Jane Carter Solution Nourish & Shine Product Review

I have heard so much about the Jane Carter Solution line, so I decided to give a few products a try. The first one that I picked up was Nourish & Shine.

PRICE: This little jar will put you back about $22. (YOWZERS!!!)

PRODUCT CLAIMS: "You have never experienced a product as fabulous as Nourish & Shine! We blend all natural vitamins and essential oils ot create this incredible hair nourisher. It completely melts in your hair and adds amazing shine and never leaves your hair feeling greasy or limp. Nourish & Shine helps reduce  dryness on your scalp and your skin!"

INGREDIENTS: This little baby is packed with some good stuff. Although it does use regular shea butter as its base, the combination of shea butter with mango butter, illippe butter, and essential vitamins and oils for hair gives it a little something something extra.

MY EXPERIENCE: The directions on the bottle say to only use about a pea size amount. I was extremely skeptical that such little product could do all that it claimed to do, but to my amazement it did. When using it to take down my twist-rod sets, it made my hair feel extra soft and it made my look extra shiny. It looked really really healthy. When I used it in the mornings to re-moisturize and refresh my hair, it softened my hair and added some more shine to it. One of the best things about it is that a little goes an extremely long way. I've had this tube for about 3 months now and just look how much I have left! 

Totally worth the $22 in terms of how long the product lasts.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The product definitely did what it said it was going to do. It's a really good product but isn't necessarily my favorite. When the product does run out, I don't think I would necessarily make it a priority to repurchase. It's a good product to have around, but it just isn't one of my staples (well, at least not now anyways...).

FTC Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. I purchased this product myself. All opinions are my own

Pretty Nails: An Added Benefit of Good Hair Care

As many know, good hair care practices can lead to longer, healthier hair. In addition to this desired benefit, I have found that it also leads to pretty, well manicured nails. (Bet you didn't think of that benefit, did you? lol)

A commonly overlooked cause of hair breakage is right there on our fingers: our nails. Also a protein element of our body, nails with edges that are not kept smooth have the ability to snag our precious locks, breaking each strand that is caught. Since our nails are an extension of our fingers which are needed to do...well, basically anything...with our hair, this can be a bit troublesome. To prevent inadvertent breakage, check to ensure that your nails are smooth before handling your hair.

For me, this hair care practice has meant an investment in good emory boards (which I now keep handy at all times out of habit) and of course new nail polish (I'm an OPI fanatic!). Since my student budget won't exactly allow me to get my nails professionally done weekly, I've taken to methods of giving myself my own manicure at home. The Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens have been super helpful for those times when the classic manicure needs a little bit of edge put to it. Check out my most recent creation!

These are the products that I used to get this look:

Products from Left to Right: Orly Top 2 Bottom for base coat,  Essie "Turquoise & Caicos", Nicole by OPI  "Give Me the First Dance", OPI RapiDry Top Coat, Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black

The practice of keeping my nails smooth in order to prevent inadvertent hair breakage is definitely one hair care practice that I don't mind having! 

My Product Wish List

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 In doing research of natural hair care over the past 9 months, I have come across a number of different products that I would absolutely love to try. Since I refuse to pay top dollar for a product only for it to be used on hair that I intend to get rid of anyway (i.e. my relaxed ends), I decided to put off this trial process until I am completely natural. As my BC date grows closer and closer, I can't help but list out the products that I want to try in turn. Below is a list of the top two products in each category that I can't wait to get my hands on.

Shampoo/Cleansers

Oyin  Handmade Grand Poo Bar

I've heard so many good things about this all-natural solid shampoo.  Those that have reviewed rave that it gets their hair clean while keeping it extremely soft. Can't wait to try it out!

Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream

This award winning cleansing cream is supposed to be packed with conditioning power comparable to that of a conditioner but also has the ability to get the hair extremely clean.

Co-wash Conditioners

TRESemme Naturals Silicone Free Conditioner

There are two main things that I want in a co-wash conditioner: no silicones and extremely cheap. Although this may not have all of the best ingredients in it, it surely covers those two requirements.

Oyin Handmade Honey Hemp Conditioner

This all-natural alternative is a bit more on the pricier side but is packed with goodies to restore moisture, softness, sheen to your hair. Can't wait to get my hands on a bottle of this stuff!!

