Since I’ve adopted my current hair routine I haven’t found much use for leave-in conditioners. They are often lightweight and do not provide the hold I require for my curls.
This purchase was purely based on curiosity and I can safely say that this isn’t for me.
I can wash and condition my hair but if I skip the mousse and gel and use this leave-in instead my hair is frizzy by the second day. I don’t mind my frizz, but I prefer my curls stick around for a week without falling flat the next day.
Also, the scent is not at all my favorite, it smells like a man’s cologne and I really don’t enjoy the fact that the smell lingers for days.
I usually leave my hair in a wash and go for a week and then rewash my hair but when I use this I quickly put my hair in a puff or bun. I don’t like how my hair smells or feels when using this product and quite frankly I am regretting this purchase.
No reason a second day Wash and Go should look like this.
I even attempted to use it in my daughter’s hair because when products don’t work as well in my hair they work beautifully in hers. She has a coarser and kinkier texture than I do but even in her hair it was not very good and I won’t use it again in her hair. The very next day after using it, her hair was very dry and not as pliant as it usually is.
I will just accept that creams and Wash and Go do not mix especially if I am interested in my Wash and Go lasting for the whole week.
When major American brands come out with a new line of products we don’t usually get them here in France until a couple of months later so when I was finally able to purchase the Creme of Nature Butter Blend & Flaxseed line of course I jumped at the chance!
There are five products in the Butter Blend & Flaxseed line:
I bought everything except the Curl Definer & Booster, I don’t refresh my hair so I see no reason to buy a product designed for that. I believe in setting my hair and leaving it until the next wash day. When you think about it refreshing doesn’t really make sense, a little spritz of product is not going to make my curls pop again, to get my curls back I would need to actually wash my hair, saturate my whole head with water while washing it to remove product so I can reset my curls. Continuously spraying my hair with a product is just asking for buildup.
At this moment, I have 7-day curls in my head that are in need of a re-fresh aka wash hour. The curls in the back of my head are still pretty defined while the top layer that I put into a puff has turned to frizz.
Double Duty Detangle & Slip Shampoo
What can I say about this shampoo? It’s non-stripping, moisturizing, and smells divine? Every product in this line smells delicious. I don’t even need a lot of product to get a good lather so I can see this bottle lasting for a while which I’m not upset about, I actually haven’t reached for the Argan oil shampoo since I got this one.
I really like this shampoo and give it a 5 out of 5
This conditioner is my holy grail, it provides enough slip to detangle my hair so easily, I much prefer it to the Argan oil one, it’s not as thick so I don’t have to beat the bottle to get the product out but it is still difficult to get out and I feel like the shape of the bottle doesn’t help with that either. My hair is also highly moisturized after rinsing it out, I have used it as both a rinse-out and leave-in. For me using it as a leave-in and pairing it with the pudding and jelly gave me an icky white residue that I had to rinse out of my hair with a quickness. When I use it as a rinse-out I feel like I get the best results. My curls are always bouncy and defined.
This conditioner would have been 5 stars if the bottle shape wasn’t infuriating for me so it gets 4.5 stars out of 5.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Double Duty Stretch & Define Pudding
I have to be honest but I haven’t really used this product, I want to but I’m unsure how to actually use it. They said to pair it with the jelly for optimal results but I got white residue all over my hair. I’m really hesitant about trying it again and currently use the jelly with my mousse instead.
This was my first time using a pudding and I’m not quite sure if this is how it always is but this product was hard in the container and became creamy when I rubbed it in my hands.
For the fact that I don’t know what to do with it, I’ll give this 3 stars out of 5. It might change later!
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Double Duty Elongate & Define Jelly
I really can’t choose between this jelly and the Argan oil cream activator because they both give me bomb curls but I have to say the jelly does give me more elongated curls, doing exactly what it promised!
You don’t even need to use much of it and I like to pair this with a mousse for more umph.
Depending on how much I use I end up with a slight crunchy feeling that loosens as the days go by but it’s not overly hard which will feel like literal cords.
I give this 5 out of 5 stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
For all the products I will give it 9.5 stars out of 10
*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon products.
Recently I ran out of my conditioner, leave-in, gel, and deep conditioner and was looking around trying to decide what to buy. I could have gone back to Activilong or Garnier Ultra Doux but I felt like trying something new because I was unhappy with the amount of frizz I had and thought something else might give me better results.
I saw Aunt Jackie’s products and decided to give them a try.
