Product Review: Qhemet Biologics’ Burdock Root Butter Cream

My friend at Conscious Beauty brought me some of this Burdock Root Butter Cream to try and at first I wasn’t sure if I needed it. So I tried it on my kids (why not experiment on them, right?). I can see now why the product is sold out!! I took a little dollop of the cream and wet the hair a little, then spread it all around. The baby, who’s hair on the top of his head usually can’t hold a curl, actually looked really nice and curly. And it wasn’t greasy or sticky. The cream is very light and doesn’t flake (which really really irritates me when creams do that).

So then I tried it on myself, but while my hair was dry. And surprisingly, even then, it still did a decent job of moisturizing and taking a little bit of the frizz out. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a frizz hater. Frizz can be really good depending on the kind of style you’re wearing (especially if you want it big) but at the time I had most of my hair curly, and the top part was starting to lose its curl. It did make the top part seem like it was a part of the style and not some separate thing all together, which is what I was trying to achieve.

My next goal is to try using it just after washing instead of the coconut oil I sometimes use now. I love love love coconut oil but it can be a little too greasy for me (and my pillows).

[Image: Newly Natural]

Product Review: Qhemet Biologics

Originally posted at Conscious Beauty by Kaye

Check out the video from EmpressRi for her review on Qhemet Biologics.  It was her review that got me motivated enough to go buy this stuff. Back in February, I did a post about my journey to obtain a few Qhemet Biologics products.  We are now at the end of April, meaning that I’ve been using QB for two months now.  I feel comfortable with writing a review that I won’t later regret or have second thoughts on.  As mentioned in the previous post, Qhemet Biologics can be difficult to get your hands on, depending on whether the website has it or not.  I bought four items and have used them ever since, so I feel comfortable sharing my experience with what I’ve been putting in my hair.  Here’s the review:

Egyptian Wheatgrass Cleansing Tea- The lavender scent is the first thing you notice when you open the bottle.  It is a SLS-free, clarifying, gentle shampoo.  I like it, I do, but for $13 per bottle, I’m not completely sold.  I can see myself trying something else after I finish it.

Cocoa Tree Detangling Ghee-I can not see myself without this product.  It works wonderfully at detangling, and it smells like chocolate.  It makes dry combing a breeze, especially if you use a Denman brush.  My hair feels baby soft after adding this product to it. I think it would be great for anyone who doesn’t want to wet their hair just to comb it without pain.  It has definitely helped with combing out my daughter’s tangles.

Olive & Honey Hydrating Balm- It really does feel just like honey.  I am somewhat divided on this product.  It does exactly what it claims:  it moisturizes.  My hair is so shiny and moisturized that it looks like it’s still wet even when it isn’t.  And it does all this without letting my hair look limp.  My small issue with the product is that it really does look, feel and smell like some olive oil and honey whipped together.  It has the consistency of honey, with the hue of olive oil.  I can’t help but look at it and think, “I can make this.”  A jar of it will last forever, but when it runs out, I plan to whip up my own batch.  It is best to use O&HHB when your hair is still wet or damp after washing.  You don’t want to put this stuff in everyday between washes else it will get tacky/gummy.

Amla & Olive Heavy Cream-This product is QB’s best seller.  I bought the Heavy Cream because I didn’t want to keep conditioner in my hair in order to keep my curls weighed down.  I needed something that was as thick as conditioner, but preferably without all the chemicals.  My co-worker, who turned me on to Qhemet, warned me that the Amla & Olive Heavy Cream is very, very thick.  It is.  It is thicker than the richest conditioner you can call to mind.  Not every one can handle the richness of the heavy cream, which is why the company introduced the Burdock Root Butter Cream.  I don’t own that one, but have heard good things about it.

I use the products individually, depending on my hair need of the day.  When I am wearing my hair curly, I use them together.  I take out a portion of the Ghee, Hydrating Balm and Heavy Cream and mix it thoroughly.  Then I take my little mixture into the shower with me and use it in the place of a conditioner.  I leave it in (this stuff is expensive, do not wash it out!) and wrap my hair in my curl-ease towel.  By the time I unwrap, I have perfect curls that stay defined and silky.  Hooray!

http://www.qhemetbiologics.com/

Aloe Vera

So I tried to do the twists and foam rods again, but instead I ended up buying medium sized perm rods. I took the advice over at Curly Chronicles and Mixed Girl Curls to keep the stress on my hair to a minimum.

