Showing posts with label protein/moisture balance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protein/moisture balance. Show all posts
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, April 17, 2016
Product Review: Embrace The Natural You Twist Truffle Whip (The Braiding Files #5)
Price: $13 for 8 oz
Ingredients: Water, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol, Unrefined Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Fragrance and Essential Oils. **NOTE: According to the website, as of 2/2/16, this product no longer has shea butter, Jamaican black castor oil, or vegetable emulsifying wax. So it may be even more low porosity friendly!
Scent: Light
island breeze, like papaya and mangoConsistency: Whipped cream cheese
Results: I bought this product last September at a market near my job. As a nice bonus, this is a Michigan-based company, so I can pick it up on the ground. When I purchased it, I met the owner, who uses her product on her own hair (bonus #2).
While I have been using this product for a while now, it has taken me this long to review it because I was not certain what to say. It leaves my hair soft and gave it nice sheen about 8 times out of 10. The rest of the time, my hair was really dry, and felt coated, and I wanted to figure out why because I really like this product. I have realized two things. First, I need to use water or a very moisturizing leave-in under this product for it to work well on my hair. If I don’t put enough moisture into my hair under this product, it leaves my hair dry. While this product comes with its own moisture built in, my greedy hair needs more. As I mentioned in my post on coconuts, I need a lot of water for coconut to work in my hair.
Second, if I use a heavier/coating
leave-in under this product, the residue from the this product will combine
with the residue from the leave-in, and my hair feels coated. As I note above, the ingredients have
changed, and the more heavy/coating ingredients have been removed, so it may
now be perfect for me. I plan to try the
new formulation soon. Maybe the new
formulation will be a “love it”.As an aside, this product reminds me a lot of Annabelle's Perfect Blend Hair Creme in both texture and the way it works on my hair,
except APB does not have coconut oil.
Thus, if you already like that product, you may want to try this, and
vice versa.
Love it, Like
it or Leave It: Like It
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Product Review: Curl Junkie Repair Me! Reconstructive Hair Treatment (The Deep Conditioner Files #13)
Ingredients: Water, Cetearyl
Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein, Sunflower
Seed Oil, Panthenol, Keratin Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba
Seed Oil, Glycol Stearate, Apricot Kernel Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate,
Tocopherol Acetate, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Propylene Glycol,
Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Promise: Excellent for chemically
damaged, weak and brittle hair. Helps fill in cracks in the hair shaft to help
give strength and prevent further breakage. Also great for general maintenance
of the hair. Makes a great once a month treatment to help keep your hair in top
shape!
Scent: Coconut
Consistency: Creamy, medium
thickness. Not too light, and not too
heavy
Results: This is another
favorite. It has good slip, and leaves
my hair feeling soft, yet moisturized, even though protein is high on the ingredient list. I
have used it both overnight and as a traditional deep conditioner under a heat
cap. My only hesitation on this one is
the price. Through my deep conditioner
search, I’ve found other deep conditioners that work well and are cheaper.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
2015 Personal Hair Goals
Hey, beautiful people! Happy New Year! As 2014 is coming to a close, I’ve started thinking about my hair goals for 2015. Here is what I’ve come up with:
- Strive for a healthier body. A healthy body leads to healthy hair, so I need to focus on both. This doesn’t mean that I can’t have dessert and cheesy appetizers every once in a while, but I can’t have it every day. Also, now that I’ve had my baby, I have a size goal (not a weight goal) in mind, so I’m going to start exercising again to get to that goal. Don't worry, I don't want to be stick skinny. I like my curves. I just want them a little firmer.
- Drink at least 64 oz of water every day. Proper water intake helps with moisture retention levels (more on this later), and it just helps the body function better. While I was pregnant, I got dehydrated very easily, so I started different techniques to help me drink more water. One of those was to buy 32 oz plastic mason jars. I’ve found that if I fill up the jar morning when I get to work, and then fill it up again mid-afternoon, I easily get my 64 oz in without thinking about it.
- Maintain healthy hair practices. I am less than 6 inches away from mid-back length (MBL) / bra strap length (BSL). As I’ve said before, I am not setting length as a goal, because I want to focus more on healthy hair practices than length. But, healthy hair practices, such as weekly deep conditioning and baggying when needed, should get me to this length in 2015. One day I do want to be waist length and it would be great to get there in 4 years (2016). The distinction, however, is that I won’t ever avoid a necessary cut to preserve length over healthy hair.
- Continue to narrow my staple products. In a previous post, I listed my product favorites for 2014. I will always be a product junkie on some level; but, in 2015, I want to continue to shrink my product stash and strengthen my list of staple products. I also want to avoid another incident where I go completely overboard again on product purchases.