I bought the Oh So Clean Moisturizing & Softening Shampoo, Knot On My Watch Instant Detangling Therapy, Don’t Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel, Curl La La Defining Curl Custard, and In Control Moisturizing & Softening Conditioner.
Oh So Clean Moisturizing & Softening Shampoo
Touted as a soft shampoo that will moisturize and soften hair without stripping it, I was intrigued since I needed a new everyday shampoo, it is enriched with Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It claims that your tresses will become super clean, soft, hydrated, and easier to comb.
On first use I was convinced, it delivered on its promises, and an added bonus being that while I usually avoid products with Coconut oil in this one did not turn my hair dry and crunchy.
I don’t wash my hair every day, I usually wash twice a week but I’ve been trying to stretch that to once a week, if you wash your hair every day I will venture to say that you probably won’t’ encounter any issues using this in your hair.
I give it 4 stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
In Control Moisturizing & Softening Conditioner
Tame, nourish, and deep condition frizzy, hard-to-manage, dehydrated, brittle natural curls, coils, and waves with natural extracts and proteins.
Aunt Jackie’s Curls & Coils
I’m sorry to say that this product failed to deliver any of its promises. Not only did my hair not feel soft and moisturized but I had to fight with a lot of frizz as well.
I found that I had to add a milk mask to this conditioner to get decent results. Thank you Garnier Ultra Doux Cacao Milk Masque! I shouldn’t have to add another product to get the results that this one said it could deliver. I am definitely not buying this one again.
I give it 2 stars.
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Knot On My Watch Instant Detangling Therapy
Great detangling solution for all hair types and textures.
Aunt Jackie’s Curls & Coils
I’m not really sure why I bought this as I don’t really have knots or need much to detangle. It was not an enjoyable experience at all. It left my hair feeling very sticky and dry and I was not impressed. I will never buy this again because I get better detangling while using a basic conditioner.
I give it 11/2 stars
⭐⭐
Rating: 1.5 out of 5.
Curl La La Defining Curl Custard
This product is aimed at taming frizz and making your hair easier to manage and let’s just say that I still had lots and lots of frizz after using this added to that fact that this was in addition to using the conditioner that was also supposed to tame and condition frizzy hair. Who’s frizzy hair was is supposed to tame? Because it surely did not tame mine!
I made the mistake of using this and following it up with the gel and had a horrible time when the custard turned into pink crumbles in my freshly washed hair. I immediately washed my hair again with the shampoo but they were still there which meant I had to use my stripping shampoo. Definitely watch what products you use alongside it.
I give it 3 stars.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Don’t Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel
This is a pretty okay gel, it has a strong hold so on day two of my wash and go I still had some crunch in my hair. I don’t scrunch the crunch because I get terrible frizz that way. I still have frizz either way but I prefer to let it release on its own.
By day three my curls were very pouffy, I had so much volume and I did have some defined curls in the back and the very front but those on the underside lost their hold and turned to frizz.
I give it 31/2 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Conclusion
Day 2 Wash and GoDay 3 Wash and Go
After using these products for well over two weeks I can safely say that the majority of them are not for me. Not only did they not do what they were supposed to but they left my hair in a worse state and who needs that from hair products? I know I don’t. Like with everything your usage may vary so if you feel like giving it a try and seeing if you have different results Aunt Jackie’s is very affordable. I bought most of the products from Superbeaute with the exception of In Control which was Out of Stock at the time.
Finally, I give the whole lot 3 stars because the shampoo and the gel were not too bad and if I had no other options I would use them without a second thought. The others I will never use again after I finish these.
Si vous suivez la communauté des cheveux naturels, il est plus que probable que vous ayez entendu parler de la brosse Denman. Elle est présentée comme l’une des meilleures brosses pour les cheveux bouclés. Chaque influenceur de cheveux naturels l’a présentée sur sa plateforme à un moment ou à un autre.
Mais qu’est-ce que la brosse Denman exactement ?
Created by John Denman Dean in the 1930s, the brush is used primarily for styling naturally curly hair and creating ringlets. Best used when curls are wet, it helps to amplify curls, spirals, increase definition, smooth frizz and tangles, and evenly distribute product.
Créée par John Denman Dean dans les années 1930, cette brosse est principalement utilisée pour coiffer les cheveux naturellement bouclés et créer des boucles. Utilisée de préférence lorsque les boucles sont humides, elle permet d’amplifier les boucles, les spirales, d’augmenter la définition, de lisser les frisottis et les enchevêtrements, et de répartir uniformément le produit.
