aphogee – sarah fynn

ApHogee Vs ApHogee

Curlific Moisture Rich Leave In vs ProVitamin Leave In Conditioner

We all know ApHogee, their famous 2 step protein treatment and their Keratin reconstructor is probably everyone’s go to product for at home protein treatments, except me because I am so late and never got round to it! Anyway

The point is they have some really good products and two in particular I have used and here to tell you the difference so you can make an informed choice if you are at the crossroads of which one to get ( do you ever get that? torn between two products? Urgh!)

The Curlific leave in is part of their Textured Hair range for textured (natural/curly) hair (Did you know you they had that?). It’s designed to seal, protect, detangle and provide thermal protection. It works! ApHogee got it right! It smells great and softens the hair. It’s a slightly thicker liquid consistency, so when you spray it you get a lotion instead of a fine water mist. I really like this one and I just stumbled on it by accident! I didn’t know they did products for natural hair. I was just looking for a spray leave in and decided to try this one out.

The Pro Vitamin Leave in is part of their Protect and Maintain range. It’s formulated with their exclusive PropHytamine Complex (so is the Curlific) which utilizes proteins for strength, emollients for shine and humectants for softness. It’s also supposed to add lightweight moisture, improve body and shine and protect against heat. What do I think? I don’t like this one! For me it didn’t work on my hair at all and I felt like I was just spraying water on my hair. I am also not a big fan of the smell- which is a bit medicinal. It says it’s suitable for all hair types but unfortunately it’s not suitable for mine lol. Maybe it will work differently on relaxed hair.

Summary

Curlific Moisture Rich Leave In

Specially formulated for textured hair
Provides thermal protection
Smells amazing
Softens hair
Contains their exclusive PropHytamine Complex
£3.99 on BeautybyZara

ProVitamin Leave In

Formulated for all hair types
Also provides thermal protection
Adds lightweight moisture
Not a big fan of the smell
Also contains their exclusive PropHytamine Complex
£2.99 on BeautybyZara

I will recommend the Curlific leave in for natural hair, it’s made for us and the other for relaxed hair. I actually bought the ProVitamin Leave In first because I wanted to try the brand out before buying the Two Step Protein Treatment.

I hope this helps. Leave in conditioners are an important part of a good wash day regime. Read all about it here

More to come soon. Count down to Christmas!

Top 10 under 10!

Hey beautiful people, how is everyone doing? Good I hope! So todays post will be for anyone who is looking to save money on some hair goodies! If you’re on a budget, or just looking to try something new without breaking the bank then check out my top 10 products under 10 pounds that do just the trick! These 10 have been tried and tested by me so that you take out the guess work and just purchase, purchase purchase lol. Infact most of these are under £5! As a bonus I will have 5 more products that are worth checking out too

What I did as well is to add some stuff from UK brands ( first 4 are UK brands) as I know from my Laika project survey( if you haven’t taken the survey please do so by clicking here >> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1k9hvKmw3wjICTL-rFAqo3XxF29eO5l9MzJXeI1X1W8w/viewform?c=0&w=1 ) a lot of you would like to try UK brands but find there isn’t enough reviews or don’t know where to purchase.

I will leave links to where to purchase, prices (of course) and reviews, all you gotta do now is get a notepad and pen and start writing! Let’s get started!

LoveShea whipped Shea butter in key lime pie- £8.50

1^st impressions review >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-H1

Full product collection post > http://wp.me/s1uQOd-loveshea

Buy online at http://www.loveshea.co.uk/products

2. Mon Shea Shea soap -£ 4.50

First look > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ys

Full review > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-AM

Buy online at http://monsheabutter.co.uk/

3. Curl Harmony intensive repair deep conditioner 60ml- £ 4.95

Full product collection > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-Bn

1st impressions review> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-CP

Full review > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-Fe

Buy online at http://www.curlharmony.co.uk/shop/

4. SheaButter cottage bentonite clay- £ 3 for 100g

Bentonite clay experience > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-wg

Buy online at > http://www.sheabuttercottage.com/home.php

5.Cantu leave in creamy hair lotion- £ 5.49

Full product collection> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-yF

1st impressions review > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-zh

Full review > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-D2

Buy online at http://shop.britishcurlies.co.uk/cantu/

6. NuNaat garlic shampoo £ 5.95

Full collection > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-yV

1st impressions review> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-Bb

Buy online at http://shop.britishcurlies.co.uk/nunaat/

7. Eco styler gel- £ 2.50

Buy online at http://shop.britishcurlies.co.uk/ecostyler-gels/

8. Motions pre wash detangling butter- £ 4.69

Full collection> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-Er

Review> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-t7

Buy online at http://www.pakcosmetics.com/brand/motions/motions/motions-enhance-and-define-pre-wash-detangling-butter.html

9. ApHogee curlific – £ 3.99

Buy online at http://www.beautybyzara.com/aphogee-curlific-moisture-rich-leave-in-8-oz/#

10. Creme of nature leave in spray £3.99

Buy online at http://www.beautybyzara.com/creme-of-nature/

Bonus 5 products also under 10 pounds!

Try the rhassoul clay from SheaButter Cottage for £ 3.60 for 100g

Review > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-us

Mon Shea pure Shea oil £ 7.99

First look > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ys

Full review > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-AM

Dr Miracle’s conditioning shampoo £ 2.99

Mini review plus other recommendations > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-za

Buy in store

Try Love Shea other scented whipped Shea butter, I have the bake well tart scent too

1st impressions review >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-H1

Full product collection post > http://wp.me/s1uQOd-loveshea

Cantu Leave in conditioner for natural hair

Full product collection> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-yF

1st impressions review > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-zh

Full review > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-D2

That’s all folks! This will be the 1^st post in my budget series. i hope this is helpful to anyone looking for UK brands or new products to try out. Please check my UK brands page under the natural hair tab for good products from UK brands!