Here’s what I did:

• I washed my hair using pH 4-5.5 shampoo without Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulfate (basically a mild shampoo without harsh soapy chemicals)
• I only put the shampoo on my scalp and shampooed only once
• I put in lots of Aloe Vera gel and allowed it to soak a little
• I took a brush and combed though sections of my hair starting from the ends and worked my way up
• I squeezed the excess aloe vera out then twisted each section to keep it detangled until I got out the shower (don’t rinse the aloe out)

To finish the style, I took each section out that I made in the shower and redid them into the size I wanted, then rolled each twist up with a perm rod. In the morning, I took the twists out.

The aloe vera gel is the best detangler I’ve EVER experienced. I barely had any hair come out on my brush. It was wonderful to have my hair stay on my head. There was no residue left back when it dried, no flaking or beading. The gel just left my hair curly and hydrated.

My suggestion, go read Mixed Girl Curls’ “Curly Primer Section” where she talks about her technique. Then take what you’ve learned and modify it to suit our own hair type and style desired.

I’m still open to suggestions about products that need to be reviewed. I’m willing to do the experimenting, so let me know!

Now It’s time for pictures pictures pictures! Here’s how my hair turned out. I quite like it! In this picture, I didn’t fluff my hair up. It’s straight from the twists.

Product Review: Any Suggestions?

I’ve been experiencing a little beading with my Soma product lately.  It usually happens when I mix it with olive oil. It works great with heat, but seeing as I’m not using any heat, it may be best for me to try something else. So I’ve decided to go on the hunt again for new hair products.

Currently I don’t use a shampoo, but I am looking for one. Organic, GMO-free, SLS-free, and gentle on the scalp are ideal. I found some good tips at Mixed Girl Curls that I would like to try. So, if anyone has any suggestions about products to use, or products they would like to try but don’t want to buy yet, please list them here and I will have a go at it. It can be anything.

Let me know!

Invest in a Good Comb

For those of us with curly hair, we often find that the regular drug store products are just not made for our hair. Sad, but true. With so many varieties of hair, it’s a surprise that we are often forced to use tools that are suited for one type.

Anyhoodles, I went shopping for a comb and found a good one on Honey Fig. $16 seems a little pricey for a wide-tooth comb, but it’s worth it. It’s strong and has a uniformed body, which means no snagging or tearing your hair. If you wear your hair out, would like to have some curl definition, and keep your hair from breaking, I suggest you comb it while in the shower and have loads of conditioner or moisturizer in it. That ensures that your hair is not fighting to get around the teeth of the comb.

If you plan on twisting or braiding it, you can still use this comb to achieve your style – just start from the ends and work your way up the section. We’ve been taught to use a fine-tooth comb to achieve our braided and twisted styles, but my experience has been that using a slightly wider tooth comb will still detangle but leave your hair on your head.

Check it out.

Product Review: Blended Beauty’s Styling Butter Creme

My last experience with a curl butter had left me a little apprehensive about using another product like it.  But, for the sake of beauty, I decided to try Blended Beauty’s Styling Butter Creme, also known as the Curl Styling Butter.

After washing my hair using my new hair regiment of vinegar and olive oil, I put a generous amount of the butter in my hair.   I was delighted that it allowed me to comb through my hair much more easily, but was surprised to realize that as it started to dry, it began to feel like it had some gel-like ingredient.  I watched to see if it would start to clump and bead but to my surprise, it seemed to be more of a moist hold than a stiff flaky hold.  I can actually touch my hair and not have it crunch.

So overall, I liked this product because:

• It had a soft hold
• It did not flake or bead
• air-dried fairly quickly
• allowed me to touch and move my hair without losing its hold
• gave me relatively good curl definition for such a light-hold product
• did not parch my scalp

- The Style I Used With This Product -

The style that I used for this product was the finger twirl.  I took small sections of my hair, put a little bit of extra butter to the areas that need it, and twirled the hair around my finger to get it to coil a little.  I did the entire head like that then let it dry.  Afterward, I took each coil and separated them.

I will be posting pictures of the finger twirl soon.

Product Review: Blended Beauty – Natural Hair Oil

I’ve ordered three products from Blended Beauty via Honey Fig and the Natural Hair Oil is what I’ve decided to try first. I was looking to have a moisturizing product lighter than olive oil for in-between days when my hair needs just a little bit of an emollient on the ends.

The product website described it as a light-weight product that doesn’t clog follicles. They say it can also be used as a hot-oil treatment.

