Product Junkie Rehab

It's been almost 3 years since I transitioned and 2 years into my natural hair journey. Over the course of that short time being natural I have developed a bit of a problem collecting hair products. I don't even know how this even started it just slowly crept in like a bad fart on an crowded elevator. When I was relaxed I never was into buying and spending money on products. I was like a guy if was cheap and gets the job done I bought it. I think since being natural I discovered a love for my hair that I didn't have before. Let me be honest for a minute here and make this statement . I HATED BEING RELAXED!!!! I only stayed relaxed because it was all I  knew outside of wearing braids and a ponytail. I'm so glad I made the change from relax to natural. No more chemical burns, long noise salon visits, and spending $60+ just to have my scalp burned off every 6-8 weeks (so don't miss those days). After getting rid of one problem I kinda developed another. At first it started by me not knowing what products worked for my hair, because I didn't know the basics  of natural hair and the whole hair typing thing. Once I grasps the basic knowledge about natural hair, then finding out the different kinds of products and how to properly use them for my type of hair things got a lot easier. I started to find a few staple products some not so nice products. Then something created a spark in me that I never had before. The more I researched the more I was interested. The more I was interested the more money I was spending on products. Fast forward I was hooked on trying every product that caught my eye, especially if it was on sale with a coupon marked down in the clearance section type of product. I was watching YouTube product hauls and reviews like they were hardcore porn movies. I looked up one day and notice my bed room was dominated by an organized prison for hair products. They were every where!!! In my closet, in a costume trunk, in a plastic 3 tier container, in the bathroom cabinet, almost a year worth of curl kit boxes and in the shower. I've tried giving some of it away and there is still too much left. So I have to face the music. I am Girl Friday and I am a product junkie. I never thought I would of seen the day I admit I love products because I love my hair. I've been doing pretty good lately using up stuff but still I find myself buying things. At least its things like conditioners that I use up in no time and things to make deep conditioners with. I've been only trying to buy things when I have to or are things that I really use on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. I plan on giving away most of the hair products I have left to newly natural women since I know how hard it was for me starting out. So here are a few tips I'm learning on my road to product junkie recovery.

Product Junkie Recovery Tips

• Clean House- Sort through all your products if it hasn't been used at least 4-5 times in the last 6 months put it in a box to be given away. Most likely your not gonna use them, some one else could.
• Inventory-Make a list of all the products you use by category (Shampoo, Conditioner, Deep treatments, Leave-ins, Moisturizers, Stylers, Oils, Tools, etc) By doing this you know exactly what products you use in your regimen and won't wonder or purchase other products.
• Restrictions&Limits- By setting up ground rules you only use what products you have and only buy what you need.
• Fighting Temptations- When getting the urge to walk down the isles of the supermarket hair section 

1. Stop and turn around you have plenty of products at home you can use.
2. Look but don't touch you won't buy it if you don't touch it.
3. Take mental inventory of products and come back to them when you use up products you already have at home.
4. If its a product you use REGULARLY and its on sale its ok to stock up on but not ok to horde (No more than 4-5 bottles of a product at one time)
5. Always keep a list of the products you NEED not WANT on hand when your out shopping.

• Recover Slowly-Take your time it's a process we are creatures of habit. A "PJ" addiction is just like any other addiction you can relapse if you don't take the steps needed to control it. 

Aussie Moist Conditioner

This has to be one of the best conditioners EVER!!! I bought this family size bottle instead of the regular size, because I knew that this was gonna work on my hair. I tried the 3 minute miracle deep conditioner last winter and kinda liked the feel it. I love this stuff its in my staple of holy grail products now. Even though I'm still experimenting for the last few months of this year with new co-washing cleansers, I will be re buying the family size to keep in the shower. I loved the smell, the creamy thick consistency and the fact that I cold detangle my hair like a hot knife slicing through butter. The price was very cheap for this large bottle ($5.69) that lasted me from July to September. No matter what it always does a great job at keeping my hair moisturized, soft and manageable. I over shampooed my hair trying out a new product and this conditioner saved my hair from having a break down. I'm so glad I gave this a try. I'm finally building a stable hair care regimen and I'm glad that I found a product that not only wow me every time but actually works for my type 4 kinky curly thick hair.

3 Sisters of Nature (Product Review)

I first came across this line of products (3 Sisters of Nature) a little over a year or so ago. I was doing what every other natural haired woman of this modern time does, cyber surfer YouTube for the latest products for.... you guessed it natural hair. At that time I was still in minimalist mode far as products for my hair. This is before I took a hit of the product obsession drug. So I saw a few reviews, watched a few videos, just kept a mental note and carried on with my little life. Fast forward a month or so ago  I saw these products and being a now product junkie, I had this strange urge to try out some of the products from this line. The prices of the products are slightly out of my rules for product junkiness, but I was willing to bend them since it was just a few dollars over my limits. Most of the products are being compared to more higher end product lines, such as Kinky Kurly&Miss Jessie's. What caught my eye first was the Sweet Honey Rose Treatment and from there I start to explore a few of their other products. I checked my stash before purchasing these products. Seeing what I needed to try instead of buying something that would go to waste. So I went for and I must say these are very nice products. They are natural based formulas, using a minimal amount of healthier ingredients which I thought was awesome. I LOVED the aroma of "cherry Starburst" like smell of each product. I didn't try all the products in the line but I will be going back some time soon to try the others I missed. Over all I had a good experience with a few snags along the way. I would recommend trying at least the Sweet Honey Rose Treatment or Natural Curling Gelo for starters.

