Naturally Alluring

What can i say about Kinky Curly Knot Today.  Well i didn't work or me.  It didn't detangle at all, i lost a lot of hair trying to detangle with it.  It made my hair feel yucky.  It left a gross residue on my hair and i am really disappointed.  It is a super light conditioner but i don't like the stickiness of the leave in.  After trying it a couple times i applie an oil to it to get rid of the yucky feeling and it worked to a degree but my curls still felt limp and sticky.  I really am having trouble decribing the feeling of my hair just because the products results were so unsual.  I respect Kinky Curly for stepping out of the box and finding ingredients that you don't typically see in leave in conditioners.  They made and all natural and unique product with ingredients rarely used it just didn't work for me. 

Knot Today or ever again Kinky Curly.  I will be trying the Curling Custard but i will definately not be repurchasing the Knot Today.   I know a lot of people love it but it just worked horribly for me.  If it works for you more power to you but i, based on my experiences, will not be recommending this product.

  This is what the company claims: Knot Today is a leave-in conditioner and detangler designed to smooth the cuticle and remove knots, snarls and tangles from wavy, curly and kinky-textured hair.

Ingredients: 

Organic Mango fruit extract, organic slipper elm, organic marshmallow root, organic lemongrass, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, citric acid, phenoxyethanol and natural fragrance.

Glycerin Free

Organic

Paraben Free

Protein Free

Silicone Free

Sulfate Free

Hey Curlies this is gonna be another staple product review.  I really like this product, it is super thick almost like the consistency of a heavy whipped cream or pudding.  So the name is very fitting.  It is super moisturizing and though some say it is only good for winter because it is too heavy i find that anytime of year it works well for me.  I will say if you do not have type 4 hair you probably don't want to use this because it might be too heavy for your hair.  A common problem i heard with the product is that it weighs curls down.  I used a lot of it and it didn't really seem to elongate my curls at all so idk maybe i'm just special. So i used this with my Giovanni styling mousse to make two strand twists and then put them on rollers for an extra curly look.  I could use the Whipped Pudding for just an everyday conditioner but it works best for me in twists and braids to help my hair stay moisturized when i leave it in a protective style.  It doesn't have the most slip out of all my products but by worling in smaller sections (about 10 for my head) i was able to detangle with relatively no problem. 

It has great ingredients and i paid $11 for the product at Curlmart.com (love that site).  So i would definately recommend this to anyone with thick, dry hair.

This rich, dense moisturizing cream is a mixture of rich botanical butters and oils such as shea butter, cocoa butter, and castor oil; blended with plenty of pure aloe vera gel and spring water for lightness & penetration. The result is superior, rich, penetrating moisture in an all-purpose, head-to-toe product.

On dry, parched hair, Whipped Pudding adds moisture and pliability from scalp to ends; melting in and softening without building up, helping add weight to frizzy strands, keeping hair supple for days at a time. On damp hair -- post washing, or after a light spritzing of Greg Juice or water -- Whipped Pudding is excellent to help lock in moisture. For finer textures, it’s great mixed with honey and used as a pre-shampoo deep conditioning treatment.

For the body, Whipped Pudding melts into skin, leaving a velvety softness behind. It’s ultra pampering on dry elbows, knees or heels. Use to protect hands and face before braving harsh weather; apply to dry skin as a rich nighttime cream, or massage into feet before sleeping in warm cotton socks.

Ingredients: 

Purified Water, unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Cocoa Butter, Castor oil, Coconut oil, Sweet Almond oil, olive oil, Vegetable emulsifier, beeswax, Palm Stearic Acid, vegetable glycerine, honey, optiphen (preservative), fragrance

Whipped pudding has been sold unscented for years and its natural scent varied from batch to batch -- sometimes chocolatey, sometimes slightly herbal. But it seemed that the more chocolatey, the more positive feedback we received, so now we scent it very lightly with chocolate and vanilla fragrance to enhance the scent of the whole butters and essential oils.

This product is preserved with a paraben-free, wide-spectrum cosmetic preservative. To keep at its freshest for more than 4 months, refrigerate or freeze.

Organic

Paraben Free

Protein Free

Silicone Free

Sulfate Free

So i really loved the Giovanni Styling Mousse.  I used it to do two strand twists.  I had a serious problem with my two strand twists just unraveling and the giovanni mousse gave a light hold and also moisturized my twists.  The twists  were really bouncy and had absolutely no frizz which had been a problem in the past.  It also elongated my curls.  I cant say enough good things about the only thing is it doesn;t do anything good for dry hair.  I tried to use it to refresh and defrizz some older twists and it just made it even frizzier. 

Overall this is my go to for twists and braidouts i love it.  Definately a staple.

 Ingredients: Aqua (Purified Water) with *Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) Oil, *Nettle (Urtica Dioica) Oil, *Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) Oil, Birch Leaf (Betula Alba) Oil, *Chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis Flower) Oil, *Clary (Salvia Sclarea), *Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia), *Coltsfoot Leaf (Tussilago Farfara), *Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium) Oil, *Mallow (Malva Sylvestris), *Horsetail (Equistetum Arvense) Oil, PVP/VA Coploymer, *Soybean Protein (Glycine Soja), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Trace Minerals, Citric Acid (Corn), Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Includes Essential Oils).

So Giovanni not what i expected.  I tried the Smooth as Silk Deep Moisture Conditioner and Shampoo.  The shampoo was subpar.  I would not repurchase it.  It left my hair leaving clean but brittle and moistureless.  The application of the conditioner didn't really help to relieve the dry brittle feeling either. 

