Hands up if you have heard of Mane Choice? Mane Choice is one of the bestselling hair vitamins in the US and has finally landed in London! I had been stalking Mane Choice for a while and watched countless of ladies on YouTube on their journey to healthier hair with Mane Choice vitamins and their results were amazing. I finally took the plunge and got myself a 6 month supply during their Black Friday sale last year. (A review will be up soon, I’m just pass the 3 month mark!). But this post isn’t about that..
The takeover party on Friday was for us to meet the Mane Choice team, have a Q&A session and network, network, network! Between the amazing canapes that were on hand (seriously I could not stop eating them lol) I met some really lovely bloggers and reunited with the Black Beauty and Mag crew!
The Q & A session with Courtney Adeleye, owner of Mane Choice was very insightful. She spoke about how she started, gave great business advice and dropped a few hints for stuff in the pipeline! One thing she said that stuck with me was ‘it’s not about balance, it’s about priority’ you can tell how passionate is she about her craft from hearing her talk and which was great to see.
Mane Choice has now expanded to include a full hair care range including deep conditioners, oils, gels and cleansers! They also have styling tools like their professional shears and hair straighteners! I got my vitamins shipped from the US which didn’t take long to be honest but the full range is now been stocked by Beauty by Zara
It was great meeting Courtney and her lovely team and I wish them all the continued success both here and the US! Really excited to work with them again in the near future! For more information on the brand/products, visit the Mane Choice website
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.
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
This collection, Natural Hair Care helps you manage your styles like braids, plaits and locks. It’s been created with botanicals that directly treat the causes of hair and scalp problems.
The full collection is
Herbal Cleanse
Lock and twist gel
Nature’s shine
Anti-itch scalp oil
Shea butter moisturising lotion
Jojoba oil
Tea tree oil
Coconut oil
I think everyone has used the coconut oil from this range! Before we jumped on the coconut oil hype, when we just wanted hair cream, didn’t we just reach for this one? Lool. I have personally used this, the nature’s shine spray (I loved the smell and it did a great job of adding shine to my braids) and the herbal cleanse which has a tingling sensation also was effective it removing some light dandruff I had when I cleansed my hair with clay but it didn’t removed all the dirt/buildup.
Let’s see what others are saying
Great video featuring most of the products
I don’t think we need a video on the other 3.
That’s all folks. I hope you enjoyed this miniseries, let me know if you have any questions or comments. Here in the UK you can purchase the full collection and many of their other products online at Beauty by Zara >> http://www.beautybyzara.com/ors-1/
Hey loves, I hope you guys are doing well. This will be the 3rd post in our ORS mini-series. The previous two can be read by checking out the links below
In today’s post, we will be focusing on the Monoi Oil collection. I think this is the latest collection they have released. I may be wrong. Monoi oil is known for it’s strengthening properties and has become more popular in the recent months. This collection is suitable for both relaxed and natural hair and features 5 products:
Monoi oil anti-breakage oil fusion
Monoi oil anti-breakage edge control
Monoi oil anti-breakage leave in conditioning crème
Monoi oil anti breakage laminating spray
Monoi oil anti breakage rejuvenation spray
It doesn’t feature a shampoo or deep conditioner although they say you can use the leave in conditioner for a deep conditioning treatment. Its looks like the products are all styling aids. Let’s see what others are saying
I was only able to find 2 videos on this in English! And not from the ORS YouTube channel. If anyone is currently using this line, kindly share your thoughts below.
Hey family, I hope everyone is doing great so far.
I am starting a series on the different types of conditioners and its importance (seeing that I get asked this question a lot) and I will round up by recommending some of my favourite conditioners for you guys. I will try and add ones I have personally used and cater for every budget. For my DIY lovers, I will also get some recipes for you. So how does that sound? Good right? Let’s get started. Today we will be talking about deep conditioners
WHAT IS A DEEP CONDITIONER/ DEEP CONDITIONING
Deep conditioning is using a deep conditioner to deep condition the hair (Lool, don’t you hate explanations like this? Don’t worry, I won’t do that to you guys). Deep conditioning is the process of adding back nutrients to your hair that may have been lost during excess styling, other hair products or even the weather.