Cela semble bon en théorie, mais il semble que de nombreux naturels aient du mal à obtenir réellement ces belles boucles que certains influenceurs obtiennent avec la brosse.
Il y a tellement d’articles et de vidéos montrant une technique pour que le pinceau fonctionne pour vous. On m’en a offert une récemment et j’ai regardé tellement de vidéos et essayé leurs techniques mais aucune ne m’a donné ces boucles. Mes cheveux sont plats et frisottent même lorsqu’ils sont trempés. Ma brosse a 7 poils, je vais peut-être essayer d’enlever quelques rangées et voir si ça aide.
It’s been a month since I began using the Nicky Cosmetics shampoo and masque. I did mention that I would update if there have been any changes to my hair and so far there has been none. My hair is actually growing really well and I have reduced my wash routine a bit. Instead of using a conditioner after shampooing I now only use the masque and after rinsing out the masque I skip the leave-in and go straight for a curl-enhancing mousse followed by gel.
I am currently using:
Nick Cosmetics Argan oil Shampoo and mask
Design Essentials Curl Enhancing Mousse
This is actually a new product for me, I’ve been hearing a lot about how good a mousse is for a wash and go I decided to try one out. I originally wanted to try The Doux Mousse Def Texture Foam but I could not find it to buy so I asked some other naturals and they suggested Design Essentials.
I wasn’t very impressed at first because I didn’t use the proper technique. I applied the foam all over my hair and raked through it without separating it into sections which lead to a lot of my hair clumping together in big pieces. It was not a good look and I was sure the product was to blame. I watched a few videos and learned that I should have applied the mousse to smaller sections one at a time. Since then I’ve had much better success at using the mousse for wash and go.
Activilong Acticurl Curl Activator Gel
This isn’t the first time I’ve used the Curl Activator Gel from Activilong but it is the first time I’ve used it with a mousse.
Depending on my mood I will omit the gel and use just the mousse but I prefer the extra definition using the gel gives me.
Here is my hair after using the mousse and the gel:
This was also my first time doing finger coils. It’s far from being perfect but I really liked how it came out. It took a long time to do though!
I’m unsure if I will do this every wash day, if anything I might save it for when I’m feeling especially attractive or some fancy event.
Here’s my hair using just the mousse:
Here’s my hair using just the gel:
I also bought the Activilong Acticurl Leave in when I bought the gel, occasionally I will use it before applying my mousse and gel, leave-in isn’t really necessary in my routine and it is a hard habit to break. I’m unsure if I will buy anymore when this bottle is empty.
Here’s my hair using the leave-in, mousse, and gel:
Summer months are approaching and I’m going to have to find some hairstyles that take my hair off my neck because the hot sun and lose curls are not a combination I’m looking forward to experiencing.
You can buy the Design Essentials Almond and Avocado Curl Enhancing Mousse on Amazon.
I bought the Acticurl Curl Activator Gel on Activilong.
I don’t know if you guys have noticed yet but I love a good hair product, I will buy all the hair things if I could, I frequently get Shampoo, Conditioner, Masque, Leave-in, Gel, Curl Activators, and Hair oils but there are so many more products that I haven’t bought yet!
December was definitely my month for trying out new products, some from my favorite brands and others that I’ve never used before, I’ll tell you all about my likes and dislikes below.
Herbal Essences Pure
Since the lockdown began I haven’t been out to shop for Hair products on my own so I was looking on Amazon and I usually like to buy a whole set so I can get the full effect. I was going to buy some Garnier Ultra Doux because those are always my first choice but I saw a bundle for Herbal Essences Pure Aloe Vera & Avocado Oil on sale for 9,87€ it was available for 13,58€.
The bundle included three products:
Shampoo
The Shampoo claims that it gently cleans and soothes your hair and scalp.
Conditioner
The conditioner is supposed to be nourishing and gently moisturizes your hair and scalp.
Masque
The masque claims to nourish and soften your hair while moisturizing your scalp.
To complete my order I also picked up Herbal Essences Pure Argan & Aloe Oil on sale for 4,51€ I thought it was Aloe and Avocado but I’m fine with it, the price was 4,80€ at the time of this post.
Smoothing formula that protects hair from breakage.
