Product Review - Hair Honey

Over the last few weeks, I’ve revisited a product that I used back in my transitioning days, it is Kynk Naturals, Hair Honey.

I purchased the Hair Honey from Noah’s health food store, but it is also available on their website, http://www.kynk.ca.

How to use (as quoted from Kynk Naturals):
A conditioning treatment that improves you hair’s strength and flexibility. Apply Hair Honey to clean wet hair to help ease tangles when combing. Hair Honey can also be used to reinforce hair ends when styling especially with braids & twists. For the not -so -intense kynks but severe dryness issues, saturate dry hair and wrap head & hair in a (not too) hot towel. Then wash as usual. Use Hair Honey as needed on natural or treated hair.

Ingredients:
Persea Gratissima (Apricot Kernel), Prunus armeniaca (Avocado), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut), Cera alba (Beeswax), Melaleuca Alterfernolia (Tea Tree), d-alpha tocopherol (Vitamin E), Mentha Piperita (Peppermint), Ribes nigrum (Black Currant aroma), Oleoresin Rosmarinus Officinalis (rosemary), Petroselinum sativum (Parsley), Thymus vulgaris (Thyme), & love (Agape).

My thoughts: 

Now that I’m 100% Curlie, I find this Hair Honey works better on my hair. It looks honey and has a mild honey and menthol/peppermint scent. The strength of this product is that it is a great for sealing in moisture. I often used it to apply one top of my moisturized hair. Yet for me, the best use of the Hair Honey was adding it to my deep conditioner. It gave my hair a protective coating and I love that.

I may not use it every day because I’m used to fruity and floral scents in my products, yet since all the ingredients used in Kynk Naturals products are all natural, I will keep the Hair Honey on my rooster. I should also mention that the Hair Honey is also has Clean Care's seal of approval for safer beauty & personal care products in Canada. It’s important to note that their mantra is, “If you can't eat it we don't use it!” In essence it makes my hair feel good.

Have you tried this Hair Honey or any of the other Kynk Natural products? Tell me what you think.

Blessings and Curls,

Kim aka B-Curlie

My Staple Products

So as I mentioned in my previous post, my hair officially turned two years old. I thought I should mention a few of my staple products that have never failed me.

I’m not a hair-typer, but for those who do, I believe I have two textures in my hair. The back is 4A and the rest of it for the most part is 4B. I know these producs won't work for everyone, but hopefully some of them will.

Let’s get to it:

My go to shampoo is Scalp TherapeShampoo Organix South I buy it from well.ca (free shipping in Canada). I know some of you are avid cowashers, but I need to wash my hair every week with shampoo. It’s a natural product that does not give me a lot of lather. The scent is not amazing, but I love how it washes all of the residue from my hair and scalp, without irritation which is important for me.

My go to conditioner and deep conditioner is Tresemme Naturals. It’s just magical. I get great slip from this product and I find it makes my hair easier to finger detangle while in the shower. When using as a deep conditioner, I any natural oil on hand.

My go to leave-in is still the Kimmaytube Leave-in with Kinky Curly Knot Today. I know Kim Love now has her own  product line, that I’ m sure it is wonderful, but I haven’t tried it yet and as of right now this leave-in mixture has been great for my hair. I’ve loved the Knot Today, ever since I began transitioning and it has done nothing but good things for my hair.

My go to styler is Jane Carter's Curl Defining Cream. I came across this product by chance at an iHeartmyHair event. I’ve experimented with others and they have been OK, but I always end up re-purchasing the Curl Defining Cream.

My go to gel is EcoStyler – Morrocan Argan Oil. I love this stuff.  It slicks my hair back like no nobody’s business, especially after a misting of water. I often end up wearing a puff or updo, a few days before wash day, since my hair is not interested in doing anything else at that point.

My go to oil is Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. First of all I love the smell of coconut and the way it just melts in my hands. I use it to seal moisture in my hair and to even style flat twists when it’s too early in the week to use gel.

My go to butter is my Shea Butter mixture. There is something about making something nourishing for your tress. My hair loves it and I use it for everything from styling, sealing or even as a body cream. I will say, that I do not use it all the time, it really depends on how I feel and what my hair needs.