It is very important you incorporate this into your regime, preferably deep conditioning weekly to add those nutrients back to your hair and strengthen it. You will see a major difference after 3-6 weeks of use. Your hair will be much healthier, shiner with less dryness and breakage!
TYPES OF DEEP CONDITIONERS
So, now that you want to deep condition your hair, which ones should you look out for and how to choose the best type. You may also see deep conditioners as ‘treatments’ which is what they are essentially, you can use them to treat a specific hair problem. You may also see them as masques. As a rule of thumb, I always say to have two main types: a moisture based deep conditioner and a protein based deep conditioner then you can alternate between the two depending on what your hair needs.
A moisture based deep conditioner will mainly be for dry hair. This type of product will work to add moisture back to your hair.
A protein based deep conditioner is for damaged hair that is either breaking or shedding a lot. The proteins in the conditioner will strengthen the hair and help with the shedding/breakage.
If your hair is both dry and damaged then you will obviously need a conditioner that will take care of both problems. It is important to notice that most deep conditioners on the market targets both dry and damaged hair. Where possible, try to get moisture based and protein based separately just in case you need one more than the other.
NOW LET’S TALK EXAMPLES
These are some of my personal favourites with ones I am yet to try. If I have a review here on my blog, I link them for you. I will also try and leave links to where you can get them from online.
Moisture based deep conditioners
Beautiful Textures Intense moisture rapid repair deep conditioner. This is a moisture based deep conditioner enriched with aloe vera, coconut, olive, soy, argan oil, shea and mango butter! I have personally used this and testify on how soft my hair felt after. I like the smell too. Its £3.99 from BeautyByZara. Link > http://www.beautybyzara.com/beautiful-textures-rapid-repair-deep-conditioner-15oz/#
2. Soft and Beautiful Botanicals ultra nourishing deep conditioning repair masque. It contains nutrients like shea butter, olive, argan, coconut oil, aloe and vitamin E. I love LOVE the smell of this and it has a thicker consistency. This is another favourite of mine. Try to get this in store, any good BSS should have it. I personally got mine from ACE in Croydon for £2.99. it looks every expensive online
3. Motions Deep conditioning masque. Another great product with great added ingredients. I have a review on my blog for this. Check it out by clicking on this link>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-tc
4. NuNAAT creams garlic and Cupuacu total strength and repair. This will double up as a moisture and light protein treatment given that is helps to strengthen and repair split ends. I have recently used this product and I am loving the results. I definitely recommend this!
Other great ones that I haven’t used will be (These can also double up as deep conditioners that strengthen the hair and reduces breakage)
It’s worth noting some of these will be marketed as reconstructors. So don’t be afraid when you see reconstructor on the packet. Probably the most common example I can give you is hair mayonnaise.
ORS hair mayonnaise. Who hasn’t used this before? It’s a really good treatment that helps to strengthen the hair. You can get this at almost EVERY BSS (If your local BSS don’t have this stop going there lol). It is enriched with olive oil and egg protein. Prices start from £2.29 for the small tub from BeautyByZara. Link > http://www.beautybyzara.com/ors-hair-mayonnaise-8oz/
ApHogee keratin 2 min hair reconstructor. It is a one-step ‘milder’ version of their two step protein treatment. I haven’t used this yet but I have heard great reviews on it. I have included a video I found really helpful on it below. Be sure to check it out and do more research if you are interested in buying this. You can purchase on Amazon by clicking Aphogee Keratin 2 Minute Hair Reconstructor. Its £8.25.
ApHogee two step protein treatment. This is a hard-core protein treatment and it’s only recommended you use every 6-8 weeks I think. Again I haven’t used it before but I am planning to soon. I have included a video link before and you can purchase on Amazon by clicking Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer with Two Stp Protein Treatment. It’s £12.03 for both the protein and the balancing moisturiser. It usually come in this pack of 2 but you can also get them separately
FOR MY DIY LOVERS
You will find lots of ingredients in your kitchen cabinet/fridge that can be used for the perfect deep conditioner. I have tried a few recipes but you can always swap and test new ones! Do let me know what your favourite mixes are as well.
