Category Archives: NATURAL HAIR

Keracare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo Review

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Hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Keracare was one of my favourite haircare brands last year and I really enjoyed getting to know the brand and discovering their products.

One of the products that came highly highly recommended by my hair stylists is the Hydrating detangling shampoo. This is part of the naturals textures line from the brand

What is it
A shampoo formulated to remove excess oils from the scalp without stripping the hair. It makes combing easier and leaves the hair moisturised.

Experience
I’ve been using this shampoo as part of my wash days for a few months now, started around summer 2024. It’s a thick shampoo but it lathers up really well and features the same scent as the other products in the line. I always wash my hair twice and with that I don’t find this shampoo stripping at all. It does well with cleansing the hair. Now that I’ve switched to washing my hair every 2 weeks, I still think it does a great job of removing the product build up. I’ve even done 3 washes and it didn’t strip my hair.

The shampoo does have some protein in it- hydrolysed wheat protein. It’s fine for my texture released hair. If you’re protein sensitive do some further reading/research.

Does it work?
I determine how hydrated my hair is with how many curls/coils I feel when I’m washing it or after washing . Whilst this shampoo is nice & hydrating, it’s definitely not the most hydrating shampoo I’ve ever used. Infact the shampoo I was using before this (Curlsmith essential moisture shampoo) left my coils more hydrated and clumped together than this one.

Is it detangling?- I don’t think that it leaves my hair any easier to comb through after shampooing. I don’t usually have tangled hair to begin with and I wash my hair in sections so I don’t really have an issue with tangles on a weekly basis. To test the shampoo, I did have one wash day where I refrained from my usual wash method. I washed my hair without any sections and I know this causes more tangles for my 4c hair. Using the shampoo didn’t make any difference to the amount of time or ease needed to detangle my hair compared to other shampoos.

Conclusions
This is one of Keracare’s more popular products but for me it’s not worth the hype.  It is  not a bad product, I like the shampoo but I just don’t think it’s worth the hype. I didn’t find any more detangling benefits than any other shampoo. I like that it suds up, I love that it cleanses the hair without stripping and absolutely love Keracare.
Will I recommend this shampoo? yes but I will highlight not to depend on it too much for it’s detangling properties. I prefer the cleansing cream from Keracare over this tbh. I have a full review here

PS I absolutely love that Keracare states the ph of their products and it’s numbered according to your wash day steps. E.g 1 for shampoo etc.

If you want to try this, it’s available from hair shops or Amazon.

catch you laterrrr

PS you guys, I’ve been seeing a lot of vids of people saying the hair shops sell fake products! Ermm what? because whilst Boots & superdrug have upped their offerings some products/brands are still not available so what do we do? is this true? The one product I’ve gotten recently from the hair shops is my African pride pre poo and it was fine but chile! I’m out of my edge booster edge control and amazon don’t sell them anymore so I have to get it at the shops! gosh

TGIN Honey Miracle Hair Mask Review

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hihi everyone I hope all is well.

Today I will be sharing my experience with the TGIN Honey Miracle hair mask . This is one of those products in our natural hair community that everyone seems to love! so I finally decided to try it and see what the hype is about.

This hair mask promises to nourish and heal strands in need of repair. The result is hair that never looked so good and contains raw honey for softer, shinier tresses and jojoba and olive oils

Experience

I have had this mask in my routine for a few months now. I started using it probably around last spring/ summer. I have this on rotation, currently I use it every 2 weeks on wash days however I was using this every other wash day switching between the Briogeo don’t despair repair mask and the shea moisture manuka honey mask last summer to fall season.

The texture is thick but it spreads easily on the hair. it has a very pleasant scent. The mask has a good amount of slip so can be used for finger/comb detangling. After applying, I sit with a heated cap for 20-30 mins before detangling and rinsing. This is a nice hair mask! It really softens the hair and leaves it feeling better. I have 4c low porosity fine hair and this works well on it. Even with a texture release, the mask is still effective.

Verdict

I finally got this mask because the girls said it was amazing for 4c low porosity hair and they weren’t lying. I was comparing this mask to another popular honey mask- the shea moisture manuka honey deep conditioner and the TGIN out performs that by FAR. I think the combo of honey, olive oil and aloe juice does wonders for dry 4c hair.

