Thursday 29 March 2012

Aldi's Version Of Morrocan Argan Oil - Miracle Oil

On twitter, I heard that Aldi had brought out their version of the Morrocan Argan Oil. They called their version the Miracle Oil. Priced at £3.99 for 50ml.
I wonder if this is just as loaded with cones as the bestselling overpiced somewhat original version. How cheeky is the packaging. I say good on Aldi for undercutting the over-priced version.Did you get yours?

ALDI VERSION
THE OTHER POPULAR VERSION


Update:

So I found the ingredients list for Aldi's version. Let's just say I'm glad I didn't bother. I can see why this would be a miracle on straight hair though. If I straightened my hair, I would be stocking up. At least argan oil is within the top 4 ingredients!

Ingredients in Aldi's Carino Argan Oil: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Parfum, Argania Spinosa Kernel(Argan Oil), Alcohol, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Limonene, Ascorbic Acid & Citric Acid. 






















Tuesday 27 March 2012

Five Ways To Deal With The Oily Grease Stained Pillow Situation



                       
Do you notice a grease spot on your pillow where your head lays? Do you have to frequently wash your pillow cases sometimes up to 2-3 times a week to get rid of grease stains? Then you have an oily pillow ‘situation’
The oily pillow can be a common occurrence amongst ladies just trying to keep their hair moist. For naturals the frequent use of butters, pomades, oils, creams and similar emollients in order to keep the hair moist is usually the culprit.

As a kinky, coily headed natural I NEED my emollients 24/7 because my hair gets ridiculously drier than sand. As a result the issue of stopping the use of my trusty combinations of castor oil and curl activators can’t even be considered. Applying this mix at a certain time, wouldn’t make a difference for me because that combination is the business and lasts on my hair for at least two – three days before I need to re-apply again. I also have acne-prone skin that does not share the same love for castor oil as my hair does.  So dark coloured pillow cases would not be enough, because that would only solve the appearances factor. Here are some useful measures to take against the O.G.S.P.S! (It’s patented baby! ;))

How To Manage The Oily Pillow Situation (Temporary basis)

  1. Put an old t-shirt or towel on top of your pillow.

  1. Put more than one head covering on your head to absorb any excess oils.

  1. Do both 1.) + 2.)   *_*

How To Stop The Oily Pillow Situation (Permanent basis)

  1. Apply your pomade’s with a lighter hand! If you have a routine of applying your emollients just before bed, try to apply your emollient sparingly and even a couple of hours before bed. (This maybe helpful to those that prefer to use lighter emollients or oils with shorter life spans)

  1. Sleep with a plastic cap on your head, and put your bonnet or scarf over that. (This is my favourite method, because it keeps Dafro very happy too).
                        
Now if you can’t stand the crinkling of the shower-cap. Which like myself I couldn’t handle, then consider purchasing shower caps made with a thicker more substantial durable material.
                        
 I love this particular brand because it not only comes with a thicker material but also comes in larger sizes for the big-haired ladies amongst us. Saving us the need to have to use  more than one typical shower cap at a time.These particular shower-caps do not crinkle half as much as the typical disposable caps and last twice as long for me. Or if you want to preserve the sexy and stylish self all the way to bed for the beau. How about this one by soap and glory I found at Boots for about £6?
  1. A waterproof pillow cover may also help to increase the longevity of your pillow.

And for the stained pillowcase…
Getting out oil stains can be difficult. So here is what you can do.
You could wash the pillow cases with:
-       Bleach
-       Lemon juice
-       Vinegar
-       Or even just wash and lay the pillowcase directly under the sun. (For the sun to bleach naturally).

So... How do you deal with your O.G.S.P.S?

