Flexi Rod Set Using Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter and Aloe Whipped Butter Gel

Hey everyone!

      This week, I will be reviewing Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter and Aloe Whipped Butter Gel combination. If you follow my blog regularly, you will recall that I did a product review for the Almond Jai when I used it with the Camille Rose Naturals Coconut Water Leave-In. I decided that I wanted to experiment more with this product by using it with other leave-ins and stylers because I wanted to see if I could still use this product without getting the "matte" feel that I got from using it with the Coconut Water Leave-In. The first product I tried it with was my absolute favorite leave-in, the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner. I used these two products together on a twist out and loved my day one results! My hair was shiny, super hydrated, and had amazing volume, body, and definition. The only con was that I wasn't too fond of my day two curls. They were a bit stiff and were not as "flowy" as my day one curls, but I rocked them anyway!

      I came to purchase the Almond Jai Easter weekend when I went to Target to purchase the Aloe Whipped Butter Gel and could not find it. I had been wanting to try the Aloe Whipped for a long while and learned from a fellow natural hair blogger on Instagram that not only did the Aloe Whipped work great with the Almond Jai, but it is really only sold online. With learning that new information, I decided to go ahead and purchase it off of Camille Rose Naturals' site. I was so determined to get my hands on this product because I have seen some really great product reviews and tutorial videos about this product and I also heard that it was very light and not heavy on your hair, which is what I always look for in my hair products. So again, I went for it and purchased this product online. It was a bit pricey, however. It was $16 plus shipping, so my grand total came up to $24. I was not too happy about this, but I really had high hopes and faith in the amazingness of this product. Thankfully, it most definitely lived up to and beyond expectation!

      The Almond Jai is a butter that results in soft, elongated twists while strengthening and holding the style in the process. Some of its ingredients include: sweet almond milk, jojoba oil, hemp seed oil, castor oil, aloe, and honey. The Aloe Whipped is a cream based gel that is rich in vitamins that nourish the scalp while it provides definition, a light hold to curls, and maximum moisture. Some of its ingredients include: aloe vera gel, macadamia oil, avocado seed oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil, and vitamins C and E.

      When it came to styling, I wanted to try a style that I knew would last and one that I felt would yield good results. I was attending my best friend's college graduation that weekend, so I wanted to try something that would be a bit more dressy and sophisticated! With that being said I decided to try flexi rods for the second time. My first encounter with flexi rods was less than amazing. I used the As I Am Curl Defining Cream to achieve the style and I didn't end up loving the results. They really only lasted for a day, but even after I took them out of the rods and separated them, they began to poof and lose the structure of the curl. I figured I just hadn't used the right curling product, so I decided that i would try again this time around with the Camille Rose Naturals. Here is how I achieved the look:

I deep conditioned my hair using the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque. I applied the product in sections of four, covered my hair with a plastic bag and sat under my bonnet hooded dryer for about 15 minutes. I then rinsed my hair completely with cold water and wrapped my hair in a t-shirt to absorb all of the water. When I started to prepare my hair for the flexi rods, I parted my hair into four sections. One section at a time, I applied the Almond Jai to the entire section of hair. I then took a small amount of hair from the larger section and applied the Aloe Whipped. I then smoothed the product through my hair thoroughly, detangled, and then took one of the flexi rods and curled my hair around it being sure to curl towards my face as opposed to in the direction of the back of my head. I continued to do this until my entire head was finished, which ended up taking about 45 flexi rods in total! I then sat under my bonnet hooded dryer again for about an hour and a half. After my hair was fully dry, I left the flexi rods in for another hour or so just to make sure they were fully set. After the hour was up, I removed the flexi rods and did not separate and fluff. I let them stay as they were for the rest of the day and overnight. When I went to sleep, I pineappled my hair (put it in a high bun on the very top of my head), tied my silk scarf around my head, removed the hair tie I used to pineapple so it wouldn't create a crease, and then put on my silk bonnet. The next morning we drove to my best friend's school to attend her graduation! For the course of the road trip, I decided not to separate and fluff my curls just yet. I wanted to make sure they had the time to really set into the pattern of the curl, so I left them as they were until we started getting read to leave for graduation.

