Kinky Curly Curling Custard Review: Part 2

Part 1 is here. There you can see my 2 attempts at using KCCC to style my hair.

So its almost a week later and here is my official review of KCCC and KCKT.

Ingredients:

Kinky Curly Knot Today: organic mango fruit extract, organic slippery elm, organic marshmallow root, organic lemongrass, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, citric acid, phenoxyethanol and natural fragrance

Kinky Curly Curling Custard: botanical infusion of water, horsetail, chamomile, nettle and marshmallow, organic aloe vera juice, agave nectar extract, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), pectin, citric acid, potassium sorbate and natural fragrance

Pros: I like that this product uses organic and natural ingredients. That is very important to me. And it allows for the product to easily wash out of my hair. I like the smell of both products. The scent is hard to describe, but it is not perfumey or overpowering. They smell clean and fresh. I like that my hair did not feel crunchy when it dried.

Cons: My hair had serious shrinkage using this product, too much for me. Because of the amount of shrinkage this is only one day hair and for me that is no bueno. I need to be able to wear a hairstyle for a week. Yes, a full 7 days, until wash/style day and this was not cutting it. It just did not give the wet look I was going for.

But, the product is not bad. I wish I would have had the courage to try it when my hair was shorter because it might have worked. I have noticed that my hair is longer and thicker than many of the YouTubers I have seen have success with this...even if our hair is the same hair type. So maybe I have passed my hair length for this product. I do want to try it again, but it is frustrating to spend time doing my hair and then having to do it again. We will see. I am going to keep the products around, so maybe when I have some time off from work I will try it again.

Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair OIl Review

Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil 300mL $4.99

Ingredients: Each 100mL of oil is prepared from: Mehndi (henna), Amla, Harar, Bahera, Neem, Brahmi, Kapur Kachri, Dugdha, Lemon oil, Rosemary oil, Lecithin, Sugandhit Dravyas, Nariyal Tail

What is all that? They are all ayurvedic herbs that have a variety of benefits.

Mehndi - hair strengthener; dandruff reducer; hair colorant

Amla - a conditioner; controls hair loss, stimulates growth, and controls premature graying

Harar - anti-inflammatory; analgesic; purifier

Bahera - hair rejuvenator

Neem - clears dandruff; natural antiseptic; natural oil balance for scalp

Brahmi - cools the scalp; controls dandruff; makes hair long, dense, dark, and lustrous; strengthens hair roots

Kapur Kachri - stimulates hair roots and growth

Dugdha - prevents graying

Lemon oil - cleans scalp; natural antiseptic; natural oil balance for scalp; refreshens and rejuvenates the scalp

Rosemary oil - is good for treating hair fall or shedding and dandruff. It stimulates the hair bulbs to renew activity and prevent premature balding

Lecithin - protein

Sugandhit Dravyas - improves blood circulation to hair roots and follicles; eliminates dandruff; soothes flaky scalp

Nariyal Tail - coconut oil

Yeah that's a lot. But this stuff is amazing. I found this searching on Amazon for something to help my itchy scalp. Then after I found it there I saw it on every blog and forum for natural hair care. So apparently this stuff is popular and I was just out of the loop. Nothing new. And from what I have found there are two different formulations, but I use the one in the green bottle pictured above.

Typically I make my own hair products, but this has so much stuff in it and it works, so for me to try to make something similar on my own would cost a fortune. I use this on my scalp and to do my 2-strand twists. Others use it as an oil rinse or deep conditioner. There are just so many uses. Even the Hubs tried it and liked it. He has very coarse hair and the products he has used according to him are usually soaked up through the night. He used this one night and he said the next morning his hair actually felt soft. I have never seen his hair feel soft so that is saying something. ;)

I have been using this product for a little over 2 months and I love it.

Pros: No more itchy scalp and my hair is so soft. I can use this product for so many things. I can add it to my deep conditioner (or use it alone as a deep conditioner), as an oil rinse, and as a pre-poo before I shampoo and condition my hair. I know some people will use it on their body too. I'm not there yet. Another pro is that the Hubs loves this for his hair too, so its good for men and women.

