Product Review Shea Moisture Products

This is a product review of Shea Moisture Curl and Style Coconut and Hibiscus Shampoo, Hair Milk, Shine and Hold Spray and Curl enhancing Smoothie. I was drawn to these products as, being a former product junkie, I still "cruise" the shampoo isle. Now a days I mostly just pick up "natural" shampoos to check their ingredient list and shake my head at the blatant false advertising. I thought that would be the case with Shea Moisture, but alas, it was not. This label boast no parabens, phthalates, paraffin, gluten, propylene glycol, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances, PABA, synthetic colors, nor sulfates. This brand is also made sans animal ingredients and byproduct and is not tested on animals. WOW.

I was able to pick up a sample pack of all 4 of their products at walgreens so I figured I would give it a shot. The smell is divine, not too sweet, definite coconut oil aroma but with out the pina colada smell that I loathe in some shampoos.

Step One: Shampoo

The Coconut Milk and Hibiscus Curl and Style Shampoo.

A nice, thick shampoo. The scent was very delicate. I diluted this in my spray bottle 1:1 and hit my scalp first then the body of my locks. Washed away clean and did not leave my locks feeling stripped or crunchy. I did rinse a bit longer to be sure all the shampoo was out since it was thick.

Ingredients: 

Step Two: Condition

Coconut Milk and Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk

A water based, creamy leave in conditioner/styling cream. Concerned with build up, I only applied a half dollar amount of this product to my towel dried hair. It wasn't sticky and was the consistency of a thick body lotion. I am doing a braid out so we will see the condition of my hair when its all dry.

Ingredients: Deionized water, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Sugar Starch, Silk Protein, essential oil blend, Neem seed oil, capryly glycol, sorbitol esters, algae extract, arvenese extract, carrot seed oil, honeysuckle flower and vitamin e.

Step Two B: Condition

Coconut Milk and Hibiscus Curl Smoothie

This is a bit of a thicker cream, so thick in fact, that I used a dime sized amount. I don't think this will be something I use often.

Ingredients: Deionized water, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Macadamia Seed Oil, Mango Seed Butter, Avocado Oil, Vegetable Glycerine, Aloe Barbendenis leaf extract, Silk Protein ammonium salt, Neem seed oil, carrot seed oil, sorbitol esters, panthenol,  caprly glycol, essential oil blend, honeysuckle flower and vitamin e.

Over all, I LUV these products. My hair is soft, has a nice sheen and no build up. I also like the fact that I can just run to Walgreens when I need shampoo and not wait for the postman to come.

Lanza Loves Locks

As I mentioned in my prior post. I had a few double dragons from waiting too long in between reti appointments. At first, I was somewhat upset that I had let my hair get so bad, BUT those things came in handy. I was able to clip them and have test strands for some color experimentation. I had an insane amount of grey streaking my locks :(.

I originally wanted my grey covered and some funky colored streaks in fuchsia and teal, so Ms Gina (who you all may remember from my nail escapades) decolorized the one clipped locks, cut it in two and applied the semi permanent color. Well, the fuchsia came out red and the teal green, That wasn't the look we were going for, but it gave her a point of reference in which to work her magic from. She tried another test strand using a dif formulation and the fuchsia came out perfect, the teal, still green so we decided to go all fuchsia, which was fine by me. Once we got all that color game planing squared away off to the shampoo bowl I went.

Gina started off saturating my locks and then using L'Anza Healing Pure Clarifying Shampoo to remove mineral and product buildup and then applied L'Anza Healing Pure Keratin Infusion to, as she says "Infuse the hair with vitamin C encapsulated Keratin molecules that fill in the holes left behind once the build-up was removed."

After ma locs was all "infused n stuffs," she applied the decolorizer and color. Since my hair pulls red when colored, Ms Gina used a formula that combats the extra warmth in one step. After processing for about 45 min, I was rinsed. My hair had highlighted to a beautiful caramel color that I did not have the heart to dye pink so we left it.  Grey covered, some caramel colored streaks, I'm too much :D

I do now use some lanza products in my locks. Their noni fruit leave in conditioner helps my crunchy winter hair, neem plant silk serum smells yums and helps protect my color and their trauma treatment is awesome after a lock clarifying (baking soda/ACV etc.)

Month Nine/Organix Shampoo Review

Hello blog land. Here I am in month 9 of my sisterlocks and not much exciting to report. Doesn't seem like I have had much happen as far as growth or any definitive locking. I am getting more and more white bulbs as well as greys and really itching to throw some color on these bad girls, but know I should wait until I am fully locked.

I have did try a new shampoo. Organix Pomegranate and Green Tea. It is not completely natural so I was very hesitant to try it due to my pet peeve of pseudo organic or natural products trying to pass. But this smelled so good, I had to try it. My hair actually liked it. Nice and full after my wash and my scalp wasn't dry.

It's priced right too. At $6.99 a bottle you can find it at your neighborhood Walgreens. They are even clearing out the White Tea Grapeseed formula, so you can pick it up for $3.99, but in the store only.

Here are some after shampoo pics after I twisted the front down. I didn't use the conditioner, but will review it if I do.

Black Soap..Hot or Not??

Being as I am attempting to go as natural as possible, I decided to go back to nature for my adult acne and hyperpigmentation. I have tried chemical peels, retin a, ziana, adoxa, aha and bha treatments, everything, nothing can A) stop the break outs, or B) lighten up the hyperpigmentation.

After reading about Black Soap while searching for all natural shampoos, I kept coming across info that said it was good for acne, hyperpigmentation and was a natural, non drying exfoliant. 

So, about a week ago, I start to use it. Seemed to get rid of the coat of war paint I had on my face.  As I was rinsing, my face actually felt squeeky clean.

Well, about 2 days ago, my skin began to break out quite a bit. I don't know if it is from stress, or from the soap actually doing what it is touted to do and cleaning all the crap from deep in my pores...My skin that isn't broken out is softer and feels smoother. I haven't used any other products such as toners or lotions as I want to give an accurate review. 

Will try it out another two weeks and give you all an update then.