I'm looking for great protein conditioner. I need something mild. So if you have any suggestions, send them my way.

 

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie 

Product review - Curls Curl Soufflé

I pulled out one of my product staples this morning and then I realized that I had not shared this with all of you … my amazing readers!



PHOTO: www.curls.biz

The product is Curls Curl Soufflé. I use it as a moisturizer. When I purchased it the first time, I tried to use it as a styler for my twist-outs. I mean the twist out was OK, but not something to write home about. My hair was soft and smelled great, but there was no real hold so my twist-out frizzed out within a day or two. For me the strength of this product is really its moisturizing properties. It is water-based and smells like cake and looks like pudding. Put it this way, if I was three years old, it would definitely be hard for me not to put it in my mouth.

What I love about this moisturizer is the fact that it’s great to use now that the colder weather is upon us. The Curl Soufflé provides an easy way to apply a form of water on your hair without making it soaking wet and avoiding a case of the winter snuffles. It cannot replace all the natural moisturizing qualities of water, but it’s convenient if you are not fortunate enough to live in a warm climate in the winter.

Ingredients

purified water, certified organic sunflower oil, octyl palmitate, certified organic aloe vera leaf juice, glyercin, glyceryl stearate, potassium stearate, panthenol, stearic acid, sodium carbomer, allantoin, cetearyl alcohol, certified organic sweet almond oil, shea butter, certified organic jojoba oil, soy tocopherols, phenoxyethanol, fragrance.

How do I use it?

Well I find myself putting it on my hair in addition to my leave-in after washing, followed by my styler, which is usually Jane Carter’s Curl Defining Cream. I also use Curl Soufflé in the morning when I’m trying to bounce some life into my curls, to get rid of the slept on look. I use a generous amount and distribute throughout my hair and then seal using coconut oil, shea butter or any other natural oil or butter on hand.

What water-based moisturizers are you using during the cold fall and winter months?

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

Review - Lulu Life Body Butter

So it has been a while since my last post, but I would like to tell you, that my hair was still receiving love during that time. More specifically from Lulu Life Body Butter, that is available at Curly Canadians.

Lulu Life Body Butter is made and produced by the Lulu Life Trust in Sudan. This organization helps families in Sudan who are trying to bounce back from the tragedies of civil war. So with every purchase of Lulu Life products you can guarantee that your dollar is going to help Sudanese families, which is cool.

PHOTO: Curly Canadians

Many of you know about my love affair with shea butter, well I can tell you that Lulu Life Body Butter, did not disappoint.

Although it says it is a body butter, I used it on my hair as a styler and sealer. I did my usual twist out on freshly washed hair and even to do a semi-dry twist out from time-to-time. Unlike other shea butters, that need friction to melt into a creamy texture, Lulu melts into a lovely consistency upon contact. The Lulu Life Butter, left my hair feeling super soft and healthy. The only thing I did not like about butter is that it’s virtually scent-free. I like my products to have a little sweet smell, probably because I’m too girly. On the other hand this would be the perfect product for those who have scent allergies or those who do not like strong smelling products.

So the question is, would I use and recommend this product? ABSOLUTELY! Not only are you helping those in need in Sudan, but you are also getting an amazing natural product that is good for you hair and skin. You can’t go wrong!

 

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

Product Review - Whip Coil Cream

About a month ago, my husband and I started a major clean and decluttering as we prepared to stage our house for selling. In the process, my beloved electric mixer landed in storage. I was devastated and to be honest, I still am a little bit.

The main reason for my devastation was the fact that I was due to make my whipped shea butter, but it’s impossible to get the right consistency without a mixer…at least for me anyway.

I ended up at my neighbourhood Black Beauty Supply store (BBS), searching for a something to set and twist my hair with, since I had also ran out of my supply of Hair Love (need to re-order). I also thought of my readers, It’s was time for another product review.

