Wash Day: The Last One of The Year!

Heyy booskis!

Tomorrow is Christmas day! Whoop! ^_^

Our Big Fat Giveaway closes on Boxing Day. You can still enter over here.

My hair is currently in Marley twists. Long, fat, not so many twists. Apart from the classic fro, I think I’m happiest (hair wise) with my hair when it’s in this state. Faking it till I make it, Rasta baby!

Last Wash day, the last one of the year, was one I took very seriously because I was washing in preparation for this protective style which I’ll wear for about four weeks. Harmattan was playing games with my hair and scalp, and I wasn’t ready! See, Harmattan never really comes to Lagos and even when it does, it’s like fairly used Harmattan lol (when you compare elsewhere) so, I was surprised that this time it came early and that my hair was acting up. It was all good last year!!

Anywayyyy. Here’s how it went. 🙂

FIRST, HAIR PREP!

First, I really love this photo. Haha.

I finger detangled very carefully. I lightly misted hair with water, and then applied olive oil section by section, for slip. This took about an hour or longer, watching The Grand Budapest Hotel as I did so. Washday is really like the only time I actually watch “TV”. I twisted up each section as I went, because I had no bands. This approach to detangling is the longest for me, but I really appreciate it on days when my hair really needs that work! I was able to remove all the shed hair, without breaking any. I wish I could be this patient all the time!!

Shed hair 🙂

It’s easier for me to detangle efficiently when my hair is not wet. This way, I can feel my strands properly, and identify all the knots and tangles. You can say I killed two birds with one stone at this step, finger detangling & prepooing.

All detangled and twisted up

DOUBLE POO?

I contemplated using a very sulfatey shampoo to deep cleanse since I’ll probably not wash my hair for the duration of these twists, but changed my mind. Maximum moisture was the goal last Wash day. So I used my sample sachet of Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream. I had about 0.5oz of that, and forgetting that it takes a lot to lather, I’d mixed it in a bowl with some water. Hair was super dirty because of the dusty Harmattan breeze, and so my 0.50z wasn’t enough. What to do, what to do…. So I remembered the Miss Jessie’s samples MeeMee sent me. I decided to risk the Creme De La Curl. It surprised me by being a really thick paste. Truly, thick like a creamy leave-in.

Miss Jessie’s Creme de La Curl

It is a no-suds formula, so I applied it to my scalp very well, and then bent over to rinse it off. The results, very clean hair with no brown dusty water in the sink. Plus, my hair did not feel stripped!

OIL RINSING

I still don’t know if Oil Rinsing is going to become a regular part of my routine. I like the Wash, DC & seal life. But it helps a great deal with moisture and this season I need all the help I can get! So I oil rinsed- applied olive oil generously with the help of an applicator bottle (favorite tool!) and rinsed off with not so warm water, 5 minutes after. Hair felt great but we weren’t done yet,

DC, DC

I deep conditioned with the Shea Moisture African Black Soap Purification Masque, which I can officially say I love. I have one use left, so when I try that without oil rinsing, I’ll give my review. I smoothed the masque into my hair, doing a little finger detangling and then twisting to secure. The Miss Jessie’s ingredients are not exactly 5 star, so I was happy to still get some cleansing action in with this masque. I applied it to my scalp too.

After finger detangling again with DC

I tied two plastic bags around my hair, and with the aid of a blow dryer, applied heat. Don’t go too close or forget the dryer in one spot, it will burn the plastic, lol. I did this for 30-40 minutes as I finished the movie (RIP Monsieur Gustav!!) and when I was done, I rinsed off with cool water. Hair was happy and super shiny.

MOISTURISED AND SEALED

Finally, I put my hair in chunky twists, moisturizing each section with Cantu Argan Oil Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream and sealing with Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade. Its been a long time since I used a leave-in after Washday, but I had to this time. It was also at this point that I used my comb, to go over after smoothing/ finger detangling, just to make sure I got all the knots out.