Final Verdict
I find the Shampoo to be very gel-like instead of creamy like my usual Shampoos, it does not take a lot to lather which means I’ll probably have this bottle for a while, the scent isn’t strong, it’s what I imagine a Bio Shampoo to smell like, a bit earthy like freshly cut grass, it doesn’t weigh my hair down or leave it feeling greasy which is the most important in my opinion. I’d say that while it’s not my absolute favorite I’d consider using it again if I can’t find any of the usual go tos.
The conditioner isn’t anything special, to be honest, it hydrates my hair well enough and doesn’t leave it feeling dry after washing it out. I can’t say I’d reach for it even if I was desperate.
The masque is a bit thick and doesn’t seem to coat my hair well so I end up using it even more to make sure every strand is saturated. I feel like it doesn’t nourish the hair well when you leave it on for more than 5 minutes.
The oil is fairly light and I light to spray some on the next day when I’m refreshing my hair. I would pick this up again.
On a whole, these products get a 4/5.
Garnier Fructis Hair Food
My husband is the one that picked this up for me, I was out of a leave-in conditioner and I asked him if he could pick some up for me while he was out shopping. He came home with this and I was like…this is a masque, I wanted a leave-in. This masque is actually Multi-Purpose, it can be used as a masque, a detangler, or as a leave-in. I’ve only used it as a leave-in since I do all my detangling with my conditioner.
As a leave-in this masque is really good, it is thick but I feel like it absorbs better than the Herbal Essences, it leaves my hair feeling soft and light, I will definitely be picking this up again.
I give this masque a 5/5.
Kérastase
I’d never tried this brand before but heard of them so when I was offered the chance to get free samples I jumped on it and I am glad I did!
The samples I received were:
Kérastase Nutritive Bain satin 2 (Shampoo) 21,81€ on Amazon
Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense – Thick Hair (Masque) 38,00€ on Amazon
I’m not going to lie but I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to try out such small packets but they were all I really needed.
The Shampoo lathered extremely well and my hair felt quite literally like satin after rinsing it out. I was impressed. I didn’t even condition my hair afterward just moved on to the masque and the glide I got, it was like magic. Just 5 products and my hair were soft, hydrated, and light! I know what you’re thinking, 5 products is a lot, not for me though lol, I use a pre-poo, shampoo, masque, conditioner, leave-in, and oil. A total of 6 products every wash day. So using just 5 is amazing to me. Who knows maybe I will find a good 2 in one that will eliminate the need for a Shampoo and Conditioner one day. But for now, I give Bain Satin 2 and Masquintense a 5/5.
Well, these are all the Hair Products that I used in December, truth be told I’m looking forward to discovering new faves in 2021.
I thought I spoke about this company before but apparently, I didn’t which is a shame because it’s pretty new but their products are quite the rage. I’ve only tried the Ginger Gooseberry Hair Mask which I posted about on my Instagram.
Found this gem in my mailbox this morning. I already washed my hair yesterday so I’ll be trying it out next week!
It’s Aiovak Ginger Gooseberry hair mask, if you haven’t heard about it before check the link in my bio to learn about it.
I promptly put it in the fridge after this photo since it had to travel quiet a ways to reach me.
When I tried out the Mask it was the only product offered by Aiovak and they didn’t have a website or Instagram account, I can’t be sure but I think the Mask took a week to reach me which is pretty good considering it came from the US.
The Mask smelled like Gooseberry and had a watery consistency. It ran everywhere when I put it in my hair but it worked like a charm!
Ginger Gooseberry Hair Mask
Now I’m happy to say that Aiovak has rebranded and launched their website at: aiovakhaircare.com
You can also follow their social media accounts below:
The Leave-In comes in two sizes 8 oz for $15 and 16 oz for $26
Ginger Gooseberry Hair Mask
The Hair Mask only comes in 8 oz at $15
Hair Oil
The Hair Oil comes in two sizes 4 oz for $10 and 8 oz for $17
Update July 2021:
Aiovak now offers several new products such as Guava Leaf serum, Shampoo bar, Beard and Hair balm, Moringa Whipped butter, Satin pillowcase, and detangler brush.
Prices are from $8 – $15
At those prices what are you waiting for? Grab some products and get to styling your gorgeous locks!
I’m 21+1 today and feeling all the kicks and punches, stretches, and rolls. My son recently got to feel the baby move and he was awe-struck lol he asked me if I could feel it. Baby hasn’t cooperated for Papa yet but I’m sure he’ll feel the movements soon enough.
