Review/Deal: Sally’s Salon Services Herbal Complex Conditioner

After browsing my local Sally’s beauty supply store looking for a decent ‘on the ground protein conditioner’ (didn’t find any by the way), I decided to make a purchase I’ve been putting off for a while. You see I had been eyeing a 5 litre keg of conditioner. 5 litres? Yes 5 litres. 

Like most curly/coily hair ladies, I can never have enough conditioner. So much that I usually prefer to buy my conditioners in litre sizes. Also with Tresseme Naturals 900ml conditioner offers at shops becoming a rarity and gradually increasing in price. It was time to invest in a better solution for Dafro. With 5litres at £11.99. That works out at 1000ml/1litre at approximately £2.40 for a great quality conditioner!! Thankfully I didn’t need to have a Salon Pro card of sorts to make this purchase.

Product Features of Sally’s Salon Services Herbal Complex Conditioner

• To be used after any colouring or bleaching treatment
• Formulated with Vitamin E which is a powerful antioxidant with hydrating properties.

This is probably that ‘treatment’ the stylist says is natural and strengthening for your hair whilst she massages your scalp, you know the one in the nameless bottle that you wonder about? (Off course only at the non- exclusive salon, because the exclusive ones only use branded recognized products *sniffs*)

Nehuuu..With this manufacturer recommending that this was to be used after a colouring or bleaching treatment - processes that are potentially detrimental to the hair shaft due to their bond altering effects. I knew I had to be on the right path.

They did not sell smaller samples of this conditioner, so I couldn’t tell it’s efficacy. There were no reviews online at the time of writing, so not much else to go by apart from my understanding of ingredients.

The ingredients list is relatively simple, but what I love even more is that the MAIN agents are within the top 5. This means that these ingredients exist in a much higher concentration. How many times have you picked up a conditioner purporting itself as argan/aloe/shea/potatoe e.t.c based only to note disappointingly that the supposed main ingredient is actually at the bottom of the ingredients list.

Welll that wasn’t the case with this one. What was the seller for me? The aloe vera gel and henna. 

Yes definitely CG, if you are into that.

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Alcohol (fatty emulsifying conditioning agent ), Steartrimonium Methosulfate (anti-static smoothing agent (STM)), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera Gel) Lawsonia Inermis (Henna Extract),Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Parfum (Fragrance) Citric Acid (preservatives) Magnesium Chloride Magnesium Nitrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone (preservatives)  CI 19140 CI 42090 (colouring)

Texture

Medium-light texture.

 

Smell

I think of lime and greens with this one. I guess they were trying to go for a ‘herby’ smell. Either way I like it.

On my hair

It gave me great slip and allowed me to finger detangle fairly easily. Infact it was surprisingly very slippery and sudsy! Wow! I like very much. It smoothed down my hair quite a fair bit too. Overall it did a good job for me far more than I expected. But the killer for me, was the reduced amount of shedding I got. I got significantly less shedding that I usually do. Despite having not washed my hair in a few days.  Whenever this finishes I will definitely be returning back to Sally’s to stock up.

I doubt I shall be having any cold sweats as a result of conditioner shortage any time soon. Tressemme can move over.

Review: Andrew Barton SOS Help Me! Twice a Week Conditioner

Price: £4 for a 300ml tub or 2 for £6 during ASDA sales.

Availability: Mainly at ASDA! I can pick it up with some soya milk anytime.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water) , Cetearyl Alcohol , Behentrimonium Chloride , Cetyl Esters , Glycerin , Boswellia Serrata (Olibanum) Extract , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Panthenol , Parfum (Fragrance) , Glycereth-26 , Tetrasodium EDTA , Cetrimonium Chloride , Dipropylene Glycol , Isopropyl Alcohol , Citric Acid , Magnesium Nitrate , Magnesium Chloride , Benzyl Alcohol , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone .

Packaging: Simple black and red jar. With the product name written in bold capital white letters. I actually love the simplicity of the packaging. Plus with red being one of my favourite colours, I can’t help but feel this way.

Smell: Is the only thing I’m a little bit unsure about. I only like it in small doses. For short periods. Any longer and it’s sickening. Notes of gingerbread, vanilla, cookies come to mind when I sniff this from the jar. Though according to the site, it’s supposed to smell like Brazil nuts. (I eat brazil nuts everyday, it’s nothing close to this! lol)

Texture:  Creamy light texture.You see this stuff is so light that I feel they could easily have re-packaged this in a bottle. But I suppose they wanted to go with the ‘mask in jar’ theme so jar it was. Though don’t let the texture deceive you. This stuff is very effective.

