Good Ingredients for the Curlies (naturals ^-^)

[SweetSpirit86]

I found Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment through NaturallyCurly and I really liked what I saw, so I decided to further research it, and the rest of her products. She has a topic called "Why We Use the Products We Use" on her site, and I thought it was very nice info for those who don't know about some of the ingredients used in our products, and why certain ones are particularly good for curly/kinky hair. Anyways, thought it was interesting, and decided to post it for those who were interested.

Aloe Vera – All natural. Moisturizes the hair without adding heaviness.
Avocado Oil , Coconut Oil– All natural. Some of the best oils for hair. Add moisture, softness and shine.

Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol – Naturally derived, but not all natural. Emulsify and thicken the conditioner. Also aids in static control and comb ability. This is what makes the conditioners creamy and detangling.

C 12-15 Alkyl Benzoate – Not what I would consider to be natural. . This emollient ester provides light conditioning with a silky-soft after feel.

Cetyl Alcohol – Not what I would consider to be natural. Fatty, emollient alcohol. Thickens formula. This is NOT a drying alcohol.

Cocoa Butter – All natural. Another extremely moisturizing butter that softens the hair.

Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Polysorbate 60 – Not what I would consider to be natural. The combination of these two ingredients is what makes Confident Coils so nice and creamy. The Cetearyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol and is actually good for your hair. It helps to moisturize the hair.

Decyl Polyglucose and Cocamidopropyl Betaine – Naturally derived but not all natural cleansing agents. Derived from sugar and coconut. Two of the most gentle cleansers on the market, these keep our Hair Cleansing Cream from stripping your hair but still get it clean.

Dehydroxanthan Gum – All natural. This is part of what makes Confident Coils so superb at creating chunky, defined curls. It also re-activates really well with water, making it easier to perk curls back up mid-day if they suffer a set back.

Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate – Not natural. Preservatives that keep the products from going bad. The usage rate is well below 1% of the entire weight of the formula, so we’re using enough to preserve the products but not so much that it could irritate your skin. Even with preservatives in products, it’s important to keep water and other stuff out of your products, or they could end up going bad. Close those caps!!

Flax Seeds – All natural, organic. These provide a light hold that rinses out clean and will not build up. They’re what makes Rockin’ Ringlets and Gelebration Spray brown.

Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride – Naturally derived. Thickens formula, very conditioning. Helps to leave hair silky soft.

Hydrolyzed Oat Flour – All natural. Helps to thicken the formula and adds moisture to the hair.

Jojoba Oil – All natural. This oil is the closest of all oils to our skins own natural sebum. Adds softness and shine to hair. Some people find their hair does not like Jojoba oil, but for most curlies it works wonderfully.

Lecithin – All natural. Moisturizing and nourishing. We use only soy lecithin.

Magnesium Sulfate – All natural. This is plain old Epsom salt you’d soak your tired muscles in. The magnesium is a powerful curl enhances, which is why we use it in our styling products.

Polyimide 1 - Not natural. Another of the holding ingredients in Confident Coils. This ingredient is particularly powerful at providing humidity protection to keep curls well defined.

Shea Butter – All natural. An extremely moisturizing butter that comes from the Karite tree in Africa.

Vegetable Glycerin – All natural. This is a humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the air into the hair shaft, resulting in much softer hair. While it won’t build up on the hair, using too much at once can make your hair look greasy until you wash it again.

VP/VA Copolymer - Not natural. This provides some of the hold in Confident Coils. This ingredient is only found in Confident Coils.

Water infused with Horsetail, Marshmallow, Basil, Burdock, Nettle, Coltsfoot, Parsley, Sage, Oregano, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Rosemary, Bay Leaf, and Thyme – All natural, and 30% organic. This is our special “Hair Tea” used in our conditioners. All of these herbs are good for hair, aiding in softness, shine and overall health of the hair.​

 

[SweetSpirit86]

And...some of the not-so-good stuff and why:

I developed the Jessicurl line after realizing that most products on the market contain ingredients that are bad for my hair. Whether drying alcohols in hair gels, or harsh detergents in shampoos, nothing ever seemed to treat my hair with the respect I felt it deserved. This article is intended to educate other curlies as to why I avoid certain ingredients.


Let's start with silicones. Silicones are viscous oily liquids that coat the hair shaft in gloss, giving the illusion of healthy sheen. As most curly hair tends to be dry and often frizzy, silicones seem like the miracle ingredient to combat these complaints. The downside is that most silicones are not water soluble, and can only be removed with harsh detergents. The very detergents needed to remove the silicones strip the hair of all its natural oils, leaving it stripped and straw-like. This causes the user to think she needs more silicones to combat the dryness. Thus, the cycle begins again. If the user is not using these harsh detergents to remove the silicones, they can build up, creating a barrier on the hair shaft. This barrier prevents moisturizing conditioners from penetrating the hair, further drying it out.
Jessicurl products do not use any silicones. I feel that by using ingredients that IMPROVE the health of the hair rather than masking the damage, the end result is a much more vibrant head of curls.


I also refuse to use any drying alcohols in my styling products. Many hair gels contain SD alcohol, isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol. These ingredients are often included to help the hair dry faster during the styling process. The end result is that they also dry the hair out over time, leaving the user desperate for something to fix the dryness...like maybe a silicone serum perhaps? It truly never ends.


There ARE, however, a number of alcohols that are actually good for the hair, and are what provide the creamy consistency to most conditioners. The good ones are Lauryl alcohol, Cetyl alcohol, Myristyl alcohol, Stearyl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol and Behenyl alcohol. The bad ones are SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40, Alcohol denat, Propanol, Propyl alcohol and Isopropyl alcohol. You will never find any of the bad ones in any of my products and are better off avoiding them all together, as they're really just horrible for curly hair.


Another problem area for curly hair is shampoo. Personally, the wrong shampoo is my fastest ticket to a bad hair day. Curly hair tends to be drier than straight hair, one reason being that the oils naturally produced by the scalp have a hard time making their way down all of our loopy ringlets. Add to this the fact that most curly heads (with good reason) don't brush their hair, and you have the potential for real dryness, even on hair that is not chemically treated. When using a shampoo that has any of the Sulfate surfactants in it, the curls are often left stripped, parched and looking like straw. I speak from experience on this one. I used to dread the 2 days a week I forced myself to wash my hair. I just KNEW I'd have bad hair for a few days until my scalp could replenish the oils I stripped from it. I'd even plan my hair washing around important events – if the prom was on Saturday, I’d wash my hair no later than Wednesday to help increase my chances of a good hair day. I was unaware that the ingredients in the shampoo made such a difference, and it wasn’t until I began making my own with gentle cleansing agents that I could wash my hair and have it actually look good the SAME day.


Because of this, my Gentle Lather Shampoo and Hair Cleansing Cream use only the most gentle cleansing agents, such as Decyl Polyglucose and Cocamidopropyl Betaine, ensuring that the user has a good hair day EVERY day, not just 3 days after washing.

I am not interested in creating unhealthy dependency on Jessicurl products. My conditioners moisturize without coating the hair, the cleansers gently wash without stripping, and the styling products sculpt soft curls without building up on the hair. I believe in treating your hair with respect, and feel that you’ll really like the results.

 

[tocktick]

Very interesting info. Thanks for sharing!

 

[isabella09]

Thanks very much for sharing, very informative.

 

[SignatureBeauty]

I have always loved Jessicurl Too Shea Moisturizing Conditioner, but found Suave Humectant to give me the softness I needed and a big bottle was only $3.00.

Good Information Though!!