Favorite Products!

I just wanted to give a quick review of a few of my absolute must-have products!

Cowashes

For those who do not know, "cowashing" is cleansing the hair by washing it with conditioner instead of shampoo. Many naturals take to this practice because of the damaging effects that shampoo can have on hair as far as drying it out, etc. I do still use sulfate free shampoos to cleanse once a week, just because I like knowing that I'm completely getting rid of any and all buildup and starting off with a clean slate. I usually cowash my hair once or twice a week, depending on how my hair is feeling and looking. If I have some product buildup, if my hair is dry, or if I want to do a wash-and-go, I will cowash.

V05 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Conditioner

I love to use V05 conditioners to cowash, first and foremost, because it is cheap! Haha! I find it at every Dollar Store I go to, and I can also find it on sale at various super markets for only about, 80 cents or so! They only last me about two or three cowashes because it is such a thin product, so it takes more to cover my hair, but it's worth it! Like I said, I can sometimes cowash my hair twice a week, so I don't want to spend a lot of money on my cowashes. V05 conditioners are loaded with great vitamins, they smell great, and they create a lot of slip in the hair with allows for easy detangling. V05 conditioners contains vitamins E, H, C, B5, and B3.

   

Shampoo

Shea Moisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo

I absolutely LOVE the African Black Soap line of Shea Moisture products! The shampoo in particular does such an amazing job of cutting through any and all product buildup and giving you that fresh, clean slate! Depending on how much buildup I have in my hair, I only need to shampoo my hair once with this shampoo. I do not need to repeat. After rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, I can glide my fingers over the top of my hair and feel that silky, sleek clean, and I love it! I also use the Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo and I love that one as well! I use it if I don't have as much buildup and need some extra moisture. The African Black Soap Shampoo contains plantain enzymes that calm itching and irritation, tea tree oil to remove buildup, and willow bark extract to exfoliate and detoxify the hair and scalp. The reason I love Shea Moisture products so much is because they contain no sulfates, parabens, or mineral oil, and they are made with certified organic ingredients. I will also note that Shea Moisture shampoos are the ONLY shampoos that I use. I purchase all of my Shea Moisture products from Target or Walgreens and they range from $10-12. However, both of these stores are constantly having sales on Shea Moisture products, so I try to make each bottle/jar last in-between sales.

Deep Conditioner

Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque

Because I only wash my hair with shampoo once a week, whenever I shampoo, I also deep condition. I love to use the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque because it is very thick and hefty. It goes onto my hair very easily and it makes my hair soooo soft! I usually mix in some extra virgin olive oil and honey to make it a little thinner to that it glides through my hair a little easier and helps retain more moisture.

I section my hair into four or six sections, apply the product, and then cover my hair in a plastic cap and let it sit for about 45 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

The Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque contains sea kelp which seals and smooths the hair cuticles, argan oil which restores shine and promotes elasticity, and shea butter which deeply moisturizes and conditions the scalp.

Leave-In

Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner

I use the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner as a leave-in and detangler for my hair. I have found that it makes my hair super soft and smooth, and it defines my curls like crazyyyyy!! I have a lot of hair, but my individual hair strands are incredibly thin, so they get weighed down by product super easily. Literally, anything can and will make it clump. However, when I use this conditioner as my leave in, my hair isn't weighed down at all! It is light, curly, and full of body! It also doesn't have a fruity smell, so it's perfect to use in the spring and summer time because I won't get chased down by bees! Haha! It does a great job of taming frizz, and moisturizing my hair, so it's perfect to use for my wash-and-gos.

Stylers

Eco Styler Protein Gel

Ok, so I literally looove me some Eco Styler gel! I'm pretty certain that every naturalista has a jar or two of this amazingness stashed into their bathroom! It is the perfect all around styler! I use it to get a sleek look for pony tails and high buns, I use it for my twist outs, two strand twists, wash-and-gos, you name it! What's so great about this line of gels is that there is such a wide variety for you to choose from. My favorite to use if the Protein gel, but they also make gel with olive oil, argan oil, and chamomile. And best of all, they are all alcohol free, which means they won't dry out your hair, which can lead to breakage!

The reason I love the protein gel the best is because it is easy on my hair. Like I mentioned before, by hair gets weighed down very easily, so I need to use products that are lightweight but still hefty enough to hold the look I'm trying to achieve. This gel is a level 8 hold out of 10. It is strong enough to hold my hair in place for high buns and pony tails, and yet it's soft enough to give my full, bouncy curls when I do a perm rod set! Also, it doesn't flake at all, which allows me to be as versatile as I want when trying new styles within the same week! I have used full jars of the argan oil, olive oil, and the krystal gels as well. I liked them, but not nearly as much as the protein gel. They are all level 10 holds out of 10, so they were a little too strong for my hair. I would often times end up with a hard shell on my hair when I would use the krystal gel to slick my hair back into a pony tail or bun.

I always keep one or two large jars of Eco Styler at all times! Each jar usually lasts me around 8 or 9 months! I buy mine from Sally Beauty and they cost about $4.75 each.

Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

The Curl Enhancing Smoothie is without a doubt my favorite styling creme! I use it for twist outs, two strand twists, cornrows, and more! It makes my hair unbelievable shiny, and smells amazing! It also does a fantastic job of defining my curls.The only problem I have with this product is that I still get a lot of frizz and shrinkage when I use it as a wash and go, so I make sure that when I use it, it is as a stying aid in twists or ponty tails, etc.

Oddly enough, this product makes for a great stretching aid and sealant as well! What I usually do is after washing and deep conditioning my hair, I section my hair, apply my leave-in, apply my oil (usually extra virgin olive oil or almond oil), and then seal everything in with the Curl Enhancing Smoothie. I then put my hair up into two buns and let it sit overnight. When I wake up the next morning, my hair is shiny, stretched out, smooth, and ridiculously soft! The Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie contains coconut oil which hydrates and protects hair while reducing breakage, silk protein which soothes hair for a soft and silky feel, and neem oil which controls frizz and adds shine.

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Again, these are a few of my absolute favorite hair products! This is not the complete list of all of my staples, but it is somewhat of a condensed version for this post. No matter what, I always have these products in my product bin and I am constantly finding new ways to use them! They are the base for my styles and the overall health of my hair! Yes, I do use other products from time to time as well, but they don't always make it onto my official "always have to have these products" list. These are some of my constants and the ones I feel best recommending the most.

What are some of your favorite products? Have you tried some of these and they worked wonders, or are you still trying to figure out the best way to use them?! If so, let me know! Comment with any questions or comments you make have and I'll respond!

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you found this helpful! And to read my full list of must-have products, check out my "Staple Hair Products" tab!
 

*All images are from Bing Images*