Cons: The only negative I can say of it is that coconut oil is a solid at room temperature. So if it is in a cold climate it will become a solid. The bottle is not designed for a solid and it can be difficult to get the product out. Just run it under some hot water and it will liquify.

Kinky Curly Curling Custard

What is that you say? Yes, Kinky Curly Curling Custard, from here on KCCC, is the new product I am trying on my hair. This product combined with Kinky Curly Knot Today (KCKT) is supposed to give all curly hair types amazing, curly, bouncy hair. This can be used for ethnic and non-ethnic hair...all curlies. That is the claim. And the product also says that it is all natural and organic, if that is important to you. It is to me.

All Kinky Curly products contain NO: petroleum, mineral oil, silicone, alcohol, plastics, acrylics, parabens, carbomer, or wax. Yes, all of these ingredients can be found in conventional hair products and are not good for curly hair.

Ingredients:

KCCC: botanical infusion of water, horsetail, chamomile, nettle and marshmallow, organic aloe vera juice, agave nectar extract, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), pectin, citric acid, potassium sorbate and natural fragrance

KCKT: organic mango fruit extract, organic slippery elm, organic marshmallow root, organic lemongrass, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, citric acid, phenoxyethanol, and natural fragrance

So how do they work, you ask?

Well, depending on your curl pattern you can use one or both products to make amazing curls. Some people with looser curls can use KCKT or KCCC alone. Most ethnic curlies have to use the products together. That is what I did.

Trial 1 (which did not turn out the way I expected)

This was done on clean, sopping wet hair.

I did not use enough KCKT on my hair and once it dried you could definitely see that. Also, once completely dry my hair was crunchy, which from everything I read and all the videos I watched on YouTube is not supposed to happen.

Here are some pics.

Just done. Hair still dripping wet.

About an hour later.

Completely dry.

Can we say shrinkage? When my hair is wet, it usually touches my shoulders. This ended up being a big, curly fro. I liked it, but it was not what I was going for and I cannot wear my hair like that to work. That means that I would have to wet my hair and do it again to go to work. I don't think that is going to happen to often.

Trial 2

On clean (shampooed and conditioned) sopping wet hair add KCKT. You have to use a lot of this and I mean A LOT. I have done this process twice and the first time I did not use enough of the KCKT. For my hair length, texture, and thickness I had to use 1/2 of the 8oz. bottle. Yes, half. KCKT does now come in a 32oz. bottle, so if I really like the results I will get the bigger bottle.

After conditioning my hair in the shower, I divided my hair into 4 twisted sections and left it like this as I applied the KCKT. I completely saturated each section in the product. Then I divided that section into 3 sections and clipped the rest aside. I used my Denman brush and worked the KCKT through the section. I took a small amount of KCCC and put it on the root. Then I took a little more and spread it through the section. I again took my Denman brush and worked the product through the section. Then I twisted the completed section to keep it out of the way. I repeated this process with my entire head.

I can already see the difference by using more KCKT. The curls are more defined and have more hang time.

Immediately after. Hair still sopping wet.

About 1 hour later.

Completely dry.

Trial 1 v. Trial 2

Sopping wet.

Completely dry.

Ok. I think I figured it out. I will definitely be trying this one again. Seven years of being natural and I finally figured out the wash and go look. Not exactly wash and go, but it looks like it. And I wish I had video because it moves and bounces and is not stiff. The hardest part was letting my hair dry completely before I started messing with it. I have serious issues with hand in fro.

These products can be bought online and at Whole Foods and Target (yep, just recently).

Also, check out all the videos on YouTube on the subject.

This is the application video I used for Trial 2. From miss HeatherNicole. Definitely subscribe to her videos. She is great.

Check out Her YouTube video.

Hair Comparison

So the other day I looked at some photos of our At Home Reception for our wedding. That was August of last year. I didn't realize how much my hair had grown. I guess when you see it every day it is hard to tell. Then last Saturday I saw some people I hadn't seen in a while and they all commented on how long my hair was getting. So I thought...time for a photo comparison.

