RoundBrushHair! > Dominican Hair Care Blog

Chaka On:

Product Name: Chocolacio Tratamiento Nutritivo (Choco-Straight Nutritious Treatment)
Price: $11.99
Personal Rating: 1.5 out of 5

How to use: Apply Chocolacio after shampooing your hair, leave in for 3 to 5 minutes, rinse with abundant water, style as usual.Note: Everyone’s hair is different. You may enjoy this product.

Okay let’s start with the good news. This product smells better than anything I’ve tried. It’s actually a wonderful concept. Mixing a sweet dessert-like scent with a hair care product seems like a win-win situation, and it would be if the product worked as good as it smelled. Chocolacio is a thick brown conditioner that looks exactly like chocolate pudding. The second I opened the jar I got excited about this new product. Most hair, bath, or body products that are food-scented smell similar to the real thing but this one is right on point. I really wish the smell remained after rinsing.

I applied the Chocolacio during my weekly routine after shampooing. I parted my hair in four sections and began applying the cream. Hmm….something was wrong. It felt like the conditioner was just sitting on top of my hair and not penetrating at all. So I decided to leave the conditioner on a little while longer and sit under the hood dryer. It smelled like someone was baking a chocolate cake. How lovely! Anyway, I sat for about 10 minutes hoping that some magic would take place, unfortunately my hair was just blah! Now I’m not usually one to fall short on words but blah was the best descriptive word to fit this scenario. I so wanted this product to work. My hair was dull and dry without the slightest bit of slip. I think I was in denial about the product leaving my hair in this sad state because I walked around for a couple of days after with a big ole’ swollen fro. I should have re-washed but I didn’t.

So being the trooper I am I still wouldn’t give up. I tried it on my daughter’s relaxed hair. The results were even worse. It was a sad day. I never knew it was possible for wet hair to feel dry. Lol.  And silly me, I did her hair right before her winter musical at school. Her hair was stiff and dull. She almost missed the opening number because I had to redo her hair at the last minute.

When I tried the conditioner on  my husband’s wavy Caucasian hair it was smooth but somewhat dry and dull. I was surprised because normally what doesn’t work well for the rest of my family works well for him.

Honesty is the best policy and fortunately I can give the majority of the products rave reviews. This one just missed the mark.

What I’m thinking of trying in the future is mixing a little coconut oil into the conditioner to see if it helps. It has worked for other conditioners I’ve used in the past. Hey what do I have to lose. If anything my hair will end up smelling like a Mounds Bar. LOL!

Tip: Please keep this product out of the reach of children. It looks and smells exactly like chocolate pudding but is in no way edible.

Fast Facts:

Salon Name: Yvelisse Hair Salon

Owners: Husband and Wife Andres and Maria (Yvelisse) Delgado

Salon Location: 1405 Archdale Dr., Charlotte, NC 28210

Salon Phone: (704) 552-0024

Salon Specials: Free $5 Deep Conditioner Monday - Thursday

Born in the city of Santiago in the Dominican Republic, Maria Delgado [at the time] only 13-years old knew she wanted to work in the beauty industry.  By the age of 15 she was doing hair.  

RBH:  So… you started doing hair at an early age, tell us a little more about your career in beauty?

Wow… it has been so long. First, I started in the Dominican Republic when I was about 15; and then I moved to the US. I spent 26 years living in New York doing hair. I worked with other people in different salons, but eventually opened my own.  The salon I own in New York is called “The Best Beauty Salon” in the Queens area. I’ve had that salon for 15 years now and it’s very popular.

RBH: Dominican salons are all over New York, 15 years is a long time! How long has your salon in Charlotte North Carolina been open?

Well we just opened it, on October 22^nd!!  Even though is not a very long time, we are picking up so fast!! I’m very thankful everything is on track and doing well.

RBH: That’s very good! And of course we’re happy for you! Your salon in New York is called Best Beauty, is there any significance to the name Yvelisse for this salon?

[Laughter] Ohhh nobody calls me Maria, only a few people …. I’m mostly known as Yvelisse which is my middle name, so that’s how we found the name for the salon: Yvelisse!!

RBH: Haha!!! That explains it! We were a little confused here at RBH! Oh, and I have to say, your salon is jaw dropping gorgeous. All of us at RBH were drooling at the layout and color scheme. Did you hire professional designers for your salon?

I’m really into decorating. When the time came to set-up the salon I wanted a fresh and modern look, so I started searching for the colors that were “hot” during 2008. I read orange was one of the colors so that’s how we decorated it. The color has been very useful, a lot of people are attracted to the salon because of the color and that’s good!!!

RBH:  Looking at the pictures of your salon, I can’t imagine you only do hair. What other services do you offer?

Yes, hair of course, but we also do manicures, pedicures, waxing, and offer barber services.

RBH: Wonderful! Now, personally, while I was looking over the pictures of the salon, I thought to myself ‘this salon must have spa prices.’ Judging by the pictures, I can’t imagine you would offer the typical affordable Dominican prices, or do you?

Haha!!  I get that all the time! Some people come inside and have to ask me about the prices before they get comfortable. When I tell them the price they are always surprised!! We have the best prices!! We are totally affordable, no doubt!!