Friday 23 March 2012

How To Wash & Go (Shingle) On Kinky Coily Type 4 Hair - A Simple Guide


Picture is my hair in a 1st day wash & go styled with Ecostyler Argan oil & Original Source Pear  & Avacado conditioner


Tools needed

1. A pair of hands with filed nails. (Chipped, rough nails are as good as a pair of scissors.)

2. Moisturising conditioner

3. Moisturising leave - in conditioner. (Whether or not you choose to use the same conditioner in (2) is up to you.)

4. Holding agent: Hair Gel/Custard/Pudding

5. Sectioning clips.

6. Spray bottle filled with water.


Optional tools

Shampoo and Deep conditioner if this current session includes clarifying.

Diffuser.

Shampoo brush.



Directions for Wash & Go on Type 4 Coily Hair

1. Section hair into four or more sections (depending on the length of your hair).





2. Apply moisturising conditioner generously to all sections, then allow this to sit. (It is at this point that I finger detangle using the shower spray)





3. Rinse conditioner from each section and immediately apply leave in (and oil included) on soaking wet hair. Ensure each section is entirely saturated from root to tip.





4. Step out of shower (or stay in if you prefer) with dripping wet hair and proceed to apply your holding agent to each section.





5. Install your part where you would prefer for your completed style now.





6. Starting with each section at a time. Select one section that you wish to start working on and part a smaller section about half an inch thick from the rest.





7. Take that 0.5inch section and spray it with more water.





8. Starting at the roots smooth on the gel and work your way up to the tips by keeping that section between your palms (for longer hair) or between two adjoining fingers (for shorter hair).





9. Keep doing this smoothing motion, until you start to see natural demarcations between the coils as they clump. Or as you start to notice the hair fall/relax (pun intended!) by itself.





10. For ultra* defined curls - On seeing the demarcations, piece apart each clump of coils from the rest of the smoothed section. (as if you were pulling a string on a guitar), smoothing that smaller section between your thumb and index finger as you do so.  

For just defined coils - Just smooth a section till it relaxes, drop it and move onto the next section.






11. Repeat (10) until all the clumps have been separated. Then proceed to the other sections.





12. When completed, do not touch so as not to disturb the coils and allow to air- dry or diffuse. Another optional step for more volume especially on the crown area would be to shake your head from side to side, and then back and front.

Examples of my wash and go's can be found here here, here and here.





With these directions I use the smoothing method, and not so much the raking method. With the smoothing method, I'm able to work with most heavier gels that stiffen up as I apply. (An additional tip, liquid styling gels applied on top of the heavier gel can add slip and even more definition if you have to rake.) I find that I am not able to rake once the gel starts to stiffen as attempting to rake through my hair leads to snaps & pops i.e. breakage.




I tend to favour heavier/ stronger gels for setting my hair. As they guarantee more longevity with the style and less tangles because they hold my coils in place in a co-ordinated fashion. If the coils are held in place then there is less likely to be tangles as the coils are not able to haphazardly mix up with other coils. It's all about keeping some kind of order. Twists or twist-out styles follows a similar logic, because the coils are kept in an organised clump.


I recommend a very good hydrating leave-in conditioner for wash & go's. Ideally it should be one that is able to coil up the ends of the hair or group the coils into clumps together immediately after applying to soaking wet hair and even better if it’s able to do this on dry hair! So test your leave-in on a small section of hair before proceeding to do the entire head. An additional layer of oil over that leave-in conditioner offers further insurance towards retaining the moisture in the hair, reducing tangles and even single strand knots.

If doing a clarifying wash. Coils may not clump as readily afterwards. I would suggest doing a deep-condition to return the moisture back to the coils and promote clumping once again. I love wash and go's and still do them currently to date.I hope to continue to do them in the foreseeable future.




Friday 16 March 2012

Natural Hair Bloggers/Vloggers With Kinky Coily Type 4 Hair That Wash and Go.