Aches and pains have blossomed in the form of round ligament pain in my pelvis. I’m in pain turning over in bed, walking, going up the stairs, basically anything. I’m hoping to buy a pillow to use between my legs to help with this pain.
We did find out that we’re having a girl which I’m excited and nervous about, thinking about all the hair fights I’m going to have to deal with!
Speaking of hair, I shaved my head again, not as bald as I was before but enough that I didn’t have to struggle to take care of it. I was really down about its state after my sickness and just decided a fresh start is what I needed.
I’ve been walking to the park with my son more since he’s on vacation and I think it’s doing me some good. I’m no longer super tired and run down when I get home but I am out of breath sometimes. I try to rest when we reach the house and let my body relax.
Things are going well in the meantime so I’ll end this on a good note.
Today I’m going to talk about one of the most common topics of discussion in the Natural hair community, curl patterns.
To be honest I’ve never given it much thought at all because I have more than one type of pattern of you go by the chart that seems to be everywhere.
This chart right here:
According to this chart, the front of my head is a mix of 2c and 3a, the middle is a mix of 3b and 3c, the very back of my head is 4a. Like I said before I have a lot of curl patterns.
The curl patterns aren’t that important though, it’s the porosity of the hair or so I’ve been told.
My hair is low porosity and coconut oil is supposed to be really good for this type of hair but I can’t use coconut anything or my hair will become very brittle and break horrendously.
Having hair that dislikes Coconut with a passion is kind of difficult, to be honest because so many hair products geared towards Afro hair have it in it. There are so many highly favored cult favorites that I just can not use.
I’ve begun to disregard all the suggestions that have been thrown my way because what works for one person’s hair doesn’t work for everyone, sometimes you just have to find what your hair loves.
My hair loves Argan, Avocado, Rice water, and Jojoba. I know this because I’ve had favorable results with them.
When I shaved my head back in 2017 I honestly didn’t know what kind of curl pattern to expect, when I was youngest my mother used the wrong products, and my true pattern was hidden.
You probably can’t see it well but my hair was like a 2b and almost like a straw broom, to be honest, it’s like when I flat iron my hair and take braids out.
I’m pretty sure that texture was because my mother used this grease on my hair.
My hair doesn’t do well with grease at all, it is very heavy and what that does is that it drags my curls down until all you see is limp greasy strands and washing did nothing because as soon as we were done washing my hair with shampoos and conditioners that stripped my hair she would comb it with a fine-tooth comb and it was painful so painful that I’d run away and hide until my hair was pretty similar to a bird’s nest and then the real pain would come when she tried to de-tangle it while it was dry!
All my life my mother said my hair wasn’t as good as my middle sister’s because I didn’t have curls like her but when she sees my hair now she can’t believe how similar my hair actually is.
My hair is curly and coily but to maintain this it needs the proper care.
I’ve developed my own routine and I baby my hair so that I can look at it and feel a sense of pride. My hair is just as good, my hair is my crown.
Today we went shopping at Carrefour, I really wanted to get some of those press-on nails that they had and see what hair supplies were available but I only accomplished one of those goals.
There were no press on nails to be found anywhere! But I did manage to get the entire line of Garnier Ultra Doux Richesse D’Argan as well as some other things.
Since my move here this line has been my holy staple and it is very hard to get my hands on all the products when I need them. They fly off the shelves so fast!
I also picked up Garnier Ultra Doux L’huile Merveilleuse aux huiles d’argan et de camélia which is also another one of my favorites, if I’m not using abierto one of Garnier’s oils. You can probably tell I adore Garnier’s products. What can I say? They work really well for my hair and they are inexpensive.
My last purchase was a Gel Micellaire Nettoyant from Le Petit Marseillais.
Gel Micellaire Nettoyant Fraîcheur de Rose
I’ve used Eau Micellaire from Cien which I’ve spoken about here and Eau Micellaire from U which I’ve also briefly spoken about here. This is my first time using a Gel Micellaire and I’m really interested in seeing what the difference is. The scent is the same as the 1 Minute Masque of theirs that I recently used and spoke about here.
All in all, it was a pretty good haul and didn’t cost that much money.
If you’re lucky you can find all these products at your local Carrefour and you don’t have a Carrefour in your location then you might be able to find one of two items at a Super U, Lidl, Netto, or other supermarché. You can also try looking on Amazon, I can’t guarantee that the price will be pocket-friendly though.
Crucianize 