KBB Hold It Gel

Gel is very thick and stiff

On my hair

On KK's hair


Today I went back to my beloved WnG style. I decided this would be a great time to try my Karen's Body Beautiful Hold It Gel that I purchased at the WNHS in Altanta back on April. As you can see from the picture the gel is very thick. It reminds me of Let's Jam gel. I got the Coco Lime fragrance so the smell is Yummy. I also decided to try this product on both my hair and KK'S hair. We started with freshly washed hair then added KC Knot Today as our leave in, followed by a couple of sprays of Darcy's Botanicals Plum Kernel Nectar. Lastly we raked the KBB Hold It Gel through our hair. The gel does not have much slip but it was not hard to apply. Right after I was finished applying the gel I was very pleased with the curl definition. Then my hair started dripping. Yes dripping on my face, shoulders and back. I have only had this happen with one other product and that's the Shea Moisture Curl Souffle. But again the curl definition was great so I just used a towel and kept it moving. I went to lunch about 40 minutes from where I live. So I drove with my windows down allowing my 80mph speed to dry me and my daughters hair. Once we arrived at our location I checked the mirror and my hair looked amazing, of course i touched my hair and was shocked to feel a helmet. My hair has more crunch than a bag of kettle chips. I also had flaky white stuff on my neck, face and back. I used a wet cloth to clean that up and I was good to go. My hair is still very hard and I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that yet. I will post pics tomorrow of our second day hair. I still like the gel because my hair does look good, but I think I will try it with a heavier leave in next time.

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Product Review: COCO Curls Moisturizing Styling Cream

Available at www.cococurls.com

8 oz $15 16oz $25

I was able to get mine at the World Natural Hair Show 2- 8oz for $20

It is thick and creamy and smells like butterscotch candy. Yum

From their website

"Coco Curls combines the properties of both  SHINE & MOISTURE, as well as HOLD & DEFINITION. A small amount goes a long way and works best with wet hair. You don’t have to worry about a white residue or greasy after affect – perfect for wearing a 2 strand twist style right out the salon! Coco Curls is made with all natural ingredients, that combine to nourish and strengthen natural hair." 

Ingredients:

Aloe Vera Juice, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Cetearyl Olivate and Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxypropyl trimonium Honey, Lactobacillus Ferment, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (and) Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract,  Dehydroxanthan Gum, Fragrance Oils.

Minnie's hair in 2 stand twists with Coco Curls

The back

Twist out results after keeping twists in for a week and a half

Side View- Great Curl Definition

She loved her hair. Yes those are feetie pj's lol 

Beautiful Curls

I stalk YouTube for product reviews.  Before going to the hair show I saw lots of vloggers reviewing the Coco Curls Moisturizing Styling Cream and all the reviews were very positive.  I also knew they were going to have a booth at the World Natural Hair Show so I decided this would be a great time to give it a try because not only could I buy it at a discounted price but I could also get it without paying shipping. Winning! I have to say the ladies that were working the booth were very friendly and eager to help. They were running a deal to buy 1 for $12 or 2 for $20. I love a good deal so I walked away with 2.  When I got home I decided my oldest daughter, Minnie, would be the one to test this product. The label says you do not need a leave-in and that you can use it for wash n go's or twists. So for an entire week Miana tried using it for WnG's  both with and without a leave in. The result was not very good. There was not much curl definition and lots of frizz.  So I decided to try it for 2 strand twists. SUCCESS!!!!! She washed and conditioned her hair and I applied Curls brand creme brulee as a leave-in conditioner and then CoCo Curls on top and I twisted her hair. The results were amazing. The first pictures are of the day after I twisted her hair.  She wore the twists for over a week and a half and then took the twists out.  While her hair was twisted NO extra product was used, no water, no sprays and no oils or butters. Her hair stayed moisturized the entire time.  She did not even add any more product to her hair after she took the twists out.  It was not until day 3 of her twist out that I took a small amount of the Coco Curls and rubbed it through her hair.  Today she is still rocking her twist-out and it still looks really good. Today is day 5 of her twist out.  So lets add this up she had the twists in for a week and a half and so far has had her twist out for 5 days, that is over two weeks on one application of the product and I only had to do her her one time!!! Winning again!!!  I can say we really like this product and will purchase it again. I don't think it works well for WnG's but it is outstanding for twists. I give this product an A+++++++++. 

Product Review: B.A.S.K Y.A.M Nectar

Available at http://www.baskbeauty.com

8 oz for $20

I was able to get mine for $13 at the World Natural Hair Show

INGREDIENTS: Pure Clover Honey, Vegetable Glycerin, Yucca Oil (Virgin Olive Oil infused w/ Yucca Root), Avocado Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Manuka Honey, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Essential oils of Rosewood & Copaiba, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglycerin.