- Continue my hair styling exploration. In this past year, I stopped wearing my wigs as often, attended a hair styling class, tried out a few new styles including twists, did a ton of buns/puffs, and discovered that I’m a lazy natural. With my hair getting longer, I do want to have a few more go-to styles for work and become a little more adventurous for special occasions. Also, I want to try to straighten my hair again since I did such a horrible job the last time, and I'm not big on failure.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
My HHJ Reflection Two Years In (Part 2)
Hey, beautiful people! After I posted my top 5 things that I learned last week, I thought of five more:
6. A little protein is my friend. A lot is not. Low porosity hair usually
doesn't need a lot of protein, but my hair is also fine. Fine hair usually needs protein, so the
result is that my hair really likes moisturizing deep conditioners with a little
protein in them. It gets really hard
with any protein that is on the stronger side.
7. What
I thought was a lot of conditioner or gel is not. While my hair is fine, it is also
super thick, so I need a lot of product to get through my strands. When I condition, I usually use gobs of conditioner. If I split my hair into 4 sections, I usually
use a 2 palm-fulls of conditioner per section.
It is the same with gel. I used
to wonder why I could not slick down my edges with gel, and then I realized
that I simply wasn’t using enough. I
need about a palm-full for the front, and two palm-fulls for the back. For me, a palm-full is about a half cup or a golf ball-sized amount. As a result,
I have opted for cheaper conditioners, like Herbal Essence, and gels, like Eco
Styler.
8. My
low porosity hair doesn't need to be moisturized daily. One of the benefits and drawbacks of
low porosity hair is that it takes forever to dry. As I’m typing this, my hair has been
airdrying for about 10 hours, and it is still wet. As a result, I also don’t need to moisturize
everyday. Sometimes, when I put my hair
in a bun, the inside of the bun will stay wet all week and I just need to
moisturize the outer edges every couple days.
9. I am
a “lazy natural”. I liked wigs because
it was easy to do my hair at the beginning of the week and just put a wig on it
every day. On the weekends, I would wash
and go because that was also easy. Once
I could do a puff, I did that. Now that
my hair is longer, I put it in a bun and keep the same bun until it starts to
look a little rough. I am not the type
of natural that loves to do intricate styles, though I am going to push myself
to do more styling in this next year. If
you are a lazy natural like me, Tribe Called Curl has a great Youtube series for lazy naturals.
10. Cowash
is nice, but shampoo/soap is necessary. Low porosity hair is
prone to buildup. Also, now that I’m
using cheaper conditioners, it is good to do a good cleansing periodically. I’ve found that I can’t just use conditioners
to cleanse my hair. I need to use something with actual cleansing agents on occasion.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Product Review: Hairveda Moist Condition PRO Conditioner
Price: $9.99
for 16 oz.
Promise: From
the website - Our wheat protein-enriched conditioner carries moisture and
protein into the hair without weighing it down or dulling. Soy protein delivers the maximum amount of
nutrients into the hair follicles where protein deficiencies occur. Moist Condition PRO provides building blocks
for strengthening the hair. We use wheat
protein derived from organic sources. We've
designed it to add manageability and shine. Designed for all hair types. Safe and mild for natural, relaxed and color
processed hair.
Scent: Citrusy
starburst scent
Consistency: Like
wet lotion
Results: This was the last of my Black Friday Hairveda purchases. This
reminds me a lot of the Acai Phyto Conditioner, though it may be a little more runny. I used this both as an overnight deep
conditioner and as a rinse out conditioner. I liked it both ways, but
preferred it as a rinse out conditioner. It leaves
my hair feeling strong, yet moisturized. However, as an overnight, there
was a slight hardness to my hair. Not
super hard, but noticeable. I think it
may be the wheat protein or the coconut oil. The ingredients listed on the website are now different and don't include coconut or soybean oil, so I may try this again.
Either way, I think I prefer the Acai Phyto Conditioner over this one.Saturday, July 5, 2014
Product Review: Alikay Naturals Lemongrass Leave-in Conditioner
Price: $13 for 8 oz. / $22 for 16 oz.
Promise: Locks
moisture in your hair without weighing it down or causing product build up.
Infused with essential oils to smooth your hair shaft and keeps it moisturized.
The lemon zest scent is yummy and refreshing. Hair will feel soft and ready to
be styled pretty!
Scent: Lemon
Consistency: Thick
liquid, like orange juice with a lot of pulp
Results: I
loved this product! It made my hair
soft, strong and moisturized. It also
lasts a long time. I’ve been using it regularly
since at least the beginning of the year, and I still have a quarter of a
bottle left. I used it more as a
moisturizing, protein spritz rather than a leave-in. My only issue is that, because of the thickness of the liquid, it didn't always come out of the spray nozzle well. Sometimes, it would drip or collect on the front of the spray, and I would have to wipe it off and spread it on my hair with my fingers. I didn't mind this too much because this is such a great product. I was going back and forth on whether to buy it again because I am trying to transition to making more of my own products and buying less online. However, now that I can get this on the ground at Target, I will definitely buy it when my no-buy is up.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Product Review: Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk Cream Moisture Dream (The Deep Conditioner Files #6)
Price: $10
for 8 oz. / $16 for 16 oz.
