than a cleanser)
Some cleansing products may also contain citrus fruits, such as lemon or orange extract, or contain apple cider vinegar, which break up oil. Also, some cleansing products may contain plant-based ingredients that are high in saponins. For example, SheScentIt’s Blueberry Co-wash Conditioner contains yucca root. Wikipedia has a long list of plant-based soap substitutes, which can be found here. I know that yucca root is a surfactant, but I’m not sure what kind. I’ve seen some articles refer to it as anionic and some refer to it as non-ionic.
Finally, some cleansing conditioners may contain clays that
have cleansing properties, such as kaolin, bentonite, rhassoul (also called ghassoul),
or green clay. While it is not marketed
as a cleansing conditioner, I’ve found that Shea Moisture’s Purification Mask feels
like it cleanses my hair. It contains
both African black soap and kaolin clay.
Based on personal experience, I can’t use shampoos
containing sodium laurel sulfate, olefin sulfate or sodium lauroamphoacetate. These cleansers are too harsh for my hair, so
I avoid them. Thus far, my hair seems to
like sodium cocoyl isethionate; cocamidopropyl betaine; decyl glucoside; and PEG-40
castor oil, which are all mild cleansers.
If you can’t figure out the cleansers in your product, look
for the INCI name, which may give you a clue.
SwiftCraftMonkey also has a wonderful chart of surfactants and a 17-page document walking through some of the key ones.
What are some of your favorite surfactants for cleansing
your hair?
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Cleansing Agents In Shampoos And Cleansing Conditioners
Hey fellow HHJs! I
recently finished up all of the shampoo that I have in my stash, but I still
have a number of cleansing conditioners.
Since I’m on a no buy challenge,
my dilemma has been whether to borrow some of my hubby’s stripping shampoo or
just stick to these cleansing conditioners.
My concern with cleansing conditioner has always been whether it would
be cleansing enough. I have always loved
the As I Am Coconut Co-wash, which feels like it cleanses. I also tried the Ouidad Curl Co-wash, which
was a little too stripping for my hair.
However, I've heard rumors that some of the other co-washes are
basically the same as regular conditioner.
So, I decided to do a little research to figure out what makes a
cleansing conditioner different from a regular, rinse out conditioner. To avoid making the post on my research too
long, I’m going to break it out into two parts.
This part will talk foundation for what makes a great cleanser. The second part will talk about specific
cleansing ingredients to look for.
First off, let’s start with two basic concepts. The purpose of a shampoo is to cleanse, which
includes binding to dirt and oil to remove it.
The purpose of a rinse out conditioner is to balance ph levels and coat
the hair cuticles to make it easier to detangle the hair. In other words, while shampoo binds to oil,
conditioner binds to hair. I assume that
the goal of an effective co-wash / cleansing conditioner is be a hybrid of the
two. With that in mind, I’m not as
concerned with the conditioning portion of a cleansing conditioner, as I am
about the cleansing portion.
In terms of cleansers, the active ingredient for removing
dirt and oil from the hair is a surfactant.
Surfactants are great for two reasons.
First, they are great because they have two parts, one part that is water
loving (hydrophilic) and one part that loves fat (lipophilic) and fears water (hydrophobic). The fat-loving part is what binds to oil to
remove it. If you really want to know
more about the structure of surfactants, the Natural Haven has two really great
articles on this (here and here),
so I’m not going to get more complex than that.
The important thing to know, for purposes of finding a proper cleanser,
is that surfactants bind to oil and carry it away.
The second reason that surfactants are great is that many of
them have a negative charge, which means that hair strands repel them,
rather than holding on to them, because hair also has a slightly negative
charge. Remember that old saying that
opposites attract? It applies to hair
too.
Thus, there are three types of surfactants usually used in
cleansers: anionic surfactants (negative
charge), zwitterionic / amphoteric surfactants (hybrid charge), and nonionic
surfactants (no charge). The stronger
the negative charge, the better for cleansing hair. Thus, anionic surfactants are the strongest
cleansers, followed by zwitterionic, and then nonionic. Positively charged (cationic) surfactants are
almost never used as cleansers because they bind to the hair, rather than being
repelled. Have you guessed yet what kind
of surfactant the conditioning agent BTMS contains?
HAPPY CLEANSING!!
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