On my hair: If your hair tends to get dry, knotty and tangled easily.Then I recommend this conditioner to you  My kinky hair is prone to dryness so I always go for the heavy-duty conditioners. I'm so glad I didn't pass this one up. As a deep-conditioner, this product delivers. It leaves my hair very supple and soft. I couldn’t resist trying this as a leave-in conditioner as well. I knew this stuff was going to be my staple after it delivered over a day’s moisture on my wash & go fro. Even after Dafro dried, she was still so soft, right up till the next morning! (This is no easy feat. Many products have failed at this step.)

I fell in love with SOS conditioner for so many reasons

- It’s so easy to acquire.

-  Really smoothes down the hair cuticles.

-  Has crazy slip which helps me finger-detangle with no hassle at all. When Dafro is tripping I just layer the SOS conditioner on her and she immediately conforms. Like seriously. She just calms down. Immediately.

- It delivers lasting moisture as a leave-in conditioner when layered with castor oil. Unlike my recently upstaged EO conditioners it does not irritate my scalp as a leave-in. Yes!

- Serves different purposes effectively for me. Leave-in, co-rinse, deep-conditioner.

HG/Staple worthy. The end.

Staple Hair Products For My Coily, Kinky Type 4 Hair Easily Bought On The Ground (UK)

I was thinking of following up my initial post March favourites, but thought that maybe redundant because most of the products in my March favourites are also in my April Favourites and will most likely be around for the following months. I have a few new additions, so let me know if you would like a more in-depth review if  there isn’t one already on my blog.

 It’s fun to try new products, but it’s important to have those staples you can fall back on when you can’t be bothered to experiment/just don’t have the time, suffered adverse reactions from past product experiments, are just done with product experimenting (a phase I go through from time to time) or simply broke! Lol.

For new naturals, I understand how expensive it can be to find moderately priced products that are easy to get and effective, I've been there. So for that reason, I would like to share my staples that have been chosen for being: 

1. Effective on my hair. (You know the saying, “What works for me and so on”)
2. Possessing moderate - cheap prices.
3. Easy to pick up on the ground. (Yup no shipping, online transactions. Attainable same day!)

So from L-R; 

Schwarzkopf Gliss Oil Nutritive Shampoo Cleans effectively without stripping. Costs £1 and can be found at Poundshop/99p stores.

Tresseme Naturals Silicone Free Conditioner: Crazy Slip, conditions wonderfully leaves my hair soft during and after rinsing. Between £2.50-£5.00. Lowest during BOGOF sales at Superdrug, Boots, ASDA, Sainburys, Tescos.

Andrew Barton SOS Help Me Twice a Week Conditioning Mask: crazy slip. Effective for Dafro as a co-rinse, leave-in (combined with castor oil) and deep-conditioner. Smells like cookies/gingerbread. Found only at ASDA to my current knowledge and some smaller pharmacies with a much smaller range. Buy mine priced 2 for £6/£8 during ASDA offers

Vatika Egg Protein Hair Mask: Does a good job of strengthening my hair, without giving me hard hair. Ok slip. Suds easily so I use as a co-wash and rinse out. Buy from black hair care shops and even spotted at Superdrug. Costs between £3.50 - £4.99.

Ecostyler Pink Gel: Cheap effective styling gel. Clumps, defines, weighs down & holds my coils in place keeping tangles away during WNG styling. Smells like tea-tree oil. Gives me multiple day hair. Gives firm hold, not too hard hold like Olive/Krystal/Argan versions. Can pull back a decent bun with this unlike the Blue Ecostyler. 946ml massive tub costs £2.99 from my local black hair care shop.

Aloe vera Gel: smooths down my cuticles like no other, especially when they are quite bushy. Gives very light soft hold for WNG. Great base staple leave-in when mixed with castor oil. £4.99 from Holland & Barratt. I bag these and stock up during the BOGOF/ Penny sales.

Hawaiian Silky Curl Activator “Dry Look”: always layered with castor oil, makes my coils clump like crazy and keeps my hair moisturised for at least 2 days. Smells like candy. Costs between £3-4 for a 454g tub. Also available at my local black beauty hair shop.

Castor Oil: All round staple for it's Conditioning/Detangling/Sealing properties. I can buy this stuff from the local shop, but since the dude and myself use this from head to toe, I buy it in litres. Can be found at my local hair product shop in 250ml bottles priced at £2.99. Even spotted at some branches of Tescos in Asian food aisle. (I buy my litres off Ebay/Amazon)

Umberto Giannini Scrunching Jelly:  Lovely styling gel for my WNG. Great effective coil clumper. Gives me multiple day hair. Available from boots just under £5 for 200ml tub. A bit pricey so I stock up during 2for1 offers.

Recent additions not in pic: 1/05/2012
*Sally's Salon Services Herbal Complex Conditioner.
*Taliah Waajid's Mist Bodifier Spray as a refresher.

Wash & Go Trials On Coily Hair 5:Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion & Blue Ecostyler Gel.

