Queen Helene Smoothing Conditioner with cocoa Butter

Generally I don't really like Queen Helene products of any kind. I find them to be far too watery and thin for my liking and generally ineffective. But for some reason my eye was drawn to this.

What the blurb says:

This one-of-a-kind conditioner drenches your hair with the rich, replenishing moisture of cocoa butter and the natural, nurturing benefits of shea butter.

( aww bless, feels almost like you're in the womb again)

Tames frizz and makes it easy to blow dry curly, dry or coarse hair to a smooth, sleek style. Helps soften hair texture and protect against dryness and the effects of sun, wind and humidity. Leaves hair easy to comb and beautifully manageable with a dazzling, healthy shine. Paraben free. Safe for color-treated hair:

Ingredients:Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Caster oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Theobroma Cacao( Cocoa) Seeed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii( Shea butter), Stearalkonium Chloride, Polyquatermine-39, Tocopheryl Acetate(Vit. E), Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium sorbate, sodium Benzoate, Parfum.

It's an ok conditioner, it's not life changing but its a cone free, paraben free cheap conditioner that does its job.  After washing i felt my hair did feel slightly softer but it was nothing dramatic.

It does smell like shampoo (?) but it's not a horrible smell but it is quite powerful. It's a little thin and I'm natural with type 4 hair and i do prefer thicker however it's not too runny or anything. I've been using it for a few weeks and  I think I will continue to do so.

One for the "It's ok files".

The Good, The Bad and the Buildup.

For  along time now, i have seen Cantu Shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream( yes the full title is that long) being recommended on the Internet. I finally relented and dug into my pocket for the fiver to purchase it. I am on a quest to find a leave in conditioner/moisturiser that doesn't leave my hair both greasy and dry at the same time, as the majority do.

First things first. It comes in a 473mL tub. The smell is very artificial and smells like fragranced talcum powder.  It looks quite thick, but the consistency is actually quite thin.

I began using this over a month ago and wore my hair in single plaits/box braids. After taking them down after around two weeks, i noticed buildup at the base of the braids, but i thought nothing of it. I then saw little gingery brown flakes in the front of my hair. Well i just thought my hair must be extra dirty then!

I washed my hair. Now i wash my hair in sections, twice and with a sulphate  shampoo. I have a dry/sensitive scalp and although i avoided sulphates for many years, i now find myself using them again with absolutely no adverse effect on my hair.

Well what do you know. I go into my bedroom and start plaiting my hair and the flakes are STILL THERE. At that point it had taken my hair so long to wash, i just couldn't. Not today. I was not going to wash my hair again, i just figured i'd brush the flakes out when my hair was fully dried.

I managed to get all the flakes out, but me and cantu shea butter are on a break. I still have half a tub sitting on my table, but who knows what i'm going to do with it. I am sticking to my rosewater/Glycerine mix  and bought Darbur Vatika Natural Hair fall control styling cream ( yes another long name, and this one don't even make no sense!) so i will be reviewing that later.

Two thumbs down Cantu! And i had heard so many good things about you! Boooooooo!

ETA: Would this work better on relaxed hair? I don't know. Maybe

Ingredients: Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean), Propylene Glycol, Polyquaternium 37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG 1 Trideceth 6, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Stearalkonium Chloride, Trimethylsilylamodimethicone, Panthenol, PPG 1-PPG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Lanolin Oil, Cinnamidopropyl Trimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylamide Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Benzophenone 3, BHA, BHT, Zea Mays Oil (Corn), Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, DMDM Hydantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

I purchased this at a PAKS cosmetics store so go to their website if you can't find it.

Dark and Lovely Moisture Seal Deep conditioner

If you have dry damaged hair, you may be in the market for a thick moisture conditioning treatment.
Why don't you try Dark and Lovely moisture seal treatment.
I have natural hair and i love it. It makes my hair feel soft, conditioned and happy!
Now i usually walk right past Dark and Lovely and Motions product lines when at the hair shop. I just never felt like that they had good ingredients or anything that appealed to me as a natural haired individual.Maybe it was the slightly now kitsch seventies style name. But this is definitely a keeper and i will no longer be a product snob.
Now it is silicone free. But it does have mineral oil in it ( which i do not mind)
But seriously i can not rave about it more

Its claims:
"Great for relaxed, colour treated, or heat traumatised hair!"

"Our advanced combination of natural ingredients and body enhancing polymers infuses and seals moisture into each and every hair strand for a soft and full finish. Enriched with Panthenol and Vitamin E, this deep conditioning formula revitalizes and moisturizes dry, damaged hair."

"Intensive Conditioning for Dry/Damaged Hair"
"Protects against Split Ends"
"Replenishes and seals in moisture"

At selected Superdrugs, Asda's, online and all good Afro hair shops.
And only £2.49 for 250ml ( take that Elasta QP DPR-11!)

*The photo above illustrate the almost supernatural power of this deep conditioner, the fact that the top of it is glowing and the Cats eyes are glowing, make no mistake are no coincidence*

Love is.... Pure and simple

My rave review for Purity facial wash certainly isn't hearsay! ( buda boom ching! Geddit?)

Ah well.......

