shampoo – sarah fynn

Organix Quenching Coconut Curls Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Let’s take break from skincare reviews and focus on hair care. Today’s post will be a full review on the Organix Quenching Coconut Curls Shampoo & conditioner. I was gifted this product a very long time ago and I have only gotten round to using it.

Organix Quenching Coconut Curls has coconut and citrus oil as well as sweet honey to help enhance natural curls and boost shine. It promises to soften hair whilst gently cleansing and conditioning it

Experience

Shampoo

The shampoo has a very thick consistency and smells great (tropical coconut obviously), it produces a lot of lather even with a fair amount and surprisingly I can finger detangle, even comb through (slowly, gently and in smaller sections) with the foam. I always do a double rinse and this shampoo leaves my hair and scalp well cleansed but not stripped. The shampoo rinses clean and easily

Conditioner

Following with the Quenching conditioner, this product has the same pleasant scent as the shampoo and a thick creamy consistency. Again the conditioner offers a good amount of slip for detangling using a good amount. Whilst I like the shape of the bottle, because of the thick consistency of the conditioner, the shape made it slightly difficult to squeeze out especial when I was trying to get the last bits of it lol. I usually leave it on for 10-15 mins, and it rinses well and leaves my hair soft.

Did it enhance my curls? No, but most shampoos that claim to do this never do on my kinky hair anyway. Did I see some kinky curl definition? In some parts yes (a few strands clumped together) which just means my hair is well hydrated and moisturised but it wasn’t a wash and go defined curls. I wasn’t expecting curl definition anyway.

Verdict

It’s worth using definitely, it leaves my hair which tends to be dry well conditioned and moisturised. I like the slip from both the shampoo and conditioner so it means I can detangle as I go along. The shampoo does well to cleanse excess product build up and dirt and the conditioner provides enough slip to detangle and helps to soften the hair. They both smell great but don’t linger too much. Will you get curl definition no, at least not for 4c hair anyway.

These are available on Boots for £6.99 each

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Review

Garnier is probably one of my favourite drugstore brands, their skincare collection is budget-friendly and effective. I have never tried any of their haircare products, I tend to stick to products made for natural hair but I received a beautiful package from them last year (or was it the year before? its been a while basically) so I decided to give it ago. I have had the Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Collection for a while and I have been busy using it so I can how share my full thoughts on it and how it performs on natural afro hair

What is it?

The Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil has been formulated for dry brittle hair and blended with virgin olive oil and safflower seed oil. Made with no parabens and promises to nourish and smooth hair without weighing it down. It leaves hair easier to detangle and soft to touch.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Collection has a shampoo, Rinse out conditioner and a hair balm/treatment

Experience

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Shampoo

The shampoo has a lovely scent comes in a generous 360ml bottle. I wasn’t expecting much from this shampoo but I have been pleasantly surprised by it and I really like it. It suds up well, a little goes a long way and it helps me finger detangle my hair! I can tell it adds moisture to my hair as my curls look so defined with it! for a shampoo that suds up a lot, it doesn’t leave my hair and scalp dry at all. My hair is really left softer and well cleansed. This shampoo also works great on curly hair extensions and straight hair textures as well.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil Conditioner & Hair Balm

I didn’t use the conditioners a lot on my hair because I didn’t expect much once again so when I did finally try it on my hair, I only had enough for two applications! It does provide enough slip to detangle with and really helps leave my hair soft and conditioned! I used this mostly on my wigs and it conditioned them really well and gave a lovely lustre to them. The balm does work like a hair mask/treatment so it penetrates deeper and left longer on the hair than the rinse out conditioner. (post explaining the difference between deep conditioners and conditioners here)

Overall thoughts

I really love this collection and the Olive Oil makes this superb for dry natural hair. My 4c hair is dry and very brittle so this collection was the perfect antidote for it. I wish I used the conditioners on my hair earlier so I could have benefited from them too but ah well my wigs got most of it. I love all 3 products but I think the shampoo a bit more as it leaves my hair super soft, cleansed and the fact that I can finger detangle with it is a huge bonus!