Deep Conditioners

JessiCurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment

Hair boards have raved about this product and all the goodness that it does for their hair. Still looking for a good DC, can't wait to give this one a try!

Karen's Body Beautiful Luscious Locks Hair Mask

I have heard so many good things about the KBB line altogether, but the cost has kept me from trying anything as of yet. Once fully natural, one of the first products I wanna try from this brand is her DC.

Moisturizers

Oyin Handmade Hair Dew

If you can't tell by now, I absolutely want to adore the Oyin Handmade line of products. Yet another product that I want to get my hands on from them is their hair dew. Oyin is known for their other juices moisturizers, but I have my eye on their hair dew.

Styling Products

Kinky Curly Curling Custard

Already a fan of Kinky Curly Knot Today, I can't wait to be fully natural so I can try the Curling Custard. Providing both moisture and hold for wash and go's, I hope I really really like this product when I finally get the chance to try it.

Oyin Handmade Shine & Define

I have seen a number of YouTube videos where people have obtain outstanding twist-out and braid-out results while using this product. Can't wait to give it a try!

Other Tools

Huetiful Hair Steamer

This tool has been raved about all over the natural hair community. Providing both moisture and heat, this tool claims to make your DC work 5 times better. Everyone who has tried it absolutely loves it. It's a bit pricey (going for about $130), but I really really REALLY want to use it!

The Tangle Teezer

Although this thing doesn't look like it would be of any assistance with its bristles so close together, everyone that has tried this product says they love it more than they love their Denman brush! Since this product supposedly works on all types of hair (even hair extensions), I wanted to see if this thing would work on transitioning hair so I ordered one. Look out for a product review on it soon!

All About Shampoo: Clarifying v. Moisturizing

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There are tons of shampoo’s out there on the market. Some claim that they can be used daily, others claim to be moisturizing, and still others claim to be clarifying. But what exactly is the difference between these classifications of shampoos? And how do they fit into a hair regimen? After asking myself these same questions, I did some research, and here are the conclusions that I came to.

Moisturizing/Daily Use Shampoo

Most shampoos that you pick up at your local drugstore or BSS are moisturizing/daily use shampoos. Shampoos within this category have the ability to clean the hair “gently” without drying it out. Since the ingredients aren’t nearly as harsh as clarifying shampoos, you should be able to use these shampoos frequently without running into too many problems. While these shampoos are good for removing dirt and excess oil, it is possible that they don’t completely remove all product residue from your hair and scalp. Depending on the amount and kind of styling products that you use, you could go weeks before product build up becomes an issue. A stronger shampoo is needed to rid the hair of product residue.

Clarifying Shampoo

Clarifying shampoo is a more potent shampoo that is designed to deep clean your hair and scalp. This type of shampoo has the ability to remove all product residues from your hair and scalp. If this product residue is left un-removed from your hair, it will cause your hair to lose its sheen, become limp, and hard to style. This residue can also build up on the scalp both preventing the hair follicle from “breathing” which slows hair growth and causing scalp issues such as dandruff. Although clarifying shampoo is

Shampoos categorized as moisturizing or daily use are shampoos that have the ability to clean the hair and scalp, but aren’t as potent as clarifying shampoos. These shampoos usually contain things that your strands can handle on a daily or weekly basis without being overly drying to the hair.

How-To: Starting Your Transition

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The biggest question that I had when I embarked on my natural hair journey in May 2010 was this: how do I start transitioning? I immediately began scouring the Internet for an answer to my question, but alas, there was no answer to be found. I found a lot of information on transitional styles but nothing more. To help someone who is the same boat I was once in, here is the thought process that I went through to start my transition.

1.    Stop getting relaxers.

This is the biggest step in beginning your transitioning process. I’m not going to lie, it felt a little weird when I reached my 6 week post relaxer mark and I didn’t go back to the salon to get a touch up. Skipping the first one was the hardest, but once I realized my pockets that month were a little heavier since I didn’t spend the money on the creamy crack application, it wasn’t hard at all to continue with not getting a relaxer.