I've seen this skincare line promoted/on special offers in superdrug for a little while and two months ago, actually more, it was on offer so i snapped up the facial wash. ( the line includes moisturisers, scrubs etc)
Now i love me some natural ingredients and the less ingredients the better for me as i have dry and sensitive skin. I haven't been able to use store bought cleansers. Until now!

Ingredients: Aqua(Water), Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Xanthan gum, Aloe Vera leaf powder, Sweet almond oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic acid, Citric Acid.

I love this. It has actually replaced my beloved oil cleansing( a lot due to time saving).
It is gentle, does not leave my extra dry skin hard and crackly and does not irritate your eyes if it gets in 'em. It cleanses skin well and i can't rave about it enough.
It has a very faint smell(hurrah!)
I would say maybe the only con is that a lot can tend to come out of the lid due to its design.
At £4.99( although I've seen it on offer a few times on superdrug so keep eagle eyes out) its not cheap cheap like i usually like. I don't care. As long as its produced i will keep buying!


Ooh and it is made up of 98% of ingredients of natural origin ( urrmmm OK, that's very clear)
and 70% organic

No animal testing
Made in the UK
and recyclable

The site
http://www.purityorganicskincare.com/

What's in a name? that which we call a rose

Everyone loves products that you can use on more than one part of the body.
One of these is Rosewater Glycerine.
It is a great moisturiser for Kinky/Curly hair- just pop it in a spray bottle and for someone like me with very dry skin it is excellent when incorporated into a skincare regimine.
It is less sticky and thick than its half-sister Glycerine.
After washing my face, and whilst it is still damp i use a cotton wool ball to apply to my face and then i apply my sunscreen(or coconut oil and then sunscreen).
Since i have done this i have had zero flakes(yayy!) and when it was hot, i could get away with the rosewater only( i think as winter approaches i will have to add the coconut oil). My skin feels moisturised and i feel it looks better.
You can buy rosewater and glycerine seperately if you cannot find them combined. I use a brand that is readily available in Afro hair shops- Eternal Beauty Rosewater Glycerine. It has only two ingredients, Pure Glycerine B.P and Rosewater(the Glycerine is vegetable and is approved by the UK Vegetarian society).
I know that Boots also sell RWG as part of their retro "Original beauty" range.
You can use it on the whole of your body and add it your bath if you wish as a moisturising treat.
Good stuff

Ohh as you can see i bought it for £1.79 and it is a staple.

Hair Breakage Blues

Woe says me.
My hair which i had previously thought was in tip top condition has begun to break.
Oh dear.
I tried a molasses treatment, nothing happened, a protein conditioner, nothing happened. I was even going to reach for my stinky aphogee.
My hair is overmoisturised and i want answers!!!Dammit!
So whilst perusing the web for answers, i hit upon Keratin for breakage. The best of the bunch when it comes to protein for your hair.
So i was left with some choices, i didn't want to do the 2-step aphogee, because it is so strong, plus i just can't be bothered.
The 2 minute aphogee has changed its formulation, so i was a little leery. Then there was Organic Root stimulator Mayonnaise.

So i shuffled my way down to the shops and found the ORS mayonnaise but it £2.49 for a teeny amount and nearly a fiver for the large one.
This would not do! So i begun scanning the other mayonnaise products and found
sofn'free hair mayonnaise. It has hydrolised Keratin and collagen so i was delighted. Yay for me!!!!

Well i used it. I didn't follow the instructions though (oh no!). I actually slept with it overnight (!) I didn't mean to, but i got to yakking on the phone and in no time at all i was asleep.

Well. I washed it our and i didn't see any immediate difference, but a day or two later my breakage has slowed down.
I am giving it 2 thumbs up! I still need to work on my protein/moisture balance but y'know baby steps. So in a quick summary

Pros
Cheap- £1.89
Texture- lovely and Thick! I love thick conditioners
Some good ingredients- Keratin, Collagen, Lactic acid and egg oil???( does anyone know what that is. How exactly is oil extracted from an egg- i can hear the shrill cries of an egg ringing in my ear)

Cons
Smells slightly like a cheap men's cologne (Eau du Sleaze)
If you are ingredient aware has some baddies- sulfates, mineral oil, comes etc
(full ingredients list below)
Availability- i've never seen this before. Then again I've never used a mayonnaise before. Plus i can't see it on the company's website

Will i use it again. Yes!
Ingredients:Water, Dimethicone, Cetearyl alcohol, Stearic acid, Hydrolized Keratin, Dicetyldimonium chloride, polyquaternium-32, Mineral oil, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Glycerine, Safflower seed oil, Hydrolized collagen, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Oilive oil, PPG-12-PEG-50 Lanolin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Panthenol, Cholesterol, Propylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol, Butylene glycol, Nettle extract, Lactic acid, Parsley extract, Egg oil (???), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (boo!hiss!boo), Sodium hydroxide(faints), Fragrance, DMDM( i don't even want to know), Hydatonin, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Butylphenyl,Methylpropional, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool, Yellow 5(CI 19140), Acid Red14(ci 14720), Brilliant Black(cool name)(CI28440) PHEW!

BTW:I have natural hair

Comapny websites
http://www.sofnfree.co.uk/
http://www.mmcosmetics.com/sof_n_free.html