winterinatl
All natural!
I know there is already a great long thread about this, but I wanted to post for those of us who are relaxed. I think this product is beneficial to us, too; even more so if you are transitioning (I am not transitioning).
I don't have pics to show you because they will not really look any different than what you see in the siggy pics. I want to describe to you what happened, though.
I got the samples in fast time. I accidentally did not completely follow instructions, but it went okay anyway.
My hair was freshly relaxed with Elucence one week prior, so I didn't really expect any spectacular benefit for the product; however, if it did what it claimed, I would see some benefit, and that is just what happened.
1. I washed and conditioned with Keracare products, not completely rinsing away the Moisturizing conditioner.
2.I let my hair stay sopping wet and tied up in a towel, got out of the shower and squeezed dry.
3. Then I added a nickel sized amount of Salerm 21 leave in conditioner, mostly for the ends.
4. I added the SBM, starting at the roots and distributing down through the ends. I was worried I didn't have enough, but left well enough alone after I had used the entire vial (btw. my hair is on the medium fine side).
5. I slicked back into a braid for some air drying, and went about my day.
6. Blew dry with high heat and a comb the rest of the way; hair felt nice but I still thought that was the relaxer effect.
7. I added a tad (and I do mean a tad; like a micro dot) of SBM to large sections of hair before I began to iron. I did not add some to each little section; that would have been too much.
8. I did set my iron to 400 degrees, 450 just seemed excessive. 400 was perfect; I saw the steam and did not burn my hair.
9. My hair, when finished, felt like glass - I might have though it was the relaxer effect plus flat iron, but it was not. This is where I begin to see the benefit. Normally when I blow dry (very, very rare) and then flat iron my hair will curl and swing, but the ends look drab, or the hair just looks somewhat lifeless. Which is why I don't like wearing it pin straight. But that was not the case this time.
It was smooth, silky, and sifted down through my fingers with very little resistance, which is why I described "like glass".
Now normally, after a new relaxer or pin straight ironing job, I can only wear my hair straight for three days or so before the hair begins to just look nasty and greasy/oily/flat. I wrap my hair at night, my scalp sweats and produces plenty of sebum, so what happens is it sort of gets more and more plastered to my head. And the steam from showering makes it even worse. I fully expected this to happen even with the new product.
But it didn't. It's like.....I can feel that there is moisture on my scalp, in my hair, but you can tell that the strands are just not absorbing it...the moisture sits on top of the strand and then dries very quickly, leaving my hair with body and swing.
Day after day after day. On day three I added a smidge more to the ends. TMI, but I felt after 4 days that my head started to smell "less than fresh" so I ran some Aveda anit humectant serum through it; that also beefed up the shine factor. I would have washed at that point but I wanted to see just how long the hair would hold up.
Well it is Friday and the ends are just now trying to show some frizz. My hair felt, after today's shower, like it was going to be a plastered to my head day, but after the moisture evaporated I was good to go again. I think I'll wash tonight.
This stuff is keeper. I want their gel so that I can wear wash and gos, but will have to use the Fantasia I just bought before I do so.
I don't have pics to show you because they will not really look any different than what you see in the siggy pics. I want to describe to you what happened, though.
I got the samples in fast time. I accidentally did not completely follow instructions, but it went okay anyway.
My hair was freshly relaxed with Elucence one week prior, so I didn't really expect any spectacular benefit for the product; however, if it did what it claimed, I would see some benefit, and that is just what happened.
1. I washed and conditioned with Keracare products, not completely rinsing away the Moisturizing conditioner.
2.I let my hair stay sopping wet and tied up in a towel, got out of the shower and squeezed dry.
3. Then I added a nickel sized amount of Salerm 21 leave in conditioner, mostly for the ends.
4. I added the SBM, starting at the roots and distributing down through the ends. I was worried I didn't have enough, but left well enough alone after I had used the entire vial (btw. my hair is on the medium fine side).
5. I slicked back into a braid for some air drying, and went about my day.
6. Blew dry with high heat and a comb the rest of the way; hair felt nice but I still thought that was the relaxer effect.
7. I added a tad (and I do mean a tad; like a micro dot) of SBM to large sections of hair before I began to iron. I did not add some to each little section; that would have been too much.
8. I did set my iron to 400 degrees, 450 just seemed excessive. 400 was perfect; I saw the steam and did not burn my hair.
9. My hair, when finished, felt like glass - I might have though it was the relaxer effect plus flat iron, but it was not. This is where I begin to see the benefit. Normally when I blow dry (very, very rare) and then flat iron my hair will curl and swing, but the ends look drab, or the hair just looks somewhat lifeless. Which is why I don't like wearing it pin straight. But that was not the case this time.
It was smooth, silky, and sifted down through my fingers with very little resistance, which is why I described "like glass".
Now normally, after a new relaxer or pin straight ironing job, I can only wear my hair straight for three days or so before the hair begins to just look nasty and greasy/oily/flat. I wrap my hair at night, my scalp sweats and produces plenty of sebum, so what happens is it sort of gets more and more plastered to my head. And the steam from showering makes it even worse. I fully expected this to happen even with the new product.
But it didn't. It's like.....I can feel that there is moisture on my scalp, in my hair, but you can tell that the strands are just not absorbing it...the moisture sits on top of the strand and then dries very quickly, leaving my hair with body and swing.
Day after day after day. On day three I added a smidge more to the ends. TMI, but I felt after 4 days that my head started to smell "less than fresh" so I ran some Aveda anit humectant serum through it; that also beefed up the shine factor. I would have washed at that point but I wanted to see just how long the hair would hold up.
Well it is Friday and the ends are just now trying to show some frizz. My hair felt, after today's shower, like it was going to be a plastered to my head day, but after the moisture evaporated I was good to go again. I think I'll wash tonight.
This stuff is keeper. I want their gel so that I can wear wash and gos, but will have to use the Fantasia I just bought before I do so.