For those of you who are not interested in experimenting with making your own hair oil, or are having trouble getting a hold of the ingredients then this stuff is for you.

Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil 150ml $3.99

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Neem Oil, Brahmi Extract, Fruit extracts ofAmla, Bahera and Harar, Kapur kachri, Henna leaf extract, Rosemary oil, Lemon Oil, Fragrance

I used to only see this product in Indian shops in Brooklyn, but I’m now seeing this version on mainstream natural/health store shelves. I’ve used this as an oil rinse, (stay tuned for an upcoming post about this) and as a deep conditioner. For the deep condish, I combed the oil through my wet hair liberally, and then sat under a heat cap for an hour or so. The oil has the same consistency as baby oil and is thinner than I expected, but I didn’t need to use a lot. When I rinsed my hair out it was nice ans soft and stayed that way for DAYS. It has all of the oils I would use to make hair oil myself, and THEN some, and it’s starts at only $3.99!

Autumn

I’ve been a fan of Autumn of Curly Chronicles YouTube Channel for awhile now. She has great natural hair tips and is a fan of natural ingredients in products as well. Check out our interview, and check out her channel here.

How long have you been natural?

I’ve been natural since 2003.

You have beautiful hair. What are your favorite natural hair products?

Thank you! I use Coconut oil, Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner, Shea butter, Vegetable glycerin, Almond oil, and though this isn’t 100% au natural, Bio Infusion Professional Detangling Conditioner because it really does work wonderfully for my hair.

What are your favorite low-maintenance styles?

I’ll mainly wear two strand twists either hanging or in an up do. They’re simple but cute styles.

What’s your opinion of all of the so-called “green” and “natural” hair products out of the market?

Well, unfortunately, it’s up to us, the consumers, to read the labels and make a conscious decision. Since there aren’t really any tight restrictions on being able to use the term natural or green, we have to do our homework. It kinda sucks, but you get use to it and you tend to find the best products for your hair and stick with them.

A few weeks ago I was sent an 8oz. container of Wonder curl Get Set Hair Jelly from Scarlett Rocourt, the creator of the product. I had gotten a few email from Savvy readers asking if I’d tried it, so I was excited to check it out myself. She suggests using the product for a Wash ‘n Go on her Facebook page tutorial.Well I have to tell you, I normally don’t have much luck with Wash ‘n Gos. (A Wash ‘N Go is when you apply a conditioner and then a gel to your curly hair while it’s sopping wet, and let it air dry.) I’ve used Kinky Curly Curling Custard (KCCC) as well as EcoStyler Gel for this method, but I’ve never been able to get good results after one day. That’s not to say that those products don’t work, they do, but I learned a while ago not to try to expect my hair to look like anyone else’s. Case in point, Scarlett’s hair is 3b, 3c, whereas mine is 4a,4b. I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised…

Scarlett''s hair after using Wonder Curl

Wonder Curl Get Set Hair Jelly – 2oz. $5; 8oz. $15, 16oz. $25

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Vera) juice, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel), Phenoxyethanol, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Panthenol, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Alcohol denatured, Carbomer, TEA, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium 7, Fragrance

I liked that most of the ingredients are all-natural and similar to KCCC without the hefty price tag.

So loosely following her instructions, I washed my hair using my regular routine, and detangled in the shower. Then I separated my hair into sections, and starting with a small handful of wet hair, I applied a dime sized amount of Clear Castor Oil, and pulled it through my hair with my fingers so it was evenly distributed. (I always use some type of oil under gels, I find that it seals in the moisture and doesn’t allow the gel to leave my hair “crunchy”). Then, I took a quarter-sized amount of Wonder Curl Get Set Hair Jelly, and raked it through the same section on top of the oil. I then continued with the same technique, until my whole head was covered.Here are my results…

Wonder Curl in my wet hair

After reading all of you guys’ helpful comments on My First Henna, I got some new ingredients and finally got around to doing my henna again a couple of weeks ago and it came out MUCH better this time. Here’s what I used:

Henna Mix 2

Ingredients*:

2 cups of steeped hot green tea (3 tea bags)
200gms of Jamila Henna
2 tbsps milk thistle powder
2 tbsps of almond oil
4 tbsps Suave Tropical Coconut condish
2 tbsps red wine vinegar (I figured it’s acidic and it’s red so why not right?)

*Everything highlighted can be purchased at the Savvy Shop

Directions:

Pour Henna powder into a bowl and add steeped hot green tea and vinegar to the mix. Add milk thistle powder and let sit for 4 hours. Then add the rest of the ingredients until the consistency is like pancake batter.

I then coated my hair just like last time, but this time I only left it in for 4 hours. I also used more Suave condish to rinse it out. (My only mistake? Rinsing my hair in the shower, and not the tub what a mess! I’m still cleaning some of it out of the shower!)

I followed it all up with a deep conditioning treatment of coconut milk, AOHSR Condish and raw honey. (I’ll post that recipe soon!)

This time my hair came out soft and shiny and I think the color was a little richer. I think it might have changed my curl pattern a bit as well. Although I heard about people saying that henna changed their curl pattern, they always said it happened after using henna for awhile. This is only my second time using it! Here’s how it turned out after I did a twitout with Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair milk and KBB Hair Cream. (A review of these products is also coming!)

