Product Reviews!!

Hey Naturals,

Woah! It has been quite some time since I've blogged! Major apologies! I had a months worth of writer's block back in July & then I was bombarded with the new school year & adjusting to life in an apartment. But now that I'm settled into things, I decided to squeeze in this post as school work consumes my life. Anywho, before I left home to return to school, I went to my favorite beauty supply shop & bought a whole bunch of products. Let me start off by saying that this is very unlike me. I am by no means a product junkie or product user in general. I like to keep things simple & I also like to save money, so usually coconut oil, cheap conditioner & cantu shea butter leave in are the only things that you'll find in my bathroom. However, because I was heading back to school & I didn't know when the next time that I would be able to make a journey over to the beauty supply store, I stocked up on some new products. The four products that I'm going to be talking about are Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth Leave-in Conditioning Cream, Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream, Beautiful Textures Curl Control Defining Pudding & Jamiaca Mango & Lime Locking Gel

1.  Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth Leave-in Conditioning Cream- Okay so technically this one did not come from the hair store. I was at Kroger one day & decided to give this a try. At first I was a little apprehensive about spending my money on this product, because I wasn't sure how well it would work on more coiled curly hair. But I am an avid user of Garnier conditioner products & I love the way that they smell so I took the chance. I've also read about many coily-curlies  using this product on various natural hair sites so I figured that I would get good results. As of now, I'm not completely satisfied with this product. I will say that my hair stopped being "frizzy" as advertised, but my curl definition went away when I used the product. :( However, I've only used it after I misted my hair with water for a fake wash & go. I've yet to try it out on a twist out though, so maybe I'll find better results. 
2. Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream- OMG! I love love love this product. If you are ever doing a twist/braid out, this is the product to use. On Friday night, I put this into soaking wet hair after a wash & go and sealed with coconut oil.  I had THE BEST curl definition ever. Then last night, I washed my hair, put the curly curl cream into my damp hair, sealed with coconut oil & braided my hair. This morning I woke up to an amazing braid out. What I like about this product is that it's really thick, but not too thick in that it doesn't build up on my strands. The majority of the products that I put into my hair are the consistency of lotion, which I don't feel is thick enough to really moisturize my strands & penetrate the hair follicles. This product, on the other hand, is much thicker than my normal cantu shea butter. However, it's still light enough that it doesn't weigh my hair down & flatten out my curls. I would def recommend this for newly naturals. Plus it smells really good! I feel like it would be a good product for people who are just beginning to wear their hair in it's natural state and are trying to establish a curl pattern. This will definitely be one of my go-to products!
3. Beautiful Textures Curl Control Defining Pudding- I must say that I'm not completely thrilled with this product. I've only used it a couple of times: once for a twist out & a couple of times on hair misted with water. It leaves a filmy layer on my hair that makes my hair feel really dry. As of now I'll stick to using my Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream until it runs out. lol
4. And last but not least  Jamaica Mango & Lime Locking Gel- So you're probably wondering, why locking gel? Am I locking up my hair? Nope! Trust me, I've considered it...multiple times. But knowing how OCD I am with my hair, I will want to shave them off as soon as they start to take. But for my non-dreaded hair, I love using locking gel as a gel for my bun days. And when I start to get really busy with my class, my bun days become everyday. Yes, I've used EcoStyler gel and I really like it. However, when I use it on a daily basis, it begins to build up on my hair. It's also difficult to wash it out using just conditioner (I prefer co-washes only). The locking gel's hold is just as good as any other gel, leaves my hair looking smooth instead of stiff and it doesn't build up on my hair! It also doesn't dread my hair (for anyone that's wondering haha!)

I can't guarantee that I'll be blogging as often as I had this summer, but I promise to try to update it as often as I can. But for now...

Keep it natural,

Jackie