All Na Packaging

Hello my beauts!!!

Allow me to wish you a brilliant new year! During my reflecting on 2015 and gazing into 2016 with new eyes, one sentence has stuck with me. Mother says it is a message for me, dropped into my heart for a purpose. I have decided to wish this to all who care to accept it. And so, for you and you and you, today, I say, May your path be yours!

Ok. Ok. Ok. Why have I brought you here today?

For the Nigerians here, how many times have you heard the expression “all na packaging” and dismissed it as bull? I know I am guilty of doing that. Translated directly, all na packaging is pidgin for “it is all in the packaging” or “it all lies in the packaging”.

Well, I have come to realize, in the spirit of introspection, that I am a very visual consumer. Mmmm, MeeMee, but who isn’t?! Right? Who isn’t?

Product Combinations: A Lesson in pH Balance (1)

Hey beauts!

Do we remember when AB took us back to school with her Hair Basics series? I actually liked those posts. Personally, it helps for me think in a logical sense, especially because I have a love for all things human biology. (I was that person that dreamed about anatomy class and spent all my free time in the dissection room, peeking into open body cavities).

Last week Thursday, I was one of the ladies that were treated to a pre-valentine’s dinner with Obia of Obia Natural, organised by Jullian R Addo of Bella Kinks. The highlight of that entire evening for me was when Obia came up in her beautiful red dress, and held up cards as she taught an entranced room of naturalistas all about pH and why it matters. I am going to attempt to do a recap for you. Please, please, don’t get put off just yet. You WANT to have this information and I promise you, it’ll be one of those ‘Aha’ moments!

WARNING: No pictures ahead :(.

What is a pH, anyway?

Potential Hydrogen. Potentiation of Hydrogen. Power of Hydrogen.

Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. What we need to know is that pH is a measure of how much Hydrogen ions are contained is a solution. The more hydrogen ions that a solution has, the more acidic that solution is. The less hydrogen ions, the more basic that solution is.

Remember how when we learnt about H2O, we went around referring to water as H2O? That’s because water is the most common example of when a solution is neither acidic, nor basic. It’s just right; it’s neutral. So usually, when we talk about pH balance, we mean a solution that is synonymous to water.

Solutions (because we think of them as liquid), usually have both hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-). So an acidic solution = more H+, less OH-; and a basic solution = less H+, more OH-.

Is this making any sense so far?

Now, there is a pH scale that is used to measure how acidic, or basic a solution is.

1       2       3       4       5       6       7       8       9       10       11       12       13       14

most acidic                                Neutral                                                        most basic

What does this have to do with me and my hair though?

Hair has a pH that ranges from 4.5 – 5.5. This is the pH at which your hair is its healthiest. Of course, because you and I are different, some people might have a hair pH of 4 or 6, but typically this is the expected pH of healthy hair. For those of us who took some classes in agricultural science, we know that one of the characteristics of good soil for plant growth is that it should have a good pH that will promote growth. The same thing goes for our hair.

Ooookaayy… Now what?

The products you put in your hair have pHs too! And these alter the pH of your hair, and the structure of your hair!

As a general rule of thumb, bases open your cuticle and acids close your cuticle. Just like hot water opens your cuticle and cold water closes your cuticle.

Pause. This cuticle thing, I can’t see it. Why should it matter? Well, you actually can. The cuticle is the outer covering of your hair shaft (or strands). It’s what makes our hair strong and protects it from damage. But it is water resistant. So in order to get any moisture in, those cuticles have to be opened (or raised). So this means that in caring for your hair, you want to begin with products (and water) that open up your cuticles. Then, you want to end with products (and water) that close your cuticles i.e. locks in the moisture.

Ok. I’m going to let you sit on this for today. Tomorrow, we will look at our common household and store brought products, and determine if we use them in a pH balanced manner.

– Mee Mee

xx.

Reader’s Review: Aunt Jackie’s In Control “Anti-Poof” Moisturizing & Softening Conditioner

Hey Beauts!

So today, we have a review sent in by one of our awesome readers to share with you. I hope you enjoy and learn from it as much as we did.

Source: naturallycurly.com

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I want to talk about the Aunt Jackie’s In Control “Anti-poof” Moisturizing & Softening Conditioner, and I’ll be sort of comparing it to other conditioners that I’ve used so far.

Saturday, October 4

I bought Aunt Jackie’s yesterday (€3.95 for 250ml), because I saw a shop in my city that sells hair products mainly targeted at black people. So they have weaves, natural hair products, etc. I walked in to see if there were any cheapish products that I could try, because I had run out of my normal Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner, and I thought, “well, let’s see if there’s something else that’s also nice”.

My staple products are Tresemme Naturals conditioner (~€4.00 for 750ml) and Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner, (€2.99 for 250ml).

I started buying HH because it’s nice and can easily be found and I can’t find Tresemme in this country (except, as I discovered recently, I order from the British Expat online store).

Also, I think my hair had gotten a bit too used to Tresemme and so it was beginning to ‘go rogue’ on me. So I started buying HH, and my second bottle has just run out. HH just melts my hair as soon as I put it in, it’s such a nice feeling, and I think that’s what conditioners should do. Tresemme and Aussie Moist do the same, but HH goes one step further, it sort of arranges my coils such that they pop. And the hair smells and feels great after I wash out the conditioner.

So, as you can imagine, I assumed Aunt Jackie’s would ‘melt’ my hair as soon as I put it in. Nope. It was as if I was rubbing my hair with bar soap.

Product Review: Curls Unleashed Lavish in Lather Sulfate-Free Shampoo

In November, I got this shampoo from Perfect Trust Cosmetics, ASG Shopping Complex (opposite Ascon Filling Station), Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja. It cost 2000 Naira. Not bad at all, considering it retails for about $10 in the obodos.

