Wash & Go Trials On Afro Coily Kinky Hair 10: Garnier Fructis Survivor Gel & Castor/AVG/Curl activator mix

I applied this to my wet hair with a LI mix of a dab of curl activator, Aloe vera gel & castor oil. My definition was on point with application. I even saw some grouped coils on my crown region which almost never coils/clumps for anything!
But man! When it dried, I was not ready for the CRUNCH!! My hair was HARD! 
In the mornings I would spray a glycerin/oil/water mix to re-shape my hair and it always suprisingly moulded back into place easily. I easily got 5day hair with this and could have easily kept going. The only thing is that my hair just didn't feel nice to touch initially. It felt hard to touch and would not scrunch out easily with just any oil. (After a few days it naturally relented it's hold). After this trial I resigned this gel for use only with very heavy leave-in conditioners or as a finisher.

Review: Garnier Fructis Style Ultimate Survivor Gel with Cactus Extract

This Garnier survivor gel is not for the faint-hearted it really does have an extreme hold
This gel is serious stuff. If you can't stand hard hold gels, I suggest you stop here.

Garnier Fructis Style Survivor Gel ensures 24-hour hold even in the most extreme conditions. Contains extracts from the cactus plant and a citrus fragrance combined with the non-drying formula keeps hair styled, strong and residue free

Smell: Light citrusy scent. I find it pleasant.


Price: 200ml for £2.50-£3.50 from ASDA/Boots/Tesco/Superdrug. Usually on offer 2 for 1 at Superdrug/ASDA

Texture: pearlescent opaque with a slight grey tone. Not sticky, mucousy or gummy. Almost seems to disappear between my wet palms as I rub them together


Ingredients: Aqua, Polyester-5, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated castor oil, PEG-70 Mango Glycerides, Triethanolamine, Limonene, Benzyl alcohol, Linalool, Propylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Acylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate copolymer, Pyrus Malus Extract/Apple Fruit Extract, Sorbitol, Disodium EDTA, Citral, Citrus medica, Limonum extract/Lemon Fruit Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Extract/Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract,Amyl Cinnamal, Parfum/Fragrance (FIL C47405/1)
(Actual ingredients on my tubes. I have noticed varying ingredients online.)

Application on my hair: it went on quite tame-like, giving me no indication of its powers apart from showing me some serious coiling/clumping upon application.

This gel did not seem to have a lot of reviews online for women's hair not to talk of afro kinky coily natural hair. I reckon that it may not be considered by most ladies, as going by the video ads alone this gel appears to be  marketed and targeted to mainly men, or people wanting to create 'spiked styles'

 
Garnier Fructis Survivor gel is most likely one of the hardest gels I have tried to date. It claims to resist humidity and frizz and holds that promise.  Even after I went to the gym and had a rigorous sweat-fest my hair was still defined. Most gels would render my hair a straight up fro after a session at the gym. To put this into a better perspective for some ladies- this leaves Ecostyler gel -Krystal (hold 10) behind in the dust.

When it dries, the CRUNCH is CRAZY!! My hair gets very HARD! 
So hard that when I lay my head on my pillow at night I would hear my hair rustling ! In the mornings I would spray a glycerin/oil/water mix to re-shape my hair and it always suprisingly moulded back into place easily. I easily got 5day hair with this and could have easily kept going. The only thing is that my hair just didn't feel nice to touch initially. It felt hard to touch and would not scrunch out easily with just any oil. (After a few days it gradually relented it's hold).

Another surprising property of this gel was how it rinsed out extremely easily with just water from hair. My hair did not feel sapped of moisture or parched as I rinsed.If using this alone I'll be recommending that one uses a much heavier leave-in. (Do the combo test on hand for potential white residue)
The Survivor gel has indeed survived and gradually snuck itself into my styling routine as a 'top-upper'/finisher. Basically after I use most gels to style a wash & go. I apply a wee bit of this on the top of my crown to address the harder to define and easy to frizz areas.

I would really recommend this if you are serious about making your wng style last for ages.This gel would guarantee that longevity  If you want your coils/curls/kinks to stay controlled with military obedience then this gel will do exactly that for you..Plus a little will go a long way. Otherwise, If you can't stand the crunch then run!...... Far away as fast as you can. 

My hair with Garnier Fructis Survivor Gel.

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)