Please comment and subscribe so you don’t miss a thing! I usually post mini reviews on my Instagram so check out that under the social tab and follow me!

Let me know what your fav products under 10 pounds are!

See you soon!

CONDITIONERS SERIES: LEAVE IN CONDTIONERS

Hey guys,

As promised this is the second instalment in my conditioner series. There’s only one more left which will be on rinse out conditioners then we can move onto a cleansing series and I will talk you through the different ways of cleansing your tresses. But that’s another day! If you haven’t already check out the 1^st instalment on deep conditioning by clicking here >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-xW

LEAVE IN CONDITIONERS

So what are leave in conditioners? You frequently hear naturals talk about applying their ‘leave ins’ after conditioning or just before styling. And are they important and any different from the regular conditioners? Let’s find out shall we

Leave in conditioners are different from regular conditioners in that they are lighter and formulated to stay in your hair, not to be washed out. You would apply a leave in after washing and conditioning to wet hair and leave it in! It’s important because it adds extra moisture and benefits to your hair without weighing it down and it also suitable for daily use. Regular conditioners aka rinse out ones are heavier and tend to coat the hair hence when used daily or without washing out they tend to contribute to product build up.

TYPES

As with deep conditioners, there are two types, protein and moisture based but I never look for that when I am purchasing mine. I tend to stick to ones that will add moisture to my hair because that is what I would like on a daily basis (but if you prefer a protein based one by all means go for it).

I also buy mine in two forms: a lotion/cream form and a spray/liquid form. And I use them differently too. For instance, when my hair is out I tend to use the cream/lotion form. When I have my protective styling e.g. cornrows, wigs etc, it is then easier to use the spray form. Try this if you don’t and let me know how it goes!

Of course no post on my blog would be complete without product recommendations so here a few leave ins I have used and my thoughts on them

CREAM/LOTION

Cantu shea butter leave in/Cantu shea butter leave in for natural hair- this is no doubt one of the more famous leave in conditioners among the black girl community. (I said one of just in case you absolutely hate this too lol) some naturals swear by it and other swear from it (lool). I like it, it leaves my hair softer and more manageable however I am not too keen on the ingredients. Cantu SheaButter has released a version for naturals and I be loving that! It works just as well without the harsh chemicals and I own both too! Well I was running out of the normal version hence I got a new one. It’s usually £3.99 for the normal version in the BSS. You can purchase online on Amazon by clicking> Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream – 453g

Beautiful textures tangle taming leave in- I love this conditioner as well. I especially love it because it provides a lot of slip to the hair. I love the smell too. It leaves my hair feeling soft. I can use this for a semi twist out especially if I want to pull my hair into a puff the next day. Its best applied to wet hair and twisted out of the way. It’s usually £3.99 in stores. If you can’t make it to the store, you can always get one on Amazon by clicking> Beautiful Textures Leave-In Conditioner 355 ml

African pride shea butter leave in conditioner- I got this as a trial before the Cantu Shea butter and I must say I did not enjoy it at all. I felt like it made no difference to my hair. I think its £2.99 or 3.99 in stores. Purchase on Amazon > African Pride Shea Butter Moisture Intense Miracle Leave in Conditioner 425 g

Giovanni direct leave in – I love this so much! It was the very first leave in I got from British Curlies when I became fully natural. It helped detangle my hair and provided much needed moisture. I am not sure if you can get these in store but you can get online on Amazon> Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner, Weightless Moisture, 8.5-Ounce Containers

SPRAY

ApHogee ProVitamin leave in conditioner- I am currently using this now as I wanted to try something new. I am not too keen on the smell however it does what it’s supposed to do. Moisturise! Get on Amazon by clicking on this APHOGEE Pro Vitamin Leave-in Conditioner 16oz/473ml

Crème Of Nature Argan oil strength and shine leave in conditioner- this is my go to, staple leave in! I love this so much and have repurchased so many times! Everything about this product is on fleek lol. Smell ü Price ü Effectivenessü. I use this on my virgin hair, infact I really love this on it and my hair as well. Amazon sells it for £2.50, purchase by clicking on this Creme of Nature Argan Oil Conditioner Leave-In 250 ml

Elasta QP Olive oil and mango butter leave in H2 conditioner- I enjoyed the smell of this but not so much the effectiveness. You can try it and let me know the results! Purchase on Amazon by clicking Elasta QP Olive & Mango Leave-In H2 Conditioner 235 ml

FOR MY DIY LOVERS, you can always mix a bit of oils, water and your moisturiser and use that as a spray leave in.

Of course there are other great ones like Mixed Chicks, Kinky Curly Knot today and Shea Moisture that I haven’t listed. I stuck to the ones I have personally used as I can personally vouch for these.

So that’s all folks, leave in conditioners are really simple and straight forward. Let me know what you think and recommend. What are your go to ones? Most of these can be purchased on Amazon if you haven’t got time to go in store for them. I have provided links for all of them. Alternatively you can check BritishCurlies or BeautyByZara for them.

The 3^rd and final instalment in this series will be about regular conditioners, check out for those soon. Remember to like my Facebook page and connect with me on all my social media. I would love to hear from you. I will also be bringing you a post about a new vendor I am working with now so stay tuned for that. It should be up soon before the final instalment of this series.

Until next time,

Love

Sarah