Category Archives: Shampoo

Product Review: Lia Naturals Shampoo Bars

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Lia Naturals Shampoo BarI love multi-use products so it is strange that I have slept on shampoo bars for so long. Shampoo bars are exactly how they sound, shampoo in bar form.   They are used to cleanse the scalp and hair same as other cleansers but can also be used for face and body.  Now if you have never used a shampoo bar it may seem a little weird, but once you do you will wonder what took you so long to try it.

Lia Naturals was formerly known as DIY Naturals Hair Care but they changed their name a few months ago.  I was sent several sample sized shampoo bars to review including: Green Tea, Hibiscus, and Ayurvedic shampoo bars.  I started with the Hibiscus shampoo bar which I found to work well as both a shampoo bar and a body bar.  I did notice after using it the first time that my hair had a waxy coating which felt strange. However after deep conditioning my hair the waxy feeling was gone.  I was told that the waxiness could be from the shea butter used in the ingredients.  I really liked the Green Tea shampoo bar as a face wash, it really helped with my occasionally finicky skin.

Lia Naturals Ayurvedic Shampoo Bar

Lia Naturals

Ayurvedic Shampoo Bar

$6.95

ing: Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Soybean Oil, Avocado Oil, Palm Oil, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Shea Butter, Castor Oil, Amla, Neem, & Fenugreek Powder

As this was my first introduction to shampoo bars I cannot compare to other kinds.  What I can say is outside of smell and appearance I really could not tell the difference between the three soaps I received on my hair.  I did notice a difference on my skin however.  I found the shampoo bars are very easy to use and that they are a great way to specifically target your scalp and to cleanse it. The bars lather up very easy and make it simple to cleanse the length of the hair.  I also like that you can target a specific area of the head easily as compared to traditional shampoo.

5 Things I Like About This Product

  1. Ease of use. Wet the hair, massage the bar into the scalp and use fingers to agitate.
  2. Cleanses well. My hair and scalp were both thoroughly cleansed.
  3. A little really does go a long way and you only apply the amount that you need.
  4. Travel friendly. You can pack a shampoo bar on your trip and not have to worry about spillage or tsa restrictions on liquids.
  5. Lathers well. While it is not necessary to have a great lather to clean your hair we have become accustomed to the bubbles.

I was very pleased with this shampoo bar from Lia Naturals and I would most definitely purchase again.  For tips on how to wash your hair with a shampoo bar check out my YT video below.  In the video I followed the shampoo bar cleansing with a vinegar rinse to see if it helped combat the waxy feeling. 

Product Review: Original Moxie featuring Knapsgirl

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“All I need in this life I’m in, is me and my curlfriends” –African Proverb

All kidding aside I really do LOVE my curlfriends.  A few weeks ago I went on a mini-vacay to visit my curlfriend, YouTuber MonicaJoi aka Knapsgirl and of course we played in hair products.  Monica won a full-set of Original Moxie Natural Wonder products and we decided to give them a try.

Original Moxie

Natural Wonder Gift Set

Includes: Get Clean™ No-foam Shampoo (8 oz.), Intense Quench™ Deep Conditioner (8 oz.), & Everyday Leave-in™ Detangling Conditioner (8 oz.), Hair Bling™ High Shine Pomade (3 oz.), & Lux Locks™ Styling & Shine (6 oz.). 

$72 for the complete set

There are two videos that go along with this review, a before and an after, that are filled with lots of giggles and hilarity. Monica is a purest and refused to edit them so enjoy our ridiculousness.

Before Vid 

Get Clean No-Foam Shampoo: This was a strange experience for me.  This is a no-foam shampoo and it really doesn’t foam.  It feels like a moisturizer when you are applying it to your hair and it was honestly hard to tell if I had distributed it evenly or if it was even working.  After two washes I decided that it should be good enough. To my surprise it did get my hair clean and did so without stripping.  I would not recommend this if your hair is really gunked up with product, however as a daily or even weekly cleanser this worked great. It has a polite floral-nutty smell, hard to pinpoint but it was pleasant.  While the product did work, I give it a B grade, I would not purchase as I like the comfort of knowing my hair is clean and this honestly was just too subtle for me.