The ones I have personal tried are
Mayo, egg and honey
Greek yoghurt, simple conditioner, castor oil and olive oil
Simple conditioner, egg and any oil I can find: coconut oil, castor oil, spearmint essential oil etc
Of course you have the more popular ones like
Banana, olive oil and honey
Avocado, olive oil and shea butter (Sound good, I think I will be trying this soon)
Olive oil/ coconut milk
Of course you don’t have to stick to these recipes or get the exact measurements, I always just eye ball and use more (It’s never the bad thing lol). Mix and match till you get your perfect deep conditioner. There are COUNTLESS of videos on YouTube on DIY recipes so be sure to have a look if you are really stuck for ideas
HOW TO?
This is fairly easy. After shampooing, apply your deep conditioner of choice to your hair and leave for about 30 mins. It works well with heat so cover with a plastic cap and sit under a dryer. If you don’t have this at home you can always use a handheld blow dryer. Alternatively what I do is pile on plastic bags and go about my day. Your body heat is enough to do the trick. You can also put a heated towel on top of the plastic bag for added heat. That’s it!
FINAL THOUGHTS/ RECAP
Deep conditioners are a must in your regime especially if you use a lot of styling products. There are two main types: moisture based and protein based. Although you can get some formulas that have both properties try your best to get them separately.
Try to do them weekly but if you do a hard core protein treatment, do that every 6 to 8 weeks.
Don’t be afraid if you can get one in store, the kitchen is always the next best thing. Let your inner DIY diva out and get to mixing!
That’s all folks. If you love this post please subscribe for more. Also, don’t forget to connect with me on my social media and like my new Facebook page! You can find all the links on the right on side of this page. I will be continuing my series on conditioners by talking about leave in conditioners next time. Until then,
Hey family!! I hope all is well with you guys! Grab a snack because this is going to be a looonnggg one! This post will be the official (in my world lol) event cover for CURLVOLUTION 2015! Sit back, relax and enjoy the post!
In its 4th year running, Curlvolution is a natural hair show aimed at the natural hair community to inform, inspire and educate. This year’s show was at the Hilton, Canary Wharf (great location btw) and was jam packed with workshops, vendors, amazing people and volunteers like me (lool). Yes I decided to volunteer for the show because wanted to be part of the show, network and of course for the blog. I am so glad I did because the event was a success! I met some amazing people and had the chance to meet some of my fav bloggers! And of course the product junkie in me was very happy to get some very amazing samples to try out!
So the day started really early for me, volunteer debrief meeting at 9am (FAM it’s not a joke) after which we got some breakfast and proceeded with our duties! I was on vendor assistance so I went on my merry way to offer my assistance. I met the owner of Shea butter cottage (who is Ghanaian btw #teamGhana) spoke some Twi (lol) and carried on meeting other vendors. About an hour later, the place was packed with beautiful displays from lots of vendors. Hunty!, the products available on the day were everything! I mean it was product junkie heaven! Brands like ORS, Beautiful Textures and Big Hair. You also had beauty by Zara which stocks popular US brands e.g. tgin (I am soo bummed I didn’t get anything from the line!), Shea Moisture etc (torture ended). Have a look for yourself
The day began for the guests in the main hall, with the main introduction show hosted by Action Jackson (hilarious btw, mantra of the day: I am beautiful, I am amazing, and I am good to go! Check out his motivational book on Amazon). Then Connie Jackson, brand manager of Fashion Fair was next and spoke about fashion fair makeup, its history and the struggles of black people in the industry. You know what’s shocking is that even in 2015, it’s still difficult to get the correct shade of foundation in my shade bearing in mind I’m not too dark or light. You also had Felicia Leatherwood from Beautiful textures speak and did a live styling demo on stage! What I loved about this was the fact that she used girls with different hair types and UK natural hair stylists (btw I am thinking of tracking down UK natural hair salons and sharing my experiences, let me know if you will find this useful). After this there were vendor announcements talking about their brands etc then it was shopping time! I loved the interaction between vendors and customers and I was lucky enough to catch a few ‘in the moment snaps’
