Store Shelf Products vs. Al Natural: My Take

A while ago there was a deep debate on my twitter timeline (which is mostly women of the natural hair twitter community) and the debate was whether you can still achieve healthy natural and long hair using store shelf products that typically contain "not so great" ingredients. I remember my point was that I know the relaxer was a very big no no because it, for a fact causes breakage (which i noticed along my hairline) but what about the same products that we all grew up on and momma swore by? I personally always had long hair. I didn't have a problem with breakage until I was 15 years old and decided it would be fun to experiment with color. That's when the real breakage came. But what about that good ol' Blue Magic hair grease? In my opinion it really does the same thing that shea and the oils do. Gives the hair moisture. Yes of course it contains mineral oil/petroleum which can stunt hair growth but what if you just apply it to the hair shaft and not your scalp? The hair is dead but not the follicle. I never liked greasing my scalp anyways. But What if you aren't as financially able/inclined to spend the amount of money that these natural hair companies are asking for? What are you going to do? Go to the nearest beauty supply store and buy what you can. Of course my analogy would be like comparing the use of store shelf products to alcohol consumption. Don't over do it and you'll be fine! lol Going out to drink every now and then is okay. Have a few drinks party with friends but don't over do it. If you do you start to see some serious side effects like a beer belly (bleh!). Same with hair products. Try to keep at least one or two natural products around. Like shea butter! Shea butter can be found anywhere and if not locally the internet is the best place. Also try your hands at homemade conditioners and even oils that you would normally use in the kitchen (i.e. EVOO). Mix it up, use what you can and go to the store for the other stuff.

The Best Products for MY Natural Hair

**Disclaimer: What works for ME may not necessarily work for YOU.





In this post i will talk about what I currently use to maintain my natural hair and why.





1. Black soap: Like I said before I use this as a shampoo. I love it. The smell isn't the best but it doesn't stink. More like a fresh clean smell. The only con about it is that it burns like hell if it gets into your eyes!





2. My Honey Child's Jamaica Island Conditioner: This is a great light weight/rinsing conditioner. I love the smell. It's coconut, pineapple and some other fragrances. I said that if Jamaica had a scent, this conditioner would be it. I also like this b/c of...you know....COCONUT!! I love what it does to your hair. After using this product your hair will feel oh so soft.





3. My shea butter mix. I actually have two mixes. 1st, shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, tea tree oil, and peppermint oil for fragrance. I use this to maintain my twists and twists outs. The second mixture is the same as the first except I add water. I found this mixture to be very hydrating. Its great when I do my twists especially when parts of my hair start to dry, it doesn't matter because the cream re-hydrates it.



4. Next I use my Coconut oil/ Veggie glycerin mix. Click here for my youtube video. If you're already natural you probably know about the vegetable glycerin mix (just veggie glyc. and water mixed together) helps to add moisture and "awake" your fro. Well I added coconut oil to that mixture to add the helping properties of the oil like strengthening of the hair and damage repair. And it adds shine.

5. Plain coconut oil: I use just the plain oil to rub over my twists before I take them out to add shine and also to oil my scalp. As you know coconut oil prevents dandruff.

6. Gels: I use a homemade jojoba gel to define my curls. Click here for my tutorial video. I also use a styling gel by Fantasia for a more defined style like my puffs. Its the clear kind. It's alcohol free and flake free.