August 2009

May 2010

I have also been thinking about dyeing my hair. The Hubs is against this because the last time I dyed my hair i chopped it all off. The color was too different from my natural hair color and it grew so fast, I just couldn't maintain it. I am thinking about henna'ing (is that a word) my hair. I am a little afraid. I don't know what the results will be and it is permanent. It would put a reddish tint on my hair, but I don't know how obvious it would be. I have brown hair and I have seen some of the results on other natural people and the color barely shown. They mostly do it for the benefits to the hair. But what if the color does show, what if it is uneven, what if I hate it?

Here are some close ups of my actual natural hair color

When I look at these I think, what color is my hair? And I think it is actually pretty. But because it is this sandy brown color it can appear dull sometimes. So I will keep doing research on henna and hair and maybe I will make a decision on that subject. I do know that I will not be using any conventional dyes on my hair ever, so its either henna or nothing.

I must say, I am impressed with the growth i have seen in less than a year. I guess taking care of your hair can really make a difference ;)

Quest for Two-Week Scalp

August 2009

I have been natural for a long time...since 2003. Maybe one day I will write my natural hair story...maybe. Even before I was natural I washed my hair a lot. Now I wash my hair every week. Many natural ladies are on a quest for 2-week hair. Basically they are trying to get one hairstyle to last 2 weeks. Well that is not my issue. My styles last. My issue is my scalp. After one week of life and the gym and whatever else, my scalp is begging to be cleaned. It gets itchy and I just can't take it anymore. I want 2-week scalp. I have been asking myself if I really should be trying to achieve this goal. I do go to the gym and I am trying to go more. So after sweating and everything maybe I do need to be washing my hair every week. But sometimes I am lazy. And I just don't wanna (I am saying this in my baby whining voice). But I am going to still try to see if this goal is achievable (for my hair).

What I had been doing for a long while now is:

Weekly

• wash hair with conditioner, making sure scalp is cleaned (Giovanni 50:50 Balanced)
• condition hair with same conditioner
• detangle under water
• use Curls Coconut Sublime Moisturizing Conditioner as leave-in on ends of hair

Then I would use my shea butter mix to twist my hair. I would leave in this style for the week and then have a twist out on weekends.

Bi-Weekly

• mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with conditioner to cleanse hair and scalp
• then follow as above

Trial 1 (for the past 2 weeks)

I really did not want to start using shampoo on my hair. I have not used shampoo on my hair for a couple of years. The only time I do is on the rare occasion I go to a professional hairdresser or when I am about to get my hair braided. But I thought maybe the conditioner was causing build-up that was making my scalp itch, so I gave it a try.

Week 1

• Wash hair with Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo
• condition hair with Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Conditioner
• detangle
• use leave-in as above

Then I followed the same routine for styling my hair. I normally do not apply oils directly to my scalp and I did not this time.

Results: My hair felt very clean and I thought this was going to be good. However, after I went to the gym I had itchy scalp again. The only difference is this time my scalp was dry and flaky...still itchy though. Adjustments needed.

Week 2

I did the same as week 1 except when styling my hair I added Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil to my scalp. It contains lemon, an astringent which controls sebum flow helping to prevent dandruff; henna and other herbs which coat the hair, protects from oxidation, and maintains natural hair color; and amla which strengthens hair roots.

I also added this to my hair after going to the gym to try to control itching.

Results: The itchy scalp still came. It did not come as early in the week as usual, but going to the gym twice (or maybe 3 times) this week and by wash day I was ready to wash my hair. My scalp was not dry, but ready to be washed.

I was going to continue using the shampoo for a month thinking that maybe it is taking my hair and scalp some time to adjust, but I am moving on to another method. I really do not want to use shampoo on my hair anyway so I am not too upset that this did not work.

So for the next month I am going to use an herbal mixture to cleanse my hair and scalp.

This will be my routine

• Cleanse hair with Amla/Shikakai Herbal Cleanser. Recipe below.
• Condition hair
• Detangle
• Final Rinse. Recipe below..

I purchased Ayurvedic products from Amazon to use in this mixture.

Recipe:

• boil a cup of water
• transfer water to a bowl
• add 1 heaping spoonful of shikakai powder
• add 2 heaping spoonfuls of amla powder
• allow to steep for 15-13 minutes
• strain the mixture to remove herbs and keep the liquid

This will be my cleansing rinse.

What are Shikakai and Amla?