Feels like a thick rich honey

Smells amazing, like sweet buttered honey with a slight floral scent

I separated my wet hair into 7 sections with clips

This is one finger full. I used about two of this amount per section.

I smoothed it through each section and then used a wide tooth comb to de-tangle that section. I then twisted that section and moved on. De-tangling was ridiculously easy 

After de-tangling my ENTIRE head this is all the hair that I SHED!!!!!!!! I was in disbelief.

After sitting in my hair for almost two hours. 

This past weekend my oldest daughter had a sleepover. On Saturday morning as I waited for parents to arrive I decided it would be a great time to do a deep conditioning treatment on my hair because I knew it would be a while before I left the house.  I figured it would be the perfect time to try the B.A.S.K Y.A.M  Nectar.  I had been wanting to try this for months based on YouTube reviews.  I was able to get mine at a discounted price at the World Natural Hair Show a few weeks ago.  All reviews for this product have been outstanding stating that the honey like texture turns into a thick rich cream when smoothed into the hair and that it leaves the hair very soft and moisturized.  Count me in for all of that.  Keep in mind last week I styled my hair with Kinky Curly Curling Custard as usual which lasts all week So it had been 7 days since I had de-tangled my hair. I started by wetting my hair in my bathroom sink.  Then I sectioned my hair into 7 sections as seen above. One section at a time I smoothed about two finger fulls into my hair and then used my wide tooth comb to de-tangle it.  I then twisted that section and clipped it again and moved on to the next section. I could not believe how easy it was to de-tangle my hair. The comb actually slid effortlessly through each section. And as you can see from the tiny amount of shed hair in the comb above the product has a great deal of slip.  When I had finished applying the product I removed the clips and placed a plastic shower cap on my hair and then put my silk scarf on top of that. I let the product sit on my hair for just under two hours.  When I removed the shower cap and unraveled my twists I was in shock, my fingers slid through my hair with ease. I had not been able to run my fingers through my hair like that with absolutely no resistance since my hair was relaxed. I just kept doing it and thinking how in the world did this product make my hair feel so good and keep it de-tangled.  I got into the shower to wash it out and I really did not want to so I just stood there and played with my hair some more.  It felt like each strand had been wrapped and a cocoon of sweet ooey gooey honey decadence. Then I began to stroke my hair upwards and before I knew it I had all my hair gathered into one ponytail!!! Ok please look at my pics again my hair is still short and very very thick and I had it in one ponytail!!! I was in such awe I actually got out of the shower and looked in the mirror because I needed visual poof for myself.  After a little more hair fondling I went ahead and rinsed the YAM Nectar out and to my delight my hair remained super soft, moisturized and best of all super de-tangled.  This is my new #1 turning my nose up at anything else deep conditioning treatment.  I can say that by far I have never used anything quite like this product, it more than exceeded my expectations. A++++ for this one. I will definitely buy this over and over and over. 

May CurlKit Reveal

My May CurlKit

Available at http://www.curlkit.com

$20 per month superscription service

What I saw when I opened the CurlKit

All my May Goodies

MORE FULL SIZE PRODUCTS!!!!!!!

What Was in My CurlKit
- Sofn'Free Nothing But Curl Sealer -FULL SIZE
- Sofn'Free Nothing But Curl Wake Up Spray - FULL SIZE
-  Curly Canadians Hair Love (butter) - Deluxe Sample
- Bee Mine Juicy (spray)- Deluxe Sample
- Curl Prep Sweet Buttah  - Deluxe Sample
- Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper- sample packet
- KYNX I am Fierce Refreshing Leave In Conditioner- 2 sample packets
- 1 and Only Argan Oil Moisture Repair Conditioner- Sample Packet

If you have been following my blog then you know I have gotten some great "samples" this month from all of my subscription services.  And not to be outdone by the others CurlKit certainly delivered some surprises of their own this month.  This is my second month as a subscriber with CurlKit and the May kit knocked the April kit out of the water. The Theme for this CurlKit was Curls Run the World: International Edition.  Products from United States, Canada and the United Kingdom were included in this months selection. I got not one but two full size products, three deluxe samples and four sample packets.  I was soooo excited to get this CurlKit. As usual it was packaged in a beautiful sivler box with pretty pink tissue paper inside and a card describing all the goodies.  I also got some coupons to save money on the featured products.  You know I am a sucker for a good deal.  I absolutely love CurlKit and I think they do a great job giving you well known products and introducing you to new products to try.  The samples are very generous and give you the opportunity to really see if a product will work for you before you sink your hard earned dollars into products.  I can not say enough good things about CurlKit.  Now I need to get busy experimenting with these products so I can get some reviews posted for you all.  Please be sure to subscribe to my blog by putting your email in on the right side where is says "follow by email". Thanks yall !!!!!!!

