How to use: Apply with light massages before washing your hair for 10-30 minutes. No heat needed
Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 (This product is a must have)
Note: For your first use, try it just on your scalp so that you can see the difference in the area you applied the product verses the untreated area. Also be sure not to over shampoo as this will defeat the purpose and re-dry your scalp and hair.
How can I put into words the benefit of pre-shampoo oils? Simply put, wow! Pre-shampoo oils are used to restore the natural oils to your hair and scalp leaving it soft and shiny. You’ll notice the difference after the first use. I was always told that you should wash your hair until it’s squeaky clean (thanks to the Jhirmack commercials from the 80’s). Later in life I found the opposite to be true - if your hair is squeaking chances are you have stripped it of it’s natural oils.
Easy Look coconut and watercress oil has a lovely scent that I wish stayed in you hair after shampooing, conditioning, and so forth. It has a faint smell of coconut (not too strong) mixed with something else I can’t quite put my finger on. I assume it’s watercress although I’ve never notice watercress having a specific smell. The color has a clear bluish-green hue. The consistency was a surprise though. I opened the top and started to pour and next thing I had a whole handful of it. It’s kind of watery in texture. I expected it to be some-what thicker considering it’s an oil.
First I applied it to my scalp after sectioning my hair in 4 parts. Then I massaged it in with my fingertips to make sure I didn’t miss any spots. Next I applied it to my ends. I used an amount about the size of a dime. This product can be easily overused at first. It makes you feel like you didn’t apply enough due to it’s non-greasy feel. A little goes a long way which makes it a great buy for the price. Next’ I combed the oil through and finished by massaging it throughout my hair with my hands. I let it penetrate without heat or covering for about 20 minutes. I must add that this product helped the wide-toothed comb go through my hair with much more ease….just a little tip for you naturals out there. Finally I shampooed my hair once. That’s all that I needed since I co-wash my hair every other day. Afterward I conditioned and rinsed as usual. I looked at my hair in the mirror and was amazed. How did I go without this for so long!?! My hair was softer and shinier than ever and not the slightest bit oily. From the scalp to ends my hair was glossy. The best part was that it stayed that way until I washed again. How Lovely! I used the exact same procedure on my 10 year old’s relaxed hair and the result was equally as wonderful.
This ranks high on Chaka’s must have-can’t do without list. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.
Product Name: Silicon Mix Pearl Protein (Proteina de Perla) Conditioner Price: $10.99 How to use: Wash hair and apply with massages. Leave on 3 or more minutes depending on the condition of the hair. Rinse. Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 (I really liked this product) Note: Use no more than once a week and if you are sensitive to certain strong scents use with caution.
I absolutely loved this product especially for natural hair. I was excited to review this one first because of the pearl protein aspect. Protein conditioners, or protein treatments, are used to strengthen hair and temporarily seal split ends. They coat the hair, which slightly increases the diameter of each strand. This in turn adds body to the hair. The Pearl Protein Conditioner is thick, creamy and blue-ish in color. I tried the product on myself first. As I’ve mentioned before I have natural hair. My hair is thick and shoulder length so I used an amount about the size of a golf ball and applied it in sections. This may sound like a lot but my hair is very dense. Next I combed it through and put a plastic shower cap on. I did my hair in the shower, as I usually do, so the steam from the hot water helped it to penetrate. I rinsed after about 5 minutes. Fabulous! I was amazed at how smooth and soft my hair was even after air-drying.
My 10-year old daughter was the second to try this product. Her hair is relaxed. I followed the same steps as I did with my own hair. The only difference was that I left hers on for 10 minutes without heat. By the way, whenever using heat such as a hair dryer, with conditioners, it cuts the processing the time in half. For example: I used steam heat from the shower so it took 5 minutes. My daughter used no heat and it took 10 minutes. I was expecting an even better result for her hair but instead it was just okay. In no way am I saying that this product doesn’t work on relaxed hair. I’m simply suggesting that the effects are intensified on us naturals for whatever reason.
Silicon Mix with proteina de perla is a wonderful product but I must warn you – it has a strong scent. It reminds me of the perfume my 80-year-old abuela (grandma) Ceci used to wear. I just couldn’t get used to it. The smell is very flowery and it stays on the hair for days. Now the good part is that, my hair has never reacted so quickly to any kind of deep conditioning treatment. Instantly upon application I felt it workin’. If you’ve used this products, I’d love to hear about your experience. If you haven’t I most definitely recommend it.