Everyday Leave-in Detangling Conditioner: I used this both as a rinse out and a leave-in conditioner.  It did an okay job detangling my hair. There was not phenomenal slip but I was able to finger detangle without feeling like I would yank or break my hair.  Again nice subtle smell to it.  It worked much better as a leave-in conditioner or moisturizer than it did as a detangling conditioner.  Overall grade C, I would not purchase this again although it worked well as a moisturizer I prefer it to work better as a detangler.

Intense Quench Deep Conditioner: Easily my favorite product in this line.  It did a great job conditioning and detangling my hair.  I will say that when I first applied it I thought I was going to hate it. The product is thin, like a leave in moisturizer, after applying it to a section of hair I allowed it to sit for about 10 minutes and that is when the magic happened.  Just goes to show a deep conditioner does not have to be thick or buttery to work well.  Overall grade A, however I would not purchase unless it was on sale because the price point of $17 for 8 oz it too rich for my blood.

Lux Locks Styling & Shine: This is a twisting cream that I used to twist my hair.  The product worked well, it was not too sticky or greasy easy to apply and left my hair moisturized.  I would not recommend as a wash-n-go styler it was not much of a curl definer.  The one draw-back is the smell. I don’t know if it is the neem, rosewood or what but the smell is strong and not my pleasing to me.  We mistook the scent for patchouli but it is not an ingredient listed in the product however it is in the same scent family.  Without the smell I would give the product a B for performance however the scent drops it down to a C.

Hair Bling High Shine Pomade: I am not a real fan of pomades but I did like this one. It was not overly greasy and added a nice shine to my hair.  I did not care for using it to twist alone but it worked great when coupled with the Lux Locks Styling & Shine, so I would recommend using them together.  I can really tell the difference in softness and shine in the sections where I used this product. Overall grade for this product is a B, but like the deep conditioner it is much too pricey in my opinion and I would not purchase.

After Vid 

A quick shot of me and our camerawoman Nyra, before heading out for the night :)

I did get an AWESOME twist-out taking my hair down a few days later :)

Product Review Mozeke Rhassoul Deep Detox Cleanser

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Mozeke

Rhassoul Deep Detox Cleanser

8 oz for $11.50

Available at MozekeProducts.com

ing:  Aloe Vera Juice, Rhassoul clay, Kaolin clay, Dead Sea Mud, Extra Virgin Olive oil, and Optiphen.

The quick and the dirty: I love this product.  It is really as simple as that.  I know many of your are thinking that washing your hair with mud is just insane. You are right, it’s insanely awesome!  This mudwash detox cleanser does everything you want a cleanser to do: clean your strands back to their naked state, without leaving your hair feeling like a brillo pad.  Yes, you can quote me, it does all of that.

5 Things I Love About This Product

  1. It really works.  Gently cleanses your hair back to healthy.
  2. Simple natural ingredients that you can pronounce.
  3. No paraben, silicone, sulfates, phthalates or any other undesirables.
  4. Easy to use. No measuring or mixing just apply, let sit and rinse off.
  5. Actually left my hair feeling good.  I have often skipped my rinse out or deep conditioner and just used a leave in to style.

Some things to note: application is messy.  I mean it is mud after all.  Apply in the shower so that any mess can just be sprayed down the drain.  Also, the product smells like dirt.  This is a gimme but some people are shocked.  There are no perfumes or scent oils added to make this smell good.  If you made mud pies as a kid you will know the smell.  I have not used the other mud washes on the market so I cannot compare but I like this product.  I have purchased, repurchased and shared with my friends because well it works.

Product Review: Alba Botanica Honeydew Nourishing Hair Wash

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Alba Botanica 

Honeydew Nourishing Hair Wash

12 oz for $10 

Available at Wal-Mart, Whole Foods and online

ing: Purified water, certified organic aloe barbadensis, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, oleyl betaine, soyamidopropalkonium chloride, extracts of ananas sativus (pineapple), carica papaya (papaya) and zingiber zerumbet (awapuhi),guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, citric acid, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), soy protein, vegetable glycerin, macadamia ternifolia and aleurites moluccana (kukui) nut oils, ethylhexylglycerin, glycereth-7 cocoate, sodium benzoate, phospholipids, macrocystis pyrifera (kelp) extract, fragrance.

From the bottle: The revitalizing aroma of the islands is captured in this daily use shampoo with the scent of lavish tropical fruits.  Aloe and kelp provide mineral-rich nutrition while gentle cleansers and tropical fruits extracts wash away impurities.  Enriched with awapuhi for shiny, healthy hair.

