Hey Divas,You all know that I've been in search of the perfect products for my naturally curly hair. If I'm not in a black beauty supply store, or a store like Sally's, which carries a good amount of products for ethnic hair types, then I'll peruse the black hair care aisle (Which in my experience is a very limited space, so it's more like a black hair care shelf than an aisle) of major drug stores. I never look at what I consider to be "White" products. Bumble & Bumble, TIGI Bed Head, and Garnier Fructis are a few that come to mind. When I see products such as these, I just keep on movin'…Until now.
Recently, a friend of mine told me that she liked the way Garnier Fructis products helped tame her natural hair. It's funny, because ever since she said that, I've heard other African American
women talk about Garnier Fructis. Now, the only time I purchase products that aren't "black" is when I'm buying cheapie conditioners like Suave or something. Yet, I'm now wondering if I've been too discriminating. True, hair is hair, but we as African American women have specific needs when it comes to our hair--an adequate amount of moisture being a big one. I guess I just always assumed that products that weren't specifically marketed to African Americans didn't contain enough moisturizing elements to suit the needs of my curly/kinky hair. I still remember shaking my head in disbelief when Ashanti became the spokesmodel for Herbal Essences. I was like, "Does she really use that stuff?"So folks, I've said all that to say this: I am finally broadening my horizons. I recently purchased a product from the Garnier Fructis line of hair care products, which I posted the details of below. I figure the "black" hair care products aren't working all that great for me, and some of them are ridiculously priced (As I stated in yesterday's blog post), so what do I have to lose by searching the entire hair care aisle of stores as opposed to a small, segregated space?
Have a fabulous weekend ladies!
XOXO,
DPrincess28
7 comments:
I read an article recently that stated the stuff carried on the "black hair care" shelf is actually not that great for our hair. Most of the ingredients are cheap and just sit on our scalps. The greases used by many back in the day are one of the reasons why many blacks couldn't get their hair past ear length. It smothers the scalp. If you are concerned about supporting black businesses, the items you see in that section (with the exception of Bronner Bros) are not black owned. Only the smaller companies like Karen's Body Beautiful, Oyin Handmade, etc. I really like Herbal Essence Hydralicious conditioner as a co-wash(I rarely use shampoo anymore). Tresemme Deep Moisture is great as well. You get a huge bottle of conditioner for like, $4. The best natural moisturizer for me is organic 100% pure coconut oil. I can't believe how great it is and it really moisturizes without making the hair heavy or greasy! You should definitely venture out, girl!
That's great! I didn't know that about Ashanti. I love using Pantene Pro V and Herbal Essence myself.
lol this is soooo funny! because everytime i read that you are looking for something for those curls, i'm like hmmm i wonder if she's even open to products like nexxus, pantene, or bead head!! but girl let me tell you i have a head full of curls that reach my bra strap and its really thick, and i use nexxus curl energee spray. now you can't use it by itself because it does not moisturize, so i use my leave in which is johm master's organics leave in conditoner and that's it! just those 2 products. nexxus is a little pricey as you may know and the curl energee spray is about 9 dollars, oh and it does not make your hair hard by the way. it does moisturize the hair a little bit but not enough for black hair so i put it on after my leave in
I just came across your blog, but I thought that I'd share with you...I use Smooth n Shine Polishing Curl Activating Creme Gel. It is perfect! It moisturized my natural curls, defined them, gave a little hold, stood up to humidity, and works on wet and dry hair. I have locs now, and I still use it. The ends of my locs were left untwisted on purpose, so that I have curls on the ends, and this creme gives the ends great definition while softening the loc'd section!
Now that ur feeling a little adventurous, u should also try Sunsilk captivating curls gel and cream twist and sunsilk de frizz leave in creme these work well with curl definition.
I always think the same thing about certain products. Usually if I use a product not specified for only black hair I will use both that product and another one primarily for black hair to help balance it out. Great blog! ;)
I am mixed race and my hair is a lot thicker and more coarse than yours and I RARELY use products that are specifically designed for African-American hair. I find they are usually full of mineral oil and the hair ends up looking greasy which over time can make the hair shaft clogged. Nexxus,Burts Bees, Garnier, and Organix all work great on my hair. I use Organix Shampoo and Conditioner because no sulfates! But you should try some out and see how you feel about them because there is no rule that says you MUST stick to the "black hair care" aisle. Now, Garnier Fructis is hands down my favorite for products to maintain the curls. They have an entire line for curly hair and their products do WORK well. I've heard many African American and Mixed Race women say the same exact thing that have tried the Garnier curl products that have fully natural or transitioning hair! Oh and the PRICES ARE RIGHT! LOL! Good luck and please do a review for us to if you try Garnier. I would love to see how it reacts in your hair. I always enjoy all your videos!
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