May CurlBox Birthday Edition Reveal

CurlBox $20 per month subscription service

available at http://www.curlbox.com

What I saw when I opened the box

OMG!!!!! Look at all those full sized products!!!!!!

What was in my May CurlBox

-  Elasta QP Mango Moisturizer- FULL SIZE

-  Design Essentials Natural Daily Moisturizing Lotion- FULL SIZE

-  Kynx Softening Cream Cleanser- FULL SIZE

-  Habbi Vanilla& Rose Body Balm (pretty good size)

-  Luster's Renutrients Slick Stick

-  Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Hair Masque packet

-  Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil packet

-  Organic Root Stimulator Hair Repair Anti-Breakage Creme packet

-  Organic Root Stimulator Shea Butter Hair & Scalp Lotion packet

-  Love the Journey Journal <~~~~ Super Cute I cant wait to write in it.

This months CurlBox is unbelievable! I mean look at this picture!!! Ok before I get into what is in the box let me tell you how I came to be a subscriber.  I first heard about CurlBox back around the holidays, December or January.  It sounded pretty cool but I was really on the fence about joining. I was just unsure about getting 5-7 sample sized products for $20 per month. Afterall I have very thick hair and how big would these samples be?  So I decided to hold off and wait to see some reviews of what people got in their first box. I believe the first shipments came out  in February and I was so jealous of what I saw on the video reviews.  I knew I wanted to be a subscriber and I was kicking myself for not subscribing when I had the chance. I tried to sign up but the list was sold out. I was on the mailing list so each month when the list opened up I would try to sign up and I missed it every time. According to the CurlBox twitter memberships were selling out each month within 30-40 minutes.  Fast forward to April.  Myleik, the owner of CurlBox, tweeted that the May CurlBox membership would be opening on the weekend and that it would be the biggest CurlBox yet. I knew I wanted one bad and that not only would I be on vacation when the CurlBox membership opened according to the email I received later but that I would be in a different time zone.  I knew I had to have a strategy to get on the list.  Yes it is that serious people.  The memberships opened up at 11 am EST April 7. I was in Hawaii at the time and they  are 6 hours behind EST.  No problem folks I set two different alarms to get up at 5am. It worked!!!!! I was able to secure a membership and wow just in time for the BIGGEST CURLBOX YET!!!!!!! This is Myleik's birth month so to celebrate she sent out the biggest best curlbox yet complete with gold confetti.  I felt like a little kid at a birthday party going home with the best goodie bag ever!! If there was ever any doubt about the value of subscription services the 3 full sized products alone show that this box is well worth the $20 per month.  I am so happy I finally got my CurlBox membership and I cant wait to try all these products and for all the future boxes that are to come.  You know each month I will post pics and information about the boxes and reviews of the products as I use them. Ok I have to go  play with these products. Stay tuned for other subscription box reviews for May. I still have 2 that I have not received yet : D. But I think this is my favorite. 

Review: Shea Moisture Lemongrass & Ginger Dead Sea Soak

I purchased at the World Natural Hair Show 3 for $20

Regular Price $9.99 may be at select Targets and Walgreens (not on either website)

I love taking long relaxing baths after a hard workout, so when I saw this at the WNHS I thought hey this would be perfect because it says it helps to relieve sore muscles. It also claims to soften the water and skin so bonuses all around.  Yesterday my personal trainer decided to punish me extra hard for eating "bad food" while I was in Atlanta for the hair show so when I got home I could barely walk. And then it hit me, it would be a perfect time to try my new bath salt.  I drug myself up the stairs lit my candle in the bathroom and started to run the water.  When I opened the bath salt I knew we had a winner based on the smell alone.  It smells of lemons and oranges and other citrus smells but with a spa type of citrus not like a lemonade or cut lemon smell. It smelled so good both of my daughters came into the bathroom wondering what was smelling so good and then asked if they could use it too. I was tempted to say "No, You got to get your own my brother" but I agreed to let them use a little. Needless to say it was a very pleasurable bath experience. I soaked for about 30-40 minutes and let the wonderful fragrance transport me to a place where personal trainers had out cupcakes that make you skinny instead of grueling workouts :).  When all was said and done I felt very relaxed and much less sore than before my bath.  I slept like a rock and this morning I don't feel sore at all.  I have used the Shea Moisture hair products many times and liked them but this was my first time  using anything from their bath line and I am officially hooked.  I will be repurchasing this item and trying the other bath products. 