I received this shampoo from a product swap.  Did not think much of it other then the fact that it smelled so delicious!  But a great scent does not a good shampoo make.  I did like that it contains actual plant extracts of pineapple, papaya, awapuhi and kukui.  The biggest win is that it is SLS and SLES free.

I washed my hair twice with this shampoo.  I used about a dime size for each quadrant and that was more than enough.  The product suds and suds and suds.  I am not a fan of big suds but most complaints about SLS/SLES shampoos is that they don’t have suds so if that is your thing you will not be disappointed.  I did get a nice tropical feel while washing my hair from the aroma of botanical ingredients.  However after two washes my hair did feel dry and tangled.

The shampoo rinses clean and did not impart any additional moisture to my hair.  For me this was not a good thing as I prefer my shampoos to be more moisturizing.  This shampoo is marketed as a daily which means it is geared towards those with oily hair who wash their hair more often so I will not fault the shampoo for its performance, it was not meant for my hair type.  If you are interested in trying this line I would suggest you check out the Real Repair Cocoa Butter or the Drink It Up Coconut Milk which are formulated toward dry, thirsty hair.

Are 2 in 1 Shampoo + Conditioners Fab or Drab?

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Let’s face it: hair gets dirty.  You have to cleanse your hair to remove dirt, excess oil and product buildup.  But cleansing your hair can leave it feeling dry, tangled or stripped which means you have to condition it.  If only there was a way to cleanse and condition in the same step.  Enter the 2 in 1 shampoo + conditioner.

Suave Professionals

2 in 1 Shampoo + Conditioner 

14.5 oz $1.84

ing: Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Dimethiconol, Fragrance (Parfum), Carbomer, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Amodimethicone, DMDM Hydantoin, TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Citric Acid, C11-15 Pareth-7, Laureth-9, Trideceth-12, PPG-9, Tocopheryl Acetate [Vitamin E Acetate], Propylene Glycol, Panthenol. Methylchloroisothiazolinone, 22. Methylisothiazolinone, Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)

Before jumping into the review lets talk a little about shampoo and conditioner and how they work.  Shampoos use chemicals called surfactants that attached to dirt and oil suspend them in their lather and they are then rinsed away.  But in this processes of cleansing they also remove the healthy oil (sebum) that protects the hair leaving it dry.  Conditioners contain softening agents that coat the hair helping it to become less tangled and protect it.  The most common conditioning agent is silicone.

Mixing shampoo and conditioner is not as simple as just pouring them into the same bottle.  The issue is that mixing these agents can be tricky like mixing vinegar (cleanser) with milk (conditioner) –if you know your way around the kitchen you would know that this results in buttermilk.  To make a 2-in-1 solution companies suspend silicone in neutral charged polymer and add it to an anionic (negative charged) shampoo.  The surfactants in the shampoo separate from the polymer during the rinsing process resulting in the cleansing ions being rinsed away while the silicone stays and coats the strands.

So how did it feel?  For me it felt the same as using most other shampoos.  It was slightly less stripping or dry feeling as most sulfate shampoos however it did not make my hair feel soft, moisturized or eliminate the need for a separate conditioner.  Although it had silicone it did not have enough slip for me to feel comfortable to detangle my hair with it.  For me the product is purely a gimmick and did not do the job as stated.  I think that those with naturally oily hair (particularly people with naturally straight hair) might find this to be adequate for their hair needs.

For those looking to save time in the shampoo and condition process I would suggest you try a gentle shampoo like Curls Curlicious Cleansing Cream which cleanses and moisturizes in one step.

Product Review Alaffia Shea & Honey Shampoo

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Alaffia

Shea & Honey Nourishing Shampoo

$10 for 8 oz

ing: Herbal infusion of Rooibos Tea (Aspalathus linearis), Liquid African Black Soap (Distilled water, Saponified Shea (Butyrospermum parkii) Butter and Virgin Palm Kernel (Elaeis guineensis) Oil), Decyl Polyglucose (from corn), African Wild Honey, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Panthenol (pro-Vitamin B5), Essential Oils (Sweet Orange and Ylang Ylang).