At the end of the night, when my hair should have still been butter soft, I could feel the base of the twists drying up again (ugh) so I applied more leave-in to those parts.

The next morning, I went with my slightly damp hair to the salon. I didn’t let them blow-dry it, had them twist just like that. So bye bye fro, see you next year. 😀

How did your last Washday go? How is the weather at your end? Have you made any changes to cope with it?

A very merry Christmas to you and yours, from the both of us!

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Product Review: Cantu Argan Oil Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream

Hello beautifuls!

Getting ready for the weekend? 😀

Today, I’m here with another product review.

If you’ve been around the blog for a while now, you probably know that the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream is one of my staples. You can read my review of this here.

Apart from the fact that I’m a product heaux junkie, I love my staple Cantu but there are two things I’d like it to change. (I mentioned #2 in the review, and I realised #1 this year)

1. I’ve experienced better shine with other leave-ins.
2. This product takes a while to absorb. So, for best results, I apply it generously and then put my hair in chunky twists, leaving it to air dry for hours or overnight. By the time hair is fully dry, it is nice, supple and moisturised, with no residue. However, if I attempt to just apply it and go- I get white patches, and my hair doesn’t absorb the moisture immediately.

When I learnt Cantu had an Argan Oil version of their conditioning repair cream, at the same price, I decided to get it without reading the ingredients or anything, hoping that it would work better than the Shea Butter one.

Now the question is, were my great expectations met?

NO.

This product works EXACTLY THE SAME as the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream. I’ll go over this, with some observations.

First, what my hair is like:

My hair is very kinky, tightly coiled, low porosity, undisputably 4C hair. My strands are individually very fine, but densely packed together.

Ingredients:

Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Canola Oil, Stearalkonium Chloride, Glycerin, Shea Butter, Dimethicone, Fragrance, Cetrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-7, Argan Oil, Panthenol, Hexapeptide-11, Betaine, Hexylene Glycol, Sugar Cane Extract, Lemon Fruit Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol, Dicaprylate/ Dicaprate, PPG-1, Trideceth-6, Phenoxyethanol, Ethlyhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA.

Worth noting:

This product has a silicone, Dimethicone.

Water is the first ingredient. The first 5 ingredients are water (hydration, moisture), fatty alcohols and stearalkonium chloride is a conditioning agent derived from fatty alcohol- stearyl alcohol. It also has canola oil at #4, as an emollient.

Beyond the first 5, it’s all humectants (panthenol, glycerin), conditioning agents, preservatives and negligible fruit extracts.

This “Argan Oil infused formula” has Canola Oil as Ingredient #4, and Argan Oil is all the way down as Ingredient number 12. LOL, scam. But I guess if it really had Argan Oil where Canola is, it would cost more.

Actually, the ingredients of this leave-in are similar to the old Cantu Shea Butter formula I’m used to. They have changed the formula a bit, and I haven’t tried the new one but Jennifer blogged about it here and it still moisturises well for her.

Let’s Look At The Product Claims

The blurb on the product label is kind of long, and unnecessary to reproduce, so let me just summarise what it claims to do.

• Deeply moisturizes.
• Strengthens the hair to prevent breakage.
• Encourages shine, elasticity and growth
• Hydrates and moisturises with Argan oil and other natural ingredients.

Hmmm.

1. Hair growth occurs beneath our visible scalp, in follicles, so this leave-in right here, that I apply to my hair strands (NEVER on my scalp), CANNOT encourage growth. I can’t even point to a single ingredient on the list that has anything to do with hair growth, except maybe argan oil.

2. One of the directions stated here on the label is “Apply as directed for daily styling just after shampooing. Reapply and cover with a plastic cap overnight for maximum absorption and intense conditioning.”

Allow me to drag my dear Cantu a bit.

On my old Cantu Shea Butter as I remember it, it states that for deep conditioning, you should apply Cantu, wear a shower cap and sleep with it overnight.