Promise: Get
ready for moist, supple, manageable hair. This rich conditioning cream will help you get
your moisture groove back. Silk protein
protects and softens your hair while honey, apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, and
aloe wrap your tresses in silky moisture.
Scent: Almond extract
Consistency: Like lightly
whipped buttercream frosting
Results: The
price is right and it makes my hair feel great.
I got at least 4 uses out of this.
I’ve tried it under a heat cap, as an overnight deep conditioner, and in
my hair for two weeks under a wig (I was feeling lazy on my wash day). My hair probably liked the overnight deep
conditioning best, but it worked every way I tried it. It was even mild enough that my scalp wasn't bothered by leaving it in long term. After each use, my hair felt moisturized, yet strong.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Product Review: Hairveda Acai Berry Phyto Conditioner
Price: $12 for
16 oz.
Scent: Strong
berry scent, but not overpowering
Consistency: Like
wet lotion
Results: I used this both as an overnight deep conditioner and as a rinse out conditioner. I loved it both ways. In both circumstances, it leaves my hair feeling strong, yet moisturized. Plus, it has great slip for detangling, so I think I prefer it as a rinse out conditioner.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Healthy Hair Product Toolbox
Hey, HHJs! For those
just starting off on their natural hair journey, I thought it might be helpful
to list some of the key items needed for your healthy hair product toolbox. To get more details on specific products that
I use in each category, visit my Favorite Products page or my Amazon store. In full disclaimer, Amazon does pay me a
commission on items purchased from my Amazon store.
- Shampoo or Cleanser - You need something that will bind to oil, dirt and product buildup to remove it from your hair. If you are low porosity, like me, then simply conditioner washing will not always be enough. You need something with cleansing agents in it. I've been working on a cleansing agent post for about a month now, so it should be up soon.
- Rinse Out / Instant Conditioner - 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 and dirt, conditioner binds to hair (adsorbs to hair).
- Deep Conditioner - These are particularly important if your hair is damaged, needs an intense moisture boost, or needs a protein boost. Deep conditioners are left on the hair for awhile to give them time to penetrate the hair. There are three types of deep conditioners (moisturizing, protein and hybrids). I've already covered protein conditioners in a prior post. Because I have low porosity and fine strands, I personally prefer hybrids containing light proteins.
- Leave-in Conditioner - These are lighter conditioners that are mild enough that they can be left on the hair long term. Some instant conditioners can double as leave-ins, but some have ingredients that can irritate the scalp with time.
- Moisturizer - I already have a post on finding a great moisturizer. Water is the best moisturizer, so any “moisturizing” product should have water as the first or second ingredient. Some leave-in conditioners can double as moisturizers.
- Sealant - This would be an oil or butter based product. I don’t usually use a straight oil or butter to seal water into my hair as it is less necessary for low porosity ladies. Instead, I use a cream or lotion, which is a mixture of water and oil/butter held together by an emulsifier like BTMS.
What is in
your toolbox?
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Finding A Good Protein Conditioner
Because of my low porosity hair, it was difficult to find a good protein conditioner that my hair would accept, but I need one for my finer strands and to maintain my moisture/protein balance. At first, I tried protein conditioners that other people recommended. Two worked (Curl Junkie Repair Me! and Aubrey Organics Island Replenishing Conditioner) and two did not (Aubrey Organics GPB and Aubrey Organics Blue Green Algae Conditioning Hair Mask). The science geek in me decided to investigate further; so, I analyzed the ingredients from the four, along with one from my relaxed days (Aphogee 2 Minute Reconstructor), by putting the ingredients into a chart. I looked at the similarities and differences in the top 10 ingredients, along with all of the proteins. In doing so, I noticed that the two conditioners that worked had hydrolyzed proteins and amino acids, as did the one from my relaxed days.
Next, I went to the internet for some hearty research. Here is some of what I've learned:
1. People with low porosity hair should usually look for smaller proteins, like hydrolyzed
rice, silk and wheat protein. A hydrolyzed protein is a protein that has been broken down into smaller proteins or individual amino acids (proteins are long chains of linked amino acids).
2. Stay away from oat,
animal, keratin or corn proteins because they tend to be too large for
use on low porosity hair.
3. Keratin amino acids may also be great because they can penetrate the hair strand, unlike regular keratin.
I plan to keep researching, and I will probably do another post on the different types of protein that are out there.
HAPPY CONDITIONING!!
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