calling im in need of4A/A hair and coconut/olive/castor oil, natural product reviews

[Crissi]

Ok i need help, i THOUGHT my hair liked glycerin and water products, however they give the illusion that they work, but grdually become drying...besides im now truly a beleiver that cones and synthetic hair products just DON'T mix. After doing my research ive noticed i am suffering all the problems that come with sls, cones etc etc. So im moving away from all that because i beleive they are causing all the problems. So ladies, do you have any oil/moistorizing mixtures/concoctions, how well do they work for you? and what natural/organic paraben/cone/sls/als/hormone/excessive mineral oil etc free shampoos/deep conditioners/light cons/moisturizing cons/ protein etc, would you reccomend and why?how do they leave your hair feeling? is it healthier?!!.. please add as much detail as possible.

TIA

Crissi, x

 

[carameldiva]

Castile soap has been a God-send for my hair- leaves it feeling soft and silky. I love Trader Joe's brand (it has peppermint in it), Dr. Woods brand(http://www.drwoodsproducts.com ) and www.thechemistrystore.com has a great unscented castile soap too.

In terms of conditioner- i like CureCare- Sally's sells this one, i also like Trader Joes conditioners too.

My hair loves just about every oil- I better results with some. Currently- i have grapeseed oil, coconut oil, virgin red palm oil, , virgin palm kernel oil, castor oil and olive oil on hand. Castor oil works great for thickening and softening my hair. Virgin red palm oil works great with my deep conditioner- really softens my hair. I like using coconut oil on wet hair that has just been co-washed.

Hope this helps you a little.

 

[Crissi]

Thank you, i shall be looking into that soap...

BUMPING

 

[dimpalz]

I was gonna look into that too but I never got round to it. I tried black soap but that my hair feel really "prickly" like the cuticles were all up or something so I stopped using that. I used to use glycerin stuff too (during my whole natural phase) but it made my hair feel kinda chalky (As did sta sof fro and Scurl). I then moved onto a Shea and cocoa (unrefined) butter mix which doesn't do much for me but leave my hair greasy and not really that soft. I have a bad case of super HIF which is why I’m so concerned about how it feels rather than how it looks.

The thing that did work for me when I first BCed until the end of summer (1 – 2.5 inches) was my glycerin mix. I put water in spray bottle, added a small amount of glycerin so it didn’t get too chalky, jojoba, coconut, and whatever else I had, oils and a few drops of some EOs I had. I’d give this a good shake and spray on my hair as a leave in – I was cowashing/rinsing daily – and during the day to soften it up. Once I got some length it stopped working I also used shea butter mixed with jojoba and coconut oils with some glycerin for a while too but again once I got some length that stopped working too.

I’ve now moved onto castol oil. It’s not black, or Jamaican, it’s one I got from boots. I mix that with Elasta QP recovery moisturiser and use that about twice a day. My shampoo is still Aveda Sapmoss and my conditioners are still sap moss and cholesterol. I think they all have dimethicone in them, which is an agent to “smooth” things. So when you dig your finger in the cholesterol the dimethicone stops the mark from staying like in a tub of Vaseline. I’ve tried mixing honey with my conditioners but that only made my hair kinda dry feeling, as did the elasta DPR-11 that everyone raves about

I tried all natural but like I said when I was relaxed I think my hair enjoys the odd cone. I’ve tried to get SLS out of things but my toothpaste and facewash have it in them and I’m having a hard time finding substitutes. The things I put in my hair (as far as I know) don’t have SLS in them.

To sum up:
Worked: Castor oil, elasta qp recovery (has loads of oils in it and yet has enough water to make my hair coil up when I put it in), shea butter (to an extent), good old fashioned water – yes I am the black girl in the office toilets wetting her ‘fro to help it spring back!
Didn’t work: Glycerin, glycerin-heavy products, black soap, honey mixed with my conditioners

 

[locoabouthair]

where have you all gotten red palm oil?

 

[Crissi]

Hmm, im a bit concerned about that castile soap now, after doing my research i found this on wikipedia...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castile_soap

"Castile soap has a very high alkalinity level, measured at about 9. pH of skin and hair has a slightly acidic pH level known to be about 5 to 6. Due to the high pH level, liquid castile soap is usually not recommended for washing hair by soapmakers who market it, because it is not pH-balanced and it may cause hair to become dry."

 

[MonaRae]

When I first came to LHCF I was a die-hard Aubrey Organics girl but then I got hit hard with PJ'ism and end up experimenting!

The end results were massive shedding. It started out lightly but then ended very ugly over the last 3 - 4 weeks. Just yesterday I went back to Aubrey's and my shedding has cut down tremendously!!!!!

Natural is the way to go for me!
MonaRae

 

[carameldiva]

where have you all gotten red palm oil?

www.agbangakarite.com

 

[carameldiva]

Hmm, im a bit concerned about that castile soap now, after doing my research i found this on wikipedia...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castile_soap

"Castile soap has a very high alkalinity level, measured at about 9. pH of skin and hair has a slightly acidic pH level known to be about 5 to 6. Due to the high pH level, liquid castile soap is usually not recommended for washing hair by soapmakers who market it, because it is not pH-balanced and it may cause hair to become dry."

I never experienced this at all. The brands that i reccommended that it be used for hair and the body as well as other uses. It has always left my hair soft and it was very gentle as well. It is even reccommended for use on babies. I say give it a shot and if you don't like it you can use it as a hand wash, laundry wash or dish detergent even.

 

[Netta1]

Check the products section in my album...

peace,
Netta1

 

[Crissi]

Thanx folks.. keep it coming

 

[Ms Lala]

I used to use Carol's Daughter products. My hair has gotten longer and it just got expensive having to replenish the products but now they sell it in sephora so I may start buying it again. Anyway I love her shampoo's and oils. The poo is very gentle, like an herbal rinse and is great if you don't use a whole lot of cones or anything in your hair. I also think the Healthy Hair Butter is perfect for twisting. Some people don't like the smell of it but I love it, it just smells natural. I also have tried the kizzy pomade, it was just ok I think curl wax works just as good. Finally I have a friend who swears by the hair milk as a leave in but I have yet to try it. Hope this helps.
I have another natural friend who uses Taaliah (sp) Waajid products. These are sold online, but I haven't tried them personally so I can't endorse them. My friends hair looks good w/them though, she is purely 4b and it makes her hair soft.