I highly recommend this one for us! the hype is real. If you are choosing between this and the Shea Moisture mask, go with the TGIN! Your hair will love it! I’m almost out of the TGIN and I will be repurchasing

TGIN is available on Amazon or your local hair shop

catch you later

Favorite hair products of 2024

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How’s your January going so far? Good , I hope! We’re almost at the finish line!

Today I have a shortlist of some of my favorite products I discovered & used last year. 2024 was my year of healthy hair, so I spent time & effort researching & trying new products.

1. Briogeo don’t despair repair deep conditioning mask- when I thought to do this post, this was the 1st product that popped up in my head! I love this product so much that I kinda overused it and it broke off my hair lol. It is a protein rich mask so just be mindful how many times you use it. I love this mask because it’s detangling but helps to reduce shedding, strengthens and conditions the hair! If you find your hair just feels limp & it’s shedding a lot don’t despair! try this mask! My advice will be to balance this mask with a moisture treatment too, so use once every 2 weeks/monthly depending on your hair needs. It broke my hair because I was using it right after getting a texture release and as that is amino acid based, it was too much protein on my hair and too much protein causes hair to be brittle & easier to break off. This is not the fault of the product but mine which is why I still love this product and will recommend it.

2. Affirm Light Creme hair dress- I was first introduced to this product when I went to Elite hair lounge in Feb 2024. I loved how light it felt on my hair. Fast forward to May, I did my texture release and the stylist recommended the same product to use as my Keracare buttercream would be too heavy. I got it and fell in love with it. Its lightweight as the name suggests and it does well to add moisture to the hair. It’s a nice ‘hair cream’ I used during the week to add moisture.

3. Tgin honey miracle conditioner- this product went viral in the natural hair community when it first arrived but I never got to try it because it was never available in the UK. Last year as I was looking for moisture deep conditioners, the girlies were still raving about the conditioner so I decided to finally try it. This deep conditioner is amazing and I will be writing up a full review soon

4. Olapex 4c shampoo- everyone knows how I feel about Olapex by now, and this product? This clarifying shampoo is no different! It leaves the hair clean but not stripped! I use this on a monthly basis to clarify and chelate my hair. It works for 4c hair. If you want to read my full review of all the Olapex products I have used, check it out here

5. African pride moisture miracle pre poo- another viral product in the natural hair community and it deserves all the hype & more! if you’re looking for a moisture pre poo treatment this is it! I’ve been through 2 or 3 tubs of this! My full review is here

6. Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!™Moisture + Damage Defense Leave-In Treatment– This one came in the gift set with the don’t despair deep conditioner and I love it just as much. It really works to soften the hair. I find that some leave ins just leave the hair ‘wet’ but don’t really soften it. This doesn’t do that.

These have been my top 6 products of last year and I will/ have repurchase/d everyone of these again. More products worthy of a mention is the Paul Mitchell skinny serum which came recommended by my stylist. I don’t know how but this helps to dry my hair faster! and it doesn’t weigh the hair down or cause it to revert. You literally need a tiny bit. If you use a lot like I did when I started using it, you will feel the difference after the hair is dry. it feels a bit sticky?( lack of a better word). Another product I have to mention is the Cantu protective styling hair freshener. I call this hair perfume because it smells absolutely amazing. We all know how braids can get a bit musty after some time, get this! Just get this if you want amazing smelling hair.

That’s all folks! This year I’m focusing more on length retention but the search for better products/brands is still ongoing. I learnt about many brands last year, I’m just patiently waiting to finish up my batch before getting new products.

laterr

Healthy Hair Check in

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Happy New year! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday break and a well deserved rest.

Starting 2025 off with a healthy hair check in. This post is a bit late but I know you will forgive me because it was Christmas!

So 8 months after my texture release and 12 months of a healthy hair routine, what has happened to my hair? And what have I learnt so far

Back in Aug I noticed some breakage around my crown area but I thought it may be due to the braids I had just taken out so I didn’t think too much of it. However over the next month, I kept noticing more breakage so I decided to visit the salon for some expert help. After speaking to my stylist about my routine, it became apparent that I was using too many protein rich products on my hair and since I wasn’t doing much to my hair during the week + my TR which was amino acids based it was protein overload and causing the breakage! I was using my Briogeo don’t despair repair too often! I decided to switch my routine and focus more on moisture and conditioning instead of strengthening. I booked a follow up app in Dec, 12 weeks time to see any changes.