If you have ever wandered the health and beauty aisles of Whole Foods Market you have undoubtedly seen this product.  I first encountered it early in my natural hair journey.  After making this decision to go natural I continued using my standard shampoo and found it left my hair super dry and crunchy.  I went to the mecca, Whole Foods, for something more natural and the associate told me to check out this product. The great thing about WF is that if you do not like a product you can return it no questions asked for a full refund.  #win

I do not want to reinvent the wheel on proper cleansing of hair, but I will reiterate that I wash my scalp and not my hair.  That is apply shampoo directly to my scalp and focus on cleansing it thoroughly.  The agitation of my fingers forms suds that then runs down the length of my hair.  I love this shampoo because it is gentle enough for daily use, has great ingredients and cleanses without stripping.

5 Things I Love About This Product

  • The products are vegan friendly, gluten free, fair trade, not tested on animals, paraben and petroleum free, AND 10% of all sales are donated to community empowerment of women in West Africa.
  • Cleanses using African Black Soap which I find to be a great cleanser but sometimes difficult to use in soap form.
  • There are 7 different shampoo varieties to treat your hair/scalp issues.
  • A little goes a long way.1 bottle typically lasts me 6-9 months when washing my hair weekly.
  • It is gentle and moisturizing enough that I do not have to condition my hair afterward with a separate rinse-out conditioner.

The Shea & Honey is a protein conditioner.  Although I am protein sensitive I have found that oat protein does not bother my hair.  My favorite is the Coconut & Shea Daily Hydrating Shampoo, it is protein free but does contain glycerin which my hair loves.  I have also tried the Neem & Shea Scalp Recovery Shampoo which is excellent for those with itchy scalps or other issues.  I would like to try the henna and coffee versions next.  I would recommend that all curlies check out this slept-on brand.

You can find this on Alaffia’s website, Whole Food Stores or locally at Natural Alternatives Salon.

Product Review: Yummi Goodz

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Yummi Goodz

Green Tea Shampoo & Conditioner

The Wet Look

Soap Bar

I received these products a while back and it has taken me a long time to write this review, honestly because I didn’t really like them.  I hate writing bad reviews so when I don’t like a product I often put it on a shelf for another day to try to see if it can change my mind or lend it to a friend.  I put it on the shelf and just revisited it again this weekend and the results were still mediocre. *shrugs*

Yummi Goodz is the product line of Cleo Cartel a well known stylist and make-up artist in Northern California.  I’m a Cali girl so I always want to blow-up my state.  I received the products from my girl Rashida at a meet-up we had several months back.  She gave me several products to check out but I was most interested in the soap bar as we have dry sensitive skin in my family and my son prefers bars to liquid.  The products in this line are vegan which is kind of neat, but not necessary, however I knew that a vegan product would not contain any gross additives, sulfates, mineral oil, petroleum, etc.

Green Tea Shampoo 10 oz

ing: glycerin, water, shea, green tea, citrus, mint, almond oil and essential oils

This product is very watery.  As you can see from the ingredients there are no thickening agents so it will actually pour out once opened.  There is some very light-blink and you missed it- sudsing action though while it is not important it was hard for me to know if I even got the product distributed through my hair.  I would not recommend this shampoo to those who use a lot of heavy products or gels as I do not think it has enough cleaning power.  This would be a nice daily poo for the “natural-naturals” or loc wearers.  It has a pleasant green tea scent and good ingredients.  I last used this poo after coming home from the park where I was sweaty and gross but my hair was basically product-free and it did a fine job cleansing.  However the first time I used it after using gel and my hair still felt grimy so I brought in an old standby to do the job.

Green Tea Conditioner 10 oz

ing: waters, shea butter, green tea, mint, sage oil, veggies, ginger and aloe vera gel, almond oil and essential oils.

Similar to the shampoo the conditioner is very watery also. You would think that most aloe vera gel products would be a little thicker but it isn’t.  I used this entire bottle in just 3 uses because it is so runny it just pours out.  I think this product would probably make a better leave-in conditioner and should come in a spray/spritz bottle.  Either way it was okay as a light condish, nothing to write home about.  Would not be good for co-washing.  Actually it seemed like a DIY moisturizing spritz whipped up in someone’s kitchen.  This also had the nice green tea scent that I liked.

The Wet Look

ing: water, shea butter, slippery elm, almond oil, burdock root, marshmallow root oil, red castor oil, essential oils.

This was not as watery as the shampoo or conditioner, more like a really runny lotion.  It has a very odd smell.  My daughter and I have pin-pointed it to be tropical punch kool-aid right out the package before you add water and sugar.  I did not care for the smell.  I used this product twice and both results were lack-luster.  I let my daughter use it and she said she didn’t feel like it was doing anything.  I used it on my son and his hair also felt dry within a few hours.  I think someone with locs would like this product because it have moisturizing ingredients but does not leave the hair greasy or film.

