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Tag: African-American Hair (page 3 of 3)

This has lived up to the hype!!!!! Kinky Curly Knot Today

March 31, 2010 / / 0 Comments

Image courtesy of kinky-curly.com

I finally decided to take the plunge and purchase one of the natural girl’s favourites, Kinky Curly Knot Today.  I’ve heard a lot about this product and this line.  I currently use their Come Clean cleanser, which works great as it cleanses without drying my hair out.  A lot of  people use this product as a deep conditioner and a moisturizing detangler.

Here’s what the product says:

“… This creamy herbal conditioner is enriched with botanical extracts and is designed to smooth the cuticle and to remove knots, snarls and tangles from thick curly hair.”

This is a cruelty-free, organic, nourishing concoction in a bottle!!!  I love this product.  I think it runs neck and neck with my all time favourite, Oyin’s Honey Hemp Conditioner.  The ingredients list reads like a who’s who of wholesome, natural hair products:

  • Organic mango fruit extract – naturally occurring,used for conditioning properties
  • Organic slippery elm – slippery!! great detangling agent
  • Organic marshmallow root – conditioner and detangler
  • Organic lemongrass – adds shine to hair and anti-microbial
  • cetyl alcohol – it’s an alcohol, but it’s among other things, an emollient, which softens and smoothes hair and skin
  • Behentrimonium methosulphate – very mild compound which has superior detangling properties
  • citric acid – natural preservative
  • phenoxyethanol – organic antibacterial
  • natural fragrance

This product is worth the $$$$, it made detangling with a wide-tooth comb a breeze and added moisture to my hair.  My hair was super smooth afterwards.  Another good thing about this product, it’s also a leave-in conditioner.  So after washing with the Come Clean and detangling with the Knot Today, I rinsed and added a little bit of the Knot Today again.  This product helped keep my coils defined.

The only downside, is the price.  At about $12 for an 8 oz. bottle, it’s pricey, but for me it’s worth it.

This will be in rotation, but I think I’ll use it every 2 weeks and use my Aubrey Organics in between for moisture.

Overall Grade: A!

Knot Today is sold at Body Beautiful on D’Avenue in Trinidad & at Ricky’s in New York and Whole Foods.

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Is Karen's Body Beautiful a keeper??? A review…

December 3, 2009 / / 0 Comments

So I have been waiting to try Karen’s Body Beautiful (KBB) until I fully transitioned, but curiosity got the better of me!!! So last Friday, I headed down to my old neighbourhood of Fort Greene in Brooklyn to the store on Myrtle Avenue.  I did some research on YouTube and beauty blogs to see exactly what people liked.  And hands down, the Hair Milk came in as the numero uno, must-have item from this line.  People just went on and on about it, so I wanted to see what the deal was.

Upon arriving at the boutique, I noticed how many scents the hair products came in.  Vanilla Latte, Egyptian Musk, Pomegranate Guava, Chamomile Sage to name a few.   I needed some help deciding what to choose and I was greeted by a wonderful lady with big curly hair.  I explained to her that I was looking for a deep, moisturizing treatment that I could detangle my hair with.  We eventually decided on the Luscious Locks Moisturizing Hair Mask (LLMHM) and of course the Hair Milk in Pomegranate Guava.  The service was great and I was dying to get home to try it out.

Luscious Locks Hair Mask, photo courtesy KBB website

On wash day, I cleaned my hair and scalp with Kinky Curly Knot Today followed by Aubrey Organics GPB Protein Treatment.  I then applied the LLMHM thoroughly from scalp to ends.  LLMHM had a light, herby scent.  This was probably due to the ayruvedic herbs, including shikakai and amla.  This all-natural product was designed to moisturize, strengthen hair, detangle and promote hair growth.  It’s a white, semi thick product with good slip, but not as much as my all time fave, Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner.  I left it on for about 1 hour and sat under the hair dryer on low heat for about 20 mins.  When it came time to detangle, could I say whoa!! It was so easy to slid my shower comb through my hair and it easily  detangle the hair at the intersection between relaxed and natural.  It also washed out really easily and my hair felt really soft, moisturized and my curls were well defined!  This a keeper for sure.  Now it is a little on the expensive side but for me its worth it.  It’s meant to be used once a month, although I plan on using it twice a month in the winter.  I would not cowash with it as it would be done in a week.