I’m happy to say when I went back in Dec, the breakage was growing back and no further breakage! my hair also felt much better.

2024 was my year to rediscover my hair, focusing on restoring the health of my hair. I’m also happy to report my hair is back! look at my before & after pictures. I started my healthy hair journey in Jan 2024 with my 1st salon app in Feb, look at how dry and crusty my hair was! and this was after a deep moisture treatment! look at my hair now in Dec 2024! my hair looks and feels so much better!. My hair has improved so much! Whilst it may look like my hair didn’t grow much- it did! I had 4 trims in 2024 to get rid of a lot of dead hair

I reviewed a lot of products and you can go check them out but my routine was as follows:

wash- 7-10 days

deep condition with my thermal cap every 3 weeks focus on moisture.

deep condition every 6 weeks with a strengthening treatment OR olapex

clarify every 4 weeks

blow dry after every wash with a leave in, blow dry lotion and heat protectant

For 2025 i want to focus on length retention. My challenge is to grow my hair to waist length- I don’t have a time frame because I’m not going to sacrifice health over length so if I need to switch to focus on something else I will do so. Since its winter I’ve also gone into protective styling mode- no braids! From now until April I will be washing my hair every 2 weeks.

Conclusion

I’m really happy with the progress of my hair. Its so much healthier than 2023 and I can really start on my hair growth journey. I’m going to take the good practices I developed last year and keep on caring for my hair. Going to the salon once every quarter also helped tremendously and I will carry on with this and encourage my natural girles to start going to the salon if not already!

In 2024 I learnt braids as a protective style is not just my friend! even with human hair so I’m going to try to go this year without it. Also can I just say how proud I am of myself for having my hair out most of the time last year! I experimented with a lot of half up & downs thanks to Royale ponytails ( you need to check them out) here are some styles I loved PS that cornrow ponytail is actually a draw string ponytail! and I don’t even remember the last time I wore my own hair to a wedding! let alone 2!

After a year of blow-drying my hair, I did not experience any heat damage my hair grew and felt so much better when dried- no more AIR DRYING FOR ME! I did ‘backslide’ after one wash day back in the fall and airdried my hair(threaded) and never again! the difference was ALOT. My blow drying routine and products post will come soon!

Anyways, I don’t want to bore you with a super long post! Please check out my previous posts for more info and all the reviews of the products I’ve loved last year. I will carry with discovering better hair products so more reviews coming soon!

Here’s to 2025! May it be filled with favor, blessings, good hair & skin

catch you later

The Best Brands for Natural Hair

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hello everyone, I hope your summer is going well so far. This year is my healthy hair year so I’ve committed to better hair practices and routines. To go along with the above, I also made sure to upgrade my hair products. I am now looking for brands that have well formulated, well researched ingredients & products suitable for MY hair type, density & texture. These are the brands I have the products I absolutely love and have made a huge positive impact to my hair.

My hair is 4c low to medium density with very fine strands. I have low to medium porosity. I also have a texture release in( since May 2024). I will be listing the products I have been using from the brands. I purchased everything

Olapex- I tried Olapex last year when my shedding/breaking was out of control and I haven’t looked back! I mainly use this before & after my braids. It’s great for prepping hair for long term braids. Olapex works for natural hair that is extremely dry, damaged and excessively breaking/shedding. I love the No0 & 3 as well as No5- conditioner. Full review on Olapex here

Olapex for black natural hair

Keracare- Keracare is serious brand for natural hair. This year I learnt the importance of ph balanced hair products which made me appreciate the brand even more. The cleansing cream and butter cream is amazing for natural hair! Although as I have a texture release in, the buttercream feels slightly heavy & oily now but prior to the TR it was absolutely fine.

AffirmCare- this brand is from the same parent company as Keracare so Im not really surprised I love this too. I think Affirm is their professional line as I have mostly seen this available in hair salons. I love the light hairdress cream and the Hair Repair Masque. These have been a great addition to my hair since my TR

Briogeo- So everyone knows about the don’t despair repair deep conditioner which is 100% worth the hype by the way but I want to mention 2 other products, the don’t despair repair leave in conditioner and the matching shampoo.

These have been my go to brands this year. some of these products are pricey so do look for discounts when you can. I will be doing full reviews on all the products I have been using but I have linked reviews where Ive done them already.

Hope this was helpful

Catch you later