I wore this wash and go for 3 days. I applied the smoothing lotion immediately after a co-wash in the shower on soaking wet hair which was sectioned into 4 quadrants. The CJ smoothing lotion is a great coil clumper for me and has great slip. I came out of the shower,sectioned the 4 quadrants into a smaller sections then globbed on the gel.  I started from the roots and then smoothed the gel down to the ends. Lightly raked/separated (not pulling down to ends) My coils were popping everywhere and any visible whiteness left by the smoothing lotion dissipated quickly within an hour on the tips! The crown as usual needed a little bit longer. This is a great combo.

For nightly maintenance, I put some butter/oil on the ends and tied up in 3 scrunchies aligned vertically like a mo-hawk. Then put on my shower-bonnet combo. In the morning I removed scrunchies, shook and fluffed.


                                                               Pictures show second day hair.

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.

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!

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-

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?

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..

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?

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!

Current Hair Product Favourites March 2012: Updated

SHAMPOO


Review: Elucence moisture benefits shampoo = A*

Pros: Very concentrated so a little goes a long way. Lots of lathering action.Leaves hair feeling very moisturised during & after rinsing. Very slippy, I can actually detangle with just this in my hair. pH balanced. Smells like peaches, gorgeous scent!


Cons: May not be the best clarifier, though in it's defense thats not it's purpose.Stings like b****h when it comes in contact with eyes. Have to order online, not on ground in shops in London.


Ingredients: Prunis Persica (Peach) extract, Pimpenella anisum (Anise) fruit extract, Panax Ginseng root extract, Ginkgo Bilobika extract, cetraria islandica (Irish Moss) extract, saccharomyces cerevisiea (Brewer's Yeast) extract in purified water, sodium myreth solfate (coconut oil-derived). C14-16 olefin sulfonate (mineral-derived_, cocomidopropyl betaine (coconut oil-derived)hydrolyzed wheat protein, tocopherol acetate, Panthenol (provitamin), glycol distearate (fatty acid-derived), polyquaternium-10 (polysaccharide celulose, DMDM Hydantoin, methlyparaben (USP), propylparaben(UPS), benzophenone-4 (UV absorber), fragrance, D&C orange 4CI 15510


Review: Swarzkopf oil nutritive shampoo = B+

Marketing speech: Reduces split ends up to 85%, for Shiny hair from root to tip. Easy to get from pound shops or Savers. Ingredients: Includes Argan oil as the fourth ingredient after water! (take that Kenzia!), macadamia nut oil, olive oil,sesame seed oil, castor oil a whole host of other oils! It also contains hydrolysed keratin (though down the list) for strengthening the hair  fibers.
Pros: Cheap as chips. Clarifies without stripping. Nice citrusy scent. Packed full of great oils and proteins! Claims to help prevent split ends!As well as create shiny hair. Well thats another story entirely, because my hair isn't the kind to to *shine* but have have a sheen.  What got me attracted to this shampoo initially was the impressive ingredients list.  It is packed full of so many oils. Which is great for me, because I am not always one for mixing stuff in the kitchen and all that. I just prefer to have my products deliver  what they promise solely.  This is a cheap, effective shampoo that cleans my hair without stripping it.
Cons: Not as moisturising as elucence, not slippy either. Has SLS & cones (though water soluble) so not CG friendly if you are into that.

CONDITIONER


Review: Tressemme Naturals Silicone Free Nourishing Moisture Conditioner = A

Pros: Clumps my coils like no man's business, The Slip is crazy, my hair feels like butter, After rinsing out my hair still feels so so soft. This is Holy Grail for the slip alone. Price is great for quantity, easily and readily available.  Frequently subject to BOGO or 1/2 price offers in supermarkets or Boots/Superdrug

Cons:As a leave -in, occasionally irritates my scalp. 

Ingredients:Water (Aqua), Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Fragrance (Parfum), Lauroyl Lysine, Caprylyl Glycol, Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer, Aspartic Acid, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Citric Acid, Alcohol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice. USDA Certified Organic Extracts: Aloe Vera, Sweet Orange, and Avocado. 

Review: Dabur  Vatika  Virgin Olive & Egg Protein Hair Masks =  A-

Pros:Very sudsy, slippy,  I use these interchangeably. My coils clump like crazy after using them. I use these for co-washing and  deep - conditioning and my hair always feels great afterwards! Readily available at most Asian-run Beauty supply shops. Approximate price range £3.50-£5 a tub.

Cons:The scent may be a bit strong for some but fortunately it doesn't last very long after rinsing out.

Ingredients for Olive :Aqua, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Olea Europaea (Olive), Fruit Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Almond) Oil, Lawsonia Inermis Extract, Parfum, Magnesium Nitrate, Magnesium Chloride, Methylchloroisothiazolionone, Methylsothiazolinone, Citric Acid, Cl 16255, Cl 19140, Cl 14720, Cl 73015, Cl 28440.