I found Roots of Nature Remedies® for Natural Hair Butter Whip Coil Cream™. It was only $7.99 for a 6.1 oz jar. I figured it was pretty cheap not to contain drying alcohol, mineral oil, petrolatum or parabens. So I picked it up. Not to mention it also contains mango oil and cupuacu butter. I love everything mango, but the cupuacu was new to me.

Product description: With Mango Oil and Brazilian Cupuacu Butter (6.1 oz.) Found in the heart of the Amazon Rain Forest , moisturizing Cupuacu (coo-poo-wah-soo) Butter has for generations been the secret of Brazilians for beautiful hair. Combined with softening Mango Oil, our Butter Whip Coil Cream deeply nourishes and conditions to stretch and define each coil with just the right amount of hold for twists, braid-outs, and TWA’s (teeny weeny afros). Dull, shrunken coils are transformed into lasting, soft, elongated, shiny coils. Hair Types: Relaxed, Natural, Color Treated, and Over-Processed Hair

Ingredients: Aqua (Water) , Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean Oil) , Butyrospermum Parkii Butter (Shea Butter) , Cetearyl Alcohol , Glycerin , Polysorbate 20 , Cetyl Alcohol , Behentrimonium Methosulfate , BIS-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2 , Butylene Glycol , Mangifera Indica Seed Oil , Mango Seed Oil , Theobroma Grandiflorum (Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter) , Phenoxyethanol , Fragrance , Lecithin , Quaternium-33 , Hexyl Cinnamal , Sorbic Acid , VP , Dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate Copolymer , Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride , BHT , Geraniol , Limonene , Caramel , Methylisothiazolinone , Linalool , Benzyl Alcohol , 2-Oleamido-1 , 3-Octadecanediol

Here is the bottom line, it works pretty good on my 4A - 4B tress. I love the smell and the consistency is creamy. I used it on wet and dry twist outs and I liked the results on both styles. The twists were defined and my hair felt soft and moisturized. I will definitely continue to use this product and keep it as a go-to styler. It does not top my whipped shea butter or Hair Love, but when I want something that has a light texture and is inexpensive I will think of the Whip Coil Cream.

Have you tried this product? What are your thoughts or does something else work for you?

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

Hair Love Review and Giveaway

Althea Joseph from Curly Canadians™ contacted me recently and asked me to do a review on their new product Hair Love. I was ecstatic, since I knew my hair agrees with ingredients in the product.

Ingredients: Beeswax, Unrefined organic shea butter, Organic coconut oil, Sweet almond oil, Sea buckthorn berry oil, Vanilla & Orange essential oils.

Hair Love Photo: Curly Canadians™

Hair Love has the consistency of a firm to creamy shea butter and has a mild sweet citrus scent. I’m a huge fan of shea butter and I’ve come to the conclusion that it absolutely has to be a part of my natural hair’s existence, so it will not surprise most of you that I love this product. Not to mention it also contains my hair’s other best friend coconut oil. Matches made in heaven – plain and simple!

I used Hair Love as a sealer and styler, so much so that I’m almost out of my supply. It was the main styler for my Curlformers set that I did a few weeks ago and for my twists and twist-outs over the last couple weeks. It easily became my go to product to seal and freshen up my hair in the mornings after spritzing it with water.  I found that it helped my hair retain moisture when used as a sealer and styler and imparted lots of shine to my 4A/B combination hair.

I would definitely recommend this product for those who are interested in an all-in-one product that can be counted on.

If you like your own jar of Hair Love and a few other goodies from Curly Canadians™ you can enter my FIRST GIVEAWAY, sponsored by Curly Canadians™. THE GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 26TH!

Blessings and Curls,
B-Curlie

Fighting Scalp Issues

A while back I mentioned that I have dermatitis, since I was a child really. At the time my mom and I didn’t have a clue what it was. To put it in a nutshell, it’s when you have over active oil glands. The glands release too much oil and creates the perfect environment to develop blockages, build-up, flakes and inflammation. Not PRETTY or FUN!

I recently had a flair-up, my scalp was giving me a hard time. There were a couple weeks where it didn’t matter what I put on my scalp, it just didn’t want anything to do with me. It was so itchy and driving me insane.