When just cowashing the conditioner wasn't bad.  But it was right along the same line as VO5.  It moisturized but not nearly as good as Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner.  I paid like $8.00 each and i got 8.5 fl. oz. of conditioner and 8.5 fl. oz. shampoo at my local health foods store. 

All i really have to say is that i'm a little disappointed i expected more from the giovanni products and i heard so many good things about them.  I'll use the conditioner but i'm definately getting rid of the shampoo.

Ingredients Conditioner:

Aqua (Purified Water) with *Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, *Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Valencia Orange) Extract, *Mangifera Indica (Mango) Extract, *Cymbopogon Schoeanthus (Lemongrass) Extract, *Ginkgo Biloba Extract, *Echinacea Angustifolia Extract, *Salix Alba (Willow Bark), *Macrocystis Pyrifera (Sea Kelp) Extract, *Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Leaf Extract, *Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, *Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Extract, *Glycine Soja (Soybean) Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Centrimonium Bromide, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance (Includes Essential Oils).

Ingredients Shampoo:

Aqua (Purified Water) With *Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, *Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Valencia Orange) Extract, *Mangifera Indica (Mango) Extract, *Cymbopogon Schoeanthus (Lemongrass) Extract, *Ginko Biloba Extract, *Echinacea Angustifolia Extract, *Salix Alba (Willow Bark), *Macrocystis Pyrifera (Sea Kelp) Extract, *Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Leaf Extract, *Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, *Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Extract, *Glycine Soja (Soybean) Extract, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamide MEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycol Distearate, Amodimethicone, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Decyl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disteareth-75 IPDI, C11-15 Pareth-7, Citric Acid, C12-16 Pareth-9, Glycerin, Trideceth-12, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance with Essential Oils..

Hey Curly people i just wanted to write up a quick review on the Pantene Curly Hair Series Shampoo.  It sucked.  It left my hair tangled and brittle feeling.  I didn't even use the conditioner afterwards as planned beacause my hair felt so bad i felt like i needed to do a deep condition to combat the shampoo.  I would definately not recommend this to anyone it did nothing good for my hair. 

When i first applied the product it worked up a good lather and my hair felt clean and slick.  It was when i started to wash the shampoo out that i noticed the problems.  I didnt even try it a second time i was so disatisfied. 

I would no recommend.

Ingredients: Water , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Sodium Laureth Sulfate , Cocamidopropyl Betaine , Sodium Chloride , Glycol Distearate , Citric Acid , Sodium Citrate , Cocamide MEA , Sodium Xylenesulfonate , Fragrance , Dimethicone , Sodium Benzoate , Polyquaternium-76 , Tetrasodium EDTA , Panthenol , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone  

The purpose of this website is to be a place where i and others can talk about our hair and the products that go along with the care of our hair.  I started my natural hair jouney at the end of February and even thought i have been met with some opposition i still have yet to regret my decision. 

I remember not to many years ago i decided to go natural and only stuck with it for a few years due to such extreme oppposition from friends and family.  I was in grade school and at that point in my life i just wanted to fit in.  Now i'm an adult and others opinions aren't nearly as important to me as my own is and i am happy with my natural hair.

Natural Hair is often portrayed as unattractive but i believe that we are all Naturally Alluring.

So read on and i hope you enjoy what you see and read,

Check Out my Yuotube to see product reviews and hair care info:

http://www.youtube.com/user/mayaeogough

What i love is my :

Tree of Life Organic Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil-14 Oz. I really love this stuff. It looks kinda solid at room temp but actually if you apply just the heat of your hands to scoop it out it turns into a clear oil. It has been very light and moisturizing for my hair. It has no build up or grim and it doesn’t make my hair feel heavy at all. I will definately be using it from now on to help seal in moisture.

My hair held moisture even though it was very cold and rainy outside; though the edges of my hair, which are most damaged by perm did dry a little by midday the roots were soft and shiny throughout the day. It is an awesome product. There is no extra anything in the product just coconut oil.

Just a warning to those unaware that if in extremely cold climates the oild on you hair hasn’t been given time to set in and you go into the cold the oil will solidify. Its nothing to serious you can’t tell by looking at the hair it is justa little more crunch to the hair almost like a curl activator but less crunch and no sticky. But it was 30F degrees here so that’s really the only occasion that would happen. Though you couldn’t tell by looking at it that it had solidified slightly it did keep my fro from misshaping in the strong wind and then as soon as i was in a building it softened again so i would say 50F degrees and above and it should stay nice and soft.

Some Facts About Coconut Oil:

Coconut oil is mainly fatty acid triglycerides in the range of twelve-to-eighteen- carbon chains. It is usually over 50% lauric acid (12 carbons). It is noted for being exceptionally light and non-greasy feeling, while still being very moisturizing. Palm kernel oil is similar in composition and properties to coconut oil. Via Naturallycurly.com

Africa’s Best Herbal Oil

I used to love this product. It had great slip so i used to detangle my hair after the shower. I quickly learned that if left in your hair for more than two days it attracted dirt, caused single strand knots and tangling. It was the worst tangles i ever had. It felt like i hadn’t detangled my hair in months. I hated it. I thought i would just use it more carefully next time but really i don’t think i will ever use it again. The knots were so bad i had to pull the hair apart at the edges. It caused serious breakage though thankfully it was just on the ends of my hair, which is permed and i will be cutting it soon anyway, but still i lost quite a bit of hair and i’m super afraid it will do that to my natural hair so i suggest using a natural oil like pure coconut or jojoba oil. Also the produt is really heavy. Natural oils are a lot lighter.

Do Not Use    

To check out my youtube video on thi subject click on or copy this link to your address bar:  http://youtu.be/ctYY9whI_3E