RBH: Awesome!!  So what kind of products do you use in you salon?

Well we have tons of products, for example Dominican Products, Italian Products and much more, we like to carry all different kind of products in order to work with all types of hair.

RBH:  Do you have a favorite Dominican product?

I like all of them, but I like the silicon mix and oils.

RBH:  Would you recommend any products in particular for this time of the year (winter months)?

Well I think treatments with protein are good to use during the winter. Also, moisturizing conditioners and oils. It really boils down to the type of hair and what it needs specifically, but now that’s getting cold, hydration is the key for a healthy hair.

RBH: I would agree. So, when people come to your salon, do you have a specialty or prefer any one style or type of hair over another?

I do everything: styles, colors, highlights. And I work with any type of hair including African American. Anything that has to do with beauty is my passion; I live and die for it!

RBH: Well, you’ve certainly convinced me during this conversation that hair is your passion. What the best part of your job?

The thing that I love the most is when I’m done and the client sees the change!!! It’s gratifying to see their expressions and hear when they say “OMG”, “I Can’t Believe it” or “I haven’t seen my hair like this before” that’s my favorite part!! I feel so excited when I see my customers happy!

Well ladies and gents, there you have it: elegance + comfort + affordability + over 20 years of hair knowledge = Yvelisee’s Hair Salon. If you live in or near Charlotte, you should visit Yvelisse at her salon. Now until January 13, 2009, RoundBrushHair.com member can use the coupon below for a free trim with a regular price relaxer or color service. Yvelisse also offers a weekly special of a free $5 deep conditioner Monday – Thursday.

                                                                          Print Coupon

Product: La Plancha Combo

Price: $34.99

Personal Rating: 4.5 out of 5

*Note: I usually like to review products individually but, I was so impressed with this new product line that I just had to share the entire set. La Plancha products are great for any and every hair type. They smell like mango mixed with a little peach…I love it. 

The Shampoo: Deep Cleansing Extra Straight Shampoo

Price: $8.99

How to use: Shampoo, rinse well.

This product gives you a very clean feeling without having to repeat too many times.  With most brands, my hair is usually clean after 3 shampoos, but with this one my hair felt clean with only two. And it didn’t leave it feeling stripped. How great is that! The shampoo itself is clear which means it contains no unnecessary dyes. It’s also kind of thick so I used a little less than usual. So you know what that means. The bottle lasts longer. It’s a good thing too because this bottle is a 13oz instead of the 16oz like the majority of the shampoos.  

Tip: Always be sure to rinse very well when shampooing, especially when the shampoo is thick. 

The Conditioner: Tratamiento Profundo Capilar (Deep Heat Reconstructor Hair Treatment)

Price: $13.99

How to use: This product can be applied in three different ways depending on your particular needs:  

1st Option: Apply La Plancha after shampoo, leave in hair for 3 to 5 minutes, rinse with warm water. Style as usual 

2nd Option: For moderate conditioning, shampoo and towel dry hair. Apply La Plancha from scalp to ends, wrap hair in plastic cap and place under dryer or blower for 15 minutes, rinse with warm water. Style as usual. 

3rd Option: For deeper conditioning and intensive hair repair, after shampooing apply La Plancha, divide hair into sections, wrap each section in aluminum foil. Proceed to heat each section with a professional hair ceramic iron for 30 seconds. Rinse with warm water. Style as usual. 

This conditioner is amazing. It’s a white cream that appears thick while in the jar but, once you touch it feels pretty lightweight. I didn’t know what to expect. I applied an average-sized amount in sections and was not blown away by what I felt. I combed the product through, put a shower cap on and waited about 5 minutes (option #1) before rinsing. My hair was very soft with good slip and very few tangles. At this point I consider myself a conditioner aficionado. I can pretty much tell what’s going to happen as soon as one touches my hair. However there is an exception to every rule and La Plancha is it. The second time I used the conditioner I processed it following option #2. Right after I took off the shower cap, I touched my hair and couldn’t believe it. I don’t know if it’s ever been so soft. The result was 10 times better than the results from the first option which brought me to the conclusion that the more intense the heat you use with it the better the result. Yes, the label on the jar implies this but; you have to try it to believe it. I didn’t even need to use a rinse! Wow! I haven’t tried option #3 yet because my hair is in good condition and I feel it’s not necessary right now but, in the future I will definitely give it a try. 

The Leave-in: Deep Heat Protector

Price: $12.99

How to use: Apply to damp or dry hair. Use a professional hair ceramic iron or blower and style as usual. 

Simply put, this leave-in is magnificent. It delivers instant softness. Unlike most other leave-ins, you can see the shine even before your hair is dry. Depending on your method of drying, the shine remains almost the same. I put a quarter-sized amount in my hair while it was still wet. I didn’t mix it with any other products and much to my surprise, my curly hair was smooth and under control with a nice sheen. I absolutely loved it! My husband actually commented on how good it looked. That’s quite a compliment coming from a guy doesn’t even notice when I’m wearing his T-shirts. ;-)