Sweet Honey Rose Treatment
This treatment is one of two deep treatment products available from  3 Sister of Nature. This treatment has become a holy grail product for me now. Which says alot since I have about 2+ years worth of products in my stash. Everything from the candy like smell to the smooth, creamy consistency just screamed try me. Now the price kept me at bay at the beginning $12.99 for a 8 oz. deep treatment was unheard in my purchase log. This treatment is compared to Miss Jessi's Super Sweet Back Treatment. Deep down I knew I would really like it , so I went ahead a buy it. I applied this product after a full wash (Shampoo&Conditioner), as directed. I learned the wetter the hair when applying this product the better application. I had to put my handy dandy pink spray bottle to work since my hair is like a super sponge. It was a smooth process to apply to my hair in sections making sure everything was covered roots to ends. I followed my rule of deep conditioning "The longer you leave it in the better they work. Since this isn't a super protein treatment I left it in my hair with a plastic cap for 30 mins under a hooded dryer and 30 mins under a plastic cap. After I rinsed my hair in the shower can you say SUPER PILLOW CLOUD SOFT HAIR!!! This has to be the only thing to make my hair so supple and soft when it comes to deep conditioning. I loved this product this is it for me. I don't know if I want to even try any more deep treatments for my hair after trying this one.

Natural Curling Gelo
This particular product has been compared to the famous Kinky Kurly curling custard. I must say it's almost similar in look and texture. I again loved the smell and consistency of this product.  The price was very reasonable $9.99 8oz. I applied this product to my hair after rinsing the Sweet Honey Rose Treatment. I used the leave in conditioner from this line and applied this gel on wet hair. Styling my hair in a wash n go, this product was very light weight, creamy and easy to even finger comb into my hair. I would recommend using a thicker moisturizing leave-in conditioner before applying the gelo. When this curling gel dried it was a nice definition to my hair. It gave a soft some what firm hold to my hair in it's curly state. Haven't tried this gelo in a twist out style but it's pretty good I will repurchased.

Leave- In Conditioner
Now this product wasn't a total favorite out of the four that I tried. It smelled nice but was a little too watery for my type 4 thick hair. I'm thinking since this line is natural based the consistency was gonna be more on the liquid side. It was all bad it did work very well with the other products and I will use it when styling my hair in wash n gos or when I want lighter products in my hair. I don't think I will repurchase this leave-in conditioner.

Sulfate Free Shampoo
This was another ok product from this line. This was a creamy shampoo. It did sud up in a soft way but I HIGHELY recommend not to over use this shampoo. I was able to really detangle or finger comb my hair when using this product. It wasn't very moisturizing and for that fact I didn't really care for it. My hair was clean but I feel like this product formula needs some work. It's almost as if there are a few things missing that would make it a great shampoo. Maybe adding some aloe vera juice or extract with a few heavier oils like olive etc. to help this shampoo perform a little better. Over all it will be in my stash to use up maybe I can remix to make it work for me, or maybe give it away.


 

Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Twist and Lock Gel (Product Review)

At first glance I was happy to see this product in the store. Cantu isn't a stranger in my house. I didn't over think this product. I thought to myself, "Ooh a new product by Cantu". Then I took off the lid to smell and look at the physical product. It was the weirdest looking consistency of a product I had ever seen. I'm a product junkie and I've seen alot of different types of products but none with this feel to it. Its a cross between a light whipped yogurt jello and vanilla pudding. The smell is amazing just like the other Cantu for natural hair products. I used this product after my extended wash routine. I applied this product on detangled wet hair, that was conditioned, oiled, and moisturized (SEE L-O-C METHOD POST). Styled in the form of twists for my go to hair style (twist out). I loved this product!!! It's simple and easy to use. The key to this product is not using a lot and rubbing it between your fingers before working it into the hair. I find that this warms the product up making it easier to distribute onto the hair. After I let my twists air dry for 2 days I untwisted them to find my BEST TWIST OUT EVER!!!! My hair was so soft yet firm & defined. The shine from this product was amazing alone by it's self. For 13 oz of product this will be in my stash for a while. I normally have to put a huge dent in my gels, curly cremes, and etc but I have hardly used any of this product. I feel like I'm getting my money's worth on this one.  I would highly recommend using the LOC Method with this product. I enjoyed this product and I will make my rounds to try more from the Cantu Shea Butter for Natural hair line.

Tropical Roots Twist Cream by Bronner Brothers REVIEW

 

                                  

Price Point $4.99-$5.99

Normally I like to test out a product at least twice or in a months time  before giving a total review of a product. I follow this protocol to ensure that I give a product a fair chance, testing it out in different ways in my current hair regimen according to my current hair needs or season. This product is going int the PRODUCT HALL OF FAME!!!! I only used it once and I am very impressed. This product was purchased at my local beauty supply store for $4.99. This product has a very light almost tropical pineapple smell. The consistency is a very thick yet creamy white based cream. Which is why I love thicker products for my hair. The product claims to seal, no build up, flakes, lasting hold and maintains different types of natural styles. For once a company got it right. It did everything it said it would do, which is awesome. It left out how great of a shine it keeps. I started using this product with my go to style of a twist out. I got CRAZY definition with this cream. Coming from a woman with type 4 hair its hard finding a product that give us amazing results. You normally have to go through a million products almost to find at least one that's half way good.

Tips when applying this product:

• Apply on wet or damp hair
• Use a light but hydrating leave-in conditioner
• Apply your favorite oils lightly to the ends and shaft of the hair before applying this product
• Use a finger tip of this product on detangled hair for each strand before twisting 

 

Over all I would highly recommend this product. I will be keeping this in my stash of products for the fall/winter months ahead. This is one of the best moisturizing twist/curlcreams I've ever tried. A keeper I say  keeper!!! ENJOY :)  XOXO -GIRLFRIDAY