Last updated 28th of May 2012 - Coilybella, VeePeeJay & JustSynetta added
  1. Africanexport -Youtube Vlogger 
  2. AliciaJames - Youtube Vlogger
  3.  Blkchynadoll7 - Youtube Vlogger
  4. Coilybella.com - Blogger 
  5. Coilychi. - Coilyas123.blogspot.com - Author of this Blog!
  6. Chicbeauty - Vet Youtube Blogger
  7. Cynthiarf - Youtube Vlogger (one of my favourites)
  8. Davierap
  9. Enjoyingthejourneys
  10. Glorycurls67 - Youtube Vlogger
  11. JustSynetta - Youtube Vlogger
  12. Naptural85 - Youtube Vlogger
  13. NaturallyGlamTV -  Youtube Vlogger.
  14. Naturalselectionblog - Youtube Vlogger & Blogger.
  15. oooop95 - Youtube Vlogger
  16. Prettydimples01 - Youtube Vlogger
  17. Shidanatural - Youtube Vlogger & Blogger
  18. SimpYounique - Youtube Vlogger
15.) Rubyebonycurls - Youtube Vlogger using my fave combo! Curl activator & Gel !
          

16.)Tonidaley - Vet Youtube Blogger
          
17.) VeePeeJay- Blogger & Vlogger (thehodgepodgefiles.blogspot.com)
         

If you have anymore please do share them.. :)
Check back often. I shall be updating this as I come across more bloggers/vloggers.
Cheers!


Thursday 15 March 2012

Review: Beautiful Textures Curl Control Defining Pudding

Price: £3.99 at Local BSS
Availability: Online and local shops including Paks.
Packaging: happy bright orange psychedelic looking design which is definitely attention grabbing and Funky! Kudos to the design team!
Marketing speech: For mixed textures, curly wavy, kinky-coily, Frizzy. 
The kinky coily & frizzy part definitely sounded like it was for me.
Ingredients:Aqua, Glycine Soja Oil/Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Argania Spinosa Nut Oil/Argan Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil/Coconut Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil/Olive Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit/Shea Butter, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter/Mango Butter, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract/Rosemary Extract, Dimethicone, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract/Aloe Vera, Phenyl Trimethicone, Panax Ginseng Root Extract/Ginseng Extract, Glycerin, Polyquaternium 11, Steareth 2, Steareth 20, DMDM Hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Sodium Carbomer, PEG 150 Distearate, PEG 12 Dimethicone, CI 15985/Yellow 6, Parfum/Fragrance, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, d-Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Lyral, Methyl Ionone Gamma.


Scent: this smells amazing! I don't mind smelling like this all day. That mango, tropical scent just makes me happy. It's for this reason that I have tried to make this work.
Texture: creamy, deceptively seems quite heavy.
On my hairWith all those ingredients, you would wonder how this could possibly go wrong? But it did!As a definer for my Coily hair? This stuff is deficient. It didn't make my coils pop. Infact it was more like a coil wrecker! Because I tried this on wet hair straight after a co-wash when my coils were still popping and BAM Beautiful Textures came and bamboozled them out of the way as soon I smoothed it on. For a wash n go on Coily hair. I wouldn't recommend this. Maybe I will re-visit this in the future for twist or twist-outs. I really really wanted to love this product, but it just wouldn't work for me. Has it worked for you?

Review: Australian Organics Moisture Control Conditioner For Fine Limp Hair.