This product is wonderful. Here are some of the reasons:

1. Fast absorbing – this oil is like no other I’ve tried. It was quickly absorbed by my hair. I had it on my hands and it disappeared within a few minutes – like body lotion. Wow.
2. Smells great – and I don’t mean the artificial smell produced in labs, but the natural smell of the oils it is comprised of.
3. The application bottle – although it is in a squirt bottle, I didn’t want to squirt it in my hair and drench it with oil. But the bottle type did made it easy to squirt a little bit of oil in my hand quickly and touch up some areas that needed it.

This is something I will be ordering again. I’ve noticed that since I’ve been using it, my hands have never looked better. I think it may have more uses than just hair oil.

My next product reviews from Blended Beauty will be their Styling Butter Creme and their Quenching Conditioner.

Looking for Moisture in a Few Household Items

Vinegar, Olive Oil, and SOMA

Here is what I wanted to accomplish:

1. I wanted to have my hair moisturized and detangled.
2. I wanted my scalp not to flake.
3. I also wanted to maintain my hair’s natural oils while cleaning the dirt away.

Vinegar? Why Vinegar?

Vinegar has long been praised for its beneficial properties, including its ability to assist in restoring the body’s alkaline pH, increase the absorption of calcium, and kill harmful bacteria. Another wonderful use for vinegar is dandruff control. It restores the proper pH levels to the scalp and kills any clogging bacteria that may be contributing to the problem. [1]

I started out by first soaking my hair and scalp in regular white vinegar. I put just enough, scalp first, in my hair for it not to drip or need to be covered. It tingled as it worked its way through my scalp. I knew it was killing something when it started to get warm on my scalp, but after a while the tingling settled. Then I washed it out as if it were shampoo, gently massaging my scalp.

A few tips: Get a spray bottle of some kind to apply the vinegar. It would be too cumbersome to hold a big bottle of vinegar to your hair. Also, Rosemary (pictured) is apparently also good for hair. If nothing else, it makes the vinegar smell much better.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is also wonderful for the body, so I decided to try it as a conditioner.[2] I put about two cap fulls of oil into my hair, starting with the most dry places first. After massaging it in, I combed through my hair and it detangled very easily. Then I rinsed my hair out until I couldn’t smell the olive oil.

These two steps left my hair feeling and looking wonderful. My curls were more defined than they have ever been and they felt hydrated. It did not leave my hair feeling greasy.

SOMA Solace Anti-Frizz Serum

I have been using this SOMA hair product as both an anti-frizz product and a hydrater. I put a little more than what is recommended in my hair. Depending on how parched my hair is, I will load it on. It leaves my hair looking and feeling great. It brought a little curl definition, but not much. Seeing as that was not what I was using it for, it was fine for me. It gave me the little shine I wanted without looking like I had gel in my hair.

Overall – Did I get what I wanted?

Yes! I wanted my hair to easily detangle, my scalp not to flake, and my hair to feel hydrated. I got that. I twisted my hair to let it dry and this regimen worked well for that. My hair is clean, smells great, feels soft, is hydrated, and I am happy.

I will have to use some other finishing product in addition to SOMA if I want to achieve that corkscrew-looking curly style. My next task is to find that product.

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[1] http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_dand.htm, http://organicpassion.info/got-dandruff-use-vinegar/

[2] It was only after I used the olive oil that I googled it and found that it is commonly used as a hair treatment. You can google it too to see what you find.

Product Review: Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding

So, I’ve tried the Curly Pudding. What I really wanted from this product was the flexibility to wear my hair curly and out without having too much shrinkage or having uneven textures. Primarily, I wanted my hair to look styled.

My hair has two main textures: the front has loose curls and the back has tight curls. I wanted the back to be taken care of and not lose its health due to split ends and neglect. I was hoping that this pudding would be more about moisture and less about hold. So, what did I discover? Well, there were some good things and some bad things.

Good Things:

• Really stretched out curls
• Had great curl definition
• Smelled great

Bad Things:

• Took a long while to air dry
• When dry, was too crispy of a hold
• Left little purple pellets in my hair and flaked
• Felt like it was not moisturizing
• Parched my scalp

Overall, I think this product is good if you wash your hair everyday and want a gel-type product. I’m sure if I added some anti-frizz product to the mix, it wouldn’t flake as much. But if you’re like me, where you don’t wash your hair everyday, this may not be for you. When I left it in overnight, the flaking and drying got worse.

The next product that I’ve started to try is the SOMA Solace Anti-Frizz serum. I use it when I blow it straight and it keeps my ends from splitting and allows my natural oils to stay on my scalp – preventing it from flaking. Now that it’s curly, I’m wondering if it will give me enough support for maintaining my ends and scalp, while giving me a little bit of curl definition. I will be writing about that product soon.

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Where to Buy: Honey Fig