2012 World Natural Hair Show

The 2012 World Natural Hair Show in Atlanta, GA was held this past weekend. To say I had the time of my life would be an understatement. This was my second time attending the WNHS and I must say this year was far better than last year. Last year I was pretty new to natural hair and still transitioning so I was trying to learn what products to use and how to "do" my hair.   However this year I had a whole new agenda.  I wanted to meet the people behind the brands that I have discovered over the past year and get great deals on products.  I  also wanted to meet many bloggers and vloggers that I follow. I did all that and then some, I even saw a famous actress in the mix.  The show was a huge success and my natural hair product stockpile has grown by leaps and bounds.

My WNHS Haul ; D

All the things I purchased except the 3 Shea Moisture products I gave my mom and the Jane Carter products that are on their way. 

As you can see from the picture I was able to gets tons and tons of hair products. Before arriving at the show I knew I wanted to get products from BASK, CURLS, Karen's Body Beautiful, Oyin Handmade and some raw shea butter.  Once I arrive I was lured in by the loud music, flashy lights and the aroma of great smelling products that just kept jumping into my bags : D.  And let's not get started on the the prices!!! Everything and yes I do mean EVERYTHING was offered at huge discounted show prices.  For example: CURLS had their 4 step CURLS Cocktails which are usually priced between $67-$79 show priced at $20!!! and yes they did sell out of these by the end of day 1.  There were other deals such as Shea Moisture products reg price $10 each were show priced 3 products for $20.  And lots and lots of free samples!!! All of the products in the front were all free products that were handed out. Beautiful Textures even gave away a swag bag with 2 FULL SIZED products if you "liked" their Facebook page. One of my favorites of the WNHS has to be Jane Carter.  Many of the Jane Carter products sold out due to the huge discounts but instead of saying oh well tough luck Ms. Jane Cater actually let you order at the show prices and is shipping the products to the customers for FREE!! Now that is customer service right there.  I was also able to talk to her personally and she is a very down to earth sweet lady. Great Job Jane.  The WNHS is definitely a great place to  learn about the new products coming out and to stock up on many of your staples. Look for reviews on these products coming soon. 

Me with one of my favorite vloggers makeupandbeautyjunkie on YouTube

Product Review: Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

Available at select Targets and many online retailers

8 OZ for $22

Has the consistency of well pudding

Smells sweet and fruity <~~~ I liked the smell

Ingredients:

water, parafinium liquidum, glycerin, triethanolamine, fragrance, carbomer, PEG-12 dimethicone, dipropylene glycol, silk amino acids, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, avocado oil, shea butter, sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, macademia seed oil, oleth05, ethylhexyl methoxycinnanate, disodium EDTA, DMDM hydantion, ext. violet 2

I got this product at a product swap sponsored by www.derbycitynaturals.com (<~~~~~ my fovorite blogger and a great friend) Now there is a great deal of hype out there about Miss Jessie's products. Their marketing team does an amazing job.  They are everywhere on the internet. If you are into natural hair at all there is no doubt you have heard of them.  Last year at the World Natural Hair Show in Atlanta they had one of the largest booths and even had models walking around handing out free Miss Jessie's t-shirts.  Despite their numerous adds I have been very hesitant to use any of their products because I am a self admitted ingredient snob. I refuse to use petroleum, mineral oil, sulfates or any kind of 'cone (different forms of silicone) in my hair, no exceptions. And the SECOND ingredient is parafinium liquidum, which is the fancy name for mineral oil.  I'm sorry no thank you Miss Jessie. (note I tested it in my daughters hair not mine. I'm so wrong for that) Another problem I have is the expensive price tag. How can a company use cheap crappy ingredients and charge such a hefty price.  Again no thank you Miss. Jessie's. But again I did not pay for this product it was given to me at a product swap so I figured hey I'll try it in KK's hair and we will see how it goes.  

So I washed and conditioned her hair I used both Curls brand shampoo and conditioner (you can find reviews of those on this blog too) I dis not use a leave-in conditioner on her hair as the products instructions say to apply to freshly washed hair.  I used the shingling method and then had her shake her hair vigorously. 

The slip was pretty good so it was very easy to distribute through the hair even without the use of a leave in conditioner. The pics below show how KK's hair looked right after application.   Her curls were very defined and pretty frizz free. I was a little surprised at how good it looked.  I'll be honest with the ingredients I did not have high expectations.  The last picture shows her hair after it had dried completely.  Meh, it was just ok for me. While the curls are still pretty defined her hair felt crispy and very dry. In fact it felt dehydrated again I go back to the ingredients there is not much there that nourishes the hair so I'm surprised.  So you be the judge is it worth the $22? And that's what's Nu today.