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What's my hair to do for winter????? Tips for colder weather

November 22, 2009 / / 2 Comments

Image courtesy Urbanbella.com

Hey folks!!!

So here on the East Coast it’s slowly getting colder.  I have been thinking about how to take care of my hair during the winter months.  The biggest thing I, and many other people with kinky/coily/curly hair, have to deal with, is getting enough moisture especially as the humidity drops and indoor temperatures rise.   My hair tends to get very dry quickly and this leads to frizziness and eventually split ends. This is a great time to review your hair regime and find what works for you to gain and maintain healthy hair.  Remember, you don’t have to follow all of the hair ‘rules’ but just do you!  Here are a few tips to remember when deciding what to choose.

Cleansing/Shampooing

Growing up, I always remembered having super dry hair, especially when washing it.  Even as an adult, I used to feel my scalp contracting when I went to the salon to get a wash and blow out.  The one thing that has drastically changed the condition and health of my hair and scalp is cleansing without the use of sulphates.  Just about every commercial shampoo contains sulphate – sodium lauryl sulphates, ammonium laureth sulphates and there are many more.  I ALWAYS stick to sulphate-free shampoos.  Look for products that state they are sulphate free, castile soaps, cleansers containing betaine.  You could also use diluted apple cider vinegar or baking soap.  Again, lots of people have great success with sulphate shampoos, but I don’t.  My hair no longer feels dried out and brittle.  Remember to main reason we shampoo is to cleanse the scalp to remove products, dead skin cells, excess oils, pollutants that build up on a daily basis.  You can’t have totally healthy hair without a healthy scalp.  So massage your scalp well when cleansing!

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Natural Hair

August 31, 2009 / / 3 Comments

So I have been transitioning to my natural hair texture for almost a year and a half. I have kinky, coily hair, but I don’t know what type it is (3C?, 4A?, whatever). I am not really interested in getting caught up in ‘type-ing’ my hair, that takes a lot of energy and I don’t think it’s ultimately important.

Anyway, I just spent a week at the beach (what’s up Fire Island ladies…and lad!) and needless to say my hair was super parched and tangled.  When I got home, I decided to make a little concoction to help me detangle and moisturize.  I went to the grocery and bought a large aloe leaf.  You could usually find this in Latino and Asian markets. Back home in the Caribbean, as a child, we would also use the flat cactus leaves (the ones that had few pickers, needles).   I did some research online and decided to make a very simple mix:

Aloe Vera Detangler Recipe

1 large aloe vera leaf

2 tablespoons, extra virgin, organic coconut oil

1 tablespoon vegetable glycerine

I forgot to add honey, which is great for hydration as it draws moisture from the air (next time!!)

I scooped the inside of the aloe vera leaf out, and added the other ingredients.  Then I placed the mix into the food processor and pulsed it for a few seconds.  I then sectioned my hair into quarters and applied liberally.  I added a moisturizing conditioner  (L’Oreal’s  Nature’s Own, Mega Moisture Nuturing Creme) on top of that, covered with plastic and left it on for at least half an hour.

Let me tell you!! This made detangling super easy as the slip was AH-Mazing!!! Tangles just fell out. So I am going to add this to my routine, probably once a month or so. My hair was also left moisturized.

Things I learned….

  • I did not pulse the aloe enough and I had small bits of aloe in the mix… and all over my hair, small ting!! I think the next time I will blend the mixture and then pass is through cheese cloth or a linen sieve so I’ll just get the gel part.
  • Add honey for more moisture and antibacterial properties
  • Add oils like peppermint or rosemary
  • Use this mix with my beloved Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner.  This might just be the ultimate moisturizing deep conditioner.

What recipes with aloe vera do you have for your hair???

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