      Before I began separating my curls, I smoothed a little bit of the Shea Moisture Tahitian Noni & Monoi Smooth and Repair High Shine Glosser over my entire head of hair. I then proceeded to separate. To separate, I twisted the curl in the opposite direction that it was curled in, carefully separated the curl into smaller pieces, and softly twirled the smaller pieces back in the original direction of the curl. I did this all over my head.

      The end results were amazing!! My hair had so much shine and body that it was, honestly, unbelievable! The oils from the butters came through so strong and provided such a soft and hydrated feel to my hair without weighing it down and making it fall flat. I wore my separated curls for two days and then on day three, I separated my curls and fluffed at the scalp some more in order to achieve more volume and wore those curls for two more days. My hair maintained its high amount of shine, softness and elongation up until the day I washed my hair a couple of days later. The curls lasted for about  five days, but they would have lasted longer, but I was in a rush to get a fresh head of hair so I could try out some new products (lol), so I washed my hair before my curls lost their luster.

    I am extremely happy with the results I achieved by using the Almond Jai and Aloe Whipped! I was nervous about trying a new brand of hair products, mainly because I have been an avid Shea Moisture user since my transitioning days, so I have a hard time trying out new products from other brands. However, I have heard way too many great things about Camille Rose to not give them a try and I'm SO glad that I went for it! I also was hesitant to use butters on my hair. I try my absolute hardest to avoid them because they are always too heavy for my hair. They overwhelm each strand and result in my hair looking wet, clumping up, and lacking in volume, body, and movement. However, these Camille Rose Naturals butters are extremely light and provide ample amounts of body, so I don't even have to worry about my hair getting weighed down. In fact, I don't even know that I would call them butters. They have more characteristics of a cream rather than a butter, so I think that's why it works so well in my hair! Another great thing about these products is that it didn't take a lot of product for me to achieve such a strong hold so I know that these products will last for a long while! Considering the prices of these products, I am very happy to know that I can use them sparingly and still yield great results! I have used the Almond Jai four times already and I'm not even halfway through the jar yet! And as far as the Aloe Whipped goes, I have barely made a dent in it. It still looks brand new and completely full! A little bit goes a long way with these products, so there's no need to feel like you have to use a lot in order to get the a good result, which is amazing! I will definitely be keeping these products around as staples!

I really hope that you found this post helpful and thank you so much for supporting my blog! Be sure to check back next week when I do a product review of the Kinky-Curly Knot Today and Curling Custard! Also, be sure to cast your vote for the monthly poll question. It's under "The Purpose" on the left side of the screen! Thanks again and I'll see ya on the next post!

Product Review: Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque and Styling Lotion

Hey y'all!

So as I have mentioned before, I am a HUGE fan of Shea Moisture products. They have done wonders for my hair and skin and have allowed my hair to grow and to be as healthy and strong as it is now. When I found out that Shea Moisture was releasing a new Jamaican Black Castor Oil collection, I was so excited! Once it was out, I went to CVS to get some as soon as a I could! Not surprisingly, there were very little products left to choose from by the time I got to them. It seems that everyone was just as determined to get their hands on this new collection as I was! However, I did manage to pick up a jar of the Treatment Masque and Styling Lotion so that I could review it for y'all!

The main 3 ingredients included in the masque and lotion are:

-Organic Shea Butter: deeply moisturizes while conditioning hair and scalp
-Jamaican Black Castor Oil: loaded with reparative omegas that promote healthy hair growth
-Peppermint: stimulates the scalp (improves circulation of blood in the scalp)

The reason I was so excited to try this collection was because of the castor oil and the peppermint. I have read so many great things about castor oil and its ability to thicken hair and allow for healthy hair growth and I love the smell and cool feel of peppermint!