Here’s the results, you can really see the color change in my puff…

Now you know I’m a DIY kinda gal, but I occassionally will buy things that I can’t make, especially if those things are creative, show ingenuity and I have a little extra spending money. Enter: Tomoka’s Twists. I first heard about TT on YouTube, and I’ve been tracking her ever since then. But it wasn’t until she showed up on the Sunday Nappturalite Radio Show, that I learned her name isn’t Tomoka, it’s Mimi, and the biz is named for a favorite family member). Then I started following her on twitter, I found out how friendly, and down-to-earth she was. Well I finally ordered a “twist” for myself, and every time I wear it I get nothing but compliments! The twist is actually covered wire, that has beads on the end. Here’s the one I ordered:

S. Luxurious - $16 (shipping was free)

Believe it. I went with Sexy (my husband) one day to AutoZone because he needed some things for his car, and as I passed the “Car Detailing” Aisle I stopped dead in my tracks and backed up. There was an entire row of microfiber cloths, chamois and other detailing cloths. First, I thought about how I could use the smaller multi-pak ones to clean with, since we stopped using paper towels. But then, I saw the biggest microfiber cloth I’d ever seen, and all I could think about was my HAIR.

Microfiber is highly absorbent and I kept hearing about these great microfiber towels that you can dry your hair with that will preserve and not break your curls when drying it! But every time I found one I liked, it always cost like $20 per towel, and that, my friends, is NOT in the budget. But here before me, in Aisle 6 of AutoZone, was a microfiber towel for less than $10! And it wasn’t one of those 12 x 12 ones that you dust with either. It was 28.5″ x 40″! I immediately grabbed it and ran over to Sexy and started raving about how fabulous it was and he gave me the same look that I guess most men give their women who start rambling on about a non-masculine subject in an auto-supply store, and just said “OK” and headed off to the register.

Well folks…

I

LOVE

THIS

TOWEL

Hey folks! I’m going to be on the Nappturalite Radio Show on blogtalkradio.com tomorrow 3pm – 4pm PST/5pm – 6pm CST/6pm – 7pm EST. I’ll be co-hosting with show creators Dawn Yerger and Jaye Reliford. I’ll be talking about how ingredients in our diet, beauty and cleaning products affect our health and our hair, and what are some affordable solutions.

The guest on this week’s show will be Mahisha Dellinger, creator of CURLS natural hair products

I saw Kimmaytube of YouTube and Luv Naturals demonstrate this one, and I’ve added it to my repertoire. After my washing my hair and following my normal routine, I usually put my hair in medium-sized twists like this.

I rarely use a dryer, opting instead to use a microfiber towel to squeeze dry my hair before I twist, and then let it air dry the rest of the way. I’m convinced I’ve been able to retain more length this way. BUT what to do if I have to go out or to a function the same day that I’ve washed my hair? Kimmaytube to the rescue!

I first heard about Chatto’s  products (pronounced Sha-toe), when a fan of her products contacted me and told me that I should try them. (Thanks Julie!) Ms. Chatto then contacted me herself and sent me quite a few of her products. You know how I like to thoroughly review products, so I’m going to spread this over a few posts. Chatto is based in Chicago, and the products can be ordered online. These products are definitely geared towards people with with 3b,3c,4a,4b,4c type curly hair. For more on hair typing, click here.

Here’s my review of five of Chatto’s products:

Chatto’s Shampoo Bar for Twists and Locs $12.00 + shipping
Ingredients: Sunflower, Palm, Coconut, and Castor oils; Silk Protein;  Shea Butter,Horse Tail , hops,Olive oil, Aloe Vera, Yarrow, Essential oils Argan oil Peppermint, Rosemary, Sweet Orange, Tangerine, Pink Grapefruit, Tea Tree.

Despite the name, this bar can be used on all types up hair. The shampoo bar is a nice size and so I cut it up just like the one I got from Anita Grant. I cleaned my hair in sections following my normal routine. A small piece lathered up a lot and cleaned my hair and scalp really well. You can also use this bar on your body and Chatto states that it is also good for anyone with Eczema. You can purchase this product here.
RATING*: 4 Smart - Good product, will buy again, but it would be great if it was $10 or less

So after hearing people on longhaircareforum.com, naturallycurly.com and curlynikki.com rave about shampoo bars I decided to try a few. I use a shampoo bar the same way I wash my hair in my normal routine, section by section concentrating on the scalp. The other reason why I like shampoo bars is that you can also use them on your body! You guys KNOW how I like multitasking my products!

Anita Grant’s Babassu Amla Shampoo Bar £7.05 ($10.62 US)+shipping

Ingredients:
Organic Babassu Oil, Refined Mango Butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Amla (Indian Gooseberry), Organic Castor Oil, saponified (this makes it sudsy) with Ashbeck Mountain Spring water from Cumbria, England
The site has a detailed description of each of these ingredients and what they do. click here.

Anita Grant is located in London, England, so you have to order her products online and they take a few weeks to show up. Unless of course you live there…so Georgina, Adrianna and all of my UK followers you’re in LUCK!

This bar was worth the wait though. It’s a pretty big bar, so the first thing I did was cut it up into four pieces, and then I cut one of those pieces in half (I hate wasting soap so I do this a lot).

AG Babassou and Amla Shampoo Bar

Then I took one of the small pieces and managed to wash my whole head with it! It does lather, but not too much and you can feel the oils in it working. My hair definitely did detangle a little easier, and I didn’t use much of the bar at all. It felt great on my body too, and I wasn’t left with that dry tightness I get when I use regular soap on my skin.