So whilst there was browsing and shopping in the main corridor, the different workshops were taking place. There were a lot on the day and I didn’t get to sit in that many (L, why there isn’t technology to split yourself into 3 parts, I am not sure!). I caught the end of Action Jackson’s Phenomenal You workshop. From my understanding it was a motivational workshop to inspire and education the girls. I also caught some of his advice to the ladies e.g. don’t say negative words to yourself e.g. I’m tired or I’m broke (what type of brokenness? If you don’t define it, your brain will take it as broke in your spirit, finances etc). I sat in the business of blogging workshop presented by Pelumi (from cfyh) and Laila (fusion of cultures). It was very informative and dealt with basics such as branding, building an audience and finding your niche. The ladies looked amazing as usual and were very interactive with the audience. This workshop was sold out guys! A few snippets from the workshop
I also sat in the Jenell Stewart workshop- being natural isn’t easy but you can survive. She gave some practical and simple advice on how to care for and simplify your hair routines. Most of her advice I know now anyway but wish it came earlier because I learnt a lot from trial and error (oh! Those stressful, painful times!) It was a very fun and interactive workshop with questions at the end. Other workshops that took place but didn’t get to sit in were beauty masterclass presented by Kluermoi (I got a few pictures from my other volunteers) , Hair loss clinic and divas kitchen presented by Mane Divas and Felicia Leatherwood presented hair care and styling (bummer! I didn’t go to this- I am trying to be more creative in styling my hair). So around 4pm, everyone headed back to the main hall for the panel discussion with Bianca Miller from BBC Apprentice joined by all the other ladies from before. The topic was 50 shades of brown and mostly dealt with the issues us women of colour face- makeup, hair products etc. it’s really sad to see in 2015 (I wish I could make that capitals) some big brands either don’t want to attract black people (so don’t make products specifically for us but are happy to take our money #getfashionfairintoboots) or don’t carry enough dark shades. Check out Bianca’s nude tights for black women online ( I couldn’t find a direct link but follow her on twitter or google her name for more information) I couldn’t record the talk because I was on mic duty lol but it was a good talk I only wished it lasted a bit longer.
beauty masterclass workshop
After that it was giveaway time and a preview of Curlvolution 2016! I didn’t get to sit in again- volunteer errands! We gave out goody bags at the end and helped with vendor take down lol. It was a good day! I met lots of people and was part of a great event! God bless Bukky (founder) for this amazing event and looking forward to next year! You guys really missed out if you didn’t attend! Make sure you come next year! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel for videos from the workshops and the day. And my Instagram for short videos and pictures. Also follow Curlvolution twitter and Instagram for updates for next year and other events they may be hosting!
YouTube – SarahFynn
Instagram- SarahFynn
Curlvolution twitter and Instagram- Curlvolution
I was exhausted! By the end of the day, R.I.P to my feet lol but I went home with the most amazing goody bag of all time- Thank you fashion fair for the amazing products! Want to know what I got? Check my Instagram!
I made a few purchases which I will be reviewing and bringing you in on, obviously so stay tuned! With today been wash day (yay! Is it a coincidence? Lool) I will be using my new products and letting you know how it went.
Off to detangle my hair! And biotin update coming soon! I got you!
Until next time
Love Sarah
Random pictures because I know you want more
Action Jackson Workshopgoody bags for the business of blogging workshopMUA from Fashion FairLaila and Pelui (cfyh and Fusion of cultures)Beautiful textures modelsall smiles all around
and scalp problems.
. Its £8.25.
. It’s £12.03 for both the protein and the balancing moisturiser. It usually come in this pack of 2 but you can also get them separately
sarah fynn 
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