This is something I used to do when I was in Law School, just so I could have more time in the mornings. I’d moisturise & chunky twist my hair at night, so that in the morning I could just comb my dry, stretched hair and go.

I slept with a satin bonnet, not a shower cap. 8 hours with the leave-in undisturbed allowed my low-porosity hair to absorb all that moisture. Nothing wondrous or revolutionary. Maximum absorption, yes. But not intense or deep conditioning as we know it. I state this here because someone has asked me before. She was deep conditioning with Cantu Leave-In and getting no results. Cantu Leave-In Conditioning Repair Creams CANNOT deep condition, not in my experience anyway.

I love the Cantu leave-in now, but it was not an effective moisturiser until I started treating my hair to regular moisture deep conditioning. I’m saying, it’s a nice product, but be wary of these claims. It is not a miracle worker, not where my kinks are concerned.

I’m actually shocked that Cantu has gone a step further to direct that people should apply this leave-in AFTER shampooing and go to bed with it, as an intense conditioning leave-in treatment? I’m seriously side-eyeing the hell out of them, and wondering what next they are going to say. I would NEVER try this and I do not think you should either. Please condition or deep condition after you shampoo before using this product. It really is JUST a leave-in conditioner.

Now that you’re well informed about what this product CANNOT do, here’s the bottom line.

This is a really good leave-in.

It has slip. It moisturises well. After Washday, I could use it to moisturise, and not need to moisturise again until the next wash, in like a week.

It does not give great shine, and it could definitely be easier to absorb.

I just want Cantu to be more honest in the future, and not mislead people who are new to the business of analysing product labels.

Would I repurchase?

Yes. The Cantu Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream remains a staple, so I could buy this one (Argan Oil) or the Shea Butter one, to meet that need. They work the same for me.

The only thing I’d add now is that the Argan Oil Leave-in and the Sheabutter one smell very different. The Cantu Shea Butter smells sweet, almost to the point of being annoying (I had to get used to it). This one isn’t a sweet smell. It’s very light, and a little syrupy (not maple syrup, think Tixylix or nice cough syrup) and if I’m recalling properly, the smell is in the same category as the Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner, which I tried last year.

So, if I see the Cantu SheaButter/ Cantu Argan Oil in the same place and I have to pick one, I’d pick the Argan Oil. It isn’t a fantastic smell, but I prefer it’s blandness to the SheaButter version’s sweetness.

Where to Find:

1,950 for a 16 oz tub at Olori.

Alright lovelies. I want to hear from you. Have you tried this leave-in? Did you like it or not? Share 🙂

Love,

AB,

xx

PRODUCT REVIEW: CANTU SHEA BUTTER FOR NATURAL HAIR CREAMY HAIR LOTION

It’s a little hard for me to believe that last week was really just one week! The days were kind of ‘meh’ and I still haven’t found my school rhythm yet. My nose and its friends reaaaaaally hate the harmattan so they have been making me suffer for it since I got back. There’s one thing I was really excited about every day of the week though- how soft my hair was. In the last post, I shared my newest buy- the Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Creamy Hair Lotion, and I am back to tell you all about it!

INGREDIENTS:

Water

Silk Amino acids (yayy Proteins!)

Glycerin and Aloe Vera Leaf Juice (humectants)

Shea butter

Mango seed butter

Oils: Coconut, Canola, Avocado, Sweet Almond, Jojoba, Olive, Neem seed, Macadamia seed, Carrot seed, Macadamia seed, Soybean, Argan kernel

Extracts: Honeysuckle flower, sea kelp, Sage leaf, Grape seed, Nettle

Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium chloride, Glycol stearate, Polyquaternium-11, Cetyl alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

To be honest, I don’t know exactly what every single oil or extract does for the hair or scalp (I’m still a learner) but the necessary things are present, and everything comes together to  make a yummy formula that my hair loves! Humectants are substances that promote moisture retention. They keep your hair from losing moisture, and attract water in the atmosphere to your hair. So we’ve got- Water for moisture, humectants for moisture retention, and a blend of oils to seal in the moisture. Silk amino acids are a form of non-animal protein. They penetrate the hair to strengthen, rebuild and nourish hair without weighing it down or causing build-up.