Sometimes it’s not just the language barrier that hinders communication. When you’re doing anything creative it’s hard to make others visualize things as you do. In salons this happens most frequently when it comes to getting a trim verses a cut.
Many times minority women cringe at the thought of a pair of shears anywhere near their heads because we are afraid to lose our length. The fact is it’s a necessary evil. You must get your hair trimmed (cut less than an inch) on a regular basis to keep it healthy as there is no cure for split ends. There are things that make your hair only virtually split end free but, the fact is they still exist. For me, cutting hair is a lot of fun, but I don’t become scissor happy. It’s about what the client wants and what’s best for their hair and appearance.
Although I have no problem doing this, I do have a problem having my own hair cut. I don’t want to seem like a hypocrite but, I have the same stigma as a lot of you. I’ve had my hair hacked up before and it seemed like an eternity before it grew back. This would turn anybody off. What I’ve learned as a stylist and as a client is that it’s best to demonstrate the amount that you want to cut in whatever way you see fit. What I would usually do is show the amount I wanted to take off to the client on the cutting comb. Cutting combs have one inch markers etched into them. This way there was no confusion as to how long an inch really was. This worked every time. You can also ask your stylist if she does dry cutting. I prefer this method with a lot of hair types. Sometimes after wet hair is cut the shrinkage is a shocker.
Communication is key in all aspects of life. Some stylist can work wonders but, they are not mind readers. Any good stylist should be willing to consult with you before a service. Remember it’s your hair and you should be happy with it!
There’s been a heap of controversy on natural vs. chemically treated hair. Well, as you can probably tell by now - I love a good debate. However, on this topic I couldn’t be more indifferent. When I was a little girl my mom and my older sister would go to the beauty salon every other week without me. I assumed I was too young, being only 5. Then one day I overheard my mom telling my aunt, “they say her hair is like nappy white people’s hair and they don’t know what to do with it.” From that day on I was determined to have smooth straight hair like my mother and sister.
Little did I know, the white stuff I saw them putting in their hair was the reason it was straight….and from that point on, I wanted it! I would have temper tantrums every morning before school if my edges would curl up. I just HAD to have straight hair. It was around that time I found out the “white stuff” was a relaxer (or perm as they incorrectly called it). From that point on, I begged for it on a daily basis. Finally, when I was 8 years old I wore my poor mom down and she put a PCJ relaxer in my hair. I was so happy! I just knew my edges would be permanently smooth. And even better than that - I would be able to get my hair done at the salon like the big girls.
Long story short…I ended up getting touch ups for the next 18+ years and in my mid 20’s I enrolled in beauty school and truly learned the ins and outs of chemical treatments. In school one of our assignments was a consultation exchange – paired-up, we had to come up with hair suggestion reports for the other person. My partner suggested I let my relaxer grow out and cut several inches off of my hair due to over processing. Was she out of her mind!?! I thought for sure she had been inhaling perm solution too long.
I guess she could see what I couldn’t (I was way overdue for a touch up and those waves I tried so hard to get rid of as a child were visible). Later, I asked her why she thought I needed such a drastic change. She said the texture of my natural hair was the texture that some people bought by the bundle (this was when the wild-curly style just started coming into fashion). That night, I went home and did the unthinkable: I chopped about 6 inches of my hair off! And she was right; I loved it, edges and all!
Yes, I’ve had my moments where I wanted to revert…and I can’t promise that I won’t go back. Let’s face it, natural hair is twice the work; and I tend to have hair mood swings. At this point and time, I love my natural hair – it’s in great shape. But I’m the farthest thing from one of those natural hair Nazi’s. You know, the ones that look down on those with any type of chemical hair treatments. We all know one. But isn’t it funny how those same people always seem to have a really unnatural color in their hair? Last time I checked, hair lightener (bleach) and high volume developer (peroxide) didn’t grow from the earth. So, as I always say with anything in life: DO YOU! It’s all about keeping it clean & healthy and if a relaxer allows you to do that, then by all means: feel the burn baby!!!