Price:£3.99 for 8.5fl. oz 250ml from TKMaxx
Marketing speech: Sulphate & PEG free, no synthetic fragrance, no synthetic colours. Made with 98.5% natural organic ingredients
Availability:Online.
Packaging: Squeezy toothpaste style tube with a flip cap top lid.
Scent: I got a lot of lavender notes from this followed by a light citrus note.
Ingredients List of Australian Organics Conditioner
Speaking of ingredients, check this out?! The list is excellent indeed. With aloe vera extract, sesame seed oil, wheat germ and desert peach?! (Eh?)
On my hair:  Firstly let me address what may be burning on your mind. Ok. Now my hair appears thick in collective density, but individually  the hair strands are very weak and very FINE. So I thought I'd try this conditioner just because..........., gosh darn it! well... the ingredients list looked very yummy! But I wasn't ready. Man, this conditioner was an UNDERDOG. I love finding conditioners under the radar like this. This stuff was amazing at moisture control alright!
As a rinse-out conditioner it went on my coils very very lightly but with massive IMPACT.  It literally dissolved into Dafro and made her exceptionally SOFT during & AFTER rinsing! I was very impressed by the softness. So despite its light appearance and texture, it is definitely packed with a lot of punches.
As for slip, it came up a bit short on that front, It doesn't have a lot of slip. Though the softness alone it delivered to my hair, makes up for that.I used it as a leave-in conditioner (as I usually do for more expensive conditioners) with Ecostyler blue gel. It moisturised my coils, but I didn't get maximal clumping with this one. I would put that down to it's lightness, as heavier conditioners are better at weighing my coils down and getting them to stick/merge/clump together. With this one, my hair just soaked it up and felt very airy.This is a great moisturising conditioner for fine hair indeed.  Though unfortunately due to the price : quantity, I shall only purchase this again when it is on sale!



Wednesday 14 March 2012

Review:Hollywood Beauty Argan Oil Conditioner

Another offering in lieu of the argan oil hype is the Hollywood beauty argan oil conditioner.I got this from my local beauty supply store for 99p.
.
Availability: Online and on the ground
Price: £1.99-£3.99 for 8oz.
I think the price also prompted me to try this. After I got home and checked online, I noticed that there was such a  broad price range?! I recommend one check in their local beauty supply store for better deals.
Packaging:  It comes in a plastic squeezable bottle with the standard lotion type lid on the top. 8oz for a rinse-out conditioner is really not a lot for my thick coily hair. I literally got only two uses out of this bottle and I was done!
Ingredients: DI Water, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (BTMS), Centrimonium Chloride, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Olea Europea (Olive Oil), Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol, Diacaprylate/Diacaprate, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Fragrance, DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Tetrasodium EDTA, FD &C Yellow No 5, FD&C & C Red No.40
The ingredients didn't look that impressive, with argan oil number seventh on the list and propylene glycol twice? (side-eye).  At the store, the BTMS had me imagining my hair transforming into butter, As my hair just loves BTMS for it's smoothing properties.
Scent: The scent is sharp, sweet and killer. Quite artificial. I was not a fan of the scent and it seemed to linger too long for me. (which is usually the case with scents that one doesn't like!). I actually found it quite cloying. If you have tried the cholesterol conditioner from this brand think of how sweet the scent of that is then multiply that by five!
Texture: pearlescent colour. Not thick nor watery. Just of a medium consistency. The slip was decent but not jaw dropping.After rinsing out the conditioner, I must admit that my hair felt quite soft. Though I just couldn't get that smell out of my hair. For the quantity I would usually try this as a leave-in in order to stretch the amount, but due to the scent, I'm afraid that won't be the case with this one.
This did not leave me impressed, it was the scent that did it for me.Verdict = C-


Second Day Hair: Wash & Go Trials on Coily Hair 4 with Keracare Defining Custard & HS CurlActivator.

The next morning my hair still felt quite damp, so I just rubbed a pea-sized amount of castor oil between my palms and used that to fluff my hair back into shape. My hair had a lot of volume,definition, bounce and control. By control, I mean that my hair stayed where I wanted it to when I fluffed it back into shape by pulling under the roots.



I love the way the coils have a slight wave. Reminds me of waves on sand at the beach.
 Mainly because of the way I had held up my hair in scrunchies. I put my hair in three scrunchies in a mo-hawk fashion positioned down the middle of my head. So on releasing them then took on the lovely wave... Today was a great hair day plus my hair was so so soft!

