I enjoyed digging into beauty this year. I loved that we embraced colour, texture, prints or anything bold. It was ok to colour block or to dress with some opulence. I love that these trends will continue into 2012. I’m over all-neutral looks.
So here’s what I loved in 2011 (in no particular order):
I love this product! I have it in Peach and it is probably the easiest blush to apply. Super smooth texture and it just melts into the skin making to colour look like it came from within. Works on all skin types. A must have in all seasons!
I’m talking about the SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo with Sea Kelp, Argan Oil & Shea Butter for dry, damaged hair. I have been using this shampoo for about a year now. AND I LOVE IT!!!!!
SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo, image courtesy of Target.com
While I was a relaxed girl, as a matter of fact, I have always have problems with shampoos drying my hair and scalp out. I would often feel like my scalp was tightening and pulling away from my hair. Fast forward to last year as a natural. Now my hair is growing and kinky and my number 1 goal is to prevent my hair from completely drying out when I wash it and to still effectively cleanse it. I have tried other natural shampoos and many of them while they work, they also did not suds enough for my liking. A little bit of sudsing or foaming is actually good because it helps trap and remove oil and dirt. It’s when there is excessive bubble action when the skin and hair feels dry. I also avoid traditional shampoos with certain sulphates and their derivatives like sodium lauryl sulphate, ammonium laureth sulphate etc. This is one of the moves that I have made that has totally changed the health and condition of my hair. I stick to the gentle cleansers that can remove water-soluble products.
So last Friday was Earth Day, and slowly but surely, lots of cosmetic companies, big and small, have been embracing more natural and organic formulations. So for you earth-conscious beauties out there, here are a few brands to look out for:
HAIR
Oyin Handmade – probably my favourite, natural haircare line for women with curly, kinky or coily hair. I cannot live without the Burnt Sugar Pomade. Really. The Juices are also really good too! Still have to try their new Hair Dew.
Karen’s Body Beautiful – Another great line based out of my old neighbourhood of Fort Greene Brooklyn. The Sweet Ambrosia is the go-to product. But I am really excited for all the new products that will be coming out this year.
Qhemet Biologics – I think that their Amla and Olive Heavy Cream is amazing! It’s also their top seller.
Kinky Curly – A very popular brand with products like Knot Today (my staple leave-in conditioner) and the Curling Custard (which I have YET to try, but summer is coming up so….).
Anita Grant – love from across the pond!!! And now they have a U.S. distributor – Hairrogant. And right now they actually have a sale on the top 5 selling AG products! I would recommend the babassu shampoo bars and the Rhassoul Deep Condish.
Aubrey Organics– available at Whole Foods and other retailers, I use their GPB conditioner as a protein conditioner and the Honeysuckle Rose conditioner as a deep moisturizer.
SheaMoisture – Love their Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo and their body butters! Available at Target and Walgreens.
So, as I previously mentioned, I visited Target last week and bought a new hair product. Today’s review is going to focus on the SheaMoisture’s Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque.
It is advertised to have Sea Kelp, Argan Oil and Shea Butter and it’s to heal, grow and strengthen dry, damaged hair.
First, a little history about SheaMoisture….
As per the packaging:
“Sofi Tucker started selling Shea Nuts at the village market in Bonthe, Sierra Leone in 1912. By age 19, the widowed mother of four was selling Shea Butter, Black Soap and her homemade hair and skin preparations all over the countryside. Sofi Tucker was our grandmother and SheaMoisture is her legacy.”
So this is basically a family business that has blossomed over the last almost 100 years!!!!!
Now back to the product…..
The thing that caught my eye is that the product contains no parabens, no phthalates, no paraffin, no gluten, no propylene glycol, no mineral oil, no sulphates, no synthetic fragrances, no PABA, no DEA, no synthetic colours, no animal ingredients and they conduct no animal testing. Therefore this product is also cruelty-free and made with ethically traded ingredients. This just has ‘great’ written all over it and as you know I am always looking for all natural/organic minority-owned businesses to support.
What this product does contain are some wonderful ingredients. In general, you want to make sure that the ingredients advertised are the first 5-6 products on the label and this one certainly follows that rule! Three of those first ingredients are:
Shea Butter – deeply moisturizes, and repairs damage to hair and scalp
Argan Oil – restores shine and rebuilds hair elasticity
Sea Kelp – trace minerals detoxify hair follicles of impurities and residue
The verdict: This product lives up its claims. It has a rich, creamy texture which coated my hair and instantly made my hair supa soft! This has a lot of slip and I left this in for about 1 hour with a plastic cap. I could feel the slip from the oil and shea butter, but I was not left with a greasy residue. My hair was real easy to detangle and, again, my hair was super smooth and soft.
This is a must keep for me!!! I love this product and it’s affordable price and great ingredients will keep this in my hair regime for a while!!!!!
Overall Rating: A!
This product is available from select Target locations and for the Trinis, this may be available from Beauty on D’Avenue in the coming months!
FTC Disclosure: Product was bought by me. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.