I finally broke down and went to Shoppers Drug Mart for some scalp meds. In the past I’ve used Nizoral or Nioxin, I’ve experienced OK results with both, but I thought I needed to try something new or at least new to me. Head & Shoulders of all shampoos caught my eye. It’s full of sulfates and other chemicals and not natural at all, but I was really at my breaking point. So I picked up Head & Shoulders Clinical Strength (active ingredient: 1% selenium sulfide) and since I was in the risk taking mood I also grabbed Scalpicin (active ingredient: 3% salicylic acid) an after shampoo or daily treatment for dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis as well.

When treating my scalp, I change my hair washing technique in order to maximize success.  Here are the steps I take. Matter of fact, it would not hurt you to use this technique end for a regular wash.

Technique:

-          I put a little bit of shampoo in a shallow container

-          Grab my old perm brush

-          Section my hair in four or in the affected areas

-          Spray the section of hair with water, so that it’s damp not soaking wet

-          Part the section my hair into tiny sections

-          I then use the brush and apply the shampoo directly to my scalp. I repeat until I run out of hair in the section and then move on to the next.

-          Once complete, I cover my head with a plastic cap and let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.

-          When time is up, I wash my hair as usual

My results were amazing! I was not sure about the Head & Shoulders since it didn’t tingle as other medicated shampoos often do. For me the tingle makes me think something is working, but Head and Shoulders, just smelled good.

The shampoo didn’t leave any residue on my scalp or hair. It looked and felt great. It did make my hair a little dry, but nothing a good conditioner, leave-in conditioner and sealer can’t fix. My scalp was really the star here.  Let me tell you, it was in heaven, extremely clean with no signs of dermatitis. I applied the Scalpicin right after shampooing and that sealed the deal. Now that really tingled my scalp, but it subsided after a few moments. Then I styled my hair as usual.

I’m amazed, since I have now gone four days without the need to scratch or even re-apply the meds. I will probably do so tonight just to keep it on the run though, but so far so good.

Weigh in … have you had any experiences with scalp issues?

Blessings and Curls,
B-Curlie

Review of Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue & Baby Buttercreme

So a few months ago I purchased Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue and Baby Buttercreme on sale at HoneyFig. I thought to myself, this is my chance to try these products. I did some research and I found that Curlies either really loved Miss Jessie’s products or hated them. I actually have mixed feelings about them.

Let’s start with the Curly Meringue:

This product smells delicious. It has a wonderful lemon scent that makes you want to indulge in a lemon tart, if that is your thing. The consistency is thick and creamy. I decided to use it on my freshly washed hair, after applying my leave-in. I made sure my hair was moisturized and somewhat sealed before applying the meringue. God knows I didn’t want any trouble, since there is mineral oil in it.

So I proceeded to use half of a finger-tip amount on each twist. I was very happy with the light hold and shine the product imparted on my hair. It felt soft and healthy.

After untwisting my hair, I was surprisingly very happy with the results. I will definitely use this product again.

Moving on the Baby Buttercreme:

The buttercream smells like vanilla cake, which made me happy. The consistency was very thick and buttery just like the name. I applied the product the same way as I did the Curly Meringue. It went on damp hair nicely and seemed to give it a little shine.  Once the twists dried I unraveled them. When styling and separating my twists I found that my hair felt brittle and dry. Nonetheless I worked with what I got and tried to stay positive. By day two my hair was in rough shape, very frizzy and super dry. On day three, FORGET ABOUT IT!! I slept with my satin head tie as I usually do and found a humongous mess. I was in shock! I would like to say that I did not treat my hair any differently than I do with my other twist-outs, that usually last about five days.

So I was in a little panic and almost late for work. I decided to wet my hair to try to create a puff that appeared moist and shine. It was a TOTAL FAIL. The water only made tons of white residue appear in my hair. I had a small meltdown and then savaged my hair with a few twists in the front and the rest was covered with a bean. Needless to say I will not be using the Baby Buttercream again.

Although, this was product did not work for me, it may have work for you. Tell me about your experience and if you love or hate relationships with Curly Meringue or Baby Buttercreme.



Blessings and Curls,
B-Curlie