Soap Bar

I do not know the ingredients because they were not listed on the bar. I believe we had a Milk Bar, but I do not remember the actual name.  The soap bar was really the only part of the line we liked.  It provided good cleansing, but it was also moisturizing. We used it as a whole body bar and shampoo bar on my son.  It kept his hair both clean and soft.  While I liked the bar I would say you could pick up one like it from a local market.  The bar did fall apart rather easily so we had to use a soap saver to help prolong its use.

Bottom line I would not actually purchase these products.  While I think the manufacturer is off to a nice start they have a long way to go before their products are market ready.  The shampoo and conditioner are not packaged correctly and need to either be thickened or place into a container that does not allow them to leak out.  The Wet Look moisturizer is just very mediocre and was not a very good.  Also the labels on the packages were not professional quality.  The ingredients and instructions are kind of difficult to read and not very clear.  The website is not very clear, difficult to navigate and over-all not very useful.  Those who are more into natural products, or those with locs or fine/thin hair may really like these products.  I hope the mfg’er understands that this is an honest review as I believe there is room for improvement.

Have you tried Yummi Goodz? What are your thoughts on their products?

Product Review Miss Jessie’s Creme de la Curl

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Miss Jessie’s Creme de la Curl

$16 for 12 ounces

available online @ Miss Jessie’s  Curl Mart  Target or select salons

ing: Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Ricinus Communis, Polysorbate 80, Isostearamidopropyl Morpholine Lactate, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, C13-15 Alkane, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Chlorella Pyrenoidosa Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Panthenol, Chondrus Crispus(Carrangeenan)Extract, Cetearth-20-, C 12-20 Isoparaffin, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract, Amodimethicone, Centrimonium Chloride, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Trideceth-12, Peg-90, Isopropanol, Disodium Edta, Fragrance, Dmdm, Iodopropynyl Butycamate, Blue 1 (C142090), Yellow 5 (Cl 19140)

From their website: Finally, the ultimate ultra conditioning super soft daily curl wash especially made for us — dry, parched, damaged, used and abused, chemically treated, color treated, natural, kinky, curly hair.  Crème de la Curl was specifically formulated for the dry, coarse, tightly coiled curl, but any hair type longing for a super moisturizing curl wash will benefit. You can never wash your hair too much with this carefully formulated non-sudsy cleansing crème. Excellent for curlies who want clean, freshly prepped, supple, tangle-free hair that’s ready to receive any Miss Jessie’s styling product.

I was gifted this product from my girl Tanya who is an admitted PJ and suffers from OCD so she buys multiple products on a whim because she is always looking for the next best thing and wants to make sure she has enough if she likes it, lol.  Anywho Tanya did not care for the product so she told me to give it a whirl.  Thanks T-Payne!

I am a no-poo girl so I cleanse my hair by either co-washing or using a sulfate-free cleanser.  This product is a sulfate-free cleanser which is basically like a conditioner that is designed to cleanse the hair without drying. The first time I used the product I really was not very impressed.  It cleansed my hair but it felt rather thick and heavy and did not have much slip.  I was able to detangle my hair but I went very slow as to not pull or damage my hair. The product has a perfume-y smell and I did not care for it.  The smell wasn’t horrible but I would rather it was unscented.  My hair did feel soft and moisturized after use and I did not condition my hair afterward.

My basic feeling after using the product is that it was okay but I’m sure I could have got the same effects from co-washing with Suave, Vo5 or Yes to Carrots.  Not really impressed.  However after repeat uses I can say that unlike co-washing with regular conditioner which can cause a little build-up over time resulting in me needing to get a good shampoo in every now and then this product did not have the same effects.

My complaints about this product would be that it does not have much slip at all so I would need to add some olive oil to it or find another method to detangle.  I don’t care for the scent but it is not unbearable. 

My accolades for this product is that it really is a 2-n-1 cleanser and conditioner.  This product would be good for those traveling as you would only need to bring one product for your hair.  This is also good for those who only need light shampoo/conditioning for their hair.  For my CG girls looking for a no-sulfate cleanser I would recommend you give it a try.  This product also contains protein, but it didn’t cause my hair to rebel.  While I got this product for free, I would not re-purchase it, but would pick it up on a swap.