Ingredients for Egg Protein:Aqua, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Parfum, Honey Extract, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Marrow Extract, Egg Powder, Olea Europaea (Olive), Fruit Oil, Magnesium Nitrate, Magnesium Chloride, Methylchloroisothiazolionone, Methylsothiazolinone, Citric Acid, Cl 19140, Cl 42080, Cl28440, Cl73015, Cl16255, Cl14720.

Review:Aubrey Organics GBP & Honeysuckle Rose Conditioners = A*

Pros: Lovely scent, great slip, one of the few conditioners that leaves my hair moisturised for days! Fantastic as a co-wash, rinse-out & deep conditioner

Cons: Gradually rising price range (sigh* I remember when these were between £5-£6!! Now price ranges from £9-£12!), so I'm careful not to get too hooked on them. Too thick and pasty to leave-in on my hair. Even when watered down can leave a dull grey/white cast.

Ingredients: Coconut fatty acid cream base, organic aloe vera, wheat germ oil, milk protein, organic rosemary oil, organic sage oil, horsetail extract, coltsfoot extract, nettle extract, glycoprotein, balsam oil, aubrey's preservative (citrus seed extract, vitamins A, C and E)

N.B: I have noticed the ingredients are different on these conditioners. Sometimes there is a label on the side of the bottle with separate ingredients. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this.

Review: EO Essentials Organic Conditioners = A*

Pros: I love these conditioners. Like really really love these conditioners! Very very rich and moisturising conditioners. Stellar ingredients.So far my faves have included the coconut, coconut and hibiscus, rose & hibiscus, lavender and aloe. They make fantastic rinse outs/leave-ins & deep conditioners. For my type 4 hair, these conditioners deliver exceptional long-lasting moisture past day 1 if layered with castor oil as a leave -in.

Cons: Not a lot of slip, so can't detangle with them the scent can take a while to get used to. For example I can only use the Lavender conditioners during winter. As I tend to have a greater tolerance for such deeper scents during the colder months.  It is not always readily available at TKMaxx (£7-£8 for 32 fl oz/960ml), where I purchase them. Original price online is twice/three times what I would usually get them for! 

Ingredients for EO Essentials Organic Coconut Conditioner: 

Review: Garnier Triple Nutrition Conditioners for Dry/Damaged Hair = A-

Pros: Fantastic, Oil packed conditioners! Lasting moisture, Good slip, Causes major clumpage of coils.Readily available at decent prices £1-£3 at supermarkets or Boots! 
Cons: Can lead to breakouts & irritate scalp if not rinsed out properly! Frequently gets re-packaged/re-formulated. I prefer the lighter green packaged conditioners to the darker green conditioners. As the latter has less oils in my opinion.


Ingredients:Water,Cetearyl Alcohol,Palm Oil,Behentrimonium Chloride,Apple Fruit Extract,Glycerin,Parfum/Fragrance,Stearamidopropyl Dimethlamine,Niacinamide,Pyridoxine HCI,Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Shea Butter,Citric Acid,Olea Europaea Oil/Olive Fruit Oil,Sugar Cane Extract,Benzyl Alcohol,Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride,Avocado Oil,Black Currant Seed Oil,Lemon Peel Extract,Linalool 


Leave in/Moisturiser


Water **

Abundant, Free, Essential daily for Dafro.


Review: Aloe Vera Gel & Castor oil mix = A

Pros: AVG seals the cuticles & corrects the pH balance. castor oil lubricates the hair strands and helps seal in & attract moisture with it's humectant qualities. Cheap and very effective for me!
Cons: None.!




Review: Hawaiian Silky Curl activator gel & castor oil = A

Pros: Loving Hawaiian Silky's Gel Activator *Dry look* I can put this on damp hair, then 'seal' in with castor oil. Otherwise Dafro get's crispy dry by the end of the day! It gives me more than a day's moisture!!! Easily accessible from my local BSS.Cheap. Love the scent!
Cons: Takes a few attempts to master the right quantity to use, otherwise it's grease stains everywhere!
Ingredients for Hawaiian Silky :Water (Aqua) Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, PEG-75 Lanolin, Hydantoin DMDM, Polysorbate-20, Triethanolamine, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Carbomer, Angelica Archangelica Root Extract (Angelica Archangelica), Articum Lappa Root Extract (Articum Lappa), Chamomilla Recutita (martricaria) Extract (Charmomilla Recultita), Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract (Symphytum Officinale), Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Extract (Viscum Album), Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract (Urtica Dioica), Avena Sativa (Oat) Meal Extract (Avena Sativa, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis), Saliva Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract (Saliva Officinalis), Nasturtium Officinale Extract (Nasturtium Officianale), FD&C Yellow NO. 5 (Cl 19140), FD&C Red No. 40 (CL 16035), Fragrance (Parfum)