Before I give my review, here are the steps I took in washing, deep conditioning and styling:

1.) Shampooed with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention shampoo (lather, rinse, repeat)
2.) Sectioned hair into 6 parts and applied Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque to each section while detangling with a wide tooth comb. Covered hair in plastic cap for 30-45 minutes and rinsed out with cool water
3.) Applied a small amount of grapeseed oil to each section and detangled
4.) Parted hair for twists and applied Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Styling Lotion to each section for twisting.
5.) Added a perm rod to the end of each twist to secure to ends

    

While trying out these products, I was pleasantly surprised by a few things! As I added in my previous post, I am a big fan of the Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque, so a lot of the comparisons I made were to this product. So here's what I thought of the products I tried from the new Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil collection:

Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque:

Smell: 9/10 - Very light, mature scent. Similar to the African Black Soap scent, but more subtle and warm. It kind of reminds me of a warm vanilla and brown sugar smell. I really like it!

Texture/Consistency: 10/10 - Thin and spreadable. Once I applied this product to my hair, it was immediately soaked up due to its silky nature. I actually prefer a thin, silky deep conditioner because it allows me to detangle much easier, so there is less tug and pull on my hair. As I mentioned in my last post, I always add extra virgin olive oil and honey to my Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque so that it will be thinner and spread easier. I was happy that I didn't have to do this with the Black Castor Oil Masque. This product glided through my hair so easily. Also, because it spread so well, I didn't have to use a whole lot of product in order to deep condition.  I have barely made a dent in the amount of product in the jar, which is very surprising. I have a lot of hair and the 12 oz jars usually give me about 3 deep conditions. Because of the silky consistency of the Black Castor Oil Masque, I can see this lasting for about 5 or 6 deep conditions, which makes me very happy! I did feel a subtle cooling sensation on my scalp from the peppermint. Though it wasn't as much as I was hoping for, it most certainly wasn't a deal breaker.

Hair's Reaction: I definitely think my hair loved this product. After I rinsed the masque out after 30 minutes, my hair was left feeling super soft, extremely bouncy, hydrated, and light. I think this product is amazing and I can definitely see it becoming a staple of mine!

Strengthen, Grow & Restore Styling Lotion:

Smell: 10/10 - It smells just like the Treatment Masque, except for the fact that it is a little warmer. It has more of a vanilla smell to it, which makes it a little more pleasant and sweeter to me.

Texture/Consistency: 10/10 - It definitely has the feel and texture of a hair lotion. It is silky in the way that it is very smooth, yet thick in the way that it doesn't absorb directly into your hair. I liked having to smooth it in and work it in myself. Because I had to do this, it made this product great to use for detangling. Also, it was easy to style with. It didn't cause any knots or tangles, and my hair didn't clump together at all!

Hair's Reaction: I think my hair liked this lotion a lot! I wouldn't say that my hair fell in love with this product, but I definitely think it that it was really, really good! Like i said, I love the consistency of this product. The lotion is very, very light, which I love! My hair wasn't weighed down at all, which is something I always check for first and foremost. Something I did notice was that my hair wasn't very soft after it finally dried. It wasn't unbearably dry or crispy, but it didn't have the bouncy and soft feel that prefer. As far as styling goes, I tried doing flat twists all around my head using this lotion, and sadly, it turned out to be very unsuccessful. However, I don't blame the lotion and this didn't alter my view of it either. The style didn't work out partly because I did the twists on wet hair and my hair doesn't do well when I try to style when it is wet. Also, not all of the twists were fully dry when I took them out which was also a big no-no haha! With that being said, I know this product could be beyond amazing, so I'm going to keep trying it out and finding the ways to use it that will make it work best for me. I am a big fan of hair lotions, so I am looking for new ways to try to incorporate this one into my hair routine. When I find success with a certain technique/style, I will surely let y'all know!

:)

Overall, I'm actually very satisfied with this new collection. The two products I used were very light and smelled yummy! I definitely think that this collection has promise and will not disappoint. Like I said before, Shea Moisture has continuously worked wonders on my hair, so I have faith that I will be able to find a way to make the Styling Lotion work for me. I really would like to be able to get the Leave-in Conditioner, because I think that it will work well with the Styling Lotion and maybe allow for more successful styles. However, they were sold out of it when I went to CVS. I will try to go back soon to see if they have re-stocked it. Rest assured that when I get my hands on some, I will post about it! 

As always, thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog and product review! I hope you found it helpful! If not, feel free to leave any questions you have! I am always happy to answer them!

*image from Google Images