Hair advice:

Posted by Minni

I've always worn my hair natural. As a mixed person (black and white and other) my hair doesn't respond well to all "black" hair products nor does it respond well to "white" hair products. For years I struggled with hair products from shampoos to conditioners and serums. They either oiled the hell out of my hair so it was just lumpy and heavy or dried it out until it was crispy and frizzy.

So, all my ladies (and gents) with seriously curly hair, here are some products that work. Remember, never get stuck using one product. It's crucial to rotate shampoos regularly...but make sure you keep some good ones in rotation. Here are some products that work for me:


Shampoos:
#1. Kerastase "Oleo Curl Bain" in orange bottle $35 at salons OR $23 at www.beautybythecase.com

#2. CHI "INRFA SHAMPOO" Grey bottle w. red cap. " Moisture Therapy Shampoo"(I found it for $13 at CVS) It works almost as good as Kerastase!

#3. Marc Anthony "Strictly Curls" shampoo $7 at any place that sells shampoo it's REALLY good the first week or some then it drops off. I'd suggest alternating it w. CHI or Kerastase twice a month or so. It'sa good backup.

#4. Pantene "ICE SHINE" Shampoo. $5 at most places. Again, like Marc Anthony only good if used once in a while or it dries out your hair. NEVER use Pantene "Hydrating Curl" it is a lie! They should call it Pantene "Crispy Frizz"

SO I think that's a good start on the shampoo. Let's talk conditioner!

#1. Kerastase "Oleo Curl" conidtioner. Again, orange bottle about $25/bottle. I couldn't find it on beauty by the case website but it's at most salons. I don't sweat it too much tho bc there are cheaper ones that work.

#2. (Actually for the price this should be #1. ) PANTENE PRO V RESTORATIVES "FRIZZ CONTROL"conditioner. $6.50 at most places where Pantene is sold. It has a purple band around it and it comes in a tube shaped bottle like a large tube of toothpaste. AWESOME stuff! Never gets old! I suggest using it immediately after shampooing AND on days when you don't wash your hair. Put a good dollop of the stuff though hair and leave it in for about 5 mins while you shower before rinsing it all out.

#3. So I don't usually do the leave-in thing with conditioners but if you do, find a good black beauty supply shop and look for "Africa's Best" products. OMG they never let you down. This is a rule.

"Africans Best" has a deep conditioning treatment they have for $3 and it gets you a tub of this stuff. It's called "ORGANICS SHEA BUTTER PLUS" by "AFRICA'S BEST". It comes in a tub with a green top and a purple and green label.



There are lots of good conditioners out there. Don't use any with "Petrolatum" in the ingredients.

#4. Any of the Pantene PRO-V Restorative conditioners seem to do a good job.

#5 BioInfusion "Moisturizing" conditioners ($7, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid)


OK. Now here's a step I skip unless I'm stepping OUT!!! IT's styling products.

And none of these are much better than the other

a. Redken "Ringlet 07" formula. $12 at most salons and dept. stores. Run that through combed, towel dried hair and watch the magic as it dries!

b. Garnier Fructis "Curl Scrunch" gel. $8 at pharmacy. Same application. Redken might be a tiiiny bit better but this one's cheaper!

c. This one works WITH Curls AND when/if you ever want to straighten our hair. It's called "OLEO RELAX" leave-in serum by Kerastase. $25/bottle @ salons AND beautybythecase.com. Smooth a very small dab it over hair after you apply the curl gel or if it's straight hair smooth down frizzes with it or use it to aid you flat iron.

d. Some sort of strong hold hair spray for days I slick my hair back and don't want fly-aways. I use a toothbrush comb in fly-aways with hair gel and then spray it in place.


OK that's all for now! Let me know how it goes!

I AM curious, what products do YOU use?

TIP: If you've been using the same shampoo for months, try switching it up, even if it's a good shampoo. You can always come back to it. It's good to rotate between shampoos that you know work, something to do with the change in chemicals? I have no idea. But trust me, it works.

So if I've been using the Chi's ultra moisturizing shampoo for about a month now and I might switch to
Aveeno or Pantene "moisturizing" shampoos every couple months. If I could afford to I'd use Kerastase "Curl Bain" more often, tho. It's not as crucial to switch conditioners if you get a good one, either.