Do I approve it for natural afro hair? Yes and Yes! The products are very affordable and they work. They also work great for curly hair extensions so if you are looking for something to help maintain your extensions without drying them out (because most of the time shampoos and curly hair doesn’t go well) then this collection will work great.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Mystic Olive Oil products start from £3.99 at Boots

Zerreau Shampoo Foam Review

Hey guys, I hope all is well. I am super late with this review but on the plus side, it means the product has been through rigid testing! This post will be a full review on the Zerreau Shampoo Foam I was sent some months back. The Shampoo Foam promises quick and easy hair cleansing in one quick step! The shampoo foam cleanses and lifts dirt and excess oils without the need for water! It’s suitable for all hair types including natural hair so this review will be geared towards natural hair and how effective it is on it as I am natural (type 4c)

Experience

I have been testing out the Shampoo Foam and using it to stretch my wash days. The foam has a lovely scent and the dispenser dispenses a good amount of it. It’s very straightforward to use: simply pump and apply directly to the roots and scalp and massage!

I have a quick demo below to show you how EASY it is to use!

I love using it when I have my cornrows for my wigs because it means I don’t even have to re do my cornrows (flat twists) and I still have clean fresh hair! It actually leaves my hair soft! I don’t experience any stickiness or dryness after the foam has completely dried and this doesn’t take long! I also haven’t had any irritation from it.

In terms of how clean my scalp is afterwards, I would say it’s pretty good. I use a lot of oils during the week if I have my wigs on and after using the foam my hair/scalp doesn’t feel oily.

Verdict

The Shampoo Foam is a winner in my books! I totally love how easy and effective it is! It’s definitely 4c natural hair approved too! I can also see this as a replacement for co-washing if that’s not your thing or perfect for travelling!

If you have protective styling esp. braids the Shampoo Foam is perfect for keeping your hair and scalp clean and fresh! You guys should definitely check this out!

Zerreau Shampoo Foam is £7.95 and available from Superdrug

Eden2Eden

What’s up guys! I hope everyone is doing well! 3^rd September?! I know right! Anyway happy back to school for those starting again, I wish you all the best in this school year.

I have another UK based product collection for my naturalistas! Eden 2 Eden is a natural hair company based in Birmingham. (Close to where I went to uni, Coventry! West midlands naturals holla! Lol) they offer natural hair, skin and baby products they also cater for natural hair parties (Yes natural hair parties are IN!).

Let’s take a look at their hair collection. The full collection is as follows

Hydrating hair mist
Shea cream
Balancing shampoo
Moisturising conditioner
Hydrating moisturiser

A small collection but everything you need for a healthy hair regime. Visit their website, https://eden2eden.co.uk/ to read about customer experiences and to make a purchase.

There is still time to take part in my survey, the Laika Project. This is a short survey about the spending habits of natural hair women in the UK. Here’s the link to it, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1k9hvKmw3wjICTL-rFAqo3XxF29eO5l9MzJXeI1X1W8w/viewform?c=0&w=1

I will be back with more UK brands so stay tuned!

With Love

Sarah

CLEANSING SERIES: SHAMPOOS

Hey guys, welcome back! So we are starting a new series on the different ways on how to cleanse your hair. Please check out the previous series on conditioners. It has a lot of information and product recommendations (Who doesn’t love that?)

Let’s start off with shampoos, something every natural loves to hate! Is shampooing our hair really that bad? I mean when we had relaxed hair did we not happily reach for our shampoo? (I am assuming we didn’t mind that) so why is shampooing now one of the most horrid words you could say to a natural lol along with creamy crack and heat!

CHECK THE LABEL!

Sure every shampoo is different but if you look at the commonly used ingredients you will find these

Ammonium Chloride
Ammonium lauryl sulfate
Glycol
Sodium laureth sulfate
Sodium lauryl sulfate
Sodium lauroamphoacetate
Polysorbate 20 aka PEG(20)
Polysorbate 80 aka PEG(80)
PEG-150
Citric acid
Quaternium-15
Polyquaternium-10
Di-PPG-2 myreth-10 adipate
Methylisothiazolinone, or MIT

The dreaded S words! Naturals are notoriously known to try and stay away from Sodium Sulfate and parabens too (among a bunch of other scary words lol) why? Were we not reaching for the same sulfate as relaxed girls? Sulfate is the main reason your shampoo is able to cleanse effectively. It is powerful enough to penetrate dirt and oil and remove product build up. Unfortunately it also removes the natural oils of the hair…….. (ooo that’s why) causing it to be drier and frizzier and more prone to breakage. It is painfully irritant (Just let a tiny bit get into your eye) and can also dry out the skin (especially if you wash your hair in the shower and you let the water/foam down your body, although this is impossible to avoid lol. Anyone also notice if they spend a while in the shower washing their hair they can become very itchy?)