The 1st four pics below are right after the Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding was applied. The last pic was about 6 hours after application and hair was completely dry. 

Final Look 

Birchbox Monthly Beauty Subscription

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service. For $10 per month they send you various fragrance, beauty, accessory and hair samples and sometimes full sized products to try. I love products and I love trying new things so for only $10 a month heck yea I'll sign up. I have to tell you I was very unimpressed with the first box I got in Feb and actually thought about canceling the service. See the pics and list for what I received. Now I got my second Birchbox today and OMG!!!!! I am so glad I did not cancel. I love this box. So I have not tried any of the stuff yet. But I had to come and show you guys what I got. I will include a list of all the items in each. if you are interested in signing up you can go to www.birchbox.com

Oh so in other news I also joined Curlkit today which is the same kinda thing but for curly hair ppl who wanna try different products it's $20 per month and you can sign up for it at www. Curlkit.com

So I'm thinking of doing a giveaway would you all be interested? And if so what kinda giveaway would you like?

First Birchbox
Colorescience glow and go travel puff
Eye rock designer liner
Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy
Jouer pink lip gloss
Show Stoppers double sided tape in black and nude


2nd Birchbox
Essie nail polish full size in as gold as it gets
Twirl perfume by Kate Spade
Kerastase Elixir Ultime
Twistband hair tie
Tarte natural matte lip stain in lucky

Curl Junkie Beauticurls Conditioner

Curl Junkie: Beauticurls Argan and Olive Oil Daily Hair Conditioner

Purchased from Curlmart.com 12oz $19

This conditioner has become a fast favorite. I purchased this from curlmart along with 3 other Curl Junkie conditioners about three weeks ago (reviews for those coming soon).  Curl Junkie is another company that puts amazing fragrances in their products.  The smell is a very tropical exotic fruit smell like mango papaya or something.  I really like it a lot. the slip is amazing.  I would tell you that it made de-tangling my hair easy but I cant tell you that because after distributing the product through my hair I did not have any tangles. My hands just slid right through my hair, and I have super thick hair so that is saying something right there. The conditioner is a little expensive in comparison to some of my other favorites but I feel like it is well worth it.  I will definitely re-purchase this product.  I can not say a single negative thing about it. As a matter of fact because I liked it so much I purchased 3 more Curl Junkie products from www.Aveyou.com those reviews will be coming very soon. 

Ampro Olive Oil Gel

Not sure where you can buy this or how much it retails for.  I got 5 free samples with my Curlmart order and this was one of the 5.  I really had zero expectations for this product.  I did not expect to like it. Now I do love getting stuff for free so I was very happy to see such a large sample included in my order.  I did use it to slick my hair back into a high puff and I also used it on my daughters hair when putting it into a ponytail and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it would be one of those gels that holds your hair down but makes it hard and stiff and makes flakes when you comb it out.  I was totally wrong.  the hold is very soft and it even felt like it helped to add moisture to my hair. Huh from a cheap gel? really? Yes and my hair was soft after I took the puff down. I could not believe it.  I really like this sample and I did not think I would at all.  Thank you Curlmart for the great sample. 

Jessicurl Confident Coils First Impression

Jessicurl Confident Coils

$14.95 for 8oz

Can be purchased at www.jessicurl.com or www.curlmart.com

This was given to me by my hair twin and best blogger ever Haley of derbycitynaturals.com

As you know I have been doing lots of experimenting recently.  I was getting a little bored and very curious about other products so I decided to step out on my first love and have a few hair affairs.  Enter Jessicurls Confident Coils.  I have tried a few of the Jessicurl conditioners and really liked them. But I had never tried one of the stylers, so I jumped at the chance to give this one a try. The consistency is of a watery cream gel. I co-washed my hair and applied Curls brand Cashmere Curls as my leave in and then sectioned my hair into 6 sections and applied the Confident Coils in the same manner as I always do raking and shaking as I go. I love the curls it gave me. As you can see in the picture my curls are popping.  It did not react well with the Curls Cashmere Curls leave in.  This picture was taken 2 hours after application of the product and my hair is still white. I did this WnG at night and about 3 hours after this pic was taken I wrapped my hair in my 100% silk scarf and went to bed. The next morning my hair was very dry feeling and frizzy there would have been no way to get second day hair. Again this may have been due to the leave in. I may experiment with this product further to see if it would do better with a different leave in.  So right now I would have to give this product a C+ because it does give really good curl definition..  

My hair 2 hours after application.