Wash & Go Trials on Coily Hair 4: Keracare Defining Custard & HSCurlActivator

1ST PART OF REVIEW
Update 2
: HAWAIIAN SILKY CURL ACTIVATOR & KERACARE DEFINING CUSTARD

With a heavier leave-in like the curl activator. My hair swelled up by the end of the day, but still had good definition, it was not overly frizzy. The *shine* was AMAZING and the scent of the custard still marginally present by the end of the day. When it came to bed-time my hair was still damp around the roots as I put my hair in my nightly 3 scrunchies.
The next morning my hair still felt quite damp, so I just rubbed a pea-sized amount of castor oil between my palms and used that to fluff my hair back into shape. My hair still had alot of body,definition and control. By control, I mean that my hair stayed where I wanted it to when I fluffed it back into shape by pulling under the roots.
First day hair was very defined, had hold and great shine. The smell lasted with me most of the day, and my partner kept complimenting me on the way my hair smelt.
To conclude: The custard and curl activator combination was successful on my coily hair and I would definitely purchase this again. I wouldn't recommend this with a light leave-in conditioner on Coily type 4ab hair, but with a much heavier moisturising leave-in conditioner, as the custard can be quite drying.


DAMP 1ST DAY
DRY
FIN


Tuesday 13 March 2012

Reasons Why I Do Not Like The Conditioner Only Method On My Coily Hair

I tried the conditioner only method with Kenzia smoothing conditioner & castor oil layered on top.
I expected to get alot of shrinking with this method and I got just that, but mayne I wasn't prepared for what was to follow because I had not allowed my hair to get sooo tangled up like this in so long. "Another reason why it's good to always stick to what works for you".
Now with the conditioner -only method and my choice of conditioner (yes I take full responsibility for this) My coils had no enlongation but were very soft and fuzzy, despite how much condish I piled on and squished in.  Now fuzzy from this point onwards will be a RED FLAG for me, because that indicates NO CONTROL.

Yes, my coils had no control and felt free to have an orgy amongst themselves. My hair got so tangled up. Ok, ok, fine, alright! That may partially have been my fault because I couldn't keep my hands out of it -  *squeaks *" but it was soooo soft!". Seriously! By the 3rd day when I tried to finger-detangle  Dafro,  she went PSYCHO on me! It was a crazy mess!!  I mean I'm not one to go all dramatic about my hair.  But Jeez!
I slathered on Tresemme (Took one handful, Oh great now I'm out) and then some Cholesterol.My coils were in such disarray, I couldn't believe how tangled up it got!  I mean I had put this fro in scrunchies overnight. When did it get the chance to tangle so much?!I spent over an hour trying to placate Dafro, the most it usually takes me is 15mins, 20mins tops?! As soon as I was done, I slathered on some Tigi Leave in (current fave coil popper) & HS curl activator then LOCKED those happy-go-lucky coils into place with some Keracare Defining Custard. BAM!
I am not letting these babies go crazy like that on me again. No way! I don't think I'll ever be trying this method again without a holding agent i.e. GEL.
Conclusion: I don't think I'll be in a hurry to try this again, unless it's with a very heavy conditioner that leaves no white/grey cast behind on drying. (Is there any such thing?)

What is your take on the conditioner only method? Have you tried it?



Monday 12 March 2012

Review: TIGI LOVE PEACE the PLANET Cherry Almond Leave-in Conditioner.

Price: £3.99 from TKMaxx. Significantly higher at other outlets.
Ingredients:Aloe vera leaf juice, glycerin, shea butter, sweet almond oil, bergamot fruit oil, grapefruit peel oil, rosemary leaf oil, water, olive fruit oil, sunflower seed oil, jojoba seed oil, chamomile, hibiscus flower extract, button mushroom stem extract, horseradish root extract, wheat amino acids, rice amino acids, stearyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, caprylic/acid, panthenol, peg-17 dimethicone, cetromonium methosulfate, polyquaternium, citric acid. limonene, linalool, ethyl acetate, heliotropine, vanillin.


