MOISTURE! MOISTURE! Read all about it!

Welcome to Kinks & Curls! Today I'm going to blog about MOISTURE. The key to growing/maintaining healthy natural hair is MOISTURE!

1. Deep Conditioners: 
If hair is not conditioned from the inside out, you can slap any and every moisturizer on your hair and it will do little effect. Moisturizing natural hair begins with a great deep conditioner. Deep conditioners are applied to the hair after clarifying (shampooing), and left in for a period of time. People deep condition in different ways. I only leave my deep conditioners in for 10 minutes while in the shower and that seems to work for me. I've heard of people leaving conditioners in for as long as 3 hours...I think that's crazy. My hair would come out hard as a ROCK and heavy as all getout if I did that. I personally, don't think that's necessary if you're using a decent conditioner AND if you're taking care of your hair as you should. (Stepping off the soap box. lol) Anyhoo, here are a few of my favorite deep conditioners based on price.  :)

a. Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery Treatment ($$$)

This is hands down the best deep conditioning treatment I've ever used.
Pros: I immediately felt the difference in my hair the moment I put it in. It doesn't take a large amount to be effective and after letting it sit for 10 minutes in the shower, my wide toothed comb slid RIGHT through my hair. (singing: "HEAAAVEEEEN!!!!) The smell is pretty neutral. Not too strong.
Cons: Price - This junk is EXPENSIVE! lol. Okay, maybe not expensive for some people's budget's but for me, anything above $25 per 16oz. is expensive. Miss Jessie's RRT is $48 for the 16oz....and then add shipping...speaking off.
Shipping:...Miss Jessie's is not easily found in stores. Your best bet is to find a salon near you. ORRRR, you can go to their website and see if there is a Target near you that just started selling their products!




  

b. Biolage Ultra Hydrating Balm ($$)

I was actually introduced to this product when my hair was still relaxed. It's done really well on my hair.
Pros: Typically easy to find in stores, very moisturizing, detangles pretty well, neutral smell
Cons: Not to be confused with the regular Hydrating Balm. The more common hydrating balm is also good, but the ULTRA is way more effective on coarse/coily/curly hair.








c. BioInfusion Hydrating Conditioning Balm ($)

This conditioner shocked the mess outta me. I tried it for the 1st time a year ago and since then, this is the only deep conditioner I've used. I found it at WALGREENS while browsing the hair section. (::hides in shame:: Recovering "product junkie" here.) This hydrating balm is obviously a rip of the more common Biolage Balm (same container and everything), yet it's half the price. SHOCKINGLY, it is just as effective. As I said, I've been using this as a deep conditioner for a year and it works really well for me. Can't beat 10 bucks!




2. Conditioners:
Okay, the difference between "deep" conditioners and regular ole conditioners - I wouldn't count on the following products to do the heavy duty conditioning work on your hair. The following products should be used to maintain the moisture in between your deep conditioning treatments. I typically deep condition my hair once a week and then mid week if I end of washing my hair or doing a braid out, I'll use the following conditioners.
a. Matrix Sleek.Look Conditioner ($$)

This as another one of those products that I used while my hair was relaxed. I love it on my natural hair because it does a great job of smoothing and defining my coils. I also use this conditioner when I do twist-outs and when I do wash and goes.













b. Suave Professional Sleek Conditioner ($)

Okay...so clearly a knock off of Matrix Sleek.Look. It works. I've transitioned to using this and have been using it for a good 8 months. Again...price. If I can get the same result for cheaper, best believe I'll be switching! The smell is a little different from Matrix, but it's pretty mild so I don't mind.











c. Suave Naturals Conditioner (uh....I need a half dollar sign. lol.)

I'm tryin to tell yall! Don't hate on the Suave! LOLOL. I rarely use these conditioners but if I just need to wet my hair and slap it back into a ponypuff for the day, this will get the job done without my hair looking like a complete frizz ball. And it smells good. PLEASE don't try to use this as a deep conditioner. Your hair WILL break off.










3. Leave In Conditioners: 
Okay, here's a little secret that I grew up with that will hopefully save you some money on products. Don't buy a marketed "leave-in conditioner." If it's a curl definer or silkener or heat protectant, that's a different story that we'll explore later, but "leave-in"s....Here's your leave in: Take your regular conditioner, apply it, and only wash it out half way...there's your leave in.

4. Moisturizers
These are the products you'll apply to your hair in between washes. Oils & creams that are applied to the hair while dry are typically referred to as moisturizers.  Here are my favorites, again catagorized by price.
a. Miss Jessie's Curly Buttercreme. ($$$)

SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I....LOVE....this stuff. I think I CRIED when I used my last dollop a few months ago. Nothing compares to it. The moisture...the consistency. ...the smell....sigh...the smell. This is the 1st and only moisturizer t I've ever had that my fiance actually liked. Miss Jessie's Curly Buttercreme...sigh...you do it for me.
CONS: You're too freagin' expensive!!!!! Oh...sorry...I'm still talking to the product... Yea...it's expensive. And I have to pay for shipping which doesn't help. It wouldn't be fair if I DIDN'T mention that the large tub will last you quite a while. It doesn't take much product to get the job done. I should also mention that right now, till December 31st, Miss Jessie's is holding a buy one get one promotion. A GREAT time to buy would be NOW.






b. Miss Jessie's Curly Baby Buttercreme ($$$)

I started using this before the regular buttercreme. It seems a little heavier to me than the regular buttercreme and the vanilla smell was a little too strong for me. However, it does a great job at moisturizing in between washes.















c. Organic Root Simulator Olive Oil Hair Moisturizing Lotion ($)

 I've been using this in the last couple months. It gets the job done but it's definitely not as good as my Miss Jessie's. It's heavier than I would like and after a few hours my hair simply doesn't respond to it. If you're on a tight budget and you just need something to get you by for a few, this would be it.












SIDENOTE: I would not use any of the above moisturizers if you're wearing your natural hair straight (aka "pressed"). We'll get to that on another blog.

Hope this helps! What are your favorite moisturizers?