I’m halfway through my bottle now, so it’s safe to say, it’s time for a review!

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Disodium Cocoamphodiporopionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyquaternium-7, Cocoamide MEA, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-10, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Yarrow, Hops, Rosemary, Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Olea Europea (Olive) Fruit Oil, PPG-5-Ceteth-10-Phosphate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Parfum (Fragrance), Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Lilial, Methylionone.

Okay, so this is a lot of chemicals. ( ._.)

But have you noticed? This is a Sulfate Free Shampoo! It is also free of Parabens, and Mineral oil.

Product Description:

Perfect for all textures: Wavy, Curly and Kinky.

Lavish in the ultimate shampoo experience as your hair is gently cleansed, moisturised and detangled with lemon balm, rosemary and hops.

How I Use:

As usual. I Pre-poo. Get hair wet, then work shampoo through hair, focusing on the scalp. When I’m satisfied, I rinse clean. (I like to use warm water to wash my hair, same applies for co-washing)

Smell: like Baby Shampoo. Good enough for me.

Consistency: It is kind of thick- not as light as other shampoos I’ve used.

The Bottle: It’s okay, but over the last three months, I’ve done a bit of traveling with it in tow. I swear I close it tight, but it manages to open somehow. So be sure to tie it up!

Cleansing & Moisturising: One wash is enough to get my hair and scalp clean, but when I washed my hair after NYSC camp- the dirt was unbelievable. I didn’t realise Obubra was that dusty! Beige lather yo. I washed, rinsed, and I just had to wash again. I was impressed that my hair did not feel stripped at all.

Detangling: I normally don’t bother to detangle my hair at the Shampoo stage, but as this product claimed to have detangling properties, I put it to the test. Yes it has some slip.For a quick note about Slip, please go here. I was able to gently finger detangle as easily as I would with an average conditioner. However, its slip definitely cannot compare to a very good conditioner- so you may still want to skip the detangling tip at this point.

Anyhoo, this product definitely does as it says. It washes clean, it is non-stripping, and it can detangle too!

Would I Buy This Again?

Yes! Apart from my little reservation about the bottle and the opening thing, I’m pretty happy with this shampoo! 🙂

If you’re in Abuja, you could check Perfect Trust Cosmetics, and if you’re based anywhere else in Nigeria, you can get this on Olori.com. For more deets about both stores, look them up in the Where to Find Directory.

Did You Know?

‘Curls Unleashed’ is the Natural Hair Line from ORS (former Organic Root Stimulator)

Do you Shampoo? Have you tried this Shampoo? Do you like it? Would you try it? What’s your favourite Sulfate Free Shampoo?

Love,

AB,

Xx

Making The Most of Your ‘Poo!

When I started my hair journey, I hated shampoo because it made my hair feel like a scouring sponge. I discovered alternative no-poo methods which were great and have written about before.

Now, 1 year and 7 months later, I can say that Shampoo in the bottle as you know it, is not the enemy. I love to Poo after my hair has been in a protective style for weeks and just to be on the safe side, when my hair is out, every four weeks or so to keep Product Build-up away.

Yes, most shampoos are harsh on hair because they contain detergents/surfactants called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and/or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). These chemicals cleanse deep, and for this reason, your hair may be left very brittle and dry.

Sulfate-free shampoos contain milder surfactants like cocamidopropyl betaine in place of SLS/SLES. I’d especially recommend them to people who need to wash their hair often, like swimmers.

You don’t need to shampoo every three days or every other week, but no matter your preference, these pointers will help you make the most of ‘Poo days- with or without sulfates. 🙂

Source: Pinterest

Dilute It!

You can reduce the harsh effects of your shampoo by diluting it with water. Get an applicator bottle or even a regular bowl. Put in a little amount of shampoo and add water (not too much!) and shake the bottle or shake up with your hands (if you’re using a bowl)- and you’re ready to wash!

Gently focus on your scalp

Have you ever heard- Shampoo is for scalp and Conditioner is for hair?

When you’re shampooing, the focus should be on your scalp. If you focus your application on the scalp, it will be well cleansed and the shampoo will still get to your hair strands. You don’t need to scrub your hair as it lathers and you definitely don’t need to scratch your scalp in the process.

Pre-Poo

This is simply the act of applying oils or conditioners to your hair before shampooing to prepare it for the harsh manipulation to follow. I vouch for plain oil pre-poos.

Science says coconut oil is the best for pre-pooing because of its ability to be absorbed into the hair shaft. 8 hours is also said to be the optimum time for your coconut pre-poo. I use coconut oil when I have it, and when I don’t- olive oil. And except I’m pre-pooing overnight, 3-4 hours is just good for me.

Add Oil

If you haven’t got the time to pre-poo, just add oil to the amount of shampoo you’re ready to use. You don’t have to dilute it with water. My favourite oils for this are Castor and Olive.

Make sure you Deep Condition!!

This is a MUST! The cleansing process strips your hair of its moisture and natural oils. Some people prefer to Deep Condition their hair before shampooing, to add a little more moisture so that the hair feels less stripped afterwards. Others prefer to DC on clean hair after a wash, to replenish lost moisture. Either way, both methods work. So choose what you like, and make sure you do!

So guys. How do you make shampooing worthwhile? What works for you and what doesn’t? Feel free to have your say in the comments!

You know you could always email: thekinkandi@gmail.com

Till next post,

Love,

AB

xx

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P.S. The focus of this article is really on the regular SLS/SLES Shampoos. If you find that your sulfate-free shampoo or even conditioner strips your hair, you could follow the pointers too. But if they work fine, doing their jobs without stripping your hair down, you’re fine using them alone.