The Quidad Double Detangler

Purchasing this comb was best $28.00 I could have ever spent! I know what you are saying..." you paid that much for a comb??" BELIEVE me when I say it was worth every penny.  I originally purchased this comb as a Christmas gift for my lil sis ( she has mounds of natural thick hair).  I decided to test it out on my texlaxed/ relaxed hair at 3 months post and I was amazed at how much faster it was to detangle my mane with less snags, tears and hair in the comb.  My detangling time is cut down in half. I HIGHLY recommend this comb for those with curly hair, natural hair, and those relaxed sistas with new growth that is a struggle to get through. Its going to be invaluable to you when you are stretching in between relaxers... and the comb is so sturdy it should literally last forever.  I have no idea how adding and extra side of wide tooth combs aid so much in the detangling process, but I am so grateful someone came up with the technology to produce this comb. I purchased my Quidad comb at my local Sephora store, but you can also purchase online through their website Sehpora.com or thorough Amazon.com

Product Review: Carol's Daughter Monoi Line

I wanted to take this opportunity to do a product review on the Carol's Daughter Monoi Line. I ordered all three newly introduced products : The Monoi shampoo, conditioner and repairing hair mask. I used it consistently for three months as my only poo, condish and DC to really see if it would live up to its promise. Well the verdict is in!

WHAT THEY SAY
What it does:
This moisture and protein-rich formula deeply reconstructs distressed hair helping to fortify it against damage with hydrolyzed silk and hibiscus extract. Antioxidants and UV protectors help combat the drying and damaging effects of UV rays as it softens and smoothes hair, leaving it deliciously fragrant, detangled, and more manageable.

What else you need to know:
For thousands of years, Polynesians have used Monoi Oil for its natural reparative properties. To make Monoi, freshly picked Tiare flower blossoms are steeped in coconut oil to produce fragrant oil that helps repair hair, improving its condition, softness, and shine. The Monoi Collection was created especially for those concerned with hair breakage. This product does not contain petrolatum, mineral oil, or artificial colors.

Research results:
Based on independent studies conducted on natural and relaxed hair textures of Latina, African-American, and Caucasian participants:
- 84% experienced an improvement in conditioning, detangling, and combing ability
- 92% experienced a reduction in hair breakage and shedding during detangling and styling
- 12% experienced an increase in hair strength
- Participants experienced five times the increase in the life of relaxed hair

See my Carol's Daughter Mionoi Challenge post for a full list of product ingredients

WHAT I SAY

The entire line is AWESOME! The shampoo left my hair feeling clean but not stripped of any oils, and it lathers wonderfully. It made my hair feel softer than my usual CD Tui Shampoo, so I think I will swap these out all together. I used the conditioner for three different uses: co-wash, leave in and as a rinse out conditioner after my poo. I love how soft and buttery my hair feels after use! I made my hair very easy to detangle because it provides some serious slip. I even found it so easy to detangle three months post, and i saw very little hair in my comb after detangling. The repairing mask was my favorite, as it made my hair fell so strong, I actually passed on my normal protein treatments and just used a protein leave in spray every two weeks. My hair felt so well and conditioned overall, and I am highly pleased with the product line. I personally noticed fewer break and splits on the ends when I did my dusting, which makes me think this line actually does improve the strength and moisture content of the hair as claimed. I think this line would be great for those who are protein sensitive or scared to incorporate protein into their hair care regimen. The use of the bamboo water to strengthen hair structure is gentler on hair and has great results. The price tag on this line is one of the only cons. The deep repairing mask retails at about $29.00 for a 7oz. jar. And with deep conditioning twice a week on longer hair, you may fly through this stuff pretty quickly. The good new is, with purchasing a CD memeber's card, you can save big time on these products. I actually bought my membership at a sale price of $15.00. I was able to save about $13.00 off retail with purchasing all three Monoi products, so my membership just about paid for itself in use!!! 

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a line that takes the guest work out of what to use for proper moisture/ protein balance, or a quality list of ingredients that will help rather than harm you hair, tis line is it! It is truly suitable for all hair types and textures.  

Visit the CD website for more info and to purchase products at a discount with membership card

http://www.carolsdaughter.com/

What is Cupuacu Butter?