2.    Decide how long you want to transition.

The length of time you choose to spend transitioning is completely up to you. It can be as short at 1 day to as long as 2+ years. When making this determination, consider how long you want your hair to be when you BC (your hair grows at an average rate of .5 inches a month), how willing and able you are to deal with the two textures on your head (it does get frustrating every once in a while). I chose to transition for at least a year because I knew I wouldn’t be comfortable with having extremely short hair (I’ve never seen my hair extremely short before) and I figured that after a year, I would have a decent length. Not necessarily SL, but certainly more than just an inch.

3.    Determine how you want to wear your hair.

While transitioning, you will need to wear your hair in such a way that the two textures on your hair are blended. There are few different ways that one can do this. Some choose to use protective styling such as box braids or kinky twists. Others choose to use low-manipulation styling such as rod sets and bantu-knot outs. Still others choose to flat iron their new growth. Choose a method that will work best for you, your lifestyle, and your natural hair goals. Consider how often you want to restyle your hair, whether you will be going to a stylist or doing your hair yourself, how you want to wear your hair once fully natural, and how often you want to trim your permed ends when making this determination. I knew that I wanted to regularly wear my hair curly once fully natural, and I knew that I wanted something that didn’t cause a lot of fuss but allowed for a variety of different styles. With this in mind, I chose to wear my hair in low-manipulation styles. For more information on ways to wear your hair during your transition, check out this post.

4.    Create a hair care regimen.

Because of the line of demarcation, transitioning hair is fragile and requires a lot of consistent care. To be consistent with the care of your transitioning hair, developing a regimen is extremely beneficial. During the first 3 - 4 months, get to know your new growth and learn your hair's likes and dislikes. Once you have this down, proceed to creating a regimen that suits your hair's needs and helps you manage the two textures. This transitioning hair care regimen does not necessarily have to be the one that you follow once completely natural. I personally will be switching it up a bit once fully natural. Your regimen can be as elaborate or as simple as you want it to be. For tips on creating a transitioning hair care regimen, check out this post.

Also, check out my Do's (part 1 and part 2) and Don'ts of transitioning.

Giovanni Direct Leave-In Product Review

One of the first lines of products that I learned about when doing my initial product research was Giovanni. Immediately, I ran to my local Target (Walmart also carries this line, but Target has sample sizes) and looked at what this line had to offer. I picked up some sample sizes of a few products, including this one, and gave it a shot. Initially, this was my leave-in before I tried Kinky Curly Knot Today. To give an accurate review, I decided to revisit this product since I still had a quite a bit left in the bottle.

PRICE: Like other products from this brand, a full size bottle will cost you about $8.

PRODUCT CLAIMS: The bottle states the following: “To create condition and style, you need to go directly to the source. Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture conditioner penetrates into each individual hair to provide exactly what’s needed, every time. This leave-in treatment uses enriched proteins to repair hair as you go through the day. It also plumps hair so it feels thicker, more bodified. Styled. Weightlessly. By infusing each strand with proteins, hair goes directly to style”

INGREDIENTS: Like the other products from Giovanni, the ingredients within this product are mouthwateringly good. Something that I didn’t notice before (out of pure ignorance of hair care product ingredients) is that this product contains Aloe Vera juice, which makes me excited. Aloe Vera juice is an ingredient that naturally has a pH of about 4.5, which is great for sealing moisture into the hair. Since my goal is to retain as much moisture as possible, I’m glad that I took the time to revisit this product. This leave-in does contain protein, so for you protein sensitive curlies out there, this may not be the product for you.

MY EXPERIENCE: When I first started using this product a while back, I was really kind of indifferent to it. It was the very first leave-in conditioner that I had used ever so I wasn’t really sure what it was supposed to do and the results that I should be seeing with it.  It did make my hair moisturized and shiny. When I used this product again last week, I could definitely tell the difference between this and KCKT. It's a bit thicker than KCKT, but absorbs into my hair about the same. It takes a bit more product to detangle which ultimately weighs my hair down. It did make my hair soft after it dried.

FINAL THOUGHTS: While this product is certainly good, I find that my detangling time is just so much shorter with KCKT. It is definitely a product I would recomend to someone who would like to try it, but KCKT is just much much better for me.

Natural Hair Movement Televised!

Hey there Kinky Curly Coily heads! I was surfing on YouTube not too long ago when I can across this vid. I thought you all might appreciate it, so I decided to share it with you all. Check it out!

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