Marketing blurb:88% Organic Content * No Parabens * No Artificial Colors * No Synthetic Fragrances* Bottle 50% Post Consumer Recycled Material. Ingredients like Shea butter, sweet almond oil, rice and wheat amino acids along with hibiscus and chamomile extracts rescue hair from despair with nourishment and shine. Get on the green scene and Let It Be. 
Green Tip: Dry hair will with towel before applying product – you’ll use less product since it won’t become diluted like it would in wet hair

Review
Gosh! Is the name long or what?! lol.. anyways.. Though currently experimenting with using rinse-out conditioners as leave - in conditioners, I thought I should try this one on spotting it at TKMaxx. I've liked some of TIGI's products (Superstar conditioner & Curls Rock conditioner) in the past, plus the ingredients had some of dafro's favourite ingredients namely aloe vera,glycerin, shea butter and lots of oils. 
Packaging: I like the small convenient bottle with the funky lime colour. The small spout gives me a lot of control with getting out the conditioner as it's quite watery.
Scent : Very sweet, I get more of cherrys rather than almonds with this one. The scent is not long-lasting, though I wish it was because I really liked it!
Texture: Creamy very light, but quite filmy, you can tell that this product contains quite a bit glycerin due to it's texture.
Best for me: As a second day refresher. Not heavy enough as an initial leave-in on freshly washed hair.(Which is not surprising as even the manufacturers do not recommend that this product is used on wet hair.).Great leave-in when combined with heavier, more moisturising gels like KCCC. Great coil clumper/popper.I would definitely repurchase again.  

Second Day Hair : Wash n Go On Coily Hair Trial 3. Conditioner only

The previous night, I had put my from in 3 scrunchies again and wrapped it up in a shower cap (mainly because my hair had been so greasy from the excess castor oil) and my bonnet followed by scarf.

After removing all three hair coverings this morning, I noted that my hair was extremely soft. I rubbed about a £1 size of  Kenzia smoothing conditioner between my hands and used that to fluff out my hair with just my hands again.

Dafro looked very happy and was so SOFT and fluffy.
I'm going to co-wash my hair tomorrow and see how finger-detangling goes.
The next  day..

Sunday 11 March 2012

How I Get Second Day Hair : Wash n Go On Coily Hair Trial 2. Ecostyler Blue &Hawaiian Silky Curl Activator.


A Pictorial Of How I Get Second Day Hair
The products I use for my wash n go usually dictate how I cover up my hair for the night. If I'm using glycerin heavy products like curl activator then I put my hair in a number of scrunchies,  wrap my hair in a shower cap,  put on a bonnet then extra scarf (xtra scarf to help keep shower cap in place, catch any potential leaks and reduce crinkling noise.) and call it a day. The next day I just spray my refresher/water (hardly necessary with curl activator) and fluff.
If the product is a butter not known to absorb readily onto my wet hair, then I just wear a bonnet after putting my hair in scrunchies. The next day I spray water/refresher and fluff into shape.
                                                                  
                                                                   1.)   Remove Scarf                                                                     
2.) Then Bonnet
3.)Take off shower cap (this is why I wear one.)
4.) To reveal hair underneath in three satin scrunchies, (1 in front and 2 behind)

5.)Remove scrunchies to reveal (shot hair and jammies!), then shake


6.)Scrunch & Fluff coils into place
7.) Great Second Day Hair! - Front

Side.
Fin.

Wash & Go Trials on Coily Hair 3: Conditioner Only Method On Type 4 Hair

Teri's conditioner only method has been tried by many and praised for its effectiveness. I was drawn to this lady's success with this method on YouTube and decided to try it again.

Earlier on in my journey I had tried the conditioner only method with Tressemme conditioner (this is before they brought out the no-silicone versions) but didn't like :
* The way the conditioner irritated my scalp.
*The crisp way my hair felt after it dried,
*And the grey caste it left.
I decided to try it again with Kenzia conditioner mainly because this conditioner never left a grey cast with other wash & go's I had done with gel and had not irritated my scalp to date.
I applied this to wet hair in about six sections and layered some castor oil on top.
When it dried my hair felt quite soft to touch, quite shiny but greasy to touch!
I think I shall leave out the castor oil next time when using this particular conditioner as it seems like the Kenzia conditioner is quite oily by itself.