So now that we know shampoo is evil! Lool. What happens now? What if I mistakenly use it?!!!!

Well for starters, we have been using shampoos for years but our hair grows FINE so I really don’t think it’s THAT bad (After all, that’s why conditioners were made) but I do think moderation is key. Personally I still use sulfate containing shampoo (horror face) but once in a while when I really want to remove EVERRRYYYTHANGG lol.

SULFATE FREE SHAMPOO

So on the market recently are sulfate free shampoos that promise to do the trick without the dreaded ingredients. So what is in these shampoos that make them effective if not as effective as their sulfate containing counterparts (Are they as effective? Let me know)

And are they really sulfate free or are manufacturers choosing slightly different chemicals and re – naming them and branding them as healthier to driver sales hmm? No doubt in recent years the amount of sulfate free shampoos have increased! Actually it seems any product that is labelled *insert chemical perceived as evil here* free has doubled on the shelves in recent years!

So what ingredients should you be looking out for when it comes to sulfate free shampoo? According to Innersense, these are the chemicals you should be looking for and staying away from

Glucosides, Lauryl Glucoside

Taurates and Fatty Acid Isethionates

Glutamates, Amino Acid Sulfosuccinates

Stay away from products that claim to be sulfate-free but contain the following ingredients:

Cocamide DEA, Cocamide MEA

PEG’s, PEG8

Propylene Glycol

Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Hydroxysultain

I haven’t used many sulfate free shampoos in my day, as a matter of fact I have only used two, Aubrey Organics GPB Glycogen protein balancing shampoo lavender ylang ylang and Dr. Miracle conditioning shampoo. And I used these years apart! The Aubrey when I first became natural about 4 years ago and the Dr. Miracle now (it seems I’m in love with the sulfate lool see what I did there). I won’t say my hair has been in the best state in those years between and even now but I will not contribute that to the shampoo alone.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

It’s up to the individual to decide if they want to carry on using regular shampoo or switch to sulfate free. I say just use in moderation. If you want to make the switch check out some recommended ones below although I can’t vouch for most of these personally lol, you would have to carry out further research on them.

Aubrey Organics, GPB Glycogen protein balancing shampoo lavender ylang ylang. Its such a long time I used this so I can’t remember how it made my hair feel. All I remember is the price lol, it was £5 pounds on sale from the usual price of £9.99 (ouch). You can get online for £10.51

Dr. Miracle conditioning shampoo. I still use this and I love it very much. It has a tingling sensation as with most if not all Dr. Miracle products. It lathers up ok and gets the job done. Its £2.99 from most BSS

Dark and lovely Au Naturale: Moisture L.O.C sulfate free cleansing shampoo for £6.99

Design Essentials Almond and Avocado moisturising and detangling sulfate free shampoo for £8.50

NuNaat Real Me Lather up and hydrate shampoo for £7.99

Mixed Chicks sulfate free shampoo for £13.90

All these can be purchased on British Curlies (http://shop.britishcurlies.co.uk/sulfate-free/?sort=featured&page=1)

A great alternative to shampoos are natural shampoo bars. Great ones are African black soap and shea butter soap. I recently received shea butter soap from a company called Mon Shea to review and I must say I love it so much. I actually used it today as part of my wash day and washing my hair has never been so easy! (Why didn’t y’all tell me about the ease of use with shampoo bars? Smh lol) Anyway a first look at the company (On the blog already, read it here > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ys and a full review will be coming soon. In the meantime check out their website for great alternatives for your hair and skin care needs. http://monsheabutter.co.uk/

If after all of this you are now completely off shampooing all together lol, don’t fret! This series is all about providing you with the different ways to cleanse your hair! Watch out for the next instalment which will be on co-washing.

That’s all folks, I really didn’t think it will be a long one but as I started doing my research I realised I would not be doing you guys any justice if I didn’t include some details. For more information on ingredients or anything please check Google lool. Otherwise here are a few references/websites I used today

http://www.xovain.com/hair/do-you-need-to-worry-about-sulfates-in-your-shampoo

https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Shampoo

http://www.tightlycurly.com/Ingredients.aspx

Until next time

Love

Sarah