Shikakai acts as a natural astringent. It clears dandruff and cleans dirt accumulated on the scalp. It can however be drying on the hair.

Amla is a conditioner. It controls hair loss, stimulates growth, and it controls premature graying of hair (bonus!).

Final Rinse Recipe

• 1c boiling water
• pinch of horsetail
• pinch of nettle
• pinch of marshmallow root
• pinch of rosemary
• allow to steep for 15-30 minutes
• strain and keep liquid
• add approx. 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar at the end.
• few drops of liquid vitamin E
• drops of essential oil for fragrance (optional)

What do those things do?

Horsetail helps eliminate dandruff and stimulates growth.

Marshmallow Root is soothing and an emollient. It contains mucilage, which is a protein. (I try to avoid proteins because my hair does not like them, but I think just a little will be ok...hopefully.)

Nettle improves circulation. In hair rinses, it stimulates growth and improves scalp condition. It can be mixed with rosemary and rubbed on the scalp for shiny, glossy hair.

Rosemary is good for treating hair fall or shedding and dandruff. It stimulates the hair bulbs to renew activity and prevent premature balding.

For more on Ayurvedic products for the hair look here.

For a breakdown of what various herbs do look here.

I got these recipes from Trenellm on YouTube.

Updates to follow. I will also take more pics because my hair is A LOT longer now.

Winter Hair Routine

I have been developing a routine for my hair. Trying to make the amount of time I spend on it shorter and more efficient. I am also trying to protect my delicate strands from the harsh winter weather.

Weekly

Co-Wash with Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Conditioner (this can be bought a Target)

Detangle with the same conditioner - To do this I divide my hair into 4 sections. Put a good amount of conditioner one the section. Comb the conditioner through with my fingers. Then detangle with a large tooth comb under the shower stream. The twist the section. Repeat for all sections.

Then I completely rinse the conditioner out of my hair with lukewarm water while still in the twists.

Once out of the shower I use Curls Coconut Sublime Moisturizing Conditioner as my leave-in and then sytle my hair. My hairstyle of choice for this winter is 2-strand twists. I do this on wet hair and style with my homeade shea butter concoction.

Bi-Weekly

I clarify my hair with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of lemon juice mixed with conditioner. I have been using Aussie Moist Conditioner (this can be bought at any grocery store). It is pretty cheap and doesn't have bad products for my hair. Then I follow my weekly routine from above.
Note: I am clarifying my hair so frequently because I work out a lot. Therefore, I get a lot of sweat build-up and I need to clarify.

I am hoping that by doing this routine I can keep my hair from breaking and improve growth during the winter months.

I know I need to add some deep conditioning treatments in the mix. Maybe I will try to do them on the weeks I do not clarify. And while my hair seems to be sensitive to proteins, I think it might benefit from a protein treatment every once in a while. I am going to try it out and see what the results are.

You may have noticed there is no shampoo in this routine. That is because I follow the No-Poo Method. Find out more about it here. I personally believe it is the best method for curly hair whether you are black, white, or somewhere in between. If you have curly hair I would definitely recommend you try it.

Cassia Treatment

I have heard so many natural hair folks talking about henna and cassia treatments for their hair. So finally, I decided to do a cassia treatment. Cassia makes your hair stronger, healthier, shinier, and it is the best conditioner on earth. (If you want to learn more about henna or cassia go to http://www.hennaforhair.com/, it is not just for black people haha).

So my cassia recipe consisted of 150g of cassia, honey, castor oil, jojoba oil, and enough filtered water to give it a yogurt consistency.



I know the color looks funky, but it is worth it. And it is completely natural, no chemicals. Which is important to me.

Then i smooshed it all in my hair and covered it with a plastic cap. I left it in my hair for about an hour and a half.





I used about half a bottle of cheap conditioner to wash it out. Washed, conditioned, and detangled my hair as usual.



So the results...my hair has never felt so soft. Also, my usual no shine hair actually has some. I love this stuff. I will definitely be using it again. And I will unleash the inner mixtress in me and come up with different recipes. My goal is to increase the shine in my hair. If I can accomplish that I will be ecstatic.

Unfortunately, because of my crazy work schedule last week I did nothing to my hair so I have no pics just yet of the wonderful results. But when I get some I will update.