Cupuacu Butter (pronounced Coo-poo-wa-soo) - Comes from a fruit tree of the chocolate family, native to the northern Amazon. Cupuacu improves the appearance prematurely aging and thinning skin while being a superior moisturizer with great water absorption. It offers high levels of essential fatty acids, which with its rich phytosterols, help the appearance of your skin’s elasticity and overall appearance of your skin. Cupuacu's incredible creaminess promotes a special softness and smoothness to your skin to boosts natural moisture and help your skin appear more elastic.

Cupuacu promotes smoothness and softness to the hair increasing the natural moisture and elasticity. The butter has proven to be beneficial for brittle, dry hair due to it's long lasting hydration properties to replenish moisture while promoting a healthy shine. Cupuacu is considered hydrophpllic (water loving) with a high capacity to retain water and prevent moisture loss.

Alba Botanica: Rainforest Cupuacu Conditioner

I normally love my Suave Almond and Shea conditioner to co-wash, but today I tried something different. Alba has a new series of hair products which feature rainforest ingredients. I LOVE products that have Cupuacu butter in them, so I could not resist picking up the Alba Deep Hydrating Conditioner with Cupuacu.  This ingredient list is so amazing, I will also use as a deep conditioner alternate. After I co-washed my hair was soft and detangling was a cinch! I followed up with Carol's Daughter Lisa's Hair Elixer and then aired dried. Hair and scalp is smiling right now : ) I really liked this Alba conditioner because I can use in all three phases of care...co-wash, DC or even a leave in. The price is right..$9.99 at my local Ulta store. I think I will post a read on the amazing conditioning properties of Cupuacu Butter as I know many of you are like what is that lol. Read on to learn more about this product, it may be a great addition to your product list.

Alba Botanica Rainforest Deep Hydration Conditioner Cupuacu 8 oz. (227 g)

Alba Botanica Rainforest Deep Hydration Conditioner Cupuacu nourishes dry or damaged hair. Creamy Cupuaçu butter, one of the Rainforest's most effective moisturizers, is a rich emollient that delivers deep hydration and helps restore softness and moisture balance and is combined with Jojoba Oil and Cocoa Butter to leave hair smooth and soft. Deep Hydration Cupuacu Conditioner gently moisturizes and restores dry or damaged hair and is perfect for dry, damaged or treated hair.

Hair CareNatural Renewal, Natural Protection Created to help renew, repair and revitalize hair with moisturizing, emollient-rich oils derived from some of the world's most beneficial fruits and nuts.

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Hydrolyzed Brazil Nut Protein, Bertholletia Excelsa (Brazil Nut) Seed Oil, Panthenol (Vit. B5), Amodimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance (Parfum).

Grow It: A Must read

I recommend Chicoro's book Grow It to anyone starting their hair journey...or even those who have been on their journey for some time. It is full of wonderful information and it has helped me gain the knowledge I need to make informed decisions about my own hair care. U Grow Girl!

Shea Moisture's Yucca & Baobab Shampoo

Shea Moisture Organic Yucca & Baobab Thickening Shampoo with Biotin, Bamboo Extracts: For Fine, Thin Hair

This shampoo came into my life at the perfect time. I was on a mad hunt to find a good shampoo with all natural ingredients and sulfate free. It was very hard to find what I had been looking for, but alas! I AM IN LOVE with this shampoo.The ingredients are so rich, rare and nourishing. It is free of all the harmful harsh ingredients that are so damaging to the hair strand structure. Even better than what this product does not contain is what it does contain. My hair was so soft and pliable as I shampooed it, it gives great lather, and hair is super soft even before I conditioned it. I have finally found my staple moisturizing shampoo. I urge you to try it today! Remember the Shea Moisture Hair line is sold exclusively at Target stores and Target.com. The product features the extracts of Baobab. I was not familiar with this tree's oil or use properties, so I did more research and the findings were very informative. Just one more reason why I love this shampoo. Be sure to check out my post on Baobab tree as well. Happy Growing!

Ingredients: Ingredients: deionized water, decyl glucoside (sugar beets), yucca soap, butyrospermum parkii (shea) oil, aloe vera leaf juice, adansonia digitata (baobab) extract, biotin, sodium lauroyl lactylate (coconut oil), vegetable protein, yucca filamentosa extract, rosemary extract, bamboo extract, lonicera caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower (and) lonicera japonica (japenese honeysuckle) flower extract.