Wet with conditioner and castor oil layered ontop. (Sorry about the steamed up mirror!)
Just diffused, about 80% dry. A lot of shrinking observed, But lots of sheen.

First day was great, but I was not prepared for what was to come afterwards. The aftermath was not good I tell you. Click here.

Review: Kenzia Moroccan Argan Oil Smoothing Conditioner




Price: £9.99 for 16fl oz / 400ml from TKmaxx
Marketing blurb: Smoothing conditioner that imparts shine, repairs hair, protects hair.
The appearance of the contents of this conditioner within the bottle caught my eye at the store. I also liked the packaging, quite reminiscent of the product's main selling point: Argan oil. It brought to mind Egyptian architecture for some reason, plus the brown transparent bottle showing you a glimpse of the content is quite unique and somewhat 'earthy'
I am always interested in conditioners that have a lot of oils (e.g.Garnier fructis), as I'm not always one for mixing, but love the combo of conditioners and oils on my hair.  The ingredients overall looked good; BTMS (behentrimonium methosulfate) second oooOh I like that! (I thought). Though I warily noted that argan oil was the sixth ingredient!, I still purchased it.
The scent is quite 'herby' with a hint of rosemary, not long-lasting thankfully. I've used it as a leave-in underneath  Ecostyler gel for wash & goes and it keeps Dafro very happy.
There is good coil clumpage and even a bit of shine! I found that it didn't leave as much whiteness behind initially as noticed with other conditioners when combined with eco styler gel and applied to my hair. (A big plus!)
Though the slip is not  'Tressemme- naturals-league'  kind of slip, it's slip is just OK for me. The smoothing effect is fantastic,so I must say it delivered what it promised there. I believe this is a conditioner with a lighter consistency, so it would be perfect for those with fine hair and those with hair prone to buildup. 
For my hair: I prefer and LOVE to use this as a leave-in, as I prefer lighter conditioners as leave-ins for my hair than as rinse-outs. If I were to use this as a rinse-out on my hair the bottle would barely last a week, and for the price I would rather stretch it out longer.
Also I am of the belief that a product promoting itself as containing a specific ingredient, should have that ingredient within it's 1st three ingredients at least. So for that reason, I shall be giving this baby a B as a rinse out but an A as a leave-in, because there are other products on the market with a higher concentration/equal concentration of argan oil and cheaper.

Review:Hollywood Beauty Olive Oil Cholesterol

Price: £1.99 for 20oz
Availability: most local beauty supply shops & online.
Marketing Blurb: imparts super shine & moisture to dry/damaged hair.
Ingredients:DEIONIZED WATER(AQUA), CETEARYL ALCOHOL, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, STEARALKONUM CHLORIDE, CETYL ALCOHOL, STEARYL ALCOHOL, OLIVE OIL, PROPYLENE GYCOL, GLYCERIN, MINERAL OIL, TEA TREE OIL, JOJOBA OIL, AVOCADO OIL, COCONUT OIL, EGG PROTEIN, CHOLESTEROL, ALOE VERA EXTRACT, CALENDULA EXTRACT, LEMON EXTRACT, ROSEMARY EXTRACT, GREAT BURDOCK EXTRACT, IVY EXTRACT, PINE EXTRACT, SAGE EXTRACT, WATERCRESS EXTRACT, CHAMOMILE EXTRACT, WHITE NETTLE EXTRACT, CAPUCINE EXTRACT, FRAGRANCE, METHYL PARABEN, PROPYL PARABEN, DIAZOLIDNYL UREA, DMDM HYDANTOIN, DISODIUM EDTA, D & C YELLOW #10, FD & C YELLOW #5, FD & C BLUE#1, FD & C RED#33.
Packaging: Comes in a simple wide plastic jar with a green screw type lid as seen in the picture. Perfect for just digging your hand into and scooping out handfuls of conditioner on your hair.
Scent:Candy type of scent, is what they were probably going for with this one.So you get that, and then the artificiality of the scent follows., but it doesn't linger. As soon as I rinse my hair, most of it is gone.
My Review:
I love cholesterol on my hair!! But never inside my body!It leaves my hair so soft afterwards so it's worthy of some credit! It's got a green thick almost jam-like consistency that smooths,detangles and clumps my coils. It's like it just lays my hair into submission without fail each and every time!
I think it has stella ingredients minus the mineral oil which may not fare well with those that follow the CG method. It is still down in the middle of the ingredients list at number ten. Castor oil, my favourite oil is second on the ingredients and ironically the "cholesterol" itself is number 17!
Since I 'sulphate' wash approximately once a week, I am not worried about buildup. I'm aware that Le kair did a mineral free version of Shea butter cholesterol though it appears that this may have been discontinued. Speaking of buildup, it does buildup very quickly. So I would advise that one spaces out its usage. I love using this to co-wash about once or twice a week and it leaves my hair feeling so soft after rinsing!
I have tried it for a wash and go and the definition was CRAZY SICK! I think I must have been heavy handed though because it completely dried with a dull cast and I don't like my hair looking dull/grey!I personally think this stuff should get a lot more props, because I feel that it doesn't get praised enough in the natural hair community. What do you think about cholesterol?