PROMISES

The Creamy Hair Lotion promises to:

Condition curly, kinky and wavy hair

Leave curls full of body and shine

Detangle and soften hair

I SAY

I just started using this product last Saturday (the 5th) but I’m pretty sure that it’s not too soon for me to declare it wonderful!! I am in love with it! I must say that it has lived up to all its promises. It gives me moisture all through the day, and so I haven’t had to spritz water on my hair as I had to do in the recent past, even with the really dry weather! I just patted my hair now and I’m so giddy about the way it feels. Haven’t had crunchy crispy hair since Saturday, and it is wonderful really. My hair loves this stuff! It has never felt this good! Soft, tangle-free hair cannot not look good!

HOW I USE-

I spritz my hair with water, work a generous amount of the lotion into my hair, and seal with coconut oil.

CANTU CREAMY HAIR LOTION v CANTU LEAVE-IN

October through December 2012, I used the Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream as a daily treatment. I was a little worried because I noticed Dimethicone on the list of ingredients and from what I’ve read, silicones are bad for natural hair. I used it anyway, and while my only problem was how it wasn’t easily absorbed by my hair, now that I’ve tried the Creamy Hair Lotion specifically formulated for Natural hair, I’m going to let my Leave-in sit in a corner.

1. The Creamy Hair Lotion is better absorbed by my hair. Both products smell similar, but the Creamy Hair Lotion smells nicer.
2. Both products have that Cantu Shea butter and other yummy goodies formula, but the Creamy Hair Lotion has “NO Mineral Oil, Parabens, Silicone, Phthalates, Parrafin, Propylene Glycol, PABA or DEA.” These substances aren’t the best for natural hair, so I’ve read. Silicones a.k.a. cones coat the hair, so when your hair needs moisture, it is unable to remoisturise until the cones have been shampooed out. When your hair is unable to re-moisturise, it is dry, and nobody wants dry hair. I will be discovering and understanding the science behind the substances as they affect (my) hair as I continue my journey. But clearly, my hair is responding better to the product without the “bad guys”.
3. With the Creamy Hair Lotion, I did not have to re-moisturise during the day, my hair was soft till bedtime, till the next morning. With the Leave-in though, my hair was dry by afternoon, and I had to refresh with water in a spray bottle.
4. It was a very hectic week I had, and I did not wash my hair till last night. I didn’t notice any build-up- until yesterday morning. Seven days? But with the Leave-in, I noticed build-up after three days on the average- so, I could def say the Creamy Hair Lotion is a lighter formula.
5. The Cantu Leave-in from what I’ve seen in vlogs used to be (almost) solid. The new formula (the one I’ve got) is of the same consistency as the Creamy Hair Lotion.

DOWNSIDES

1. PRICE

I got my 408 ml/ 13.8 ounce bottle for 2, 300 naira from Casabella in Lagos. This is steep when you consider that it is almost twice the cost in dollars. I’m halfway through the bottle and I only used it for one week!  Import duties, profits or whatever they add, having to shell out 2,300 every two weeks isn’t going to be much fun- this price cannot be right.

2. Hand-in-hair syndrome. The fact that I can’t keep my hand out of my hair in a day. Still not used to this softness yet!

So that’s it. I know everyone’s hair has different needs, but I encourage you to add this product to your stash if it’s available in your area. If it’s as good to your hair as it has been to mine, you’ll be so glad you tried! My hair is still a teeny weeny afro, but this blogger here, Nia B, used the lotion to do a twist out, with really good results!

Have you tried the Creamy Hair Lotion? Or any new product you just discovered that you really really like? I want to know how it made your hair feel. Get at me!

xx