Saturday 10 March 2012

Wash n Go Trials on Coily Hair 2 :Ecostyler Blue & Hawaiian Silky Curl Activator.

Co-washed with Hollywood beauty cholesterol. Applied the curl activator in four sections and put some castor oil on top. Smoothed on the gel in smaller sections. The castor oil made it look white initially but the whiteness mostly dissipated after after an hour and left a lot of shine as it air-dried.

Damp & White, due to castor oil & curl activator emulsion.

Almost dry, Great shine!

Scrunching Out The Crunch SOTC On Curly/ Coily Hair

This refers to how one chooses to soften the 'gel cast'/hardness encountered when using harder/heavier gels. Usually after a wet set or wash & go using such heavier gels has dried. The coils can feel quite hard to touch.
Now personally these casts don't bother me as such, because I personally regard gels as sealers of moisture in the hair;after all they do encase the hair strands, and in turn help to protect the hair.

But if you want to get rid of that crunch after your wet set is set (*_*), here is what you can do.

1.Spritz with a water/oil mix. This will help deliver moisture (water) and seal (oil) in that moisture while breaking up the crunchy cast.

2.Emulsify a pomade/cream/oil between your hands and scrunch that in.

3.Scrunch the crunch out just using your hands and without product.

My favorite method so far has been to scrunch out the crunch with castor oil as I love the additional shine it gives.



Friday 9 March 2012

Wash n Go Trials on Coily Hair 1: Ecostyler Blue Gel & EO Essentials Coconut Conditioner

 Ecostyler Blue for Color Treated Hair (Hold level 5) & EO Organic coconut conditioner.

Still very wet.

Damp hair.
 Some gel still drying here..

Pics on mostly dry hair (90% dry)
Ecostyler blue is still a heavy gel.  I like this gel as the scent isn't offensive or too strong. It weighs my coils downwards and gives a good hold.There is still quite a bit of firmness as it dries, but it is not as firm/hard as the other gels with a hold of 10.The EO conditioner one of my favourite conditioners always pops my coils and delivers maximum moisture and it didn't disappoint with this. I must say.. with this wash & go I applied the conditioner to four big sections then applied the gel in smaller sections within those four sections by smoothing and piecing apart obvious clumps I would see with my hands. I never used a comb/brush only my hands. I find that this method of applying conditioner in bigger sections and gel in smaller helps reduce the duration of whiteness as the hair doesn't get too saturated with conditioner causing whitehead for hours until it completely dries. I didn't re-spritz/re-wet as often as I usually do for this one. Also didn't shake, but let it air-dry as it was when wet, and it pretty much maintained the same shape as it had when wet
Winner combo!